Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and chewy, these brown butter chocolate chip cookies have so much flavor with dark chocolate chips and a hint of coffee.

A sprinkle of salt after baking completes it.

Yes, browning butter means there is an extra step in these brown butter chocolate chip cookies but they are no chill cookies so you can make and bake them in less than an hour!

Browning butter is a step well worth taking too. It gives a rich butterscotch flavor to the cookie dough.

What is brown butter

Brown butter, also known as beurre noisette is simply butter that has melted, and then cooked a step further so that the milk solids in the butter caramelize. This gives a wonderful caramel flavor to the butter.

The depth of flavor in the butter depends on how much it is left to caramelize. Too little and the flavor will be too mild to make a noticeable difference in the cookie dough.

Too much and you run the risk of burning the milk solids and cooking off too much liquid which can ruin the dough structure.

How to brown butter

Over medium heat, let the butter meltdown. Avoid using a dark pan as you will struggle to see the caramelization of the butter and run the risk of burning it.

Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids in the butter have caramelized into a golden amber color and the butter smells nutty.

Pour the hot butter into a mixing bowl, including all the caramelized solids at the bottom of the pan, and allow it to cool down for 10 minutes before continuing with the recipe.

Coffee in cookies

An optional touch of instant coffee powder (espresso powder) is added to the dough to increase the flavor profile. Brown butter and coffee are a match made in heaven! If you don't like coffee, don't worry the cookies won't taste it. It just intensifies the caramel flavor in the cookie.

The coffee powder can be omitted if you want to leave it out.

The ingredients

• Brown Butter - Nutty, caramel perfection
• Espresso powder - optional, and just a hint
• Brown sugar and white sugar - for sweetness. Brown sugar adds moisture to the cookie. (No brown sugar? Try these cookies without brown sugar instead!)
• Egg - for structure
• Vanilla -flavor
• Flour, baking soda and baking powder - The cookie base
• Dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chopped into chunks

The step by step process

Let the butter melt in a medium saucepan, then let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. Pour it into a bowl and allow it to cool down for 10 minutes.

To the butter add the sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and egg and beat it together until well combined. Don't worry if the espresso powder doesn't dissolve completely.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir it into the cookie dough mixture, then add the chocolate chips.

If the cookie dough is still very warm due to the butter, let it cool a bit more before adding the chocolate chips so they don't melt into the dough.

Roll the cookie dough into balls using around 2 tablespoons of dough for each. Space them out generously on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.

The cookies will spread in the oven, so give them plenty of space to do so.

Baking

Bake the cookies for around 11-12 minutes until they have puffed and the edges have cooked. The cookies will seem very soft, will continue cooking a bit on the hot oven tray once out of the oven, and will firm up as they cool down.

Don't overbake them or the cookie will be crunchy and not chewy.

While the cookies are still hot from the oven, sprinkle them with flaky salt. This is optional but salt pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the cookie.

Storing

The brown butter chocolate cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or the baked cookies can be frozen for up to three months.

Related Recipes

If you want to make a smaller batch without the hassle of rolling cookie dough balls, try these cookie bars!

Have you made this? Tag me and let me know!

This recipe is written using grams as the main measurement.

If you don't have a scale US* cup equivalents are also included, however, using a kitchen scale to measure grams will give the best and most consistent results.*US cup sizes are smaller than metric cup sizes.

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Full Recipe

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 18-20

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Soft and chewy, these brown butter chocolate chip cookies have so much flavor with dark chocolate chips and a hint of coffee.

Print

Ingredients

• 180g (1 1⁄2 sticks + 1 Tablespoon) unsalted butter
• 150g (¾ cup, packed) soft brown sugar
• 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
• 225g (1 ¾ cups + 1 Tablespoon) all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 170g (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Flaky salt to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) regular oven, or 320°F (160°C) fan-bake.
2. Let the butter melt in a medium saucepan, then let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. Pour it into a bowl and allow it to cool down for 10 minutes.
3. To the butter add the sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and egg and beat it together until well combined. Don't worry if the espresso powder doesn't dissolve completely.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir it into the cookie dough mixture, then add the chocolate chips. If the cookie dough is still very warm due to the butter, let it cool a bit more before adding the chocolate chips so they don't melt into the dough.
5. Roll the cookie dough into 18-20 balls. Space them out generously on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. The cookies will spread in the oven, so give them plenty of space to do so. You will need to bake them on multiple trays.
6. Bake the cookies for around 11-12 minutes until they have puffed and the edges have cooked. The cookies will still be very soft but will continue cooking a bit on the hot oven tray once out of the oven and will firm up as the cool down. Don't over bake them or the cookie will be crunchy and not chewy.
7. While the cookies are still hot from the oven, sprinkle them with a little flaky salt.

Notes

The cup sizes given are for US cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cup sizes. For best results, use grams.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 175mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 2g