Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Print Version)
Nutty brown-butter chocolate chip cookies with chewy centers, crisp edges, and optional toasted nuts.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter
05 - 1 cup packed brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
→ Add-ins
09 - 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
10 - 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
# Step-by-Step Guide:
01 - Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter foams and turns deep golden brown with a nutty aroma, about 5 to 7 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning. Remove from heat and pour into a large heatproof bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - Add both brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled brown butter. Mix until well combined and smooth.
04 - Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing fully after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until incorporated.
05 - Gradually stir the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
06 - Gently fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts if using, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
07 - Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight for thicker, chewier cookies.
08 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
09 - Scoop dough in portions of about 2 tablespoons each onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
10 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underbaked. Remove from the oven.
11 - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The brown butter transforms ordinary chocolate chip cookies into something that tastes like it came from a bakery that charges eight dollars a cookie.
- That brief chill time in the fridge is the difference between flat sad discs and thick chewy centers with crisp edges.
02 -
- Brown butter goes from perfectly nutty to burnt and bitter in seconds so stay at the stove and do not walk away even for a moment.
- Those slightly underbaked centers are not a mistake because carryover heat continues cooking them on the sheet and that is what gives you the chewy middle everyone fights over.
03 -
- The little golden brown flecks at the bottom of the pan are the milk solids and they carry the most flavor so scrape every bit of them into your bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop ensures uniform size which means every cookie bakes evenly and you do not end up with some burnt and some raw in the same batch.