Try my Best Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for soft, chewy, delicious chocolate chip cookies. These homemade cookies are made with salted brown butter, brown sugar, two kinds of chocolate, my go-to self-rising flour, and sprinkled with sea salt flakes for an incredible bakery-style cookie you’ll absolutely love!
Are you ready to make the best chocolate chip cookies ever?
After months of testing/development, today I’m so excited to share The Best Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe with you!
These soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies are made with salted brown butter, two kinds of chocolate, and topped with sea salt flakes for a next-level delicious cookie you won’t be able to get enough of.
If you want to learn how to make The Best Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, then keep reading for the full recipe below and check out my video tutorial over here!
What Makes These The Best Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies?
#1 – Salted Browned Butter
This probably seems like a no brainer since it’s literally in the name of this cookie, but browning your butter is simply my best tip for making next-level chocolate chip cookies.
Browned butter has a nutty, toasted, and sweet caramel/toffee type flavor that is TRULY delicious, and it’s a little trick I always use when making my Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet.
Make sure you scrape in all the toasted brown bits of butter from the pan into your cookie dough.
I like to use this non-stick spatula to get every last little bit.
The toasted milk solids are what add a delicious, toasty and nutty flavor to your cookies.
#2 – More Brown Sugar
Most traditional cookie recipes (like my Mom’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies) tend to use a higher granulated sugar to brown sugar ratio, but for these cookies you want to use more brown sugar.
More brown sugar helps create a chewy cookie that has a perfectly soft center and crispy edges.
You can use light brown sugar or a dark brown sugar if you want a stronger molasses flavor.
#3 – Two Kinds of Chocolate
Although I typically use only semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies in my Mom’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, these cookies are best made with two different kinds of chocolate.
Not only does two different kinds of chocolate provide a better, more delicious flavor profile, but it also helps balance out the saltiness from the butter and sea salt.
I love using both semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopping up a high-quality milk chocolate bar into chunks.
If you’re a fan of dark chocolate, you can also use a combo of semi-sweet and dark chocolate.
Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQ’s
What does brown butter do for cookies?
Browning the butter adds a wonderful toasty, nutty, toffee flavor that really take your cookies to the next level.
What does browned butter taste like in cookies?
Browned butter has a rich, nutty flavor that’s similar to caramel or toffee.
In these cookies specifically, the salted browned butter is a wonderful flavor component that perfectly balances out the sweetness of the cookie and gives you a delicious sweet and salty combo.
Why should you brown butter for cookies?
To me, it’s what really sets apart a good cookie from a great cookie.
Browned butter really elevates the flavor of your cookies and perfectly complements all the other ingredients.
Trust me, once you try it – you’ll be hooked.
Can I use unsalted butter instead of salted butter?
Although I think these cookies are the best made as directed with salted butter, they can be made with unsalted butter if you prefer.
However, if you use unsalted butter you will need to add ½ teaspoon salt to the cookie dough to balance the flavors out.
Alternatively, you can use 1 stick of unsalted butter and 1 stick of salted butter.
What kind of chocolate is best for brown butter chocolate chip cookies?
For this recipe, I love using both semi-sweet chocolate chips and a chopped up milk chocolate bar.
If your brown butter cookies are flat, it’s most likely a result of not letting your cookie dough chill long enough.
Make sure you always chill your dough at least 2 hours or overnight (preferred) before baking.
How do you store brown butter chocolate chip cookies?
Leftover brown butter chocolate chip cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cookies will remain fresh for up to 1 week.
Can this cookie dough be frozen?
Yes, this cookie dough freezes up great. See my instructions below.
How to Freeze Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
It’s super easy to freeze this cookie dough, and it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To Freeze:
Simply use a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer (or fridge, if space doesn’t allow in your freezer) and let the cookies chill for 1 hour or more.
Once the cookies have chilled enough to maintain their shape, place the cookie dough balls in a freezer safe bag or freezer safe container. If layering the cookies, place a piece of parchment paper between layers to ensure they don’t stick together.
To Bake from Frozen:
Over the years I’ve found frozen cookie dough bakes best when you let the cookies thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before baking.
You can also place the cookie dough in the fridge to thaw out overnight.
Bake the cookies as directed, and add an extra minute or two of baking time if needed.
How to Make Pretty “Bakery-Style” Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
#1 – Use a Cookie Scoop
This helps ensure all the cookies are the same size, which in turn helps the cookies bake evenly.
Using a cookie scoop also makes the process of making cookies A LOT easier and faster than scooping out dough by hand or with a spoon.
#2 – Make Bigger Cookies
When it comes to making cookies, bigger cookies are simply prettier. For these cookies I use this small or medium cookie scoop.
#3 – Add Extra Chocolate Chips/Chocolate Chunks on Top
This tip really makes your cookies look more beautiful and of course adding a little extra chocolate chips never hurts!
After scooping out your cookie dough, add some extra chocolate chips and/or chopped chocolate chunks right on top of your cookie dough balls.
I recommend placing them right in the top center of your cookies, as they will spread out as they bake.
#4 – Shape Your Cookies After Removing From Oven
Cookies can sometimes bake a little misshapen, but it’s an easy fix to get your cookies looking “picture-perfect” and round.
After your cookies have fully baked, remove from the oven and use a large cookie cutter to shape your cookies. Simply move the cookie cutter in a circular motion a few times around the warm cookie to make them perfectly circular.
If you don’t have a large enough cookie cutter, you can also use a large canning ring or gently use your spatula to push in any misshapen sides.
The key here is to re-shape the cookies while they are still warm.
#5 – Add Sea Salt Flakes On Top
This is of course optional, but I love to add a tiny bit of sea salt flakes right on top of the warm cookies.
It gives these cookies the most incredible sweet and salty flavor combo, and looks so gourmet.
This sea salt is my absolute favorite, and we also love to use it for grilling steaks.
How to Brown Butter for Chocolate Chip Cookies
Browning butter might sound complicated, but it’s seriously SO easy.
Once melted, bring the butter to a boil and stir continuously until the butter starts to foam up and becomes a copper color.
It does take a few minutes for the butter to come to a boil, but once it does, the butter will brown quickly so make sure you stir continuously and definitely don’t leave it unattended (or it might burn).
Once the color has deepened to a deep amber/copper color, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool for 15-20 minutes.
Helpful Tips:
Make sure you scrape in every little browned bit of butter, as this adds a TON of delicious flavor to your cookie dough (and looks really pretty!)
Make sure you cool the butter until it is cool enough to touch before adding it into the cookie dough. This usually takes anywhere from 15-25 minutes.
My Top 3 Tips for Making Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter
Add Some Milk
Browning butter makes absolutely delicious cookies, but moisture loss does occur when you brown the butter.
To replace the loss of moisture, I recommend adding 2 tbsp of milk to make your cookies perfectly moist, soft, and chewy.
Chill Your Dough
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of chilling your cookie dough before baking, but it’s ESPECIALLY important for these cookies since they’re made with browned butter.
I prefer (and recommend) chilling them 24 hours or overnight before baking, but if you absolutely can’t wait that long, they should be chilled a minimum of 2 hours.
These cookies seriously get better the longer you chill them, so don’t skimp on this step!
Measure Your Flour Correctly
One of the easiest ways to ruin a great cookie is by adding too much flour to your dough.
Too much flour = dry, tough, crumbly cookies.
I personally now weigh my flour in all my recipes with this awesome scale, and weighing your flour is the most fool-proof method to ensure you are adding the correct amount.
That said, if you don’t currently have a scale and want to make these cookies, here’s the best way to measure your flour without a scale.
Use a spoon to fluff the flour in your container or bag, then use the spoon to add flour into your measuring cup before using a knife to scrape off the excess.
How To Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kitchen Tools Needed:
Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe & Video Tutorial
Try my Best Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for soft, chewy, delicious chocolate chip cookies. These homemade cookies are made with salted brown butter, brown sugar, two kinds of chocolate, my go-to self-rising flour, and sprinkled with sea salt flakes for an incredible bakery-style cookie you’ll absolutely love!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
Instructions
First begin melting your butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, bring the butter to a boil and stir continuously with a spatula until the butter starts to foam up and becomes a deep amber/copper color with tiny browned bits. (This usually takes 3-4 minutes)
Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool for 15-20 minutes.
Once butter has cooled, pour it into a large mixing bowl. Next, add in granulated sugar, light brown sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. If using unsalted butter, add in your sea salt. Use an electric hand mixer and mix until creamy and smooth. Add in room temperature eggs and mix until combined.
Begin adding in flour in increments and use electric hand mixer to mix until just combined. When adding in the last batch of flour, stop mixing with the electric mixer while some of the flour is still showing.
Add in chocolate chips and chopped chocolate and use a spatula to stir together by hand until evenly combined.
Cover and chill cookie dough for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight (preferred).
Once dough has fully chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and use a small or medium cookie scoop and scoop out cookie dough evenly spaced apart onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. If desired, add additional chocolate chips/chunks on top of your cookie dough balls.
Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
Let cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
If desired, use a large cookie cutter to re-shape cookies to a perfect round shape. (optional)
Enjoy your delicious browned butter chocolate chip cookies!
Notes
If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can use 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt.
Leftover brown butter chocolate chip cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies will remain fresh for up to 1 week.
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More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe for The Best Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies! Are you a fan of the sweet and salty combo? Let me know in the comments below!
