comment icon 274 more comments Browned butter and brown sugar caramelly goodness, crispy edges, barely thick and soft centers, melty little puddles of chocolate chips and sprinkles of just enough salt to cut the sweetness and make you feel like you could probably eat 5 of them. My first favorite thing about these browned butter chocolate chip cookies is that they combine the best of both the thin-cookie and thick-cookie worlds with that satisfying little crunch around the edge AND underbaked centers that are thick enough to really sink your teeth into. Best. Of. Both. Worlds. My second favorite thing about these cookies is that they also just shine, and I mean really shine, with rich, deep, caramelly flavor thanks to a whole lot of browned butter.
In This Post: Everything You Need For These Cookies
Watch How To Make This Recipe:
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Ingredients For These Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make these beautiful, nutty, crispy-edged gems happen, you’ll have to gather up the usual chocolate chip cookie party guest list. It’s just going to be a slightly fancier party this time!
unsalted butter granulated sugar & brown sugar vanilla extract eggs all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (I love dark chocolate here) parchment paper
How To Make Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
As mentioned, these are a little more involved. They require some tending to butter, some chill times, some extra willpower to not eat ALL the dough before baking. But beyond that, truly not too overly complicated.
Browned Butter Vs. Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
We have a lot of cookies on Pinch of Yum, but two of them (these brand new browned butter ones, and the original best soft chocolate chip cookies) are easily tied for being the best. I feel it is my civic duty to give you a full breakdown cookie breakdown on each of these recipes and what makes each of them awesome in their own ways.
Browned butter chocolate chip cookies (these ones you’re looking at now): These cookies are a work of art. They have complex, rich flavor. They have more of that crispy-meets-soft-and-yummy texture. They are grown-up and almost-fancy. There is more effort required. And the reward is that there is more nuance to both the flavor and the texture. Making them is not overly complicated but it’s also not mindless. These are the cookies for when you need to impress, even if the only person you’re impressing is yourself on a Wednesday night. I feel this is a good time to let you know that this particular cookie dough tastes amazing. AMAZING. Next level. It’s where the browned butter flavor comes through the most. I’m not recommending eating raw cookie dough, I’m just saying, alright?
Best soft chocolate chip cookies (the original POY fave): These cookies are unfussy and uncomplicated. No fancy steps, no unusual ingredients, no chill time – just a small batch of chocolate chip cookies underbaked to soft, thick perfection. If I need a quick batch of cookies for friends coming over in an hour, these are the ones I’m making. They have less nuanced flavor than the browned butter cookies, and they’d be less likely to win a high-level baking contest, but depending on the moment, maybe that doesn’t matter. I made these recently and gave a few to our nanny and she texted me later that night to say they were the best cookies she’s ever had. Sometimes basic is best.
If I had to pick between the two… I wouldn’t! I like them both at full 100% liking capacity, for different reasons. I like to have a cookie for each mood, know what I mean? But since today is the day we’re sharing these browned butter beauties out into the world, today will be the day I say… make these ones. The originals will still be there for you when you need them. Today is a day to go brown some butter and then experience the rush of sinking your teeth into that crispity edge with the underbaked, slightly thick, gooey, rich center. Treat. Your. Self. Buttery, caramelly, salty, and chocolatey all in one. You’re in for a real moment here.
Source notes: I was first inspired to make this type of fancier chocolate chip cookie by the browned butter cookie recipe in Sarah Kieffer’s book 100 Cookies (affiliate link), which, by the way, is a super fun cookbook for people who love to bake! This was the tutorial I used for learning how to properly brown butter from America’s Test Kitchen, and I also read up quite extensively through the comments section of this Bon Appetit recipe for tips from people who love making cookies with brown butter!
We tested these cookies many times to figure out what worked and didn’t work to get them turning out just right! (Oh, the sacrifice! Ha!) Leave us a comment and let us know if there’s a question we can answer! 4.5 from 110 reviews
More Cookie Recipes We Love
The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (the original cookie and most popular recipe on POY!) Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies (like a chocolate-dipped strawberry in cookie form) The Very Best Chocolate Cookies (dark chocolate, cardamom, crunchy sugar, all the good things) Soft Gingerbread Cookies (that maple glaze! seriously delicious) Big Soft M&M Cookies (another cookie classic!)
