Something magical happens when you brown butter!! These cookies, my friends, these cookies are epic! They maaaaayyyyyy just be the best cookies I have ever made.

Brown butter, what is it? Basically, it’s browning the milk solids of the butter to create a nutty flavor. It also creates a caramel flavor, in my opinion. The process is simple, place the butter in a skillet, you could use a pot as well but I like the control I have with a skillet, and allow the butter to melt. Once it’s melted, start to swirl it around by holding the handle of the skillet and making circle motions, not by using a spatula or spoon. Keep swirling until it starts to look golden. Then, remove it from the heat and continue to swirl for another 30 seconds-ish and pour it into another bowl to cool. The butter can go from golden to burnt really fast, so once you see it start to turn golden you are good!

So, here’s the thing… I usually don’t like any recipe that requires me to refrigerate the dough because I am not a patient person. However, the flow of this recipe works because you don’t have to wait for the butter to come to room temperature. At least that’s my reasoning! Either way, the refrigeration helps make these cookies set up and bake really nice.

Tips for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Use unsalted butter. Since I like to top these with some extra sea salt, I want to make sure to control the amount of salt that’s in the cookies. Use kosher salt for the perfect level of salt to balance the sweetness in the dough.
Don’t use burnt butter. If the butter overcooks, you have to start over, sorry!
I like using 00 Italian flour to make these light yet chewy but regular all-purpose flour works as well.
Refrigerate the dough while the oven heats up. It helps the dough set up. I usually don’t like this step with other recipes, but since we are using melted butter it is necessary for the structure of the cookies.
Make these ahead and keep in the fridge or freezer!
Top with flakey sea salt. This is optional but totally worth it. The crunch of the salt is so lovely with the chocolate.
Use fancy chocolate when you can. I used Valrhona chocolate and did a mix of dark and milk and it was TOTALLY worth it!
Chocolate chips can be used instead of chopped chocolate. You might need an extra 1/2 cup since it doesn’t pack down as much as the chopped chocolate does.

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (I like using dark, but either dark or light brown sugar is good)
1 egg; room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate; chocolate chips can be used as well but I would do 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips); I also like doing half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate.
flakey sea salt for topping, optional

Directions

Place the butter into a small skillet over medium-high heat. As the butter melts, begin to swirl it around. Continue to cook and swirl until it starts to become slightly golden, then remove from heat and continue to swirl a bit longer. It can go from brown to burnt pretty fast.
Quickly pour the butter into a separate bowl once it’s perfectly golden so that it doesn’t continue to cook in the pan.
Once the butter has cooled, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a hand mixer can be used as well).
With the mixer on low, pour in the sugar and brown sugar, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often. Stir on medium speed until the mixture is well combined and lighter in texture.
Stir in the egg and vanilla with the mixture on low, and mix until well combined.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; use a whisk to mix them together well.
With the mixture on low, slowly pour the flour into butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate until evenly mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in being careful not to overmix
Use a cookie scoop (or two spoons) to scoop out the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; you can make them any size you like, but I do the size of about 2 tablespoons, if making them smaller or larger make sure to adjust the baking time.
Place the scooped dough onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper and place it in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Evenly space the cookies out onto a baking sheet so they are at least a couple of inches away from each other. Sprinkle each scoop with sea salt, optional.
Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on their size; until the edges are starting to become golden.
Allow to cool.