1/2 Dozen Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Brown the butter

Place the 0.75 cups (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter in a light-colored, medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl or stir constantly as it melts, then foam, then begins to brown and smell nutty. This takes about 6–8 minutes. Once you see small brown flecks and a nutty aroma, remove the pan from heat and transfer butter (including browned bits) to a heatproof bowl. Let cool 8–10 minutes until warm but not hot.

Combine sugars and butter

Add the granulated sugar (0.25 cups) and light brown sugar (0.5 cups) to the warm brown butter and whisk until mostly smooth. The mixture may be slightly glossy and loose — that's fine.

Add egg and vanilla

Whisk in the large egg (1 unit) and vanilla extract (1 tsp) until fully incorporated and the mixture is cohesive.

Mix dry ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour (1.5 cups), baking soda (0.5 tsp), and fine sea salt (0.5 tsp) until evenly combined.

Combine wet and dry

Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar-egg mixture in two additions, folding with a spatula or mixing on low speed just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.

Fold in chips and nuts

Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup) and optional chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (0.25 cups) until evenly distributed.

Chill (recommended)

Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours). Chilling firms the dough, controls spread, and deepens flavor. If short on time, you can bake immediately but expect slightly flatter cookies.

Preheat and portion

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Portion dough into six equal balls (about 2.25–2.5 tablespoons each or roughly 60–70 g per ball). Place them on the baking sheet 2.5–3 inches apart.

Optional extra chocolate and flatten

For bakery-style appearance, press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball and gently flatten to about 3/4-inch thick.

Bake

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 11–14 minutes, until edges are set and lightly golden and centers still look slightly soft. Rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even coloration.

Finish with salt and cool

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle each with a pinch (about 1/8–1/4 tsp total) of coarse sea salt or flaky salt. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 8–10 minutes to finish setting, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To take home

Once completely cool, stack or place the six cookies in a small bakery box or airtight container. If transporting in warm weather, allow extra time to cool and consider a small ice pack to avoid chocolate meltdowns. Cookies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.