Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Bakery-Style)

These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have taken over everyone's baking rotation for a reason, and once you try this recipe, you'll understand exactly why. Browning the butter takes just a few extra minutes on the stovetop, but it turns an ordinary chocolate chip cookie into something with a deep, nutty, almost caramel-like flavor. Add in two kinds of chocolate, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and a no-chill dough, and you've got a bakery-style cookie you can have in the oven in under 30 minutes.

I've made a lot of chocolate chip cookies over the years, but this version, with its crisp edges, chewy centers, and pools of melty chocolate, is the one I keep coming back to. If you are looking for a more non-traditional cookie try these Kitchen Sink Cookies for the ultimate salty-sweet combination!

Why You'll Love These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Brown butter is the secret weapon in this recipe, and once you taste what it does for a cookie, you won't want to go back. It adds a warm, toasty flavor that plain melted butter just can't replicate, and paired with two kinds of chocolate, these cookies hit every note you want in a homemade treat.

• No chilling required, so you can go from mixing bowl to oven in one go
• Brown butter adds rich, nutty depth you can't get from a standard recipe
• A mix of chocolate chips and chopped dark chocolate creates those gorgeous melty pools
• Bakery-style size thanks to a big cookie scoop
• Crisp, rippled edges with a soft, chewy center
• Flaky sea salt on top takes the sweet and salty flavor over the top

Equipment Needed

• Light colored small saucepan or skillet; this makes it easier to watch the butter as it browns
• Hand or stand mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Rubber spatula
• Cookie sheet
• Parchment paper
• #20 cookie scoop (3 tablespoons)
• Cooling rack

Key Ingredients

Unsalted butter: The star here. Browning it slowly on the stovetop toasts the milk solids and gives the cookies that signature nutty, caramelized flavor you can't get from butter straight out of the fridge.

Granulated sugar and brown sugar: Work together for the perfect texture. Granulated sugar helps with crisp edges, while brown sugar keeps the centers soft and chewy and adds a touch of molasses flavor.

Eggs: Bind everything together and give the cookies structure and richness.

Vanilla bean paste or extract: Rounds out the flavor with warm, sweet notes that complement the brown butter beautifully.

All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies their structure. Measuring carefully here keeps the dough from turning out too dry or too dense.

Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread just the right amount.

Salt: Balances all that sweetness and enhances the brown butter flavor.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Bring classic chocolate chip cookie flavor throughout every bite.

Chopped Lindt dark chocolate: Creates those irresistible melty pools of chocolate you see in bakery cookies. Chopping the bar instead of using more chips gives you chunks of varying sizes for better texture and visual appeal.

Flaky sea salt (optional): Highly recommend it. A light sprinkle on top before baking makes a huge difference and gives these cookies that sweet-and-salty finish.

Toasted walnuts (optional): If you'd like a little crunch and nuttiness to round things out.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a small, light-colored saucepan or skillet over medium heat, add the butter and let it melt. Stir the butter as it bubbles and begins to brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until just barely warm. You don't want it hot enough to cook the eggs when you add them later.

While the butter cools, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Once the butter has cooled, add both sugars and mix with a hand or stand mixer until combined.

While mixing, add the eggs and vanilla bean paste.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add this to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined.

With a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and chopped dark chocolate, if using. No need to chill the dough. You can bake right away. If you chill the dough the cookies will still taste great they will not spread as much and be a thicker cookie.

Use a #20 cookie scoop 3 tablespoons) to portion big, bakery-style cookies. Space them 5 to a sheet to allow room for spreading. Press a few extra pieces of chopped chocolate onto the top of each dough ball to create beautiful, melty pools of chocolate.

Bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes. The cookies will look underdone when they come out. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. See the Expert Tips below for more on getting that perfect bakery-style texture.

Storage

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze baked cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature before enjoying.

Expert Tips

• Cool the browned butter until it's just barely warm before adding it to the sugar. This keeps the eggs from cooking when they're added.
• Use a large #20 cookie scoop for that bakery-style, oversized cookie look.
• Press a few extra pieces of chopped chocolate onto the top of the dough balls before baking to get those gorgeous melty pools of chocolate.
• This dough doesn't need to chill, so if you like cookies with more spread, go ahead and bake right away.
• Take the cookies out of the oven at 11 minutes. They'll look underdone, but letting them cool on the baking sheet allows them to continue cooking, resulting in a chewy center with crisp edges.
• Try the pan-banging method. At the halfway point of baking, take the cookie sheet and bang it gently on the oven rack. This helps the cookies spread more and creates those beautiful rippled edges.
• Sprinkle with flaky sea salt right when they come out of the oven for a delicious, sweet-and-salty bite.