The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome to Ambitious Kitchen’s annual #AKCookieWeek! Prepare yourself because for the next week, it’s all about cookies!

Let’s flash back to around 2012 when I was off trying to perfect the absolute best chocolate chip cookie. I was living in Washington D.C. at the time and my entire world outside of work included baking my heart out. It took me months and months to find an accurate and delicious ratio between butter (it had to be browned), brown sugar (a higher ratio than white sugar) and of course, chocolate (two types of chips!).

Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies on a baking sheet

I was tired of making homemade chocolate chip cookies that were overly crispy and flat, like the Tollhouse version that’s boring as hell. What I wanted was a chewy in the middle, delectable, melt-in-your-mouth center that sent me to heaven in just one bite. However, I also desired a slightly crispy edge that would hold together well upon dunking into a big glass of milk. You feel me? Cookie perfection ain’t easy, people.

Well it’s been nearly 7 years since I created these brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and I figured that a video tutorial was due on the blog (with the addition of a reminder to bake these cookies as soon as you can!). They are my forever favorite. Especially if you want to get a little wild and stuff them with nutella.

And heck, who cares if they aren’t healthy. What they are is a special treat you can feel good about baking.

Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies on a baking sheet with a bit taken out

And so finally, here we are.

The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies You’ll EVER Eat!

These cookies aren’t just epic, but also life-changing. Several of my friends have baked them time and time again, only to tell me that they’ll never make another chocolate chip cookie recipe simply because this one is the best. If you look back through the old post, you’ll see that these cookies receive rave reviews. So basically what I’m saying is that I know you’ll love my go-to chocolate chip cookie too.

Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies in a stack

Ingredients + tips for making the best brown butter chocolate chip cookies

Brown your butter. The brown butter is what really makes them so unique. The flavor profile is nutty, sweet, toasty and reminiscent of a caramel hazelnut flavor. If you aren’t sure how to brown butter, you can refer to my tutorial here. Like I said, it’s a complete love story. Tip: make sure your brown butter is cool enough to touch before using. I usually set it aside to cool for 10-15 minutes before making the recipe. Also, be sure to scrape every bit of brown butter from your pan.
The high DARK brown sugar ratio. Instead of doing a half and half ratio of regular granulated white sugar and brown sugar, I do mostly brown sugar. The brown sugar helps to keep the cookies softer and chewier in the middle, yet still allows for crispy, delicious edges. Normally I choose dark brown sugar because it has a tiny bit more molasses in the flavoring, which again, helps to achieve an out of this world cookie. Don’t worry though, light brown sugar also works.
Egg + egg yolk. This recipe calls for 1 egg + additional 1 egg yolk, which makes all the difference in creating rich texture and the perfect consistency. Just trust me.
The addition of greek yogurt. A tablespoon is all you need to 1) help activate the baking soda so you get amazing crinkly-looking tops and 2) keep the dough moist and lovely. Don’t you forget it. If you’re out of greek yogurt, try sour cream.
Two types of chocolate chips. One milk and one semi-sweet. It really just creates more flavor profiles. If you like dark chocolate, then you can do that and semi-sweet. Totally up to you.
Chilled dough. Yes, this recipe requires you to chill the dough, but I promise it’s worth it. Chilling cookie dough allows the cookies to create a smooth caramel flavor, with crispy brown edges, a chewy interior and crackly tops. This happens because the fat in the recipe (butter) is solid and the sugar also absorbs some of it. Trust me, it’s a game changer.

Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies in a stack

How to freeze cookie dough for later

Freezing cookie dough is wonderful because it allows for portion control or simply for prepping ahead when you have guests or are throwing a party. I LOVE freezing extra cookie dough because that way I can pop them in the oven whenever I want and it’s great when you want to bring something to a party or to a loved one’s house, but don’t feel like having a baking extravaganza. Here’s how to do it.

After dough is done chilling in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. This is known as a flash freeze.
Once the cookie dough balls firm up, you can transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container. Cookie dough will keep well for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, simply bake cookies as directed in the recipe. You’ll likely just need to add a few extra minutes of baking time! Enjoy.

How to freeze baked cookies for later

If you want to freeze the already baked cookies for later, simply wait for them to cool completely, then transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container lined with wax or parchment paper. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Cookies will keep well for up to 2 months. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy.

Watch me make brown butter chocolate chip cookies:

#AKCookieWeek Giveaway!

We’ll be selecting one lucky person to win a 5-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer (in their color of choice) at the end of #AKCookieWeek. To enter:

Share any of your Ambitious Kitchen cookie recipe creations by posting a photo to Instagram or in our private AK Facebook group with the hashtag #AKCookieWeek. On Instagram your profile must be public and you must post a photo in your feed (not on stories) in order for the entry to count.
The more you share, the great your chance of winning!
18+. USA only.

Winner will be randomly selected on 12/12 and contacted via Instagram or Facebook.

I hope you enjoy these brown butter chocolate chip cookies as much as I love baking them. If you make them tag me on Instagram with #ambitiouskitchen so I can see your creation.

The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies You’ll Ever Eat

Prep Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies made with dark brown sugar, two types of chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sea salt. These are, in fact, the BEST cookies you will ever eat.

2 1/4
cup
all-purpose flour
1
teaspoon
baking soda
1/2
teaspoon
salt
1
cup
unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2
cups
packed dark brown sugar
1/4
cup
granulated sugar
1
large egg + 1 additional egg yolk, at room temperature
1
tablespoon
vanilla extract
1
tablespoon
plain greek yogurt
3/4
cup
semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4
cup
milk chocolate chips (or sub dark chocolate chips)
Maldon sea salt, for sprinkling on top

First, brown your butter: add butter to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a medium bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to touch.
With an electric mixer, mix the brown butter and sugars until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low-speed just until combined. Add both chocolate chips and mix on low speed until just incorporated into the dough.
Chill your dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or up to 12-24 hours. Do not try to speed up this process. The dough needs to chill in order to be perfect.
Helpful tip: If you want to make it easier to bake the cookies, I suggest rolling them into balls BEFORE chilling the dough. That way you can simply place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake! Up to you. I usually put my dough in the fridge for 10 minutes, then I take it out roll them into balls, place on a plate or baking sheet and place in the fridge for another hour or two.
Once dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You might need to take out the dough and thaw it out a bit before measuring the dough if it is super hard and you did not already roll the cookie dough into balls. This should take about 20 minutes. Once ready to bake, measure 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough or use a medium cookie scoop. It doesn’t have to be perfectly rolled. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes to allow them to set up, then sprinkle each cookie with sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 24-36 cookies.