🍪 Soft Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter
Ingredients
For the brown butter:
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
For the cookie dough:
- 1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Optional:
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Step 1: Brown the Butter 🧈
- Place the ½ cup butter in a light-colored saucepan or skillet.
- Melt the butter over medium heat.
- Once melted, the butter will begin to foam.
- Keep stirring or swirling the pan occasionally.
- After a few minutes, you will notice little brown specks forming at the bottom.
- Continue cooking until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty and toasted.
- Watch it carefully because it can burn quickly.
- Immediately remove it from the heat.
- Pour the browned butter, including the brown bits, into a heatproof bowl.
- Let it cool for about 10–15 minutes.
Important: Don’t skip the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. They contain lots of the delicious toasted flavor.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Mix until evenly combined.
Set the bowl aside.
Step 3: Mix the Sugars and Brown Butter
In a large mixing bowl, add:
- Cooled brown butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
Whisk together for about 1–2 minutes.
The mixture should look smooth and slightly glossy.
Step 4: Add the Egg and Egg Yolk 🥚
Add:
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whisk until everything is completely combined.
The extra egg yolk is important because it helps make the cookies soft, chewy and rich without making them cakey.
Step 5: Add the Dry Ingredients
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
Use a wooden spoon, spatula, or your hands to gently mix.
Do not overmix.
Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry flour.
The dough should be thick and soft.
Step 6: Add the Chocolate 🍫
Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks.
Try to distribute the chocolate evenly throughout the dough.
For extra chocolatey cookies, you can reserve a small handful of chocolate chips to press onto the tops before baking.
Step 7: Chill the Dough ❄️
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30–60 minutes.
For even better flavor, you can chill it for 2–24 hours.
Chilling helps:
- Prevent excessive spreading
- Develop the brown-butter flavor
- Make the cookies chewier
- Give the cookies thicker centers
If you’re in a hurry, 30 minutes will still work.
Step 8: Prepare the Oven
When you’re ready to bake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Don’t grease the baking sheet heavily because the cookies already contain plenty of butter.
Step 9: Shape the Cookies
Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop out portions of dough.
Each cookie should be approximately 2 tablespoons of dough.
Roll each portion gently into a ball.
Place them on the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between each cookie.
Press a few extra chocolate chips or chunks into the tops if desired.
Step 10: Bake 🍪
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 9–12 minutes.
The edges should look:
- Light golden brown
- Set
- Slightly crisp
The centers should still look soft and slightly underbaked.
Don’t wait until the centers look completely cooked. They’ll continue cooking from the residual heat after you remove them from the oven.
Step 11: Add Flaky Salt
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, sprinkle a tiny amount of flaky sea salt on top.
This is optional, but it makes the chocolate and brown-butter flavor stand out beautifully.
Step 12: Let Them Cool
Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5–10 minutes.
They will continue to set during this time.
Then transfer them to a cooling rack.
For the softest texture, don’t overbake them.
⭐ Tips for Extra-Soft Cookies
1. Don’t overbake.
This is the most important tip. The centers should still look soft when you remove the cookies from the oven.
2. Use brown sugar.
Brown sugar provides moisture and helps create that soft, chewy texture.
3. Don’t skip the egg yolk.
It adds richness and chewiness.
4. Chill the dough.
Even 30 minutes makes a noticeable difference.
5. Use chocolate chunks.
Chocolate chunks create bigger pockets of melted chocolate than regular chips.
6. Measure flour carefully.
Too much flour can make the cookies dry and cakey. If possible, use a kitchen scale.
7. Brown the butter carefully.
Once the butter starts turning brown, stay close to the pan. It can go from perfectly browned to burnt very quickly.
Storage
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–5 days.
For an especially soft cookie, place a small piece of bread inside the container. The bread helps maintain moisture without making the cookies taste like bread.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls for about 2–3 months. Bake them directly from frozen, adding roughly 1–3 extra minutes to the baking time.
