Cookies
Brown Butter Cookies
Thick brown butter cookies with dark chocolate chips, golden edges, and a soft center, made with chilled brown butter and a simple cookie dough.
By PedroPublished August 8, 2026 · Updated August 8, 2026i
Total estimated time. This includes preparation, chilling where needed, baking, and cooling. Some of it is hands-off time.
The first step is the one that changes the whole recipe. I keep the butter moving in the pan and wait for the color to turn amber, with those small browned bits at the bottom. That is the point where it smells properly toasted.
There is a little waiting built in here, but each stage has a job. The browned butter needs to firm up before it meets the sugars, and the shaped dough needs its time in the fridge before the oven.
Once the cookies are baked, I leave them on the tray for the first few minutes. The centers are meant to look soft when they come out, and that short rest lets them settle before they go onto the rack.
Ingredients for Brown Butter Cookies
I set everything out before starting because the brown butter needs its own time to cool and firm up. Once it is ready, the rest of the dough comes together without rushing.
- 220 g unsalted butter
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 150 g light or dark brown sugar
- 1 eggat room temperature
- 1 egg yolkat room temperature
- 10 g vanilla extract
- 310 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g baking powder
- 30 g milklukewarm or at room temperature
- 200 g dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Brown Butter Cookies
These cookies need two chilling stages: cool the browned butter until solid, then chill the shaped dough for at least 2 hours. Portion the dough into 50 to 55 g pieces and leave 7 to 8 cm between them on the baking sheet.
Brown the butter
Cut the unsalted butter into cubes and put it in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously with a spatula as it melts. The butter will foam, so keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. After about 5 to 7 minutes, small golden-brown specks will appear. When the butter is amber and smells toasted and nutty, remove it from the heat.
Cool and chill the brown butter
Pour the brown butter into a bowl, including all the browned bits from the bottom of the saucepan. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for about 60 minutes, or until it is solid again.
Beat the brown butter and sugars
Transfer the chilled brown butter to a large bowl and briefly beat it with an electric mixer to soften it. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, then beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until creamy and evenly combined.
Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Mix in the flour and baking powder
In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and baking powder. Add them to the butter mixture and mix on low speed only until the flour is incorporated.
Add the milk and chocolate chips
Gradually pour in the milk while mixing on low speed. The dough should be soft, thick, and compact. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold them through with a spatula until evenly distributed.
Portion and chill the dough
Divide the dough into portions weighing about 50 to 55 g each. Shape each portion into a short cylinder that is slightly taller than it is wide. Arrange them on a parchment-lined tray, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can stay refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Prepare the oven and baking sheet
When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 190°C and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange about 8 chilled dough portions on each baking sheet, leaving 7 to 8 cm between them.
Bake and cool
Bake one tray at a time for 12 to 13 minutes. Take the cookies out when the edges are lightly golden and the centers are still soft. Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips that make a difference
- Keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the saucepan while the butter browns so the browned bits stay in the butter rather than catching on the pan.
- Pour every browned bit into the bowl with the butter. They are part of the flavor in the finished cookies.
- Chill the shaped dough for at least 2 hours before baking so the portions are ready to go straight onto the baking sheet.
- Bake one tray at a time and leave 7 to 8 cm between portions so they have room to spread.
These take a little more planning than a quick cookie dough, but the stages are straightforward. I like making the brown butter first, then letting the rest of the recipe fall into place once it has chilled.
Save this recipe
Brown Butter Cookies
Thick brown butter cookies with dark chocolate chips, golden edges, and a soft center, made with chilled brown butter and a simple cookie dough.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1Brown the butter
Cut the unsalted butter into cubes and put it in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously with a spatula as it melts. The butter will foam, so keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. After about 5 to 7 minutes, small golden-brown specks will appear. When the butter is amber and smells toasted and nutty, remove it from the heat.
- 2Cool and chill the brown butter
Pour the brown butter into a bowl, including all the browned bits from the bottom of the saucepan. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for about 60 minutes, or until it is solid again.
- 3Beat the brown butter and sugars
Transfer the chilled brown butter to a large bowl and briefly beat it with an electric mixer to soften it. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, then beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until creamy and evenly combined.
- 4Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- 5Mix in the flour and baking powder
In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and baking powder. Add them to the butter mixture and mix on low speed only until the flour is incorporated.
- 6Add the milk and chocolate chips
Gradually pour in the milk while mixing on low speed. The dough should be soft, thick, and compact. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold them through with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- 7Portion and chill the dough
Divide the dough into portions weighing about 50 to 55 g each. Shape each portion into a short cylinder that is slightly taller than it is wide. Arrange them on a parchment-lined tray, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can stay refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- 8Prepare the oven and baking sheet
When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 190°C and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange about 8 chilled dough portions on each baking sheet, leaving 7 to 8 cm between them.
- 9Bake and cool
Bake one tray at a time for 12 to 13 minutes. Take the cookies out when the edges are lightly golden and the centers are still soft. Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Questions you might have
What makes these brown butter cookies different?
The butter is cooked until it is amber with small golden-brown specks, then chilled until solid before it is mixed into the dough.
How long does it take to brown the butter?
It takes about 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, with continuous stirring and scraping of the bottom of the saucepan.
Why do I need to chill the brown butter before mixing?
The recipe calls for the brown butter to be refrigerated until solid again before it is beaten with the sugars.
How long should the cookie dough chill?
Chill the shaped dough for at least 2 hours. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
What size should I make the cookie portions?
Portion the dough into pieces weighing about 50 to 55 g and shape each one into a short cylinder that is slightly taller than it is wide.
What temperature should I bake brown butter cookies at?
Bake the cookies at 190°C.
How do I know when the cookies are done?
Bake one tray at a time for 12 to 13 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden while the centers are still soft.
How should I store brown butter cookies?
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
