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 September 14, 2026i
Estimated total time. This covers the full recipe from start to finish, including preparation and any resting, chilling, baking, or cooling. Some of that time is hands-off.
If you like the toasted smell of butter in a pan, it’s a good reason to make these cookies. You still get the chocolate and soft centers of a chocolate chip cookie, but the butter adds a deeper flavor that you notice between the pieces of chocolate.
Those golden edges are my favorite part, especially against the thick middle. The little browned bits go into the dough too; I wouldn’t leave them behind in the pan. This isn’t a batch to squeeze in just before you need it, since both the butter and the shaped dough need time in the refrigerator. I’d choose these for an afternoon when there’s room to wait.
Ingredients for Brown Butter Cookies
I use unsalted butter so I control the base flavor, with brown sugar for deeper caramel notes and granulated sugar for balance. The egg, extra yolk, and milk should all be at room temperature, and either dark or semisweet chocolate chips suit the dough.
- 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
From my kitchen
Watch me make Brown Butter Cookies
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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.
The Thick Center I Want
I let these cookies cool before breaking one open. The outside should hold its shape, while the center stays thick and soft with chocolate chips running through it.
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
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.
