These chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookies have chewy soft centers, thinner edges, toasty brown butter, and two types of melty chocolate. With no mixer required, you can be munching on these addicting cookies in no time!

These chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookies are incredibly easy to make – with no mixer required and common pantry ingredients, you can be enjoying soft & warm homemade chocolate chip cookies in no time. Using brown butter for a nutty, caramel-like flavor, two types of melty chocolate, and a healthy sprinkle of flaky salt, one cookie will not be enough!

Why you’ll love these chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookies

  1. Brown butter. The nutty caramel flavor that brown butter adds to the cookies is *mwah* chef’s kiss.
  2. Chocolatey goodness. I normally use two types of chocolate in this recipe – any combination of milk, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate works! To get those melty chocolate puddles, use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips.
  3. Super soft texture. These cookies are so unbelievably soft (and gooey when eaten warm!). The secret ingredient here is sour cream – one heaping tablespoon adds so much moisture to the cookies.

Ingredient notes

  • Flour: all purpose flour is the flour of choice here for the best texture.
  • Leavening agents: baking soda and baking powder are used to help the cookies rise. Baking soda lets them spread, while baking powder results in those puffy centers.
  • Cornstarch: cornstarch is added to the cookies for a tender and soft texture.
  • Fine sea salt: salt is just as important in baking as it is in cooking! Salt enhances flavor, so omitting it would definitely make a difference in the final result.
  • Butter: we use unsalted butter in this recipe to control exactly how much salt goes in. The butter is browned to perfection to add a depth of flavor to the cookies. European style is preferred for the best flavor!
  • Sugar: granulated sugar and brown sugar are used in these cookies for sweetness, flavor, and moisture. Brown sugar adds flavor and moisture, while granulated sugar aids in the spread of the cookies and gives those browner edges.
  • Egg: one egg is used to bind the ingredients together.
  • Vanilla extract: good quality vanilla extract is key for great flavor.
  • Sour cream: a little bit of sour cream is added to replace the moisture lost from browning the butter.
  • Chocolate: any combination of milk, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate work in these cookies! Chopped chocolate bars are preferred over chocolate chips.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients & their quantities.

Recipe summary

Below is a condensed version of the recipe steps. See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full recipe instructions.

  1. Brown the butter. Toast the butter in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Let it completely melt and crack/sizzle in the pan, then it will start to foam up. Once this happens, you should begin to see brown bits swirling around in the butter. Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and let cool in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  2. Add the wet ingredients. Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Add the egg and sour cream and whisk to combine.
  3. Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the flour and fold until almost fully incorporated.
  4. Add the chocolate. Fold in the chocolate until evenly incorporated and no more streaks of flour remain.
  5. Chill. Cover tightly and chill the dough for three hours.
  6. Bake. Preheat oven to 350F and bake the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 10-11 minutes.

FAQ

How should these cookies be stored?

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature if planning to eat within a few days. Put in the fridge/freezer for longer storage.

Why did my butter burn?

Browning butter is easy, but it only takes a few seconds to turn from golden brown butter to burnt unusable butter. As soon as the butter starts to foam up and you can see the brown bits in the pan, removed from the heat immediately.

My cookies spread too much/didn’t spread at all.

Cookies that spread too much/not at all are likely from measuring the ingredients inaccurately (aka too much liquid, or not enough flour), or not enough chill time. Make sure to use a kitchen scale for accuracy.

Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?

Absolutely! The dough can be made 1-2 days ahead of time by keeping it completely airtight and in the fridge. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough by forming the dough into balls & freezing until firm.

Cookie baking tips

  1. Use a kitchen scale. I cannot stress this enough – a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure accurate results. They are cheap and will make cleaning up SO much easier.
  2. Accurately measure the flour. One of the most common mistakes in baking is over-measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This will prevent the flour from being over-packed.
  3. Chill the dough. Chilling the dough controls spread and it gives the ingredients the chance to emulsify, resulting in a much deeper flavor. 
  4. Use a cookie scoop. Cookie scoops are one of my favorite kitchen tools. It makes scooping the chilled cookie dough so much easier, and you don’t have to get the dough all over your hands.
  5. Cookie scoot. “Cookie scooting” is taking something circular (a cookie cutter, as an example) and gently scooting the cookies after they are removed from the oven. This makes the cookies the perfect circular shape. You can also use a mug, a glass storage container, etc.

Baking in grams

I rely on gram measurements when testing recipes because they offer the highest level of accuracy (and less cleanup!). Unlike volume measurements, which can vary, grams provide a reliable and consistent standard. I carefully test all of my recipes using this kitchen scale, therefore I cannot guarantee the outcome when using volume measurements. However, volume measurements are available in the recipe card.

Other cookies recipes you may like

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out! Leave a star rating & review below and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram so I can see photos & videos of your yummy bakes! Want to save this recipe for later? Tap the heart button on the right side of your screen!

4.89 from 18 ratings
Yield: 18 medium-sized cookies

Soft & Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Author: Jess Italiano
These chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookies have chewy soft centers, thinner edges, toasty brown butter, and two types of melty chocolate. With no mixer required, you can be munching on these addicting cookies in no time!
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Ingredients
 

  • 100 grams semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 100 grams dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 211 grams (15 tablespoons) unsalted butter (European style is preferred!), browned to 170 grams or 3/4 cup*
  • 150 grams (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
  • 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 20 grams (1 heaping tablespoon) sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 225 grams (about 1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon) all purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • Chop your chocolate and set aside.
    100 grams semi-sweet chocolate, 100 grams dark chocolate
  • In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. It will start to crack and sizzle – let it do this while stirring occasionally. After a few minutes or so, the butter cracking/sizzling will subside and the butter will begin to foam up in the pan.
    211 grams unsalted butter (European style is preferred!)
  • Every few seconds or so, swirl the pan around until you can see that the butter is golden brown. You should also be able to see some of the brown bits swirling around in the butter.
  • Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl and put in the fridge to cool for 15-20 minutes.
  • Remove the butter from the fridge and add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
    150 grams light brown sugar, 50 grams granulated sugar, 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Add the egg and sour cream and whisk to combine.
    1 egg, 20 grams sour cream
  • Add the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk until incorporated.
    1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Add the flour and fold it into the mixture using a rubber spatula until there are only a few streaks of flour remaining. Add the chopped chocolate and fold until evenly incorporated and the flour is fully mixed in.
    225 grams all purpose flour
  • Cover the bowl tightly and chill the dough for 3 hours. Once the three hours is almost up, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Scoop the dough using a cookie scoop (I used a 1.5 oz scoop, about 3 tablespoons or 50 grams) and space them 2-3 inches apart on your baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underdone. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then enjoy warm or transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

  1. We need ¾ cup or 170 grams of browned butter. The three extra tablespoons of butter in the recipe should account for the moisture that is evaporated during the browning process. After the butter is browned, make sure you have exactly ¾ cup or 170 grams.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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