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Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

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These brown butter chocolate chip cookies with sea salt are a hug in edible form. The nutty brown butter adds deep, caramel-like flavor, while the sea salt perfectly balances the sweetness.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • Flaky sea salt for topping

Instructions

  1. Brown the butter: Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly as it melts. It will foam, then bubble, and eventually turn golden brown with a nutty aroma. This takes about 5-7 minutes. Watch carefully—it can go from brown to burnt in seconds. Once it’s amber-colored and smells toasty, remove it from the heat immediately.
  2. Cool the butter: Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. It should be warm but not hot. If it’s too hot, it will cook the eggs when you add them.
  3. Mix the sugars and butter: Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled butter. Whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes until the mixture looks like wet sand and is slightly lighter in color.
  4. Add the eggs and vanilla: Crack the eggs into the bowl, add the vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth. The mixture should be glossy and cohesive.
  5. Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. This ensures the baking soda is evenly distributed.
  6. Mix wet and dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix—stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.
  7. Fold in chocolate chips: Gently fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
  8. Chill the dough (optional but recommended): Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This step helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and deepens the flavor. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip it, but the cookies will be flatter.
  9. Preheat the oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  10. Portion the dough: Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to form 1.5-tablespoon balls of dough. Place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  11. Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look slightly underdone. The cookies will continue to cook on the baking sheet after you remove them.
  12. Add sea salt: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each one. This is the moment they become truly special.
  13. Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. They’ll be soft and gooey at first but will firm up as they cool.

Notes

For best results, use room temperature eggs and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Brown the butter in a light-colored pan to monitor color change. Do not overmix the dough after adding flour. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Nutrition

Keywords: brown butter chocolate chip cookies, sea salt cookies, easy cookie recipe, homemade cookies, chocolate chip cookies

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