Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups — Prone to making cookies that spread? It’s impossible with these! Thick, soft, and chewy cookies baked in a muffin pan that are so rich from the browned butter!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups with Browned Butter
There’s only so many ways to re-invent chocolate chip cookies before it’s just another chocolate chip cookie.
But it’s a new year and I’m not out of ways yet. Cute cookie cups and browned butter to the rescue.
These cookie cups are the solution to your prayers if you’ve ever had issues with cookies spreading. Sometimes even doing everything right including chilling the dough before baking and baking cookies on a Silpat Non-Stick Mat
is not a match for cookies that decide they’re going to spread on you regardless.
The pesky spreading problem is solved by baking cookies in a muffin pan. They’re trapped with nowhere to go.
In addition to the muffin pan trick, I jazzed these up with browned butter because it really does elevate everything to a higher status, including classic chocolate chip cookies.
The depth of flavor, the nuttiness, the richness, and the comforting quality that food takes on when made with browned butter is why I use it every chance I get.
Normally, however, I don’t brown butter or use melted butter for cookies. In general, my cookies turn out much flatter and thinner when I use melted butter and instead I prefer to cream butter with sugars and eggs for cookie dough.
But since I was baking these in a muffin pan and spreading is impossible, it was a perfect opportunity to use browned butter.
Just because they’re muffin-shaped, they’re nothing like muffins. No cakeiness here. They’re dense, heavy, and rich.
There’s nothing better than biting into a thick and puffy cookie that had no chance to spread and is full of sink-your-teeth-in density. They’re the perfect balance of chewy edges, squishy in the middle, and loaded with melted chocolate.
I don’t think I ever want to use my muffin pan for muffins again.
Ingredients in Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
To make chocolate chip cookie cups with brown butter, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Bread flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Chocolate chips
How to Brown Butter for Cookies
Here’s how I like to brown butter for making cookies:
- In a heavy-bottomed medium skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat, stirring nearly continuously or swirling pan. Butter will melt, foam, turn clear, golden, turn brown, and will then smell nutty.
- As soon at the butter begins to turn brown, take the pan off the heat, and continue to stir for about 1 minute.
If you’ve never browned butter before, the key points are to either stir the butter or swirl the pan almost continuously for the 3 to 4 minutes it takes to brown.
And the minute you see brown specks and flecks in the butter, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir for another minute so the carryover heat doesn’t burn the already browned butter.
How to Make Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
The beauty of using melted butter is that no mixer is required and this dough come together by hand in a matter of minutes!
- To make the cookies, first brown the butter as instructed above.
- Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the egg. Then add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the flour and baking soda and mix until just incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Equally divide the batter among the twelve wells in a very well-sprayed muffin pan.
- Bake the cookie cups for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the tops have just set, and don’t over bake them.
Tip: The chocolate chip cookies with brown butter will be a bit underbaked in the center, but as they cool in the pan for at least twenty minutes before removal, they’ll firm up some. I’ve made them in the past and inadvertently overbaked them and although they were okay, they’re best when they’re still soft, gooey, and melty in the middle.
Can I Use All-Purpose Flour Instead of Bread Flour?
I used bread flour and because it has a higher protein and gluten-content than all-purpose flour, and anything made with it has a stronger rise, greater structure, and is chewier.
All-purpose flour may be used but the cookies just won’t be as chewy.
Can I Use a Mini Muffin Pan?
I don’t recommend using a mini muffin pan because the overall mass of dough effects how the cookies bake up.
Just like these cookies should be baked larger to achieve that chewy edge-soft center quality, the same holds true for the cookie cups. I’m all for cute mini food, but not here.
Tips for the Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
I solely used chocolate chips even though I prefer cookies with both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks or with chopped chocolate truffles, but I was fresh out. Incorporating different types of chocolate, white chocolate, toffee or caramel bits, or diced peanut butter cups would be tasty twists.
This is a recipe where you really have to trust your nonstick spray and nonstick pan. I use Pam for Baking floured cooking spray and it never lets me down from cookies to Bundt cakes.
Although you may use muffin liners, cosmetically I wasn’t going for the ruffled potato chip look and didn’t want ridge impressions on the browned butter cookie cups. The only ridges I wanted in them were from teeth.
Pin This Recipe
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
Prone to making cookies that spread? It's impossible with these! Thick, soft, and chewy cookies baked in a muffin pan that are so rich from the browned butter!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups bread flour (all-purpose flour or a combination of the two may be substituted)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 12-count standard-sized muffin pan extremely well with floured cooking spray, cooking spray (or lining with paper liners is okay); set pan aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed medium skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat, stirring nearly continuously or swirling pan. Butter will melt, foam, turn clear, golden, turn brown, and will then smell nutty.
- As soon at the butter begins to turn brown, take the pan off the heat, and continue to stir for about 1 minute, to ensure carryover heat doesn't continue to cook and subsequently burn the already browned butter.
- Pour butter into large mixing bowl and allow it to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the egg. Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and stir until just incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Distribute dough equally among the 12 muffin pan cavities; each will approximately be filled to between two-thirds and three-quarters full. The cookies don't rise much (nothing like muffins) so it's okay if dough seems high in the cavities.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or just until tops have set and are golden, taking care not to overbake because they will firm up more as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before removing them. If they have stuck to the pan, gently wedge the tip of a soft spatula into the muffin cavity to dislodge the cookies, rather than rimming with a table knife so you don't scratch your pan. Serve immediately.
Notes
Cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 153mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g
More Desserts with Browned Butter:
Sea Salt Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies – Super soft, perfectly chewy, SALTY-AND-SWEET chocolate chip pecan cookies that are AMAZING!! An EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe!!
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Bars — The tender dough with rich browned butter flavor, a crackly top almost like brownies have, and the melted chocolate chips is an irresistible combination.
Browned Butter Caramel and Butterscotch Bars – Browned butter, caramel, and butterscotch is the most heavenly combination! Super soft, chewy, with texture from the butterscotch chips!
Browned Butter Rice Krispies Treats – Jazz up classic Rice Krispies Treats with browned butter! Makes such a wonderful difference in the depth of flavor!
Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Salted Caramel Blondies — The combination of browned butter, salted caramel, chocolate, and sea salt is INCREDIBLE!! A complex-tasting salty-sweet dessert that is EASY to make and a guaranteed FAVORITE!!
Browned Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies – SALTY-AND-SWEET, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookies that are PERFECT!! An EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that’s just the BEST!!
Averie, Thank you for all of your recipes! This recipe for bars with leftover halloween candy sounds very good. I can’t wait to try it.
That’s wonderful and hope you enjoy!
These cookie cups are so chewy and delicious! Very easy to make.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that they turned out delicious for you!
The ingredients for these cookie cups seems to have disappeared from the page? Is there another link to the ingredients please?
Temporary glitch, working just fine now. Thanks for your patience.
I love making cookie cups! It makes the cookies way more chewy and the texture is simply the best. These chocolate chip cookie cups look absolutely delicious!
hii
thank so much i like you website
amazing
Is it supposed to come out all crumbly
No sounds like you perhaps overbaked given your oven and/or maybe added a bit too much flour, both of which will contribute to crumbly-ness.
I also just made this cookie dough and it is very crumbly, I haven’t even put it into the oven yet!
I guess we’ll see how this comes out.
Do you think these brown butter cookies would work cooked in a sheet pan?
I haven’t tried it that way and I would recommend sticking with the recipe as written in this case. I have lots of recipes for bars (bar cookies) if that’s what you’re wanting to make https://www.averiecooks.com/category/dessert/bars
I have been trying to find a go to yummy moist chocolate chip cookie recipe FOREVER!!!! This year alone Ive prabobly tried about 6-7 diffrent recipes… I made these last evening and I have to say they are the best I’ve made yet. If you love moist, gooey cookies that stay that way even the next day these are a must try… I’ve deleted the other chocolate chip cookie recipes as I no longer need them. Thank you so much for this recipe :) . I’ve started following you on Pinterest and can not wait to try more of your delicious recipes… Love from Montreal :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that you even deleted your other choc chip cookie recipes and this is your favorite yet! Thanks for following and let me know what other recipes of mine you try!
Wow these cookies are amazing, I made them today and I loved them. The browned butter made so much difference, I’m thing of using it your cream cheese cookies as well!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And yes, browned butter in anything makes such a huge difference in the final flavor!
I think everyone has their favorite way of making chocolate chip cookies, but I definitely wanted to try these as a surprise treat for me and the bf. Browning the butter added a great depth of flavor in the way I like, and combined with my usual tweaks (all brown sugar/sucralose blend, combo of AP and sifted wheat flour, mandatory salt) it was the perfect addition to the caramelly flavor I crave in my cookies. Thank goodness this recipe only makes twelve cups, because we had them for dessert and breakfast the next morning!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that you had them for breakfast the next day!
So now that I have tried this recipe a few times and another recipe using browned butter, I am feeling pretty good about that amazing stuff. If I want to use browned butter in place of “regular” butter in an existing recipe, do I need to change the amount used? Since liquid cooks out while browning, I would guess that would affect the recipe. If you have a moment, please let me know. I searched all over the internet and can’t seem to find an answer.
When making alterations to a recipe like you’re asking, there are no hard and fast one-size-fits-all answers. With baking, much of it is trial and error and some tweaking as necessary. Basically dive in, try, and if it works, great. If not, you can change things the next go-round so that it works better. Glad my recipe came out great for you!
Thanks! There are so many recipes to choose from I don’t even know where to start.
I absolutely love making chocolate chip cookies but I tend to shy away from making individual cookies because it is so time consuming. So instead I make the bars with a jelly roll pan and have developed my own recipe that everyone enjoys. I saw this receipt and was immediately intrigued. I am wondering if I could use this recipe for the jelly roll and and make bars. I guess essentially using my recipe but changing the margarine to the browned butter. What do you think?
Probably would work just fine or check here, I have soooooo many cookies-made-as-bars https://www.averiecooks.com/category/dessert/bars
I have made these a few times now… and my family and me just love them! Today they are going to a church potluck. Thank you for posting this. Was my first time to brown butter when I found this and with your directions was a breeze, and we really like the extra depth of flavor we can taste in the cookies because of it. Looking forward to trying more recipes on your site.
Thanks for trying these a few times and how nice of you to bring them to a potluck! So glad the browned butter tutorial helped and you’re enjoying the great flavor! Have a great holiday season!
Can these be baked in muffin liners ?
I don’t just because I don’t like the look of them with all the crinkles on the cookies then so I haven’t tried it; but I think you could.
Thank you so much for posting these. Made two batches this weekend. I even just finished my post all about them on my blog. YUM!!!
Thanks so much for trying them and glad you’re happy and that you even made 2 batches! That’s great! :)
Hi Averie, I can’t decide whether to make the PB chocolate chip cookie cups, the double chocolate chip cookie cups or these… which would you recommend the most? I’m also curious about why you used 1 3/4 cups of flour in the double chocolate chip recipe but only 1 1/2 cups for the PB chocolate chip cup recipe and this recipe when they all use 1/2 cup of butter and 1 egg. I expected the recipe for the PB chocolate chip cookie cups to have more flour b/c of the PB.
About the brown butter- I tried browning butter over the stove and I swirled it for about 4 minutes on medium heat but nothing happened…it sputtered but didn’t really brown. When I poured it into a bowl, only the bottom was browned…do you know what may have gone wrong?
You can’t go wrong with any of those choices, just go with your gut!
And: 1 3/4 cups of flour in the double chocolate chip recipe but only 1 1/2 cups for the PB chocolate chip cup recipe and this recipe when they all use 1/2 cup of butter and 1 egg. I expected the recipe for the PB chocolate chip cookie cups to have more flour b/c of the PB. = Because peanut butter is tacky/sticky and I find doesn’t need as much flour when it’s present in a recipe.
do you know what may have gone wrong? = yes you didn’t go long enough, it should be BROWNED butter. Not barely tan with a few little flecks. Brown it up! If you burn it, big deal. Start over with another stick of butter, 50 cents, who cares :)
It’s so hard though, they all look really good. So if I used 1 3/4 cups of flour in this recipe, like in the double chocolate chip recipe, would anything terrible happen? Because I want the browned butter flavor and more flour(more cookie cups) at the same time.
Just do what you think is best! I wrote the recipes I know in a way that they will work but feel free to experiment.
I made these today and my dough was greasy feeling and the chocolate chips just fell off. They wouldn’t fold in at all. I baked them and after they cooled the chips were still melted. Don’t get me wrong, they tasted AMAZING but I have no idea why the chocolate never hardened. Even after a couple hours when there cookies were completely cool… The chocolate chips were melted. Soooo strange but still tasty.
That’s odd about the chocolate! It sounds like the butter/grease was maybe preventing the chocolate from fully hardening, even when cooled. I would say in the future, brown the butter for a long duration so it really burns off the water and you’re left with less overall volume (I suspect you took it off the heat slightly too soon out of fear of burning it) but if that’s not the case then adding another 1/4 cup or so of flour to firm things up probably would have solved all. Glad they tasted great anyway!
Cookie cups are not just for people who have problems with spreading! They’re for everyone! For some reason, I usually don’t have spreading issues, but I’ve made your peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cups and now these cookie cups as well because they’re just so delicious! Using muffin pans is just a way to make really thick cookies. Biting into them is bliss.
Also, I used canola oil instead of browned butter, so if anyone else is lazy and wants to do that too, I can vouch for the flavor: it’s still AMAZING. :D
Glad to hear you love them and that canola oil works well. Simply melting butter in the micro works too and that only takes 1 minute and you’d still get the buttery flavor, but sounds like you’re okay with how they are and glad you feel they’re pure bliss :)
Eh, I don’t miss it much. I’m one of those weirdos who doesn’t love butter. I tried a croissant once and its overwhelming butteriness grossed me out. :D
I just made these and I put nutella in the middle of each one before baking- oh my dear lord, they are my favorite desserts EVER!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe :)
I love your idea and can only imagine how good they must be! :)
can i use margarine instead of butter
Margarine doesn’t really ‘brown’ like butter does but you can use melted margarine.
I made this for the first time today. I also had the problem someone else mentioned that the dough was too dry and crumbly and the chocolate chips just fell out. I baked it anyway and they tasted delicious. Next time (and there WILL be a next time), I will use a little less flour and maybe split AP and bread flour. It was definitely a little more delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Not sure if this link will work for my picture of it…
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UnxhQZUxcio/U2BD5Kj_LvI/AAAAAAAANqU/19D9aSLZUWM/s813-no/IMG_8449.JPG
They look great! They look perfect to me! Thanks for the image link! And next time, yes, just use a little less flour. Bread flour is more ‘drying’ then regular so if you’re worried, just use all AP next time and/or a little less flour and that should solve any issues of being a little crumbly.
I’ve made this recipe twice, followed it precisely, used bread flour, and it didn’t turn out either time. Do you know why the dough is coming up dry and sandy? I used all bread flour. Does it perhaps come together differently than AP flour b/c of the higher protein content in the bread flour? Is it a different consistency if using a mix, or all AP flour? My butter was still melted, but not hot enough to cook the egg when I mixed it all together, so I know the butter made it through all the dough… Please help, these look so delicious I am dying to know what went wrong. Do you have any photos of what your dough looks like before you scooped it into the wells? Thanks!
I think you should switch to AP flour. Bread flour is ‘dryer’ than AP flour and absorbs more liquid and so whatever brand of ingredients you’re using, your bread flour is sucking the moisture right out, thus the sandy-ness. Just use AP flour and you will be fine. The dough is wet and pretty sticky and tacky; like average cookie dough. And also when measuring flour, you should be using a light hand and not packing it into the cup, or you could be over-adding it, by up to 1/4 cup per cup. Some people think they should measure flour like you measure brown sugar…nope :) If you get the recipe down and want to switch to bread flour, go for it. If not, just stick with AP flour. I went thru a bread flour phase a couple years ago but really, for most people, using AP flour eliminates hassles!
I scoop my flour then level with a knife, I never pack it. Thank you for your speedy reply!
I made this today and……. Simply heaven on earth! Browning the butter really made a difference in the taste. After I let it cool down, I put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Took them out and they turned out to be so crispy and delicious! Almost like a frozen treat.
Such an easy recipe. It’s a keeper.
Thank you, Averie! It’s ridiculously yummy, I can’t stop eating them.
Yay! Glad you loved them and yes, browning the butter makes such a huge difference doesn’t it! Glad you’re a fan!
This recipe is so good! I have made them a couple times now. Can’t believe something so easy can be so delicious. Love that I don’t have to worry about remembering to soften butter…def a plus!
Glad you like them and I totally agree about the easy stuff being so good and also about softening butter :)
Sorry for obnoxiously commenting on all these posts, but it’s my winter break and I’ve been trying to squeeze in as much baking as possible before school starts again. Anyways, I made these tonight and they were so, so incredible. The browned butter makes such an enormous difference–it’s such a little thing, a few more minutes in the pan, but it adds this lovely, nutty depth that you just don’t get otherwise. These were so rich and chewy and delicious. Everyone loved them. (also, topped with caramel-swirl ice cream? yes please.)
Nothing obnoxious about it! I love hearing when ppl make things and love them! I am so glad you tried them and I agree, the b.butter makes a huge difference! The nutty depth is irreplaceable and unmistakeable! Thanks for trying these!
Hi
Love your site. These look delicious. Do,u think I could make them in mini muffin tins? Or do u have recipe similar for mini muffins. Thanks!!
Hi I just posted this recipe this week! Exactly what you’re looking for! https://www.averiecooks.com/caramel-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookie-cups/
This is the second recipe I have tried from your blog. It is so delicious! I used Halloween brown and orange chocolate chips and Halloween liners and they turned out lovely. It was my first time doing browned butter and my husband rlly loved the way it made the house smell. It almost seemed like the brown butter flavor was a little but stronger when the cookies come out of the oven. I ate one today and it seemed more subdued – but honestly either way they were scrumptious. Perhaps I just got used to the nuttiness because I hadn’t had it before.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! Your book is on my wishlist for the holidays and I am just waitinh to try some of your other recipes. Of course I wil l have to give them away because if I don’t I am tempted to eat it all!
I’m so glad to hear you loved these and are now a big fan of browned butter. It really makes your house smell so good – you’re right! Sometimes the flavors of things mellow a bit over time so that may have been what happened here; it became a little more subtle as time passed. Hope you get a chance to pick up my book – LMK what you make from it! :)
Your book is on my birthday wishlist! I love peanut butter! Btw, I brought these to a Halloween party, and ran into someone at a Christmas party who had had them at the Halloween party and they said they were possibly one of the best cookies they have ever had. I had brought the m&m cookies to the Christmas party and they said they knew they would be good since these ones were so delicious.
I have had several folks request recipes from the various different things I have made of yours and I just send them to your site. Havent had a bad recipe yet.
Thanks!
Thanks for saying that you haven’t had a bad recipe from my site and also for sharing the story about the best cookies of that person’s life. That is awesome to hear! Thanks so much for trying my recipes & your support and for sharing with family & friends :)
Hi Averie! Finally I’m back! :) I made these today and they came out brilliant! I had to cook them for a couple of minutes longer though, cause at 11 minutes they were still very soft. I love them and one of the best things about them is that it takes 20 minutes to make them!!! Also, a couple of days ago I made the banana bread with browned butter vanilla glaze for my parents, they loved it so much that they asked me to make another one so that they could take it home with them today! So, I ended up making two loaves in two days! Love it! :) Hope you have a great weekend!
Glad you loved them and they’re ready in 20 mins – I know, the best, right!
And that’s wonderful to hear that the banana bread was such a hit with your parents you’re making another loaf for them to take home – how sweet :)
Hi I think I’m going to give these a try. I was curious how you think they would do in a jumbo muffin pan? I like he idea of 6 large cookies to serve as a base for a sundae. I know I’d need to increase the the cooking time but by how much? Thanks for any advice!
I’m not sure how much you’ll need to increase it b/c it will also depend on how shallow or ‘thick’ you stack the dough in each cup. I would just bake until done :) You will know! Keep them gooey and start checking every 2 mins at the close of the recommended baking time. Enjoy!
I’ve had these pinned forever and just got the time to make them. I halved the batch so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat all of them, and they are extremely delicious. However, I have put them back in the oven (after the cooling time) since I felt they were too underdone. But these things happen, especially as I adapted the recipe a bit.
I used a combination of light brown sugar and muscovado for the brown sugar, so that may have changed the cooking time. I’ve been trying to avoid refined sugar, so next time I’ll use all muscovado and turbinado sugars. The flavor profile goes so well with the browned butter. Oh, and I also use white whole wheat flour, because I enjoy the flavor more than AP. Either way, these are extremely, extremely good.
Everyone’s oven is a bit different, plus with you using wheat flour not white, the batter wise likely thicker, taking longer to cook; as well as brown sugar having more moisture than white and the types of sugar you used, having more moisture than conventional sugars, so yes,extending baking time was probably in order. Glad you got that all squared away and so happy you feel they’re extremely, extremely good! Thanks for the detailed feedback on what you did!
Hi! I love all of your recipes and your blog. Truly amazing. Just wondering with these cookies, how does reducing the amount of sugar affect the recipe? Would I still be able to achieve a nice texture with half the sugar? Thanks!
No, you wouldn’t be. I recommend making the recipe as directed and either eating less or working out more :) But playing with the sugar and reducing it by half will not give you a successful result.
This recipe is definitely a favorite for life- although you’d never know it while I was preparing them! I wasn’t sure about browning the butter (it seemed to be greenish for the longest time!), and it seemed like I had WAY too much chocolate (though I did like the different texture that the chopped chocolate provided) and not enough dough. Even while the cookie cups were cooling I thought they were a disaster: “They’re not setting! They’ll just crumble apart!”
And of course, once I let them sit long enough, it turned out they were perfect! The bread flour is a revelation. I can’t believe I ever loved cookies made with just AP flour and white sugar! The chewiness is just the best! Next time I’m throwing in some peanut butter chips, too :) Thanks so much, Averie!
Glad you loved them and trusted the process. Sometimes some of the most ohmygodwhatisgoing on recipes are the best tasting ones. This cake is another one http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/11/chocolate-molasses-chocolate-chip-cake-with-baileys-irish-cream-glaze.html It bubbles while baking and look’s like a witch’s caldron inside the bundt pan but it works out perfectly! Glad you loved the cups and I bet with PB chips, they’re great!
Thank you forever for this recipe! Made twice already. The best chocolate chip cookie I have ever had. I’m really popular with my family! Can’t make them last enough for the friends yet, but that’s the plan. Anyone considering these, please make them! They will not disappoint!
Hi Aisha and thanks for taking the time to write and come back and tell me you’ve made these twice already and everyone seems to love them! And they’re the best CCC you’ve ever had! That’s amazing and so glad that this is the recipe that gets that award. I appreciate it – thank you!
I just made these tonight! They are SO DELISHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I LOVE chocolate chip cookies and these are up there. :O) Thank you for teaching me about browned butter. It wasn’t as hard as I thought and mine came out perfect. Thank you this is a keeper just like so many other recipes I’ve gotten from your site.
Now if I could just STOP eating them. :O)
Your comment just made my night…thank you for coming back to tell me how much you’re enjoying them, that they came out perfectly, that your 1st attempt at browned butter was a success…and that you’ve made other things from my site. Thank you so much for reading & taking the time to come back & tell about it!
p.s. If you want an EASY browned butter recipe – these Rice Krispies take RKTreats to new levels if you’re a RKT fan
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/12/browned-butter-rice-krispies-treats.html
Or these also use browned butter, super easy and good!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/12/browned-butter-caramel-and-butterscotch-bars.html
I just spent an hour on your wonderful site! Scrumptious!
{I found you through “Let’s Get Linky” at ‘BunsInMyOven’}
Oh that’s awesome & thanks for finding me and digging around!
I seriously want to sink my teeth into one of those cookies! They look so incredibly moist and chewy, and the brown butter is a serious bonus!!
Thanks, Jessica! I loved them and they were seriously tooth-sink-worthy :)
This post is a keeper because the pictures are wonderful and so are the recipes! Thanks for sharing :) I do indeed have that problem of my cookies spreading out too much. They taste great but are flat as a pancake-as the saying goes.
I am on a gluten free diet so will try some of these recipes with that flour. Usually my baked goods come out a little(this is an understatement) on the heavy side. Taste good though :)
Have a beautiful day!
Thanks for stopping by & the glowing compliments!
I tried making these this morning and the batter was so dry. Waiting on them to cool to see if they made through the baking process.
Dry – gosh. My batter was very soft and doughy, just like cookie dough is. With basically 1 cup of sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of butter, and 1.5 cups of flour, it’s pretty much standard ratios for cookie-dough and if anything, my batter was on the wet side rather than dry but let me know how it goes for you!
I love giving my stand mixer a break (as well as my lackluster dish washing skills!). Words cannot convey how delectable these look to me right now! It’s been a full 6 days since I last baked something…looking at these beauties is torture. :D
I wish you could help me eat what I’ve been making. I came home from Aruba & hit the ground running with recipes and it’s been a little bit insane here :)
wow the middle of these look so moist … so delicious… and since you said to make in a muffin pan…they will be consumed for breakfast ;-) and thanks for the tidbit not to use my mini muffin pan…otherwise I would have!
The overall surface area/depth and how that relates to baking time/temps and air circulation all effects how they bake so yes use the full size!
Love love the use of browned butter. As always, your photos are amazing.
Thanks for the compliments!
Since I have first seen muffin cookies I have been soo intrigued. Havent tried it myself yet, but yours look soo chewy! Love it.
I’m all about brown butter and cookie cups, love this recipe!
I know you love your browned butter & thanks for the pin!
these look like the absolute perfect way to get that nice thickness with CCCs!
Seriously there is nothing better than a chocolate chip cookie. I can imagine a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream right in that cup now.
I’m in LOVE with baking with brown butter! These little cookie cups look awesome, Averie!
I know you love your browned butter…me too!
I just made my first brown butter cookies and I am in love! Now I cannot wait to make these adorable cookie cups and you are so right about baking them in a muffin pan, that way they must stay thick!
Oh man, I love chocolate chip cookies and your Brown Butter CCC Cups look amazing!! You got me at the cookie with the bite!
I like your new avatar pic too, btw!
i love chewy chocolate chip cookies so i would probably like these!
Loooooooooooooooooooove these, Averie! I tend to have problems with my cookies spreading, no matter how long I chill them, so this is the perfect solution for me!
Try increasing your flour by 2 to 4 tbsp or increasing baking soda by 1/2 tsp or a combo of both – that could help lots!
Averie- I just have to say that I LOVE your photos! They are always so fresh: the colors are so bright, the images so clear, the textures of your wooden surfaces so warm. MLove, love, love them! They just make me happy and I thought it was about time that I told you so! Happy new year! Keep up the gorgeous work.
Aimee thanks for stepping out and saying hi! I have to say, I was actually so worried about these photos. I took them in Aruba and they were one of the last things I made there and the day I made them the weather was very marginal and the sunlight so poor and so I did what I could but I know in other conditions I could have done even better with them – but thank you for the compliment! My photography means as much or more to me than the recipe sometimes :)
brown butter is truly my favorite little ingredient. it’s such a fierce way to makeover even the simplest of recipes, Averie! I can literally see just how soft and moist these cookies are – the thick, dense centers and chewy edges. Love hte teeth mark shots because we get to see just how thick these are! the brown butter, the higher ratio of brown sugar, the slightly underbaked center – just those three things prove how incredibly luscious these are. Soft, gooey, melty middles are the bees knees. Oh! and bonus! I love that this recipe only makes 12! I clearly don’t need any more sweets that that around. I bow down to small batch recipes and you are the queen of them. :)
With a new post and recipe every day or 4-5 days a week, if I didn’t cook small-batch, we’d all need new pants – every week! And these came about in Aruba, with no mixer, lots of butter to use and bread flour and figured what the heck. And the recipe worked great. The photos, meh, well. Ya know. I know you can probably tell they’re not San Diego light. They have that drab quality of lighting my Aruba photos have b/c the conditions are so iffy. But I digress. Brown butter DOES make everything way better and these are the epitome of density & moistness!
Brown butter is pretty lie-changing. Adore these cute cookie cups Averie! I can just imagine myself eating them with a cup of coffee on the go in the morning. Hehe.
Between these cookies and my snickerdoodle granola bar post yesterday, I think I was just unconsciously channeling your browned butter snickerdoodles and all your amazing browned butter cookies. Which I see…on like every Pin board ever..because they are amazing! :)
I’ve never made cookies in a muffin pan but I love thick, under baked cookies so I’ll definitely give it a try. I made my mini pumpkin pies in a muffin pan and it worked so well. I highly recommend making single serving pies in muffin tins.
Based on what you just wrote, then you HAVE to try this combo. So easy, goofproof and great results!
Perfect idea to bake them in a muffin tin! They look scrumptious and the browned butter puts them over the top!
It’s like a little deep dish cookie! Love.
I could eat about 10 of those with a tall glass of milk.
I am waaaay too hungry right now to look at these. OMG they are perfect!
To-date I’ve only used them for muffins, but I’d like to try mini meatloafs in muffin pans.
Averie, how do you do it?! These look so %^$#@(# good! I want to bake my way through this entire list of cookie twists (type two diabetes be damned!) and blow up all of your stunning photos to hang on my walls as art. I’d be hungry all the time but it’d be worth it to gaze at those cookies studded with melting chocolate chips.
You are so sweet with the wall hanging comment! And trust me, I wish I could share some of this stuff. But that’s why I make small batches of 1 dozen things when I bake!
I have got to stop looking at your blog when I am hungry ;)
These look AMAZING! What a fun way to kick off the new year. I just found your blog and am loving it! Happy New Year!
Thanks for finding me and for saying hi! And they’re a great way to kick off the new year – or just any ole random day :)
I seriously cannot think of a better way than to start the year with these! Who needs to diet anyway?
OMG. Brilliant idea baking cookies in a muffin tin!!! Wow, how come nobody has invented cookie pans yet? They have specific pans for everything else – muffins, doughnuts, financiers, madeleines, tarts, etc. Have you seen a cookie pan yet? I’m sure there are some out there. I bet the French have some…they always have something cute for everything they cook / bake! Anyway, you got me at “browned butter!” Ha! Happy New Year, Averie! All the best for 2013!
They do have them – they’re called whoopie pie pans but really they do a great job with cookies that aren’t whoopie pies
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/01/deep-dish-chocolate-chip-cookies-with-pb-cups-pb-mms.html
And ironically when I make whoopie pies, I make them free-form, no pan
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/10/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-book-giveaway.html
I love love love your food styling and photography, Jen. Happy new year!
Averie, if these cookies don’t turn out to be your most popular post of 2013 I’ll eat my hat. But not after I make and eat a truck-load of these cookies. They look insanely good.
Well I doubt they’ll be the most popular. They will likely be trumped by some random smoothie I post or a nobake bar with a great melted chocolate image but I HOPE they are the most popular because they really did taste so good! I made them in Aruba and I wish I had one here now :) But thanks for saying that!
pssst (are you the queen of sweets? I’m thinking you are…)
That would be a big YES!
So….now I need to make these….ASAP!
Ooh, they look so perfectly gooey on the inside!
Have you tried browning butter and then putting it back in the fridge to harden up before using in cookies? That’s what I usually do and it works perfectly. :)
I don’t know why I’ve never done that!? Genius! I usually let it cool back down to room temp, but I never allow it to truly re-solidify, at which point I could cream it with sugars, egg, etc. All the flavor of the browned butter minus the spreading! Thank you!!
Oh my! Winning with the light brown sugar and bread flour… these really do look moist and lovely. And I love that they’re portable and snack-sized! Perfect for this busy, busy time of year.
The portable is key with a little one. Being able to have things like this that are grab-and-go is awesome.
You always make the most gorgeous looking cookies.
I made these in my hot 90F Aruba kitchen and the photography sessions there are very hit and miss – so thank you!
I have made mini fritattas in a muffin pan … and that is all I can think of off hand. Those cookies look much better than any muffin!
I don’t even want to bother with muffins any more after these :)
I love that no mixer is required for these! Thanks for teaching me how to brown butter. These sound delicious! We just moved so I am going to have to go searching for my muffin tins. Thanks for another great recipe!
Oh that feeling of moving and not knowing where anything is – gah! I have moved soooooo many times in my life. I can relate. And glad my brown butter info helped!
What a great idea! I can imagine these would be so great for a lunchbox! Any kid would be lucky to have them…
Way to take an awesome chocolate chip cookie and make it even better, Averie!
The portablability is key with a little one. Being able to have things like this that are grab-and-go is awesome!
You keep on reinventing the chocolate chip cookie as much as you like.
I’ll be here to enjoy every single one!
Ahhh, thanks! And happy new year!
I have made spinach, egg, potato, cheese muffins before and they were really appreciated by my husband, who likes anything egg, potato, cheese. What a great idea to throw the browned butter in there since it is all contained. I bet the flavor is just up one notch. I bet we could throw in white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips as well. Great idea for brown paper lunch desserts! Happy New Year, Averie! :-)
Oh butterscotch chips would be extra delish in here with the other flavors already going on! The brown, caramely, nutty richness really would go with anything though :)
Top these babies with some frosting and you’ve got my all-time favorite birthday “cake”, but in cupcake form! Awesome.
I’m way to lazy for the browning step though. I know I just need to get over it, but the extra pan to wash holds me back. I need a dishwasher.
It’s literally 3-4 mins and although you could just melt it in the micro (and you know I am all for saving on dishes and time) the 3 mins and 1 skillet really does make a huge difference in flavor! Then just dump that butter in your mixing bowl and you’re ready to go!
These look so delicious. Browned butter, yum yum!
Is it weird that I want to make these and dip them into a glass of brown butter instead of milk? Because I do…
Omg I LOVE THE way you think! I’d rather dip ANYTHING in browned butter than milk!
Anything brown butter makes me swoon. Love this!
Look at all those cookies!!! I think I’ll be baking my next batch in my mini muffin tray – such a great idea!
I had mentioned in the post about not recommending them as mini muffins for all the reasons I explained but if you do try them that way, LMK! Happy new year!
Woah!! This post is totally making me crave cookies… they look delicious, and I love how adorable-y shaped they are due to the muffin tin!
Thanks, Dayna!
The cutest little cookie cups evah! So adorable that I know I couldn’t resist! :) Happy New Year!
These cookie cups look adorable! I think I’ve only made muffins in my muffin tins…I can’t remember to be honest.
I love to use brown butter in things too. I don’t usually do it in cookies either because of how flat they turn out…but you solved that dilemma for me! I love how puffy and dense those cookie cups are!!!
Exactly on the brown butter/flatness issue. The Cooks Illustrated choc chip cookie recipes always work out better for me if I cream the butter rather than melting it but with cookie cups, doesn’t matter since it’s all contained!
I made mini quiches in a muffin tin. They were cute, but I had to get the veggies evenly distributed and had a lot of drips to wipe up…a pie pan is so much easier! Thick cookies in a muffin tin made with browned butter and bread flour–love it! The photos showing that “just set” interior of the cookie look sooooo good. I need to make another batch of browned butter for drizzling and I am considering trying ghee–I’ve read the smoke point is really high and I think it would be much less expensive than my avocado oil.
Ghee is really just melted butter with the water cooked out until the milk solids separate out, but before they start to brown at which point you’d have browned butter. And then the solids are strained off. There’s such a fine line between clarified butter, ghee, and browned butter. Mere 10-second intervals can make the difference!
And the ‘just-set-interior is the stuff dreams are made of :)
My cookie spread is always insane no matter how long I chill or what I do…so these are the ultimate cookie solution. And browned butter. Come on. Awesome.
Ok that’s very interesting to hear. Have you ever tried bumping up the flour by 2 to 4 tbsp or increasing the baking soda by maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon? Between those 2 things, I would imagine the spreading problem would resolve in a heartbeat but you’re such an experienced baker that no doubt you’ve already ‘tried everything’ but just tossing that out there!
I love a little twist on the chocolate chip cookie, and YES to browned butter, always. These look so cute, too! I’m already dreaming of topping them off with some cream cheese frosting, mmm.
They are the one thing that even I don’t need frosting on. They are so rich as is! Then again, cream cheese frosting goes with everything :)
LOOOOOVE These. I love brown butter anything.
Not only is this a brilliant idea to prevent cookies from spreading (my first seventeen or-so years of cookie eating were plagued by spready cookies, it’s not fun), but these cookies are absolutely adorable! Love the addition of browned butter, it gives a sophisticated little edge to these doubly cute cookies. Perfect recipe for a new year :)
One of the most frequent issues/questions people write to me about is spreading cookies. So when all else fails, they can make these :)
Those sort of remind me of baking the chocolate chip cookie dough in the cookie pans (not the flat sheets but the ones with maybe a 1/2″ side) and they come out more like a brownie. Love the individual little bites.
I know those pans and those treats. They were so popular when I was growing up! Sort of a cookie bar but on the thinner side. Not as thick as a brownie but like jelly-roll pan thickness.
Oh my word… I want cookies for breakfast now. Way to go, Averie!
Yes, the cookie spreading problem is a major nuisance in my kitchen, too! My Mom used to make her cookies in muffin tins as well, then top each one with ice cream. Gawsh they were delicious
Just told someone else this re the cookies spreading…Have you ever tried bumping up the flour by 2 to 4 tbsp or increasing the baking soda by maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon? Between those 2 things, I would imagine the spreading problem would resolve in a heartbeat but you’re such an experienced baker that no doubt you’ve already ‘tried everything’ but just tossing that out there!
I haven’t tried the baking soda trick, that’s smart! Thanks Averie :)
I do so love the concept of the cookies in the tins-spreading is my number one cookie pet peeve. As for other things in tins, I’ve made brownies in them so people could grab individual portions more easily:)
Ive done brownies years ago too – I actually have a post with them but it’s like early 2009 and the photos aren’t exactly my finest clicks :)