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!!
Brown Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
I have dozens of chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site. After 9 years, it’s bound to happen because I like to keep trying out new recipes.
These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are not new entirely, but rather are adapted from these Halloween M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies that I then adapted to make Sea Salt Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. I am in love with this dough base for so many reasons.
The nutty, rich flavor of the browned butter is divine. Brown butter cookies have an incredible taste, but they also have another selling point. You don’t have to drag out a mixer and can stir everything together by hand in one bowl. Major score there.
These salted chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate, and have flaky, crunchy sea salt on top. I love salty-and-sweet treats so much. The flavor of both the dough and the chocolate are completely elevated with the simple addition of sea salt.
What’s in Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies?
To make these sea salt brown butter chocolate chip cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt
How to Make Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make these salted chocolate chip cookies, you first need to brown the butter. I’ve given detailed instructions on how to do so in the recipe card below.
Once the butter has been browned, stir in the egg, sugars, and vanilla. Then, stir in the dry ingredients, followed by the chocolate chips.
Scoop the cookie dough into balls and chill for at least 4 hours. Once the dough has chilled, sprinkle with sea salt and bake the brown butter sea salt chocolate chip cookies until the edges have set and the tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
It’s mandatory that the dough be chilled for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before baking. No exceptions or the cookies will bake flat, thin, and spread like crazy. Don’t overbake them because they taste better a bit underbaked.
Can I Omit the Cornstarch?
Technically, yes, but your cookies won’t turn out as soft.
Tips for Making Brown Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salt varies wildly from table to kosher to sea salt, and it can take some experimenting to know which salt to use for what purpose. For the dough, I used kosher salt and for topping the cookies I used flaky sea salt. Both are available in mainstream grocery stores, no special trips required. Use your favorite brands and add to taste. A generous pinch on the top of each cookie works for me.
For these photos, I went a little heavier than usual with the salt because I wasn’t sure how well it would show up. Turns out it shows up just fine. I like a little cookie with my salt flakes. No biggie.
Because you’re starting with melted rather than creamed butter, the cookies are wonderfully chewy while cornstarch keeps them soft for days. Since the butter is melted rather than creamed, the dough may seem oily yet crumbly, which sounds paradoxical but it’s possible. The and chocolate chips tend to slide out of the raw dough mounds, but just keep pushing them in.
Here’s a video demonstrating how I make these wonderful cookies.
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Browned Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, browned
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping each cookie
- flaky sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Brown the butter (<—click for a detailed tutorial) by cooking butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan until it’s amber to brown in color, about 5 minutes depending on pan size. I swirl the pan in the last minute or so to make sure I can really see the color changes. Butter will go through stages of hissing, sputtering, and making noise until the water cooks off at which point the browning occurs. Butter will smell nutty and aromatic.
- Pour butter into a large mixing bowl, making sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan with a spatula and transfer any browned bits (they have wonderful flavor) from the bottom of pan into the mixing bowl. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it.
- Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add flour, cornstarch (keeps cookies soft) baking soda, kosher salt, and stir to combine. Dough may seem crumbly yet oily, this is okay.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, or your hands, form approximately 16 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten about halfway. Tip – Strategically place a few chocolate chips and pecans on top for a visual pop.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I use a half-sheet pan and bake 8 cookies per sheet), and evenly sprinkle each with a generous pinch of sea salt, or to taste.
- Bake for about 10 to 11 minutes (if your cookies are smaller than mine, reduce baking time) or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired. If baking straight from freezer with frozen dough, you don’t have to thaw it. Bake straight from freezer, possibly adding 1 to 2 minutes to baking time if necessary.
- Recipe adapted from Halloween M&M's Chocolate Chip Cookies and Sea Salt Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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