Brown Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These brown butter sea salt chocolate chip cookies are worth hiding from the kids! Ok, or at least make a double batch so there’s more than enough to go around. The crisp edges and buttery soft centers are what dreams cravings are made of.
These brown butter sea salt chocolate chip cookies are the kind of cookies that make it very hard to go back to regular chocolate chip cookies afterward. The brown butter adds a deep, nutty flavor that tastes almost caramel-like once it’s baked into the dough, while big chunks of dark chocolate and flaky sea salt create the perfect sweet-salty balance.
And then there’s the texture. The edges bake up lightly crisp while the centers stay soft, rich, and almost melt-in-your-mouth tender. The dark chocolate keeps the cookies from tasting overly sweet, and the sea salt on top makes every bite taste even more chocolatey and buttery somehow.
What I love most about this recipe is that the ingredients are simple, but the result tastes bakery-level good. Browning the butter is the little extra step that completely transforms the flavor, giving the cookies warmth and depth that regular melted butter just can’t compete with.
Variations and substitutions:
Although this recipe could be referred to as the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there, you can absolutely play around with it to find your happy place. Here are some ideas:
- Nuts: This recipe is naturally nut-free, so perhaps a good option for school-aged kids. That said, if adding some nuts sounds like perfection to you, go for it! Chopped walnuts or pecans would be great additions.
- Dried fruit: If you want to add some natural sweetness dried cranberries, raisins, or craisins would be a nice touch.
- Ice cream: These cookies are fairly thin, however, no one would be opposed to sliding some vanilla ice cream between them. All you’ll need is a napkin!
Answers to your questions
Do I really need to chill the batter for a full 4 hours? Yes, this is not a step you want to rush. I’ve tested this recipe with a shorter rest in the fridge, and the cookies spread too much. Don’t worry, they’re well worth the wait!
Why do you bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit? In recipe testing, I found this to be the optimal temperature for these cookies. Raising the temperature to the usual 350 degrees Fahrenheit produced overly dark cookies. Lowering the temperature and keeping the cookies in the oven a few minutes longer than normal made the best cookies.
Brown Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 8 ounces dark chocolate (chunks or chopped from a bar of chocolate)
- Flaky sea salt (for garnish (Maldon works great))
Instructions
- Place the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Let it cook, swirling the pan a few times, for about 5 minutes, or until it smells roasted and is brown. It will foam up a lot at first and once the foam settles down, it is browned.1 cup salted butter
- Transfer the brown butter to a large, heatproof bowl, making sure to scrape out all the tasty brown specks. Place the butter in your fridge for at least one hour, or until it's solidified but still soft.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sea salt, and baking soda.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Add both of the sugars to the brown butter and beat using electric beaters for 1 minute. Add the eggs, water, and vanilla and beat until combined.¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon cold water
- Add the flour all at once and beat until it just barely comes together, about 15 seconds. Stir in the chopped chocolate.8 ounces dark chocolate
- Place a piece of parchment paper in the bowl directly on top of the cookie dough. Place the bowl into your fridge for at least 4 hours – or up to 4 days.
- When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Scoop the dough into balls using a large cookie scoop. Place 6 balls of dough on each 13 x 11-inch baking sheet. Don't crowd the sheets … these cookies will spread a lot!
- Bake the cookies for 13-16 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway. When they come out of the oven immediately sprinkle them with a little Maldon sea salt.Flaky sea salt
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
New favorite cookie recipe, these are seriously incredible
A new favorite cookie recipe is a wonderful thing to land on! So glad these turned out incredible for you. Thanks for the sweet note. 🍪