It seems it is indeed possible to improve on perfection. I’ve been making my delicious Choc Chip Cookie recipe for years now, but the other day I wondered if I could make it even better.
I’ve heard of the idea of browning your butter before adding it to baking, giving the dessert a nutty, toasted flavour that makes baked goods seem that much richer. And after recently trying a sea salt and chocolate chip cookie, I knew this adds yet another layer of flavour and contrast on top.
So I decided to do both. And fortunately, the browned butter + sea salt combination was a WINNER. It turned these delicious cookies from amazing to downright phenomenal (if I do say so myself). Thanks to the brown sugar in the recipe, these cookies are chewy in the middle and crunchy on the outside. The brown butter and sea salt add both richness and contrast and I like to top with a little more sea salt for crunch.

Ingredients
- 70 g butter for browning
- 70 g butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt plus more to decorate
- 250 g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C.
- Put half the butter (70g) into a small saucepan over a medium heat. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam and turn brown. Once you smell a nutty aroma, take the pan off the heat and transfer the butter into a heat-proof bowl to cool.
- Meanwhile, cream the remaining butter and sugars for at least 5 minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract and cooled brown butter and beat well.
- Add choc chips, flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Beat on low speed until just combined (don't overwork the mixture or it can become tough).
- Dollop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough onto lined baking trays.
- Gently flatten each cookie and add an extra sprinkle of sea salt over each cookie.
- Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, around 12-14 minutes.
It turns out it is incredibly easy to make browned butter, you just have to keep a close eye on it as it turns from “golden and delicious” to “burnt and acrid” in the space of 30 seconds. Now I am trying to think of all the other desserts I can incorporate brown butter into – cupcakes, brownies, donuts?! The list goes on.
I really hope you give these cookies a try, it’s one of the best I’ve made and eaten (and I consider myself a bit of a cookie connoisseur). Enjoy!
Have you used browned butter in baking before?
18 Comments
am craving cookies riht now! must give the whole browning butter business a go!
I am very sad there are none left as I’m craving cookies too! :(
i just made these – perfect sick-day procrasti-baking. so yum! thanks for sharing swah!
You are very welcome, glad you enjoyed them!
i LOVE browned butter! one of my favourite cake recipe (a pear and chocolate cake) calls for browned butter, lots of eggs that are whipped for ages and very little flour, making the cake really light and fluffy, but super tasty. browned butter in everything i say!
Oh that cake sounds incredible! All the browned butter!!
Those cookies are absolute perfection. They could sit in any shop window and get a top price. I don’t know what it is about chocolate chip cookies but I don’t know anyone who will turn one down. Add brown butter and sea salt and you’ve got a treat for a grown-up.
It is indeed a very grown up cookie! Although I don’t know if a kid could resist them either… ;)
Oh my…. this is speaking to me, my kinda recipe! x
I need to make these again and again and… you get the idea ;)
How interesting, i never even thought to brown butter for baking but will try it next time i bake something
I LOVE the look of these cookies! How delicious is browned butter!! I love that you’ve added sea salt too. Thanks so much for joining our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party! xx
These look and sound amazing am definitely going to have to try them – I’ve never browned butter before for baking so am intrigued!
Once you try it I think you’ll be hooked, I know I am!
[…] good chocolate chip cookie and Love Swah has totally outdone herself with these absolutely gorgeous Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt… this could very well be my new fave cookie […]
i know i’ve commented twice on here already but just wanted to say…made these again last night and they’re literally the easiest and best cookies i’ve ever made. amazing recipe swah!
Aw you’re so sweet! I am super glad you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do :D
[…] firmly believe that browned butter can improve just about anything (take these Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookies as an example) and I thought I would experiment with adding it to my standard banana bread recipe. […]