Best Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter

Sea salted chocolate chip cookies with browned butter may be the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. They’re easy to make and the perfect mix of salty and sweet.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the steps of making these delectable sea salt chocolate chip cookies and provide you with tips and tricks to ensure your baking success.

Why You Should Make These Salted Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our brown butter chocolate chip cookies are topped with course sea salt and are ready in just 15 minutes!

This bakery-style cookie combines an irresistible blend of flavors and textures, and they’re also great with a glass of milk or with a scoop of ice cream.

They’re also fancy enough for guests or as a gift, but since they’re a family favorite dessert — they’re usually gone too quick to give away!

What You Need for These Best Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before we dive into the baking process, let’s gather all the ingredients you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted on stove
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips or 1.5 cups of chocolate chunks (milk, dark, or a combination)
• 2 large eggs (1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk)
• Sea salt for topping

Additionally, you’ll want to have parchment paper and a cookie sheet. You may also want a wire wack to let the cookies cool, but it’s not required.

We recommend hand stirring with a wooden spoon versus using an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer) to create that perfect texture!

How to Make Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown the Butter: Start by placing 3/4 cup of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Allow it to melt and then continue cooking until it turns a beautiful golden brown color.

This should take about 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on it to avoid burning. Once browned, remove it from heat and place into a new mixing bowl.

Add the Sugars: Add 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of white sugar to the browned butter. Mix until the sugars are just combined.

Incorporate the Eggs and Vanilla: Stir in 1 large egg yolk, 1 whole egg, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture.

Mix-in the Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.

Add in Chocolate Chips: Fold in 2 cups of chocolate chips or 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks. You can use your favorite variety, whether it’s milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a mixture of both.

Forming Cookie Dough Balls: Roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Top each dough ball with a few extra chocolate chips.

Let the Cookie Dough Chill: Chilling your dough allows the flour to hydrate fully, resulting in firmer dough that prevents excessive cookie spreading during baking. If you’ve ever had flat cookies, this could be one reason why.

We like to chill our cookie dough at least 30 minutes, and for the best cookies we refrigerate the dough for 24 hours — wrapped in wax or plastic wrap. 30 minutes to 2 hours is what we normally do though!

Baking: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, but the centers are still soft.

Top with Salt: As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, sprinkle them with sea salt. This enhances the flavor and gives your cookies that irresistible sweet-salty contrast.

Cooling: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storing Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you manage to resist eating all the cookies in one go (which can be a challenge!), here’s how to store them:

Place the cookies in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. They can be stored at room temperature for 4-7 days.

Tip: If you want to keep them fresh for a longer period, consider adding a slice of bread to the container; it will help maintain their chewiness.

How to Freeze Cookie Dough

Freezing cookie dough is a great way to have fresh-baked cookies whenever you desire.

Follow these steps to freeze the cookie dough:

1. Form the cookie dough balls as usual.
2. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm.
3. Once firm, transfer the dough balls to a sealable plastic bag.
4. Label the bag with the date and type of cookies.
5. Freeze for up to three months.

How to Bake Cookies from Frozen

When the cookie craving strikes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Take out the desired number of cookie dough balls from the freezer and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake for an extra minute or two than the original baking time, usually around 12-13 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do homemade chocolate chip cookies last?

When stored properly in an airtight container, homemade salted chocolate chip cookies can last up to a week. You can also freeze them for longer storage.

Why are my chocolate chip cookies flat?

Cookies can go flat for several reasons, including using melted butter instead of softened butter, using too much flour, or over-mixing the dough. To prevent flat cookies, make sure to cream the butter and sugars together properly, measure your flour accurately, and avoid over-mixing the dough.

Tips and Tricks

• For chocolate lovers, after rolling the dough into balls, place an extra chocolate chip or two into the top of the cookie.
• Top with flakey sea salt immediately after removing the cookies from the oven.
• For a perfect circle cookie, we take the mouth of a glass and place it over the warm cookie. The cookie should fit under the mouth of the glass, rotate the glass over the cookie until it’s a circle.
• Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking can help prevent cookies from spreading too much.
• If you’re a fan of dark chocolate, consider using chocolate chunks or chopped-up chocolate bars for a richer flavor.
• Invest in an oven thermometer to ensure your oven temperature is accurate, as it can significantly impact your cookie results.
• If you don’t have parchment paper, you can also spray your cookie sheet lightly with non-stick spray. We usually lightly spray and then go over it with a paper towel to spread it evenly on the cookie sheet.

These brown butter chocolate chip cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt take the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe to a whole new level. Whether you’re baking these for a special occasion or just to satisfy your inner cookie monster, this recipe is sure to become your new favorite. If you try them, please leave us a review to let us know what you thought about the recipe.

Enjoy the warm, the melty chocolate and the perfect balance of chewy and crispy edges that these cookies offer. Happy baking! 

These cookies are also perfect for a movie night or date night at home! We love to pair them with one of these fun dinner ideas recipes for family night!