Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Flaky Sea Salt
Rich, chewy, and loaded with pools of melted milk and dark chocolate. Browning the butter adds a deep, nutty caramel note that elevates these classic cookies into bakery-tier status, finished with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Prep Time: 25 mins | Chill Time: 3 hr-overnight | Bake Time: 14-16 mins | Yield: 12 cookies (4oz each)
Quick Baking Tips & Fun Fact
Fun Fact
Chocolate chip cookies were accidentally invented in 1938 by Ruth Wakefield, who chopped up a semi-sweet Nestlé chocolate bar thinking it would melt into the cookie dough, creating the very first chocolate chip cookie.
Key Baking Tips
Cool the Brown Butter: Always allow your browned butter to cool before mixing with your sugars; otherwise, hot butter will risk burning or melting your sugars prematurely.
The Science of Rise and Spread: This recipe uses baking soda specifically to help the cookies spread while baking, combined with baking powder to give them the ideal structural lift.
Bake from Chilled or Frozen: Portion your dough into hefty 4 oz balls and shape them into flat pucks rather than round mounds. Baking them straight from an overnight chill (14-15 mins) or straight from the freezer (15-16 mins) ensures thick, bakery-style cookies that don't over-spread.
Salt Before Baking: Sprinkle your flaky sea salt on before the cookies go into the oven so the salt crystals anchor tightly into the dough as they bake.
Ingredients
170g Unsalted Butter
158g Granulated Sugar
203g Dark Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
12g Pure Vanilla Extract
57g Whole Milk
6g Baking Soda
4g Baking Powder
7g Salt
2610g All-Purpose Flour
6 oz Chopped Milk Chocolate
6 oz Chopped Dark Chocolate
Flaky sea salt (for finishing)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Brown the Butter & Mix Wet Ingredients
Brown the Butter: Melt the 170g unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling frequently. Cook until the butter foams, crackles subside, and amber-colored bits form at the bottom with a nutty aroma. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely so it doesn't burn your sugar.
Combine Sugars & Butter: Whisk the cooled brown butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar together until thoroughly combined.
Add Eggs & Liquids: Whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by the 12g pure vanilla extract and 57g whole milk until smooth and glossy.
Combine Dry Ingredients & Fold Chocolate
Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold the dry mixture into your wet ingredients using a spatula until just a few streaks of flour remain.
Fold Chocolate: Add the 6 oz chopped milk chocolate and 6 oz chopped dark chocolate, mixing gently until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Portion, Chill & Bake
Portion & Shape: Portion the dough into 4 oz balls and shape each one into more of a puck than a rounded mound.
Chill Dough: Place your shaped pucks into the refrigerator to chill overnight so the flour fully hydrates and the flavors deepen (or freeze them for later storage).
Bake: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Top each puck with flaky sea salt. Bake from chilled for 14 to 15 minutes, or straight from frozen for 15 to 16 minutes, until the edges are golden and set. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
If you make these, don't forget to snap a photo and tag @SnazySweets so I can see your beautiful baking creations.
Happy baking!
Frequently Asked Questions & Storage
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Browning the butter cooks out its water content and toasts the milk solids, creating a rich, nutty caramel flavor that takes these cookies from ordinary to professional bakery-tier.
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While you can, chilling the dough overnight is strongly recommended. It allows the flour to fully hydrate and solidifies the brown butter, resulting in a much thicker, chewier cookie with a deeper, richer flavor profile.
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Yes! Sprinkling your sea salt on right before they go into the oven allows the salt crystals to anchor tightly into the warm dough so they don't fall off once baked.
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Store your baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. To keep them soft, you can toss a small piece of white bread into the container—the cookies will absorb the moisture and stay soft even longer.
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Absolutely. Portion the dough into 4 oz pucks, flash-freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, and store them in a freezer-safe bag. You can bake them straight from frozen at 375°F for 15 to 16 minutes.
Want a video tutorial? Check it out here!
