Brown Butter Cookies with Toffee, Chocolate Chips & More

Cookies make us happy. They are a simple way to treat your family and friends.  There doesn’t have to be a special event, but it cant hurt to make them for one.  I don’t make cookies often, but when I do, my kids are thrilled.  Over the past couple of months I have been trying out brown butter in different recipes.  I am happy to share this most amazing brown butter cookie recipe!

I didn’t realize how amazing the flavor and smell of brown butter can be and how it can change the flavor of things.  There is a nutty, almost toffee smell that comes from the browned butter.  The flavors are incredible really. So, I want to share how to make these amazing brown butter cookies.  

These cookies are full of so many yummy ingredients including dark chocolate chunks, toffee chips, peanut butter cups and crushed pretzels.  But these cookies can be customized with whatever you like in your cookies. But, I will have to say, the toffee chunks with the brown butter is amazing.

So lets talk about how to make these amazing brown butter cookies and what exactly is brown butter?

 

What does brown butter do to cookies?

Brown butter is the secret sauce. It really is amazing in so many different baked goods and even pastas.  Brown butter adds depth, richness, and irresistible nutty flavor to cookies, cakes, pastas and breads.  It is a simple step that can make a big difference.

What does brown butter taste like in cookies?

Browned butter has a nutty, buttery flavor almost like toffee. It adds richness to baked goods giving them a deeper, nutty flavor. It tastes a lot like it smells while cooking: nutty and buttery.

What is the difference between brown butter and regular butter?

Brown butter is regular butter that has been cooked just long enough to toast the milk solids found in the butter. All you’re doing is cooking the butter just a tiny bit past the melting point. By doing this, you create this magical nutty flavor that you just don’t get with regular melted butter.

Is brown butter worth it?

Browning butter is the complete opposite of a fussy extra step. It’s fast, easy, and it transforms butter’s flavor into something nutty, complex, and noticeable

Brown Butter Cookies with Toffee and Chocolate Chips

How to Make these Brown Butter Cookies

WATCH ME MAKE THEM HERE:

First we need to make the brown butter and trust me, it’s easier than you’d think.  Put your butter in a pan and let it melt down.  Bring it to a low boil and continue to stir it.  It will continue to bubble until a foam forms on top. 

Soon after, the color will start to change and get darker. Brown. Once it begins to brown, turn it off.  Set this in the fridge to cool completely.

Once your butter has cooled, you can put it in your large bowl or stand mixer.  You can mix these cookies by hand, or by using an electric mixer. I prefer to use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. 

Put the browned butter, brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar) and white sugar in the bowl and cream this all together until it begins to get fluffy/whipped.  To this mixture, add your eggs and vanilla. 

Continue to mix until well combined. I like my eggs to be room temperature for this.  Next, your dry ingredients.  Add your salt, baking soda and flour.  Do not over mix this.  

Last, you want to add your fillings.  You can keep it simple and just add chocolate chips, but we love these “everything but the kitchen sink” style. I like to add chocolate chunks, toffee bits, crushed pretzel pieces and some chopped up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Now you need to chill the dough for at least one hour to 24 hours.  When you are ready to bake these, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place some parchment on your sheet pans.  

Use a cookie scoop to scoop out even sized cookie dough balls.  I like to sprinkle some more toffee bits and add a Reeses piece to the top. 

Once they are ready you can  bake them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. You want a slight golden brown around the edges but the middle still soft.  Once they come out of the oven you can even top these with a tiny bit of flaky seas salt.

Let these cool on a wire rack before biting into them, especially if you use chocolate chunks and other mix ins, since they will be super hot. Trust me, I learned this from experience.

There are a ton of changes that you can make to this brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.  You can use milk chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips , or even dark chocolate(which is what I use).  The sweetness of your chocolate can affect what else you add. If you choose to add pretzel pieces, you will not want to add sea salt to the top of the cookie.  If you use just chocolate chips, adding a bit of flaky sea salt will be a great combination.  

These brown butter cookies are so amazingly good even my 10 year old who does not like dark chocolate says she loves it in these cookies.  These cookies are soft and chewy with so many amazing textures and flavors going on.   You can store these in an airtight container on the counter or keep them in the freezer and reheat as needed!

Make sure to check out these other amazing cookie recipes below!

The Yummiest Oreo Cookies and Cream Cookies

 

Easy Andes Mint Cookies, The Perfect Minty Treat For Santa or You!

 

3 Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

 

Light and Fluffy Sand Dollar Cinnamon Cookies

 

The Ultimate Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

 

Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies Perfect for the Holidays