Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

These ooey gooey brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are sooooo good! Like probably the best we’ve ever made. Although this recipe involves additional work it’ll quickly become your go-to cookie recipe. So buttery, sweet and rich.

Looking for something nutty? Try our Levain Bakery inspired Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. They’re delicious!

Why We Love This Recipe

Our take on these Brown Butter Toffee & Chocolate Chip Cookies inspired by Alvin Zhou from Tasty. He suggests waiting entire two days before baking them! While we know this will enhance the flavor, we couldn’t wait that long. We allow the dough to rest for a mere two hours before baking them up and they are just as good! We do refrigerate or freeze the leftovers so in essence a couple batches will reach that two day mark or more.

Ingredients Needed for Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Unsalted Butter – We European butter in the recipe but you can use American butter.
Granulated White Sugar
Brown Sugar – We used light brown sugar but dark brown sugar will work as well.
All Purpose Flour
Espresso Powder – We actually dehydrate used espresso grounds in oven at 170F for about 10 minutes.
Baking Soda
Eggs
Pure Vanilla Extra – Use the real stuff!
Kosher Salt
Dark Chocolate – Preferably 65% – 72%. The lower the percentage the sweeter the chocolate.
Toffee Chunks – Homemade or Store Bought Toffee Bits – See our toffee chunks recipe.
Flaky Sea Salt – Optional garnish.

How to Brown the Butter

In a cold saucepan, add two sticks of butter. Allow it to melt over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to foam. This will take about 5 minutes but watch is carefully.

Reduce heat to low until butter starts to brown, stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn it. There is no fix for burnt butter! Add an ice cube or two to the butter to bring back the moisture lost during the browning process. Add more ice if using European butter.

How to Make the Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar and espresso powder. To the sugar mixture, whisk in the browned butter. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

While the sugar butter mixture is cooling sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl.

Whisk in eggs and vanilla extract to the cooled sugar butter mixture. Add sifted dry ingredients and fold in until just combined, using a rubber spatula. Do not overmix.

Fold in the chocolate and toffee chunks. Save a few chocolate chunks to top the dough balls later.

Let the dough rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes. This will make it easier to form the dough balls. Once chilled, use a large ice cream scoop and portion out the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

For a more appetizing-looking cookie, use the saved chocolate chunks to fill in any gaps on the cookie dough balls. Sometimes when portioning out the chocolate will get lost inside of the dough. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours (longer is even better).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet at least 3″ apart. Bake for 16 – 18 minutes. Edges should be lightly browned while the center is still soft. The cookies will continue to bake as they cool.

Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Allow cooling for 5-10 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack. Enjoy one of the best cookies you’ve ever tasted!

Tips for Success

• Start with high-quality ingredients. If you want your cookies to be extra special, start with high-quality ingredients. Use butter that is made from grass-fed cows, and choose chocolate that is at least 70% cacao. Make your own toffee rather than store bought brands that are full of preservatives and artificial flavors. Homemade toffee is so much better!
• Add the dry ingredients in batches, mixing until just combined. Adding the dry ingredients slowly helps to prevent them from becoming overmixed, which can result in a tough cookie. Mix until the flour is just combined with the other ingredients – do not overmix!
• Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee pieces by hand. Folding in the chocolate chips and toffee pieces by hand helps to prevent them from becoming overmixed as well. Be sure to mix just until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter – do not overmix!
• Let the dough chill. The refrigerator is the secret to perfect cookies! Not only does it elevate the flavor profile, but chilling also helps guarantee nicely formed cookies with just enough spread. So don’t forget – when making delicious treats from scratch, a short stint in the fridge can make all the difference!

How to Store

Common Mistakes

1. Overmixing the dough

One of the most common mistakes people make when making these indulgent treats is overmixing the dough. Overmixing the dough can result in cookies that are tough and dry, rather than soft and gooey. When mixing the dough, be sure to mix just until the ingredients are combined. You may even still see some streak of flour.

2. Not using enough butter

Another mistake people make when making these cookies is not using enough butter. Brown butter chocolate chip cookies require a lot of butter to get that signature rich, buttery flavor. Be sure to use at least 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter in your recipe.

3. Not browning the butter

Don’t be that one. Browning the butter is an essential step in making these cookies, as it adds a deep, nutty flavor to the dough. To properly brown the butter, cook it over medium heat until it becomes a deep golden brown color. Be sure to stir it frequently so that the milk solids don’t burn.

4. Using too much flour

Another common mistake people make when making these cookies is using too much flour. Using too much flour will result in cookies that are dry and crumbly, rather than soft and chewy. When measuring the flour, be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup rather than packing it in. Using a kitchen scale is even better.

5. Not chilling the dough

Chilling the dough is an important step in making these cookies, as it helps to prevent them from spreading too much while baking. Be sure to chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking.

6. Baking for too long

Baking for too long is another mistake people often make when making brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies. Baking for too long will result in cookies that are dry and overcooked. Be sure to bake the cookies just until they are lightly golden brown around the edges. They will be slightly underdone but will continue cooke once removed from the oven.

Looking for more indulgent recipes?

• Roasted Stone Fruit
• Homemade Vanilla Pudding
• Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
• Stuffed French Toast with Strawberries