Brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Chewy edges, soft centers, and full of gooey chocolate and toffee, these are ultra satisfying!
So lately I’ve been having trouble making decisions. That very well could be related to the fact that my second-born is only 1 week old, and sleep deprivation is a real part of my life currently. Honestly, my 2-year-old might have better decision-making skills than me right now, but that’s okay. You’ve gotta have grace for yourself, people.
Lucky for y’all, my sleep deprivation is working in your favor. I was brainstorming a new cookie recipe (I think at 3:00 AM) and couldn’t decide exactly what I wanted. So I just went for it all: sweet, salty, chewy, gooey, caramelized- all the things. And the brainchild of my semi-functioning brain was this recipe for brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies.
YOU GUYS. You need to make these brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies ASAP. Usually I’m skeptical of cookies claiming to taste of brown butter. Because most of the time, quite honestly, the brown butter can’t stand up to the bolder flavors of chocolate and whatever else you throw into a cookie. But not these. You can actually taste and enjoy the beauty that is brown butter when you bite into one of these cookies- that nutty, caramel-y, deep, wonderful, brown butter flavor.
Not to mention the sweet/salty/crunchy thing going on with the toffee and the pools of dark chocolate that really send this cookie over the edge. Chewy edges, soft centers, loads of flavor. Is your oven on yet? It needs to be. Please, please bake these brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies and let me know how you like them! They might be my favorite cookie yet.
Ingredients you’ll need to bake these cookies:
Butter: Browning the butter in this recipe adds a nutty, caramel-like flavor that is distinctive to browned butter. The recipe explains how to brown butter, so be sure to read through the instructions fully before starting. I also use a little bit of softened butter to help compensate for the moisture loss that happens when you brown butter.
Brown sugar + Sugar: Brown sugar adds a deep flavor, moisture, and chewiness. Granulated sugar adds sweetness, tenderness, and helps cookies caramelize in the oven.
Eggs: For binding and structure. Using an egg yolk adds extra moisture, richness, and chewiness.
Vanilla: For added flavor.
Sour cream: Don’t be skeptical of this! Using sour cream makes these cookies extra moist, and also helps compensate for some of the moisture lost from browning the butter.
Flour: For structure.
Kosher salt: To balance out all that sweetness.
Baking soda + baking powder: For leavening power.
Cornstarch: Using cornstarch makes these cookies soft and tender.
Chopped semisweet chocolate: I like using semisweet chocolate in these cookies to balance the sweet and salty flavors. Using chopped chocolate creates pools of chocolate for extra gooeyness and decadence.
Chocolate English toffee candy bars: The sweet and salty flavor of the toffee perfectly complements the flavors of the brown butter and the chocolate. I use 4 regular sized Heath Bars in this recipe.
A sprinkling of flakey salt as an optional garnish!
How to bake brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies:
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
Why chill the dough? Chilling the dough allows the flavors to deepen and keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, giving you a thicker cookie.
How do you get perfectly round cookies? When the cookies are hot and fresh out of the oven, use a round cutter larger than the size of the cookies and give the edges a little nudge to even them out.
Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 1 to 3 hour chill time)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes (plus 1 to 3 hour chill time)
- Yield: 22–24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Chewy edges, soft centers, and full of gooey chocolate and toffee, these are ultra satisfying!
Ingredients
- 170 gm (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, browned (see directions below)
- 56 gm (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 320 gm (1 1/3 cups, firmly packed) light brown sugar
- 100 gm (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 30 gm (2 tablespoons) sour cream
- 312 gm (2 1/2 cups, spoon and leveled) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 170 gm (6 oz) quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 160 gm chopped (1 cup chopped) chocolate English toffee candy bars (I use 4 regular sized Heath Bars)
Instructions
- First, brown 170 gm (3/4 cup) of butter:
- Place the butter in a small stainless steel or light-colored saucepan set over medium heat, stirring until melted (I like to use a rubber spatula for this). Allow to come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, stirring frequently. You will start to hear a crackling noise.
- Eventually the crackling will subside, and a foamy mixture will surface to the top. As you continue to stir, you’ll notice the liquid butter underneath the foam will go from golden yellow, to tan, to a caramel-colored brown. Once you’ve reached this stage, pour the butter into a medium-sized heatproof bowl, being sure to get all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Pour the chilled browned butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, being sure to scrape out all browned bits and any butter that is sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add 56 gm (1/4 cup) softened butter, brown sugar and sugar to the mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add in the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, being sure that the first is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla and sour cream.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl in 2 separate additions, beating on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated after each addition. Add in the chopped chocolate and toffee, and fold in by hand using a rubber spatula.
- Cover the cookie dough and place in the fridge to chill for 1 to 3 hours (the longer you chill the dough, the more flavorful the cookies will be!). Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a #20 spring-loaded cookie scoop (which holds about 3 tablespoons of dough), scoop the dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges are set and turning golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flakey salt, if desired. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storage: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days
Freezing: Chill the dough for 1 to 3 hours hour prior to freezing. Once chilled, scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until the dough is frozen solid. Place the frozen dough in a freezer-safe zip top bag and store for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, just add 1-2 minutes to your bake time!
