Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Thick double chocolate brown butter cookies baked until set with cracked tops, melted chocolate puddles, and flaky sea salt on a cooling rack.
These Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies are thick cookies that have those crispy edges and fudgy centers that are absolutely delicious. The chocolate flavor is deepened from the brown butter for a rich bite that still stays soft and chewy even after fully cooled.
Servings: 6 large cookies
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 13 minutes
Resting Time: 13 minutes
Total: 46 minutes
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Equipment

  • Sheet pan

Ingredients 

Dry Ingredients

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 95 g
  • ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 25 g
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, 8 tbsp
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar, 100 g
  • ¼ cup white sugar, 50 g
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate

  • 3 oz dark chocolate chunks or chips, 85 g

Optional Garnish

  • Flaky sea salt

Instructions 

  • Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until amber with visible brown bits and a nutty aroma.
  • Pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes until warm but not hot.
  • Whisk the brown butter with the brown sugar and white sugar until smooth.
  • Whisk in the egg and vanilla until the mixture thickens and looks fully emulsified.
  • Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt just until no dry streaks remain.
  • Fold in the chocolate chunks until evenly distributed through the dough.
  • Rest the dough for 20 minutes so it firms slightly and holds its shape when scooped.
  • Scoop 2 tablespoon portions onto a lined baking sheet with space between each mound.
  • Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look soft.

Video

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Why I Keep Baking Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

I love these Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies because they have those firm, crunchy edges while the centers still stay soft and chocolatey even after they cool down. The outside is fully set, which means you get that clean bite from any bakery-style cookie while the middle stays fudgy and tastes almost like a brownie! The pockets of melted dark chocolate make each bite even more special because although the cocoa powder does a lot of work in terms of taste, there’s no better feeling than biting into these cookies and tasting that melty chocolate!

Double chocolate brown butter cookie pulled apart to reveal a fudgy, brownie-like center with melted dark chocolate throughout.
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Why Brown Butter Makes These Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies Better

I always think the magic of these Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies are from, of course, the brown butter! I like to brown the butter first, which helps concentrate that butter’s flavors and add a deep, nutty flavor without adding any extra liquid. Additionally, whisking the sugars directly into the warm brown butter helps it dissolve more evenly, which gives your cookie dough a smooth texture with even sweetness throughout. Additionally, resting the dough allows the flour to hydrate, which will lead to a thicker cookie with a clean bite.


What You’ll Need To Make Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Dry Ingredients

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour (95 g)
  • ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (25 g)
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter (8 tbsp)
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar (100 g)
  • ¼ cup white sugar (50 g)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate

  • 3 oz dark chocolate chunks or chips (85 g)

Optional Garnish

  • Flaky sea salt

How to Make Double Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until amber with visible brown bits and a nutty aroma. Pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes until warm but not hot.

Unsalted butter browning in a saucepan until amber with foamy bubbles and toasted milk solids for double chocolate brown butter cookies.

Whisk the brown butter with the brown sugar and white sugar until smooth.

Brown sugar added to warm browned butter in a mixing bowl, beginning the base for double chocolate brown butter cookie dough.

Whisk in the egg and vanilla until the mixture thickens and looks fully emulsified.

Egg cracked into a bowl of brown butter and sugar, creating a glossy mixture for double chocolate cookie dough.

Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt just until no dry streaks remain.

Thick and smooth double chocolate brown butter cookie dough fully mixed with cocoa powder and sugar.

Fold in the chocolate chunks until evenly distributed through the dough.

Dark chocolate chips folded into double chocolate brown butter cookie dough for rich chocolate pockets.

Rest the dough for 20 minutes so it firms slightly and holds its shape when scooped.

Double chocolate brown butter cookie dough scooped into even portions on parchment paper before baking.

Scoop 2 tablespoon portions onto a lined baking sheet with space between each mound.

Double chocolate brown butter cookie dough scooped into even portions on parchment paper before baking.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look soft.

Thick double chocolate brown butter cookies baked until set with cracked tops, melted chocolate puddles, and flaky sea salt on a cooling rack.

Tips and Variations

For thicker cookies, rest the dough briefly so the flour hydrates and the fat firms before baking.

If you like a more chocolatey cookie, use darker cocoa powder while keeping the same measurements.

In order to get a softer center,, pull the cookies earlier than 13 minutes (about 11 minutes in the oven) when the middle still looks slightly underbaked.

To emphasize the sweetness of the cookie more, finish with flaky salt while the cookies are still warm from the oven.


Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip browning the butter?

I know this step sounds like a pain, but your cookies will taste a little more “flat” and have a less nutty flavor because the toasted notes from the browned milk solids add a lot of flavor!

Why does the dough need to rest?

Resting allows the flour and cocoa to hydrate and soak in the butter, which leads to thicker cookies with a more solid bite.

I baked these without resting and noticed more spread?

I tested this and saw that skipping the resting period caused wider cookies with thinner centers, but the flavor stayed the same!

How should I store these cookies?

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze the dough balls and bake directly from frozen for 13 minutes!


What to Make Next

For another delicious cookie recipe, Try my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

If you want even more chocolate, make my Fudgy Oreo Brownies!

Craving a different type of baked good? You’ll love my Double Chocolate Banana Bread!

About Mitchell Masuda

I'm a home (and self-taught) cook based in New York sharing easy, delicious, and approachable Asian food recipes!

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