Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Your search for the most Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is over. These homemade brown butter chocolate chunk cookies are the best you will ever find.

Why this is the best recipe you will find:

I have been using the same chocolate chip recipe for decades, but over the years I have made a few minor tweaks that took my favorite recipe from amazing to unbelievably amazing. 

Some of the reasons this recipe stands out apart from all those other chocolate chip cookie recipes:

• Instead of softened butter that gets creamed in a mixer, this recipe uses browned butter. I explain how to make it and why it's important below.
• No mixer required! This batch of cookies is stirred by hand.
• You do not chill the dough. The cookies are formed by hand and no chilling is required. That not only makes this recipe easy to make, but it's quick to put together. Super important when you have a craving that needs to be satisfied!
• Egg yolks make these cookies extra rich and dense. Instead of just using whole eggs, I use a combination of a whole egg plus two egg yolks.
• More brown sugar than granulated sugar. I used to only use brown sugar which makes the cookies extra chewy, but I have since started using a mixture of brown and granulated sugar because it helps with the cookie's shape and texture.
• Chocolate chunks are the best choice because they hold their shape but deliver a giant dose of melted chocolate.

Ingredients needed:

1. Unsalted butter that you transform into browned butter
2. All purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt
3. One large egg plus two additional egg yolks
4. Granulated sugar
5. Pure vanilla extract (I make my own)
6. Golden brown sugar
7. Chocolate chunks

Not shown: flaked salt that I sprinkle on after they bake.

How to make these cookies:

1. First step is to brown the butter. To do this you will melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat while continuously stirring. It will bubble and foam. Eventually golden brown specs will form at the bottom. Allow this mixture to slightly cool.
2. Next you will stir in the sugars (photo 1) and the mixture will resemble wet sand. Then you will mix in the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla (photo 2).
3. Add the dry ingredients (photo 3) and mix until combined (photo 4).
4. Add the chocolate chunks (photo 5) and then stir until they have been distributed evenly (photo 6). 

Recipe note: the chocolate chips will not stick to the dough because of the browned butter. 

Recipe tips for perfect results:

• Be sure to use at least a 3 quart sized pan. That way it will be big enough to mix the cookies right in the pan which means fewer dishes.
• Browning the butter is easy. You just need to continuously stir it and always keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
• When you separate the eggs, don't throw the whites away. Store them in the refrigerator and add them to your next batch of scrambled eggs.
• Once the dough forms it will be very thick and hard to stir. A wooden spoon is my go to utensil.
• No matter how hard you try, it is really hard to get the chocolate chunks evenly dispersed. Don't stress. Just grab a ball of dough and if you see extra chocolate in the pan, just press them into the top of the cookie.
• Take the cookies out of the oven as soon as the edges start to brown. They will look uncooked which is why you give them more time on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven. This will keep your cookies soft and chewy.
• If you need to cut this batch in half, use one whole egg and forget about the egg yolks.

The benefits of using brown butter:

Properly browning your butter gives you a wonderfully caramel toasted flavor, and it also changes how the butter works in your recipe.

To make brown butter, you simply heat it in a pan over the stove. The milk solids separate and then they caramelize and brown on the bottom of the pan. Some of the water burns off and you're left with a liquid butterfat on top.

Other recipes I've made that are amazing because of the brown butter include Blondies, Vanilla Bean Frosting, Banana Bars, Mashed Potatoes, Pecan Fudge, Blueberry Muffins, Brownies, and Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce.

Other favorite homemade classic cookie recipes:

• Chocolate Toffee Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Sugar Cookies
• Lofthouse Cookies
• Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Faithful Chocolate Chip Cookies are my favorite chocolate chip recipe. They are delicious, easy to make, and come out perfect every single time.

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Total Time: 24 minutes

Hover to scale: 24 cookies

Chef: Krissy Allori

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed )
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 2 egg yolks
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup chocolate chunks (you can also use semi dark chocolate chips)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon flaked salt (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon silpat. You will either need to prepare two sheets to cook all of the cookies at once, or prepare one sheet and make two batches.
• Using a 3 quart saucepan, you will make the brown butter. To do this, add all of the butter to the pan and heat over medium heat. The butter will melt and then bubble and foam. Stir the butter frequently to prevent burning. Continue to stir until brown specs begin to appear and a wonderful nutty aroma forms. It can go from golden brown to burnt rather quickly, so take care not to leave unattended and remove from heat as soon as it is done. Set aside and allow to cool. You will be adding the remaining ingredients to this butter, and if it is too warm it will melt the chocolate chips.
• Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Once the browned butter has cooled, stir in the brown and granulated sugars. The mixture will resemble wet sand. Next mix in the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.
• Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Mixture will be rather thick and dry so a wooden spoon works best. Finally, stir in the chocolate chunks. Because of the browned butter, they will not want to stick to the batter.
• To form cookies, use a cookie scoop or a regular spoon to form balls that are about 2 tablespoons in size. Roll them into a ball shape and then slightly flatten into a fat disk. If there are loose chocolate chips in the pan, grab a few and press them into the top of the cookie. Set the dough about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven just until edges of cookies start to brown, about 9 minutes. For best results, you can rotate the baking sheet half way through for even cooking results. Except for the edges, the cookies will look pretty under done when you removed them from the oven.
• Remove cookies from oven and allow them to stay on the hot pan for about 5 minutes prior to transferring them to cooling racks with a spatula. As soon as you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with flaked salt (if using).
• Serve warm or cool. Once cooled, store in airtight container, or freeze for longer storage.

Notes

Serving size is based on one cookie.

Recipe tips for perfect results:

• Be sure to use at least a 3 quart sized pan. That way it will be big enough to mix the cookies right in the pan which means fewer dishes.
• Browning the butter is easy. You just need to continuously stir it and always keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
• When you separate the eggs, don't throw the whites away. Store them in the refrigerator and add them to your next batch of scrambled eggs.
• Once the dough forms it will be very thick and hard to stir. A wooden spoon is my go to utensil.
• No matter how hard you try, it is really hard to get the chocolate chunks evenly dispersed. Don't stress. Just grab a ball of dough and if you see extra chocolate in the pan, just press them into the top of the cookie.
• Take the cookies out of the oven as soon as the edges start to brown. They will look uncooked which is why you give them more time on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven. This will keep your cookies soft and chewy.
• If you need to cut this batch in half, use one whole egg and forget about the egg yolks.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving: 18g | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg

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This recipe was originally published in April 2015 and has been updated with more helpful information, recipe tips, and photos. The recipe has been modified as well since I have perfected it over the past couple of years.