Brown Butter Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Print Version)
Decadent cookies with brown butter, toasted hazelnuts, and chocolate chips featuring crisp edges and chewy centers.
# List of Ingredients:
→ Dairy
01 - 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
→ Dry Ingredients
02 - 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
03 - 1 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
→ Sugars
05 - 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
→ Eggs
07 - 2 large eggs, at room temperature
08 - 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
→ Add-ins
09 - 1 cup (120 g) chopped toasted hazelnuts
10 - 1 1/2 cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips
# Step-by-step Instructions:
01 - In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter foams and brown bits form at the bottom, about 5–7 minutes. Immediately pour into a large mixing bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 6–8 minutes until fragrant. Let cool, then rub off skins and roughly chop.
03 - Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
04 - Add both sugars to the cooled brown butter. Whisk until well combined and glossy.
05 - Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla extract.
06 - Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
07 - Stir in chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
08 - Cover dough and chill for at least 30 minutes (optional for thicker cookies).
09 - Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon portions and place 2 inches apart.
10 - Bake for 11–13 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are just set.
11 - Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The brown butter creates this incredibly deep caramel flavor that makes people think you spent hours developing some secret technique
- These cookies somehow manage to have perfectly crisp edges while staying soft and chewy in the center for days
- They make your entire kitchen smell like a fancy European bakery which is basically free aromatherapy
02 -
- If your brown butter smells even slightly acrid you have gone too far and need to start over because there is no recovering burnt butter
- Room temperature eggs are absolutely non-negotiable here because cold eggs will turn your brown butter into a weird seized granular mess
- The chilling step seems annoying but it prevents the cookies from spreading too thin and gives them that perfect bakery style texture
03 -
- Weigh your ingredients if possible because brown butter varies in weight and too much liquid creates flat cookies
- Pull them from the oven when the centers still look slightly underbaked because they continue cooking on the hot baking sheet