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Chocolate chip cookies are good. Brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are great. The deeply nutty flavor of the butter pairs perfectly with pockets of melty chocolate and crisp bits of buttery toffee. Every bite is rich, cozy, and just the right amount of indulgent.

The texture lands right in that sweet spot—crisp edges, soft centers, and those little crunchy caramelized spots from the toffee that make you go back for “just one more.” And despite the big flavor payoff, they’re incredibly simple to make: brown the butter, mix the dough, chill, and bake.

There are many versions of a brown butter chocolate chip cookie out there, but this is my riff inspired by Bon Appetit’s version, linked here. Among my own friends and family, this is by far the most requested recipe, and these cookies often serve as gifts for anything from Christmas to housewarmings. These are the cookies that disappear fast—so you might want to double the batch.

Why You’ll LOVE These Cookies

Big, bold flavor. Amped up brown butter flavor with the addition of milk powder, deep caramel notes from the toffee, indulgent pockets of dark chocolate, and a kick of flaky salt for balance.
Dream texture combo. Crisp edges, soft centers, and crunchy caramelized pockets make every bite addictive.
Deceptively easy. Browning the butter is the only extra step—everything else comes together quickly and simply.
Easy to make ahead dough and store in the freezer, which means you can have freshly baked cookies any night of the week on a moment’s notice!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Kitchen staples – Butter, sugar, eggs, flour
Chocolate – Dark or semisweet to add a bit of bitterness to balance the sweetness
Toffee – Easier to make yourself than you think (but Skor candy bars make a great swap)
Milk powder – This is a secret weapon to make your brown butter even nuttier
Flaky salt – The larger flakes of salt create a perfect sweet-salty balance

Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Tips

Brown butter. Keep the heat on medium, and stir constantly to avoid burning any of the solids that otherwise get stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the milk powder just after all the butter has melted and starts to foam. Start checking for browning once you smell the nutty aroma.

Chill the dough. Waiting to bake your cookies is no fun, but I find that the texture is almost always greatly improved by chilling the dough for at least an hour. It also helps the cookie spread a bit less, which means you don’t end up with flat cookies.

Measuring doneness. Once the edges of the cookie are golden brown, you’re pretty much there. The middle of the cookie should still be soft, but will still get lightly browned. That’s when you want to pull them out, and they’ll finish baking on the tray as they cool.

How to make these cookies:

If you’re making your own toffee, prepare the toffee, allow it to cool, and break into small pieces and set aside.
Brown your butter with the added milk powder and let it cool slightly.
Combine the brown butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla bean paste. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Lastly, fold in your toffee pieces and chopped chocolate.
Chill dough for at least an hour. Towards the end, preheat your oven. Scoop out your dough and bake.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle cookies with flaky salt, and let cool.

FAQ

Most dark or semisweet chocolates work well here. Look for something listed as between 55%-75%.

Those tiny brown flecks in basic brown butter come from toasted milk solids in the butter itself. The milk powder adds more of those milk solids, which means you get an even toastier, nuttier finish to you brown butter.

The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead of time kept in an airtight container and refrigerated, or up to 3 months if portioned and stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Baked cookies will last up to 5 days kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Shop The Tools I Use

Kitchen scale: https://amzn.to/48OrR0f
1-Ounce disher: https://amzn.to/3Ki2Pww
Cordless hand mixer: https://amzn.to/44kQY7B
Silpat: https://amzn.to/3JPQQX3
3-Quart sauce pan: https://amzn.to/49rxq4W

“Made these cookies, and I fear my life is forever changed. What black magic is this?!” – Izzy L.

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Ingredients

Toffee

113 grams unsalted butter
2 grams salt (approx. 1 tsp)
100 grams granulated sugar
30 grams water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cookie Dough

170 grams unsalted butter (125 grams brown butter)
1 tsp milk powder
213 grams all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder
160 grams light brown sugar
55 grams granulated sugar
50 grams whole egg (approx. 1 egg)
15 grams egg yolk (approx. 1 egg yolk)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
175 grams toffee, roughly chopped
150 grams dark or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped, plus ~50 grams reserve
Flaky salt

Instructions

Toffee

Prepare a half sheet pan with a silpat and set aside.
Add butter, salt, granulated sugar, and water to a medium pot and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until an instant read thermometer reads 310°F. Toffee will be a golden brown color.
Once temperature is reached, stir in vanilla extract off heat. Quickly pour toffee onto prepared silpat and spread thin.
Allow toffee to cool completely, at least 30 minutes, and then break into small pieces.

Cookies

Brown the butter: Add butter to a light-colored medium pot and melt over medium heat. Using a rubber spatula, stir constantly as the butter melts and begins to foam. As the butter begins to foam, add milk powder and continue stirring until nutty in aroma and brown specks form at the bottom of the pan. Once golden brown, remove from heat and pour brown butter into a heat-proof bowl. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Add light brown sugar and granulated sugar to a large bowl. Add slightly cooled brown butter and whisk to combine. Then, add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla bean paste and continue whisking until incorporated and slightly lightened in color.
Add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Switch to a wooden spoon or rigid spatula, add toffee and chopped chocolate (except for reserve chocolate), and stir together until evenly distributed.
Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. Towards the end of your chill time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Scoop dough into 1-ounce portions and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. No need to roll into perfect balls. For a half sheet pan, you should be able to fit 6 cookies, arranged 2-1-2-1. Press reserve chocolate pieces into the top of the dough balls (this gives you those beautiful pools of melted chocolate when they come out of the oven).
Bake until golden brown around the outside and still soft in the middle, ~12 minutes. If desired, immediately after removing, use a cookie cutter or bowl to round any misshapen cookies into perfect circles.
Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt to finish.

Notes

* Cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days at room temperature if kept covered or in an airtight container.

* If you don’t want to make your own toffee, chopped up Skor candy bars are a good substitute.

* You can make the dough ahead, scoop it into balls, and freeze for future use. The frozen dough will last for approximately 3 months. You can bake frozen cookie dough without thawing, just adjust baking time up ~2 minutes. Cookies may simply spread less.

Did you make this recipe?

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