These bakery-quality brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies combine the nutty flavor of browned butter with the buttery, sweet crunch of toffee and the sweet indulgence of chocolate chunks.
These rich and buttery brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are an absolute dream.
The recipes uses the same easy cookie dough base as my tried-and-true no chill chocolate chip cookies, with a few simple tweaks:
- Brown butter, for a toasty, nutty flavor that's the perfect complement to the toffee.
- Chocolate chunks for extra melty pools of chocolate.
- Toffee bits, for rich and buttery caramel flavor in every bite.
- Flaky sea salt, for a delicate crunch of saltiness and a gourmet look.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Unsalted Butter - Butter adds fat and flavor to the cookie dough. We'll brown the butter, which will add a toasted flavor to the cookies. Don't want to brown the butter? Reduce the amount of butter to 1 cup (226 grams) and simply melt it before adding the sugars and vanilla.
Egg + Yolk - Eggs helps to bind the cookie dough together, and the extra yolk adds some extra chewiness.
Cornstarch - Adding a bit of cornstarch also helps to create a chewier cookie.
Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bar - A chopped chocolate baking bar makes these cookies feel extra fancy. Want to use chocolate chips instead? Go for it!
Toffee Bits - I used Heath brand toffee bits, which can be found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips in most grocery stores. You could also finely chop a toffee bar, if you prefer.
Flaky Sea Salt - I love the delicate saltiness and visual appeal that flaky sea salt adds to the tops of these cookies. Don't have any on hand? A sprinkle of fine sea salt on top works just fine, too.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Brown the butter, then transfer it to a large, heat-safe bowl to cool slightly.
Step 2: Add both sugars and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk well until the mixture is glossy and a bit lighter in color.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk to combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir gently until just a few streaks of flour remain.
Step 5: Add chopped chocolate and toffee bits and stir just until blended.
Step 6: Scoop 1 ½ Tablespoon balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
Step 7: Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until puffy with lightly golden edges. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt onto each cookie and let cool.
Allison's Top Tips
New to browning butter? Read this article that walks you through step-by-step how to brown butter before you begin.
Don't skip letting the browned butter cool slightly (10 to 20 minutes) before adding the sugars. If the butter is too hot when the sugar is added, the sugar will melt into the butter, and this won't yield the proper texture for cookie dough.
For extra pretty cookies, press one or two chocolate chunks onto each cookie dough ball after scooping the dough and before baking. Right after baking, you can sprinkle a few extra toffee bits onto each cookie along with the flaky sea salt. And check out these other tips for baking pretty cookies!
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To keep the cookies fresh for longer, add a slice of bread to the container with the cookies.
Freezing: Once completely cooled, cookies can be sealed in an airtight container and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Dough can also be frozen and baked at a later date. Check out my tips for freezing cookie dough.
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Recipe
Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (254 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (213 grams) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- 2 ¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (5 grams) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- 6 ounces (170 grams) semisweet chocolate baking bar roughly chopped
- 1 cup (156 grams) toffee bits
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies
Instructions
- Brown the butter in a light-colored pan, stirring it frequently as it melts and then browns to ensure that it does not burn. Once browned, immediately transfer the butter to a large, heat-safe bowl. Let the browned butter cool for 10 to 20 minutes.1 ¼ cups (254 grams) unsalted butter
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- When the butter has cooled slightly, add both sugars and vanilla and whisk to combine.1 cup (213 grams) dark brown sugar, ½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) vanilla extract
- Add eggs and whisk well until the mixture is glossy and a bit lighter in color, about 1 minute. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes while you prepare the next ingredients.1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- In a medium bowl, add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and fine sea salt and whisk to combine.2 ¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons (5 grams) cornstarch, 1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda, 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- Give the sugar mixture a quick whisk and then add the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until just a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add chopped chocolate and toffee bits and stir just until blended. (Tip: Save some of the chopped chocolate to press onto the outside of the cookie dough balls before baking and some of the toffee bits to sprinkle on top after baking.)6 ounces (170 grams) semisweet chocolate baking bar, 1 cup (156 grams) toffee bits
- Scoop 1 ½ Tablespoon balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (Optional: Press an extra chocolate chunk or two onto the outside of each cookie dough ball.)
- Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes. The cookies will still appear pale and puffy with lightly golden edges when you remove the tray from the oven. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt (and some more toffee bits) onto each cookie and allow them to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Amanda K says
Made these just as listed and they are fantastic. I really appreciate how you used the measurements within the instructions. Super easy to follow along