small batch brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies;
These brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are good. And I’m not just saying that—I’ve made these three times in two weeks good. I like that these are a small batch, that should make 12-15 cookies instead of 24 or 36 like some other recipes. It means I can indulge without worrying about having a crazy large batch I need to share!
Although maybe that small batch thing is cramping my style since I made this recipe so many times already. So I included a tip for doubling the recipe! Because you might need more brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies to share. Basically, you double all of the ingredients, however when it comes to the egg, instead of going for 2 egg yolks, just use 1 whole egg. Of course you could use two egg yolks easy, but I find it easier so that way I don’t have to find something to do with the extra egg whites.
I’ve shared my perfectly chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe previously, which is my go to for a regular chocolate chip cookie. But what makes these different is the little bit of dry crispiness of the edges of these brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies. I adapted this recipe from Browned Butter Blondie, but I really amped up the crispiness. They have a satisfying crunch, echoed by the crunchy little toffee bits. Plus the big flaky salt and the warmth and depth of brown butter just makes this a mouthwatering brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookie.
I’ve realized after years of baking that one of the reasons a chocolate chip cookie is so satisfying is that sweet-to-salty ratio. I never noticed it growing up, but now having made a few chocolate chip cookies in my day, I’ve nailed it. The saltiness of the dough brings out the sweetness, scattered with punches of chocolate. And of course, using a good chocolate for your chocolate chips is a must. No if’s, and’s, or but’s.
My go to chocolate chunks are from Trader Joe’s. They’re semisweet chunks that tend to be a touch softer than some chocolate chips, but still hold up to baking. They’re undoubtedly my favorite and I always have them on hand. They’re what I used for these brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies. Otherwise my backup is semisweet chips. I’ll use Kirkland (the Costco brand) or Nestle, which I usually also have on hand as pantry staples. Of course there’s nothing stopping you from using some different flavored baking chips. Check out this post rating five different flavors of baking chips to get some ideas!
secrets to success;
- Emphasis on the salt for these brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies! I like scattering big flaky maldon salt over the cookies at the end for that extra punch of saltiness. If you prefer to skip the flaky salt or don’t have any available, then bump up the table salt in the recipe by a 1/2 tsp.
- The batter will be dry and a bit crumbly—but it’s supposed to be! This is what gives the cookies their crisp and crunchy edges. It will be hard to make the edges perfectly round, but that’s what gives them the homemade feel. Make sure to press the dough into the shape you want, since they won’t spread much. They’ll puff up a little, but their footprint won’t increase much after baking.
- My go-to chocolate chunks are the semisweet chunks from Trader Joe’s. Use whatever your favorites are though, or you can consider some flavored baking chips if you want to switch it up! I haven’t tried them myself, but white chocolate would be a good sweet option, or even a caramel baking chip or butterscotch to really lean into the toffee flavor.
Check out these other recipes for cookies:
- Bear paw cookies are a cute twist on a sugar cookie with a secret ingredient!
- Could you go for some salted caramel chip chocolate cookies?
- For a pop of color, red velvet cookies are always a hit.
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- ½ tsp salt
Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk (if doubling the recipe use 1 full egg)
- ¾ tsp vanilla
- ⅓ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup dark chocolate chunks
- ¼ cup toffee bits
- flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
Brown Butter
- To brown the butter, add 4 Tbsp of butter in a small saucepan on medium high heat. Allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Butter will begin to crackle and pop and bubbles will appear on the surface of the liquid.
- Once the sizzling sound stops, add the salt. Turn down the heat on the pan to medium, and stir constantly until the butter becomes golden and begins to smell nutty. Small brown bits may form on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from the heat when it reaches a deep golden color bordering on brown–it will continue to brown slightly when cooling.
- Allow the brown butter to cool for 30 seconds, then add in the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter and allow it to melt. Make sure the mixture is warm but not hot before continuing. I usually let mine rest for a few minutes before continuing.
Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Add the ½ cup brown sugar and ⅛ cup sugar to the bowl and pour in cooled brown butter. Mix together.
- Add the ¾ tsp vanilla, ⅓ tsp baking soda, ¾ cup flour, and ¼ cup wheat flour, and mix together. Mixture should be crumbly but come together when pressed.
- Add the egg yolk and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks and toffee pieces.
- Scoop 2 Tbsp of mixture and form into a ball. It will be crumbly, so do your best to press the mixture together into a ball. Set on a baking sheet and press down to flatten the cookie. The edges will be rough since the cookie is crumbly. Repeat with remaining mixture.
- Press extra chocolate chunks on top of the cookies as desired. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if using. Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool.
