Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
These brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies combine nutty browned butter with chewy oats and rich dark chocolate chunks for a delightful treat. Perfectly crispy on the edges with a soft center, these cookies are easy to make and ideal for any chocolate lover seeking a sophisticated twist on a classic favorite.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 22 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Butter & Wet Ingredients
- 150g / 10 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
- 1 large egg, at room temperature (~55g / 2oz)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup plain/all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick or steel cut)
- 1 tsp baking soda (bi-carb), sifted if lumpy
- 1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar (tightly packed)
Chocolate
- 200g / 7 oz 70% dark chocolate block (e.g. Lindt), chopped into 1cm / 1/4″ pieces (or substitute with 1 cup / 200g dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Trays: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Lightly grease and line three baking trays with parchment paper for easy cleanup and even baking.
- Brown the Butter: In a small silver or light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully for the foam to push aside and observe the golden-brown bits forming at the bottom. These add deep, nutty flavor. Immediately pour the browned butter and all the brown bits into a large mixing bowl to cool for 5 minutes.
- Chop the Chocolate: Cut the dark chocolate into roughly 1cm chunks, leaving the fine chocolate dust behind to avoid a speckled appearance in your cookies. Set the chunks aside in a bowl.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and kosher salt until well combined.
- Combine Sugar and Wet Ingredients: Add the brown sugar to the browned butter and whisk. It might look slightly uneven but continue. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Finish the Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the butter-egg mixture. Stir using a wooden spoon until the flour is almost incorporated. Add the chopped chocolate pieces, stirring just until evenly distributed and no flour pockets remain. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to firm up a bit, which helps prevent spreading during baking.
- Shape the Cookies: Using a heaping tablespoon or a size 40 cookie scoop, drop tablespoons of dough 5 cm / 2 inches apart onto the lined trays. Flatten each mound to about 8 mm / 1/3 inch thickness. Reshape edges if the dough splits or loses shape to ensure uniformity.
- Bake: If baking two trays at once, bake for 11 minutes, switching shelves and rotating the trays halfway through at about the 7-minute mark. For a single tray, bake for 10 minutes, rotating at the 6-minute mark. Bake until the tops are light golden and edges crisp.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the trays for 10 minutes to firm up more, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Optionally, sprinkle with a few flakes of salt for enhanced flavor.
Notes
- Chopping your own chocolate produces chocolate dust that can discolor cookies; reserving this dust for another use like cappuccinos keeps the cookies visually appealing.
- Use a silver or light-colored pan when browning butter so you can clearly see the browned bits forming for optimal flavor.
- When baking two trays, remember to switch tray positions and rotate trays midway to ensure even baking. For one tray, rotate once midway through baking.
- Cookies keep well for up to 5 days in an airtight container but will start softening after day 3. Refrigerate during very hot weather to maintain freshness.
- You can substitute the dark chocolate block with an equal amount of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips if preferred.
