For fans of soft and buttery cookies packed with chocolate and a touch of salty goodness, these brown butter chocolate bar cookies will be love at first bite. Browning the butter gives the cookies a rich, nutty flavor, while chopped chocolate bars create those delicious, melty pockets throughout.
And then there's the flaky sea salt on top. That little salty finish really brings everything together.
These cookies are easy enough for a regular afternoon baking session but special enough to add to a holiday cookie tray or take to a party.
If you love delicious, easy cookies like these, be sure to try our chocolate chunk toffee cookies and easy peanut butter cookies next!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich, nutty brown butter flavor
- Soft, chewy centers
- Lightly golden, crisp edges
- Chopped chocolate pieces in every bite
- Sweet and salty flavor combination
- Easy to make
- No fancy equipment required
Key Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and their exact amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Brown Butter: This is the big flavor booster. Browning the butter gives the cookies a rich, nutty taste that makes the chocolate really stand out.
- Tony’s Chocolonely Milk Chocolate Bar: The star of the cookies! It gives you generous pockets of creamy milk chocolate in every bite.
- Egg & Egg Yolk: The extra yolk adds richness and helps keep the centers soft and chewy.
- Flaky Sea Salt: A little sprinkle on top balances the sweetness and makes the milk chocolate flavor pop.
Variations
- Use Dark Chocolate: Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate for a richer cookie with a slightly less-sweet flavor.
- Add Caramel: Stir caramel bits into the dough along with the chopped chocolate for a chocolate-caramel version.
- Add Nuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts add a delicious crunch and pair beautifully with brown butter.
- Make Them Extra Salty: If you’re a fan of sweet-and-salty desserts, add a little extra flaky sea salt immediately after baking.
- Try White Chocolate: Replace some or all of the chocolate with white chocolate for a sweeter, creamier variation.
- Add Espresso: A small amount of instant espresso powder can intensify the chocolate flavor without making the cookies taste strongly like coffee.
How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Bar Cookies
1: Cook the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly until it develops an amber color and nutty aroma, with brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
2: Pour the butter into a large mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate until the butter reaches the consistency of softened butter.
3: Beat the softened brown butter and sugar until creamy. Then, beat in the vanilla and egg.
4: Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then, mix them into the wet ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chunks.
5: Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to place dough portions on a prepared cookie sheet.
6: Bake until the edges are slightly browned. Then, immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
7: Cool for 4 to 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8: Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Watch the Butter: The butter needs to turn amber and develop brown bits, but don’t let it burn. Stir constantly and remove it from the heat as soon as it’s ready.
- Let the Butter Set: This step is important. The browned butter should cool and firm up to a softened-butter consistency before you continue making the dough.
- Don’t Overmix: Once the flour goes in, mix just until the dough comes together. Overmixing can lead to tougher cookies.
- Don’t Overbake: The edges should be lightly browned, while the centers still look soft. This gives you that delicious chewy texture once the cookies cool.
- Add Salt While Warm: Sprinkle the flaky sea salt on immediately after baking so it sticks to the warm cookies.
Brown Butter Chocolate Bar Cookies FAQs
They are soft, chewy chocolate cookies made with browned butter, brown and granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, and chopped chocolate bars. They're finished with flaky sea salt for a sweet-and-salty flavor.
Browning the butter gives the cookies a rich, deep, nutty flavor that regular butter doesn’t provide. The browned bits also add extra flavor to the dough.
Chopping chocolate bars creates irregular pieces of different sizes. This gives the finished cookies a combination of smaller chocolate pieces and larger, melty pockets.
The edges should be lightly browned while the centers still look slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool, helping them develop their soft, chewy texture.
That’s expected. The centers may still look slightly soft when the cookies are removed from the oven. They will continue to set as they cool.
Avoid overmixing the dough and overbaking the cookies. Remove them when the edges are lightly browned, and the centers still appear soft.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay soft for several days.
Yes. Baked cookies can be stored in a freezer-safe container and thawed at room temperature before serving.
Chocolate Bar Cookies are a Great Dessert For:
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Brown Butter Chocolate Bar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6.35 ounce Tony's Chocolonely Milk Chocolate Bar, coarsely chopped
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized saucepan, brown butter over medium heat. Stir constantly and cook until butter starts to turn a slight amber color.
- Remove from heat and pour browned butter and all the brown bits into a large mixing bowl, cover, and let cool in the refrigerator until butter starts to set and gets to the consistency of softened butter.
- Once butter has set up a bit, add the sugars and beat until creamy.
- Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat until fully combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Stir in chopped chocolate pieces.
- Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, place cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges get slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle sea salt on top of the cookies.
- Let cool on the cookie sheet for 4-5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Watch the Butter: The butter needs to turn amber and develop brown bits, but don’t let it burn. Stir constantly and remove it from the heat as soon as it’s ready.
- Let the Butter Set: This step is important. The browned butter should cool and firm up to a softened-butter consistency before you continue making the dough.
- Don’t Overmix: Once the flour goes in, mix just until the dough comes together. Overmixing can lead to tougher cookies.
- Don’t Overbake: The edges should be lightly browned, while the centers still look soft. This gives you that delicious chewy texture once the cookies cool.
- Add Salt While Warm: Sprinkle the flaky sea salt on immediately after baking so it sticks to the warm cookies.
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