Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups — Prone to making cookies that spread? It’s impossible with these! Thick, soft, and chewy cookies baked in a muffin pan that are so rich from the browned butter!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups with Browned Butter
There’s only so many ways to re-invent chocolate chip cookies before it’s just another chocolate chip cookie.
But it’s a new year and I’m not out of ways yet. Cute cookie cups and browned butter to the rescue.
These cookie cups are the solution to your prayers if you’ve ever had issues with cookies spreading. Sometimes even doing everything right including chilling the dough before baking and baking cookies on a Silpat Non-Stick Mat
is not a match for cookies that decide they’re going to spread on you regardless.
The pesky spreading problem is solved by baking cookies in a muffin pan. They’re trapped with nowhere to go.
In addition to the muffin pan trick, I jazzed these up with browned butter because it really does elevate everything to a higher status, including classic chocolate chip cookies.
The depth of flavor, the nuttiness, the richness, and the comforting quality that food takes on when made with browned butter is why I use it every chance I get.
Normally, however, I don’t brown butter or use melted butter for cookies. In general, my cookies turn out much flatter and thinner when I use melted butter and instead I prefer to cream butter with sugars and eggs for cookie dough.
But since I was baking these in a muffin pan and spreading is impossible, it was a perfect opportunity to use browned butter.
Just because they’re muffin-shaped, they’re nothing like muffins. No cakeiness here. They’re dense, heavy, and rich.
There’s nothing better than biting into a thick and puffy cookie that had no chance to spread and is full of sink-your-teeth-in density. They’re the perfect balance of chewy edges, squishy in the middle, and loaded with melted chocolate.
I don’t think I ever want to use my muffin pan for muffins again.
Ingredients in Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
To make chocolate chip cookie cups with brown butter, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Bread flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Chocolate chips
How to Brown Butter for Cookies
Here’s how I like to brown butter for making cookies:
- In a heavy-bottomed medium skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat, stirring nearly continuously or swirling pan. Butter will melt, foam, turn clear, golden, turn brown, and will then smell nutty.
- As soon at the butter begins to turn brown, take the pan off the heat, and continue to stir for about 1 minute.
If you’ve never browned butter before, the key points are to either stir the butter or swirl the pan almost continuously for the 3 to 4 minutes it takes to brown.
And the minute you see brown specks and flecks in the butter, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir for another minute so the carryover heat doesn’t burn the already browned butter.
How to Make Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
The beauty of using melted butter is that no mixer is required and this dough come together by hand in a matter of minutes!
- To make the cookies, first brown the butter as instructed above.
- Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the egg. Then add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the flour and baking soda and mix until just incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Equally divide the batter among the twelve wells in a very well-sprayed muffin pan.
- Bake the cookie cups for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the tops have just set, and don’t over bake them.
Tip: The chocolate chip cookies with brown butter will be a bit underbaked in the center, but as they cool in the pan for at least twenty minutes before removal, they’ll firm up some. I’ve made them in the past and inadvertently overbaked them and although they were okay, they’re best when they’re still soft, gooey, and melty in the middle.
Can I Use All-Purpose Flour Instead of Bread Flour?
I used bread flour and because it has a higher protein and gluten-content than all-purpose flour, and anything made with it has a stronger rise, greater structure, and is chewier.
All-purpose flour may be used but the cookies just won’t be as chewy.
Can I Use a Mini Muffin Pan?
I don’t recommend using a mini muffin pan because the overall mass of dough effects how the cookies bake up.
Just like these cookies should be baked larger to achieve that chewy edge-soft center quality, the same holds true for the cookie cups. I’m all for cute mini food, but not here.
Tips for the Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
I solely used chocolate chips even though I prefer cookies with both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks or with chopped chocolate truffles, but I was fresh out. Incorporating different types of chocolate, white chocolate, toffee or caramel bits, or diced peanut butter cups would be tasty twists.
This is a recipe where you really have to trust your nonstick spray and nonstick pan. I use Pam for Baking floured cooking spray and it never lets me down from cookies to Bundt cakes.
Although you may use muffin liners, cosmetically I wasn’t going for the ruffled potato chip look and didn’t want ridge impressions on the browned butter cookie cups. The only ridges I wanted in them were from teeth.
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Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, browned
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups bread flour, all-purpose flour or a combination of the two may be substituted
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 12-count standard-sized muffin pan extremely well with floured cooking spray, cooking spray (or lining with paper liners is okay); set pan aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed medium skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat, stirring nearly continuously or swirling pan. Butter will melt, foam, turn clear, golden, turn brown, and will then smell nutty.
- As soon at the butter begins to turn brown, take the pan off the heat, and continue to stir for about 1 minute, to ensure carryover heat doesn't continue to cook and subsequently burn the already browned butter.
- Pour butter into large mixing bowl and allow it to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the egg. Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and stir until just incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Distribute dough equally among the 12 muffin pan cavities; each will approximately be filled to between two-thirds and three-quarters full. The cookies don't rise much (nothing like muffins) so it's okay if dough seems high in the cavities.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or just until tops have set and are golden, taking care not to overbake because they will firm up more as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before removing them. If they have stuck to the pan, gently wedge the tip of a soft spatula into the muffin cavity to dislodge the cookies, rather than rimming with a table knife so you don't scratch your pan. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Desserts with Browned Butter:
Sea Salt Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies – Super soft, perfectly chewy, SALTY-AND-SWEET chocolate chip pecan cookies that are AMAZING!! An EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe!!
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Bars — The tender dough with rich browned butter flavor, a crackly top almost like brownies have, and the melted chocolate chips is an irresistible combination.
Browned Butter Caramel and Butterscotch Bars – Browned butter, caramel, and butterscotch is the most heavenly combination! Super soft, chewy, with texture from the butterscotch chips!
Browned Butter Rice Krispies Treats – Jazz up classic Rice Krispies Treats with browned butter! Makes such a wonderful difference in the depth of flavor!
Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Salted Caramel Blondies — The combination of browned butter, salted caramel, chocolate, and sea salt is INCREDIBLE!! A complex-tasting salty-sweet dessert that is EASY to make and a guaranteed FAVORITE!!
Browned Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies – SALTY-AND-SWEET, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookies that are PERFECT!! An EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that’s just the BEST!!
Sorry for obnoxiously commenting on all these posts, but it’s my winter break and I’ve been trying to squeeze in as much baking as possible before school starts again. Anyways, I made these tonight and they were so, so incredible. The browned butter makes such an enormous difference–it’s such a little thing, a few more minutes in the pan, but it adds this lovely, nutty depth that you just don’t get otherwise. These were so rich and chewy and delicious. Everyone loved them. (also, topped with caramel-swirl ice cream? yes please.)
Nothing obnoxious about it! I love hearing when ppl make things and love them! I am so glad you tried them and I agree, the b.butter makes a huge difference! The nutty depth is irreplaceable and unmistakeable! Thanks for trying these!
Hi
Love your site. These look delicious. Do,u think I could make them in mini muffin tins? Or do u have recipe similar for mini muffins. Thanks!!
Hi I just posted this recipe this week! Exactly what you’re looking for! https://www.averiecooks.com/caramel-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookie-cups/
This is the second recipe I have tried from your blog. It is so delicious! I used Halloween brown and orange chocolate chips and Halloween liners and they turned out lovely. It was my first time doing browned butter and my husband rlly loved the way it made the house smell. It almost seemed like the brown butter flavor was a little but stronger when the cookies come out of the oven. I ate one today and it seemed more subdued – but honestly either way they were scrumptious. Perhaps I just got used to the nuttiness because I hadn’t had it before.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! Your book is on my wishlist for the holidays and I am just waitinh to try some of your other recipes. Of course I wil l have to give them away because if I don’t I am tempted to eat it all!
I’m so glad to hear you loved these and are now a big fan of browned butter. It really makes your house smell so good – you’re right! Sometimes the flavors of things mellow a bit over time so that may have been what happened here; it became a little more subtle as time passed. Hope you get a chance to pick up my book – LMK what you make from it! :)
Your book is on my birthday wishlist! I love peanut butter! Btw, I brought these to a Halloween party, and ran into someone at a Christmas party who had had them at the Halloween party and they said they were possibly one of the best cookies they have ever had. I had brought the m&m cookies to the Christmas party and they said they knew they would be good since these ones were so delicious.
I have had several folks request recipes from the various different things I have made of yours and I just send them to your site. Havent had a bad recipe yet.
Thanks!
Thanks for saying that you haven’t had a bad recipe from my site and also for sharing the story about the best cookies of that person’s life. That is awesome to hear! Thanks so much for trying my recipes & your support and for sharing with family & friends :)
Hi Averie! Finally I’m back! :) I made these today and they came out brilliant! I had to cook them for a couple of minutes longer though, cause at 11 minutes they were still very soft. I love them and one of the best things about them is that it takes 20 minutes to make them!!! Also, a couple of days ago I made the banana bread with browned butter vanilla glaze for my parents, they loved it so much that they asked me to make another one so that they could take it home with them today! So, I ended up making two loaves in two days! Love it! :) Hope you have a great weekend!
Glad you loved them and they’re ready in 20 mins – I know, the best, right!
And that’s wonderful to hear that the banana bread was such a hit with your parents you’re making another loaf for them to take home – how sweet :)
Hi I think I’m going to give these a try. I was curious how you think they would do in a jumbo muffin pan? I like he idea of 6 large cookies to serve as a base for a sundae. I know I’d need to increase the the cooking time but by how much? Thanks for any advice!
I’m not sure how much you’ll need to increase it b/c it will also depend on how shallow or ‘thick’ you stack the dough in each cup. I would just bake until done :) You will know! Keep them gooey and start checking every 2 mins at the close of the recommended baking time. Enjoy!
I’ve had these pinned forever and just got the time to make them. I halved the batch so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat all of them, and they are extremely delicious. However, I have put them back in the oven (after the cooling time) since I felt they were too underdone. But these things happen, especially as I adapted the recipe a bit.
I used a combination of light brown sugar and muscovado for the brown sugar, so that may have changed the cooking time. I’ve been trying to avoid refined sugar, so next time I’ll use all muscovado and turbinado sugars. The flavor profile goes so well with the browned butter. Oh, and I also use white whole wheat flour, because I enjoy the flavor more than AP. Either way, these are extremely, extremely good.
Everyone’s oven is a bit different, plus with you using wheat flour not white, the batter wise likely thicker, taking longer to cook; as well as brown sugar having more moisture than white and the types of sugar you used, having more moisture than conventional sugars, so yes,extending baking time was probably in order. Glad you got that all squared away and so happy you feel they’re extremely, extremely good! Thanks for the detailed feedback on what you did!
Hi! I love all of your recipes and your blog. Truly amazing. Just wondering with these cookies, how does reducing the amount of sugar affect the recipe? Would I still be able to achieve a nice texture with half the sugar? Thanks!
No, you wouldn’t be. I recommend making the recipe as directed and either eating less or working out more :) But playing with the sugar and reducing it by half will not give you a successful result.
This recipe is definitely a favorite for life- although you’d never know it while I was preparing them! I wasn’t sure about browning the butter (it seemed to be greenish for the longest time!), and it seemed like I had WAY too much chocolate (though I did like the different texture that the chopped chocolate provided) and not enough dough. Even while the cookie cups were cooling I thought they were a disaster: “They’re not setting! They’ll just crumble apart!”
And of course, once I let them sit long enough, it turned out they were perfect! The bread flour is a revelation. I can’t believe I ever loved cookies made with just AP flour and white sugar! The chewiness is just the best! Next time I’m throwing in some peanut butter chips, too :) Thanks so much, Averie!
Glad you loved them and trusted the process. Sometimes some of the most ohmygodwhatisgoing on recipes are the best tasting ones. This cake is another one https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/11/chocolate-molasses-chocolate-chip-cake-with-baileys-irish-cream-glaze.html It bubbles while baking and look’s like a witch’s caldron inside the bundt pan but it works out perfectly! Glad you loved the cups and I bet with PB chips, they’re great!