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!!
Hi Averie, I can’t decide whether to make the PB chocolate chip cookie cups, the double chocolate chip cookie cups or these… which would you recommend the most? I’m also curious about why you used 1 3/4 cups of flour in the double chocolate chip recipe but only 1 1/2 cups for the PB chocolate chip cup recipe and this recipe when they all use 1/2 cup of butter and 1 egg. I expected the recipe for the PB chocolate chip cookie cups to have more flour b/c of the PB.
About the brown butter- I tried browning butter over the stove and I swirled it for about 4 minutes on medium heat but nothing happened…it sputtered but didn’t really brown. When I poured it into a bowl, only the bottom was browned…do you know what may have gone wrong?
You can’t go wrong with any of those choices, just go with your gut!
And: 1 3/4 cups of flour in the double chocolate chip recipe but only 1 1/2 cups for the PB chocolate chip cup recipe and this recipe when they all use 1/2 cup of butter and 1 egg. I expected the recipe for the PB chocolate chip cookie cups to have more flour b/c of the PB. = Because peanut butter is tacky/sticky and I find doesn’t need as much flour when it’s present in a recipe.
do you know what may have gone wrong? = yes you didn’t go long enough, it should be BROWNED butter. Not barely tan with a few little flecks. Brown it up! If you burn it, big deal. Start over with another stick of butter, 50 cents, who cares :)
It’s so hard though, they all look really good. So if I used 1 3/4 cups of flour in this recipe, like in the double chocolate chip recipe, would anything terrible happen? Because I want the browned butter flavor and more flour(more cookie cups) at the same time.
Just do what you think is best! I wrote the recipes I know in a way that they will work but feel free to experiment.
I made these today and my dough was greasy feeling and the chocolate chips just fell off. They wouldn’t fold in at all. I baked them and after they cooled the chips were still melted. Don’t get me wrong, they tasted AMAZING but I have no idea why the chocolate never hardened. Even after a couple hours when there cookies were completely cool… The chocolate chips were melted. Soooo strange but still tasty.
That’s odd about the chocolate! It sounds like the butter/grease was maybe preventing the chocolate from fully hardening, even when cooled. I would say in the future, brown the butter for a long duration so it really burns off the water and you’re left with less overall volume (I suspect you took it off the heat slightly too soon out of fear of burning it) but if that’s not the case then adding another 1/4 cup or so of flour to firm things up probably would have solved all. Glad they tasted great anyway!
Cookie cups are not just for people who have problems with spreading! They’re for everyone! For some reason, I usually don’t have spreading issues, but I’ve made your peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cups and now these cookie cups as well because they’re just so delicious! Using muffin pans is just a way to make really thick cookies. Biting into them is bliss.
Also, I used canola oil instead of browned butter, so if anyone else is lazy and wants to do that too, I can vouch for the flavor: it’s still AMAZING. :D
Glad to hear you love them and that canola oil works well. Simply melting butter in the micro works too and that only takes 1 minute and you’d still get the buttery flavor, but sounds like you’re okay with how they are and glad you feel they’re pure bliss :)
Eh, I don’t miss it much. I’m one of those weirdos who doesn’t love butter. I tried a croissant once and its overwhelming butteriness grossed me out. :D
I just made these and I put nutella in the middle of each one before baking- oh my dear lord, they are my favorite desserts EVER!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe :)
I love your idea and can only imagine how good they must be! :)
can i use margarine instead of butter
Margarine doesn’t really ‘brown’ like butter does but you can use melted margarine.
I made this for the first time today. I also had the problem someone else mentioned that the dough was too dry and crumbly and the chocolate chips just fell out. I baked it anyway and they tasted delicious. Next time (and there WILL be a next time), I will use a little less flour and maybe split AP and bread flour. It was definitely a little more delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Not sure if this link will work for my picture of it…
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UnxhQZUxcio/U2BD5Kj_LvI/AAAAAAAANqU/19D9aSLZUWM/s813-no/IMG_8449.JPG
They look great! They look perfect to me! Thanks for the image link! And next time, yes, just use a little less flour. Bread flour is more ‘drying’ then regular so if you’re worried, just use all AP next time and/or a little less flour and that should solve any issues of being a little crumbly.
I’ve made this recipe twice, followed it precisely, used bread flour, and it didn’t turn out either time. Do you know why the dough is coming up dry and sandy? I used all bread flour. Does it perhaps come together differently than AP flour b/c of the higher protein content in the bread flour? Is it a different consistency if using a mix, or all AP flour? My butter was still melted, but not hot enough to cook the egg when I mixed it all together, so I know the butter made it through all the dough… Please help, these look so delicious I am dying to know what went wrong. Do you have any photos of what your dough looks like before you scooped it into the wells? Thanks!
I think you should switch to AP flour. Bread flour is ‘dryer’ than AP flour and absorbs more liquid and so whatever brand of ingredients you’re using, your bread flour is sucking the moisture right out, thus the sandy-ness. Just use AP flour and you will be fine. The dough is wet and pretty sticky and tacky; like average cookie dough. And also when measuring flour, you should be using a light hand and not packing it into the cup, or you could be over-adding it, by up to 1/4 cup per cup. Some people think they should measure flour like you measure brown sugar…nope :) If you get the recipe down and want to switch to bread flour, go for it. If not, just stick with AP flour. I went thru a bread flour phase a couple years ago but really, for most people, using AP flour eliminates hassles!
I scoop my flour then level with a knife, I never pack it. Thank you for your speedy reply!
I made this today and……. Simply heaven on earth! Browning the butter really made a difference in the taste. After I let it cool down, I put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Took them out and they turned out to be so crispy and delicious! Almost like a frozen treat.
Such an easy recipe. It’s a keeper.
Thank you, Averie! It’s ridiculously yummy, I can’t stop eating them.
Yay! Glad you loved them and yes, browning the butter makes such a huge difference doesn’t it! Glad you’re a fan!
This recipe is so good! I have made them a couple times now. Can’t believe something so easy can be so delicious. Love that I don’t have to worry about remembering to soften butter…def a plus!
Glad you like them and I totally agree about the easy stuff being so good and also about softening butter :)