Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

These brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are thick and chewy with crisp edges, gooey chocolate chips, buttery toffee bits, and tons of rich brown butter flavor. Even better, this small batch recipe makes just 4 big cookies when you want something freshly baked without ending up with dozens of leftovers.

 

I love my brown butter chocolate chip cookies but don’t always want a full batch sitting around. And small batch desserts are kind of my new favorite thing – like my small batch oatmeal cookies, and small batch chocolate chip cookies. 

And browning the butter is one of my favorite ways to make one taste a little more special. And after making my small batch brown butter s’mores cookies I knew I had to make a toffee version. Adding buttery toffee bits felt like a natural next step.

Since this recipe uses brown butter, I add a teaspoon of water back to the butter after browning. Butter loses moisture as it cooks, and replacing a little of that liquid helps keep the final cookie dough from becoming too dry.

I also use just an egg yolk instead of trying to divide a whole egg for such a small batch. The yolk adds richness and helps give these cookies their soft, chewy centers. A short chill in the refrigerator keeps all that butter from making the cookies spread too much, giving you four thick, bakery-style cookies instead.

Why This Recipe Works

• It makes just 4 cookies. This is the perfect recipe when you want warm chocolate chip cookies without making an entire batch.
• Brown butter adds incredible flavor. Browning the butter creates a rich, nutty, almost caramel-like flavor that pairs perfectly with the toffee and chocolate.
• Adding water replaces lost moisture. Some of the water in the butter evaporates during browning, so adding a teaspoon back helps compensate for that loss.
• An egg yolk keeps the cookies rich and chewy. It’s also much easier than trying to divide one whole egg for a four-cookie batch.
• Chilling keeps the cookies thick. Giving the dough an hour in the refrigerator helps prevent excessive spreading in the oven.

Ingredients Needed

• Salted butter: Keep a close eye on it as it browns. Once you see amber-colored milk solids and smell a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat so it doesn’t burn. Read how to brown butter for a step step tutorial.
• Water: This replaces some of the moisture that evaporates while browning the butter.
• All-purpose flour: For the most accurate results, weigh your flour with a kitchen scale or spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off.
• Baking soda
• Fine sea salt: Because you’re starting with salted butter, you only need a small amount.
• Light brown sugar: If you run out, try making your own. Read How To Make Brown Sugar.
• Granulated sugar
• Egg yolk
• Vanilla extract
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can substitute chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate if you prefer bigger pools of melted chocolate.
• Toffee bits
• Flaked sea salt: This is optional, but a little sprinkled over the warm cookies balances the sweetness of the chocolate and toffee.

How To Make Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Brown the butter.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Once the butter comes to a boil, begin swirling the pan frequently.

The butter will foam as the water cooks off. Continue cooking and swirling until the foam begins to subside and you can see golden brown specks forming on the bottom of the pan. The butter should smell rich and nutty and have a deep amber color.

Don’t walk away during this step. Brown butter can go from perfectly toasted to burnt very quickly.

Immediately transfer the brown butter, including all those flavorful brown bits at the bottom of the pan, to a heatproof measuring cup or bowl. Stir in the water and let the mixture cool slightly.

2. Combine the dry ingredients.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt.

Whisking these ingredients together first helps evenly distribute the baking soda throughout such a small amount of cookie dough.

3. Add the sugars.

Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the slightly cooled brown butter and whisk until combined.

Make sure the butter has had a chance to cool before adding the remaining ingredients. If it’s piping hot, it can affect the egg yolk and make the cookie dough too warm.

4. Add the egg yolk and vanilla.

Whisk the egg yolk and vanilla extract into the brown butter and sugar mixture until smooth and combined.

Using just the yolk gives the cookies richness and chewiness without adding too much liquid to this small batch of dough.

5. Add the dry ingredients.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir just until a cookie dough forms and you no longer see streaks of flour.

Avoid overmixing once the flour has been added. You only need to mix until everything comes together.

Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee bits until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

6. Scoop and chill the cookie dough.

Scoop the cookie dough into 3-tablespoon portions. You should get 4 large cookies.

Place the cookie dough balls on a plate or small baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Don’t skip the chilling time if you want thick cookies. Brown butter is completely melted, so chilling gives the fat time to firm back up before the cookies hit the hot oven. This helps prevent them from spreading too thin.

7. Bake the cookies.

When you’re ready to bake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Arrange the chilled cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches between them.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the tops look puffy and set. The centers may still look slightly soft, and that’s exactly what you want. The cookies will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet.

8. Cool and finish.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

If desired, sprinkle a small amount of flaky sea salt over the cookies while they’re still warm. The salt is especially good here because it balances the sweet toffee and chocolate and brings out the nutty flavor of the brown butter.

Let cool slightly and enjoy while the centers are still soft and the chocolate is gooey.

Recipe Tips

• Do not leave behind the brown bits. The toasted milk solids at the bottom of your saucepan contain tons of brown butter flavor, so make sure you scrape all of them into your mixing bowl.
• Watch the butter closely as it browns. Look for a deep golden-amber color and a nutty aroma. Remove it from the heat as soon as it’s ready because it can burn very quickly.
• Weigh your flour if possible. Small batch recipes leave less room for measuring errors, and too much flour can make the cookies thick, dry, and less likely to spread.
• Do not skip the chilling time. The melted brown butter needs time to firm up again. Baking the dough while it’s too warm can result in cookies that spread too much.
• Do not overbake the cookies. Take them out when the edges are lightly golden but the centers still look a little soft. They’ll finish setting up on the baking sheet.

How To Store Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For a warm, gooey cookie again, microwave one for about 10 seconds before serving.

You can also freeze the baked cookies. Once completely cooled, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

The cookie dough can also be frozen before baking. Scoop the dough into individual portions and chill as directed. Once firm, transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container. Label the container with the recipe name, date, oven temperature, and baking instructions. Freeze for up to 2 months.

There’s no need to thaw the cookie dough before baking. Arrange the frozen cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F. Add about 1 to 3 minutes to the original baking time, checking for lightly golden edges and soft centers rather than relying only on the clock.

Recipe FAQs

More Small Batch Cookies To Try

If you loved these brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies, try one of these small batch recipes next:

• Single-Serve Chocolate Chip Cookies: An even smaller batch when you only need a couple of cookies.
• Small Batch Cookie Bars: Chocolate chip cookie bars baked in a loaf pan for an easy small batch dessert.
• Brownie S’mores Cookies: Fudgy brownie cookie, gooey marshmallow centers, and a buttery graham cracker base.