Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Freezer-Friendly Recipe)

Introduction

Transform your classic chocolate chip cookies by first browning your butter to create a nutty and deeply complex cookie of your dreams. This recipe isn't just about making a cookie; it’s about making your life easier by having a sweet treat at your fingertips. We've all been there - it's 8:00 PM, the craving hits, but the thought of making cookies from scratch feels like a chore. 

By utilizing the power of your freezer, you can do the work once and enjoy fresh cookies whenever you want!  Whether you're craving a single warm cookie or a big skillet cookie to share, we’ve designed this recipe to work perfectly from mixing to freezer to plate.

Why You'll Love This Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

• Perfect large batch - The best part of this recipe is you make a large batch. Bake what you want to enjoy for now and freeze the remaining cookie dough for when you’ll want to enjoy it again. 
• Customizable - Swap any type of chocolate chip, chunk, or block with the semi-sweet chip. If you like a chewier cookie eliminate the granulated sugar and add all brown sugar.
• Freezer-friendly - Designed to be frozen directly from your Souper Cube trays, popped out of trays and stored in the freezer whether you choose to make individual cookies or a larger skillet cookie.

Ingredients You’ll Need

In order to make the ultimate cookie, it helps to look at the chemistry behind the ingredients. When you brown the butter, you are changing the structure of the fat, which influences how other ingredients react. 

Flavor & Structure

• Unsalted butter - This is the star of the show! By browning it you eliminate some of the water content of the butter and toast the milk solids, giving it a nutty flavor.
• Light brown sugar - Packing the sugar ensures the correct amount is going into the recipe. Brown sugar contains molasses, which adds moisture and acidity.  The acidity reacts with the baking soda to create browning and some lift and gives it its chewy texture.
• Granulated sugar - This sugar is responsible for the crispy and caramelized edges. If you change the ratio slightly by adding more than brown sugar, you will get a crispier edge. The small addition to this recipe helps the cookie spread just the right amount during the initial phase in the oven.

Binder & Liquids

• Large eggs - The protein in the eggs provide structure and moisture for hydration. Ideally using a room temperature egg will ensure that it emulsifies properly with the warm brown butter so the dough won't break or be oily.
• Vanilla extract - This is the best flavor enhancer that will make the chocolate sing and the toasted milk solids in the butter pop.

Leavening & Dry Goods

• All-purpose flour - This ingredient provides the framework for the whole cookie that through it's gluten network that holds the fat and sugars together.
• Baking soda - Working with the brown sugar it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which helps the cookie rise and also helps with browning.
• Baking powder - Only a little bit is added here to help with a little lift in the cookie so the center is not too dense.
• Sea salt - Salt is helpful to cut through the richness of the butter and sweetness of the sugar.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips - Chips give a great balance and hold their shape to evenly disperse in the cookie to give it a great ratio. If you decide to use chunks instead of chips, the chunks will melted into irregular pools of chocolate creating a more unique eating experience.
• Flaky sea salt - This is a totally optional step, and is added at the end, so it does not dissolve into the cookie. It hits your tongue first, triggering your taste buds to experience the sweetness of the cookies more intensely.

How to Make the Perfect Toasty Brown Butter

Browning butter is also known as beurre noisette, and is the secret to this cookie.  By cooking the butter, you are evaporating the water and toasting the milk solids, creating a richer flavor that regular butter simply can't match.  

Visual Cues & Timing

• Melting - Start with room temperature butter in a light colored skillet over medium heat. You can use any color skillet, but it's easiest to see the toasted milk solids in a lighter pan.
• Foaming - The butter will begin to bubble and pop as the water evaporates.  IT will then transition into a thick, fine foam.
• Color Change - Beneath the foam the butter will start to turn a bright lemon yellow color that changes to a deep golden amber.
• Toasted - You will start to see tiny brown bits that form along the top edge of the butter, then at the bottom of the pan and smell a distinct nutty, popcorn like aroma.

Important Tips for Success

• Don't walk away - The process goes quickly from perfectly browned to burnt in about 10 seconds.
• Swirl Constantly - Using a heat proof spatula, stir the mixture to ensure even toasting of the milk solids.
• Stop the carry over -  Transfer your brown butter when done into a heat proof bowl or container. If you leave it in the hot skillet it will continue to cooke and may burn.
• Scrape the pan - Make sure you scrape every single one of those flavor enhancers of brown bits out of the!
• Cooling Period - Make sure you cool your butter at room temperature until it's just solid. If you mix your sugars and rest of ingredients together when the butter is hot you run the risk of the dough not combining correctly.

How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Step-by-Step

1. Brown Butter base - Melt the butter in a sauce pan over high heat. It will be browned and ready once the color resembles amber and brown specs form on the bottom. Place in a mixing bowl to cool.
2. Cream the sugars - In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add both sugars and the softened butter together. Mix together until fully incorporated and texture is light.
3. Add Remaining Wet Ingredients - Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Add Dry Ingredients - Mix together dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture until just combined. Then add the chocolate chips until fully mixed.
   

Pro Tips on How to Make a Skillet Cookie from Frozen Dough

There is nothing quite a cozy as a gooey skillet cookie served straight from the oven in Souper Cubes Square Baking Dish. This shareable dessert allows you to enjoy together.

Temperature & Timing

• From Frozen - When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325F. Take the frozen 2-cup cube of dough from the tray and place it into a greased Souper Cubes 5-inch Square Baking Dish. This lower temperature ensures the edges don't burn while the thick center has a chance to bake to a perfect consistency. 
• From Thawed - Alternatively, when you are ready to bake, remove your 2-cup cookie dough from the 2-cup tray, from the freezer to thaw by placing in a greased Souper Cubes 5-inch Baking Dish with cover on, ideally for a few hours to overnight. Preheat the oven to 325F, then bake until golden on the edges, about 30 minutes. 

Serving Suggestions

For the ultimate experience, let the skillet cookie rest for about 5 minutes after removing it from the oven. This allows for the center to just set enough. Top with a large scoop of cold vanilla bean ice cream, a drizzle of warm chocolate ganache and an extra pinch of flaky sea salt. Of course don't forget the tall glass of cold milk!

Pro Tips for the Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie

Variations & Swaps

• Ripples - if you like extra “ripples” and chewy edges, gently bang the baking sheet against the oven rack halfway through the baking time.
• Chocolate - Use dark chocolate chips (70%) for a less sweet, more intense flavor or swap the chocolate with half white chocolate chunks and half macadamia nuts for a variation.  Other types of chocolates or combination of white chocolate, milk chocolate, semi-sweet or dark work well.

Tips

• Don’t skip the butter cooling period - If you add the eggs to the butter when it is still hot, you run the risk of scrambling your eggs or melting the chocolate.
• Don’t Overmix - Once you add the flour, mix only until you don’t see any white streaks, this will keep the cookies tender.
  
• Perfectly Round Cookies - If you like a perfectly round cookie, remove the baking tray from the oven once fully baked and immediately place a round cookie cutter over the cookie, touching the sides to create an even edge.
• Weigh the flour using a scale - Use a scale to ensure the right amount of flour or scoop your flour and level into the measuring cup to ensure accuracy. Adding too much flour will result in a cakey cookie.

How to Freeze Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe in Souper Cubes Trays

Our favorite way to freeze the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie with Souper Cubes trays by building and freezing cookies in four Souper Cubes Cookie trays. Our Cookie Tray is designed to mimic a #40 cookie scoop, which will bake a 2.5” cookie.

You can also freeze your cookie dough in our Souper Cubes 2-cup silicone tray and make a skillet cookie utilizing our 5-inch ceramic baking dish.

First, press the dough into desired Souper Cubes trays. Place the lid on and label the lid with our labeling tape or water-based paint makers. Set the tray flat in your freezer and stack remaining trays on top and freeze overnight. Once the dough is solid, you can leave your cookies in the Souper Cubes trays, but then that ties up your trays for freezing other recipes, until you use the cookies.

We suggest transferring the components of each well to a freezer-safe zippered bag, reusable bag, or Souper Cubes vacuum sealed bags for longer storage.

How long does Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk cookie dough last in the freezer?

We say 3-4 months for optimal freshness. However, as long as it has been consistently frozen, it’s safe to eat indefinitely. For longer term storage transfer frozen cubes to a vacuum sealed bag for best results and to prevent freezer burn.

FAQ

Can I make this recipe gluten-free?

Yes! You can swap the all-purpose flour for 1:1 ratio a gluten free flour blend. We recommend using a flour brand that includes xanthan gum to ensure the cookies hold their structure since they lack traditional gluten.

How long do these last in the refrigerator?

Store the raw dough in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. This is actually a great way to age the dough for even better flavor before freezing and baking.

Do I need to thaw the dough before baking?

Not at all! You can pop the dough out of the Souper Cubes Cookie Trays and straight into the oven. It just takes a few extra minutes of baking to ensure the best baked cookie.

Can I bake my dough right in Souper Cubes Cookie Trays?

We recommend you pop the frozen cookie dough out of the trays and bake it on a parchment lined or greased cookie tray for the best results.

Can I use chocolate chunks or chocolate shavings instead of chocolate chips?

Yes! You can use whatever your preference is and what you want your eating experience to be.  Chunks and chopped chocolate will give a more unique ratio of dough to chocolate. 

Why did my cookies come out flat?

This usually happens if the brown butter was still too hot when mixed or if the dough was warm. Another culprit is to check to make sure you have fresh baking soda and baking powder to ensure the best results.