Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies are cookie PERFECTION. With golden, crisp edges, chewy centers, and delicious notes of flavor in every bite, they’re the BEST!

I’ve been blogging since 2008(!!!) and baking for even longer than that, and whenever anyone asks what my favorite thing is to make, I can hands-down say: gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

I love chocolate chip cookie recipes in basically any incarnation I can get them, whether it’s thick Bakery-style chocolate chip cookies, thin & crispy chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or any variation in between.

But one of my VERY favorites of all? These gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Their golden edges, chewy centers, and the perfect notes of flavor from the combination of brown butter, melty chocolate, and a hint of salt are PERFECT. They’re basically everything I love about a cookie, all in one recipe!

Even though this is an elevated take on a classic chocolate chip cookie, it’s not fussy or tricky to make. It’s really all about tweaking one technique. The rest is just simple, delicious ingredients. Let’s take a look…

Simple Ingredients To Get Started

• Butter. You can use salted butter for more flavor or use unsalted butter to have more control over the salt content. I’ve made these cookies with both and loved them both ways.
• Brown Sugar & White Sugar. I use a mix of these two types of sugar to get the right balance of chewy and golden brown.
• Eggs + An Egg Yolk. Using two eggs AND an extra egg yolk gives these cookies a more chewy texture that’s amazing with the brown butter. (Don’t know how to separate an egg? This tutorial will show you 3 ways to do it!)
• Vanilla. Plenty of vanilla extract combines beautifully with the caramel and toffee notes from the brown butter and the rich chocolate notes.
• Gluten-Free Flour. I’m using a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend. I highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure flour for these cookies. (And almost all our cookie recipes!) If you use another brand, be sure it contains xanthan gum so your cookies have the right texture. Be sure to weigh or measure correctly!
• Cornstarch. A little secret ingredient. The cornstarch gives these cookies a delicate exterior and slightly lightens the texture inside.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder. For puff and spread. (Make sure they’re fresh by doing these quick tests!)
• Chocolate Chips. I love a mix of dark chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate chips for a sweeter cookie, if you like.
• Maybe Some Flaky Sea Salt. Not strictly necessary, but I love to garnish the cookies with a little flaky sea salt.

How To Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Step By STep:

1. Brown & Cool The Butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the butter begins to foam. (Watch carefully when the butter begins to foam, as it will turn golden and brown quickly.) When the butter under the foam is golden (like honey) and smells sweet with a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer or a mixing bowl to cool for 10-15 minutes, until it’s no longer hot to the touch. (Make sure to get all those lovely brown bits!)
2. Combine Brown Butter & Sugar. When the browned butter has cooled for a few minutes, add the sugar and brown sugar. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed 2-3 minutes or until well combined and the mixture looks like wet sand.
3. Add Eggs + Vanilla Add eggs + egg yolk one at a time, blending well after each addition, then add the vanilla. 
4. Add Dry Ingredients. Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix for a few seconds (it won’t be fully combined), then add the chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
5. Scoop & Chill The Dough. Use a large cookie scoop (3 Tablespoon size) to scoop cookie dough balls. Place in an airtight container, cover, and chill the cookie dough balls for at least 2 hours, up to 1 day in advance.
6. Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. When you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator while the oven fully preheats to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment (so you can alternate sheets between batches.)
7. Bake & Cool The Cookies. Roll 6 cookie dough balls in between your palms to smooth them out and place onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are a golden brown color and the centers look just underdone. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling, then repeat with remaining cookie dough.
8. Serve & Store. Enjoy right away once the cookies are cooled, or store in an airtight container 2-3 days. (Or, freeze up to 2 months)

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Use The Right Tools For The Job:

• Our Favorite Gluten-Free Flour. This blend produces GORGEOUS cookies, cakes, and brownies.
• Cookie Sheets. Light-colored aluminum cookie sheets conduct heat evenly and gently, so the bottoms of the cookies won’t scorch.
• Parchment Paper. Yes, it’s important! This provides a barrier between the cookie dough and the pan, which helps the cookies cook more evenly, and also prevents sticking.
• Large Cookie Scoop. This large cookie scoop is exactly the size you need to make 3-Tablespoon balls of cookie dough.

Measure Carefully! The secret to perfect cookies is measuring the flour correctly. Gram measurements on an inexpensive kitchen scale will give you the most best results every time, but if you can’t weigh the flour, use the spoon and level method. (DON’T use your measuring cup to scoop the flour!)

Make Them Extra Pretty! Use a large round cookie cutter to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles right when they come out of the oven. Then, top them with a few more chocolate chips and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt! 

Can I Make Them Dairy-Free? No. Vegan butter, dairy-free butter, and margarine do not separate and brown the same was as the butter does. It’s the milk solids in butter that caramelize and turn brown, which is the key element of flavor that makes these cookies unique.

🌟 Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe! We can’t wait to hear what you think!

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