Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick & chewy Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are filled with oats, chocolate chips, and nutty brown butter. Meet your new favorite cookie!

Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

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My oatmeal raisin cookies are super popular but every time I share them, I inevitably receive grumbly comments of “raisins?! yuck!”.

I get it, raisins aren’t for everyone.

If chocolate chips are more your speed, you’re going to love these chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

They remind me of the Potbelly Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie but taken up a notch. They’re full of oats, chocolate chips, and browned butter.

What is the difference between brown butter and regular butter?

Brown butter is…golden brown. And even more delicious than regular butter, if you can imagine that.

You cook the butter on the stovetop until the milk solids have browned which gives them a caramel, toffee-ish, nutty flavor. SO. GOOD.

Don’t be intimidated, it’s a quick process and well worth the effort for the depth of flavor.

Equipment you’ll need

• Medium Saucepan
• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Large Baking Sheets

Ingredients

• Butter – Unsalted butter is best for browning butter. No need to start with room temperature since you’ll be melting it.
• Flour– All purpose flour is what I’ve tested with.
• Salt – For balance and to intensify flavors.
• Cinnamon – Try to pick-up a high quality cinnamon like ceylon for the best results.
• Baking Powder – For airy cookies, baking powder reacts and releases carbon dioxide.
• Oats – Rolled oats or old fashioned oats are what I use and recommend. Not quick oats.
• Sugars – You’ll need both brown sugar and granulated white sugar in these cookies.
• Egg – One large egg.
• Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract whenever possible, as opposed to imitation, for the best flavor.
• Chocolate Chips – I always opt for Ghirardelli baking chips in 60% cacao. If you prefer semi-sweet or milk chocolate, go with those!

How to make Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. STEP ONE: First, brown the butter by placing the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk it constantly until it is bubbly and brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan and you smell the nutty aroma. This will take around 5 minutes.
   
   Once you see the brown bits forming, take the pan off the heat and whisk another 30 seconds. I like to use a wooden spoon to get all the bits off the bottom of the pan.
   
   Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl and set aside to slightly cool while you work on the dry ingredients.

2. STEP TWO: Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, oats, and cinnamon. Set it aside.

3. STEP THREE: Then, to the cooled brown butter, whisk in the sugars, stirring until smooth, and then add the egg and vanilla, again stirring until smooth.
   
4. STEP FOUR: Next, gradually pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients while stirring until the dough comes together. In the event that your dough is still crumbly, you can add up to one tablespoon of milk. Fold in the chocolate chips so they’re evenly distributed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
   
5. STEP FIVE: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats. Use a medium cookie scoop (1.5 TB) to scoop cookie dough balls to the prepared pans. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing to cool completely.

What to serve with these cookies

If you’re a milk drinker, you’ll likely want a tall glass to go with these cookies.

If you want to use up some more oatmeal, pair them with oatmeal quick bread, classic oatmeal cookies, iced oatmeal cookies, or baked oatmeal breakfast cups.

If these get you hooked on brown butter, try my Brown Butter Chocolate Caramel Cookies next – holy moly.

How to store leftovers

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.

Can I freeze them?

Yes! I like to freeze the dough before baking them.

Scoop the balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid. Once frozen, drop the dough balls into a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.

Bake them straight from frozen adding a couple minutes to the bake time.

FAQs

What does brown butter taste like?

Brown butter tastes like toffee. It’s a bit nutty, like caramel.

What is the best butter to use for brown butter?

Unsalted. You can use either salted or unsalted butter, but usually it’s made with unsalted.

Can I use quick oats?

I don’t recommend it in this recipe.

Need more delicious cookie recipes? Try these:

Kitchen Sink Cookies (Panera copycat)

Soft & Chewy Gingersnaps

Toffee Doodle Cookies

Italian Sugar Cookies

Single Serve Chocolate Chip Cookie

Click here for my entire collection of cookie recipes.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Melissa Williams

Thick & chewy Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are filled with oats, chocolate chips, and nutty brown butter. Meet your new favorite cookie!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Chill Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 20 cookies

Calories 171 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cups rolled oats
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar packed
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips Ghirardelli baking chips

Instructions

 

• Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add butter.
• Whisking constantly, cook the butter until bubbly and small brown bits begin to appear on the bottom of the pan – approximately 5 minutes. Once you see the brown bits, immediately remove the pan from the heat & continue whisking for 30 seconds.
• Pour the butter into a large mixing bowl and set it aside to cool completely. The butter shouldn’t solidify, but it should be cool to the touch.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, oats and cinnamon and set aside.
• To the cooled butter, whisk in the white sugar and brown sugar, stirring until smooth.
• Add in the egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth once again.
• Slowly pour in the dry ingredients, stirring to bring the dough together.
• If the dough remains crumbly, add in 1 tablespoon of milk.
• Fold in chocolate chips so they’re evenly distributed.
• Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Once chilled, preheat the oven to 375° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out approximately 1.5” balls and place on the prepared pan, approximately 2” apart.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just golden.
• Let cool for a couple minutes on the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Makes approximately 20 cookies using approximately 1.5 TB scoop.

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 171kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 41mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 176IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Originally published March 22, 2012