Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Butternut Bakery Style)
These thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies take their cue from the famous Butternut Bakery style—big, bakery-sized rounds with crisp edges, soft centers, and loads of melted chocolate.
Browning the butter adds a deep, nutty flavor, and chilling the dough in large scoops keeps them from spreading. They are simple enough for a weeknight treat but impressive enough to share.
What Makes These Cookies So Good
The brown butter gives them a nutty, toffee-like depth that plain butter can not match. The dough chills in big scoops, so the middles stay thick and fudgy while the edges bake up golden and crisp.
I also love that the texture holds for days. They stay soft at room temperature for up to four days, which makes them perfect for baking ahead.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter: browned and cooled until just warm to the touch
- ¾ cup (150g) dark brown sugar: packed; light brown works, but dark brown gives more chew and a deeper molasses note
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk: the extra yolk adds richness and helps keep the centers soft
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour: spooned and leveled, not scooped directly from the bag
- 1 tbsp cornstarch: makes the cookies extra tender
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups (340g) chopped chocolate: a mix of dark chocolate (70%) and semi-sweet chips gives melty pools and balanced sweetness
Substitutions
- Use all semi-sweet chips: you will still get a great cookie, but the chocolate flavor will be less complex.
- Swap in a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend: the texture stays similar; add an extra minute or two of bake time.
- Make them dairy-free: use a good vegan butter stick and a dairy-free chocolate bar. The toffee notes from browning will not be the same, but the cookies will still be thick and chewy.
- Try pecans instead of some chocolate: fold in ½ cup toasted chopped pecans for a nutty contrast.
If you love this style, you might also like Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt.
How to Make Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Brown the Butter
Place the 1 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until it melts, then let it come to a gentle bubble. After 5 to 7 minutes, the milk solids will turn amber and the butter will smell nutty. Pour it into a heatproof bowl and let it cool until it is warm but not hot, about 15 minutes.
The butter should be cool enough that you can hold your finger in it without pulling away. If it is too hot, it will melt the sugars and make the dough greasy.
Step 2: Cream the Sugars and Eggs
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, the ¾ cup brown sugar, and the ½ cup granulated sugar. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute until the mixture looks smooth and slightly thickened. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until the batter is glossy and just a bit paler, about 30 seconds.
The batter will pull away from the sides of the bowl and look like thick caramel sauce. This step traps a little air, which helps create a chewy, not dense, cookie.
Step 3: Stir in the Dry Ingredients
Add 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt directly into the wet mixture. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold everything together just until no dry streaks remain. Stop as soon as the flour disappears.
The dough will be soft and a little oily from the brown butter—that is exactly what you want. Overmixing at this stage can make the cookies tough, so stir gently.
Step 4: Fold in the Chocolate and Chill
Scatter the 2 cups chopped chocolate over the dough and fold it through until the chunks are evenly distributed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. If you have the time, an hour or even overnight works even better.
Chilling hardens the butter so the cookies bake up thick instead of spreading flat. Cold dough also gives the centers time to set before the edges overbake, which is how you get that gooey middle.
Step 5: Scoop and Bake the Cookies
When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the chilled dough into large rounds, about 3 tablespoons each, and space them 3 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until the edges are deeply golden and the centers look puffed and slightly pale.
The cookies will look a touch underdone in the middle when you pull them out. That is the sweet spot—they will finish setting on the hot sheet as they cool and stay soft for days.
Step 6: Cool and Crack One Open
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for another 10 minutes. When you break one open warm, the center should be gooey and ribboned with melted chocolate.
Serve them still a little warm, and watch the chocolate stretch into long, glossy strands.
Tips for the Best Bakery-Style Cookies
- Chill thoroughly: Even 30 minutes makes a big difference, but cold dough straight from the fridge (chilled 2 hours or overnight) will give you the thickest, tallest cookies.
- Use a cookie scoop for even baking: A 3-tablespoon scoop keeps each cookie the same size so they all finish at the same time.
- Do not flatten the dough balls: Place them on the sheet rounded and tall; they will spread just enough on their own.
- Underbake slightly, then let the carryover heat work: Pull them when the edges are set but the centers look soft—the cookies will continue to set on the hot pan.
Bake times by cookie size:
| Dough ball size | Bake time |
|---|---|
| 1.5 oz (3 tbsp) | 12–13 mins |
| 2 oz (¼ cup) | 13–14 mins |
| 3 oz (large) | 14–15 mins |
Storing Leftover Cookies
- Counter: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerator: Store in a sealed container for up to a week, but the texture is best at room temperature.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm briefly in a 300°F oven to crisp the edges again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip the brown butter?
You can use plain melted butter, but the cookies will taste more buttery and less complex. The nutty notes from browning are a big part of what gives these cookies their bakery-shop flavor.
Why did my cookies spread flat?
The most common reasons are warm dough or not enough flour. Make sure the dough is cold when it goes onto the sheet, and measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off.
Can I use only one type of chocolate?
Yes. Choose a semi-sweet or dark chocolate you enjoy eating out of hand. A chopped bar will melt into those signature pools better than chips alone.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Absolutely. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them solid on a tray, then transfer to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the butter over medium heat until amber and nutty, about 7 minutes. Cool until warm.
- Whisk the warm brown butter with both sugars for 1 minute. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until glossy.
- Fold in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until no dry streaks remain.
- Stir in the chocolate, then cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Scoop the cold dough into 3-tablespoon rounds, place 3 inches apart on parchment-lined sheets, and bake 12 to 13 minutes until edges are golden and centers look slightly underdone.
- Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Break one open warm to see the gooey center.
