My brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are perfectly soft with crisp edges and gooey centers, plenty of chewy old-fashioned oats, and lots of chocolate chips. Browned butter and a hint of cinnamon add a deep, toasty flavor that makes them even better than the ones you’d find in a bakery. This recipe is the result of years of bakery experience and dozens of recipe tests!
Did you know that using brown butter is actually pretty uncommon in bakeries?
I worked in over a dozen different bakeries, and only one ever browned butter to make rice krispy treats. It makes sense though, since browning pounds of butter for cookie dough just isn’t practical when you’re baking on a large scale. 😅
It’s one of the reasons I say you can make truly better-than-bakery treats at home. You’re free to spend a few extra minutes on techniques that wouldn’t make sense in a commercial bakery.
Let’s bake!
How to Make Them
1
Brown the butter until it smells nutty and you see amber brown milk solids at the bottom of the pan.
If you’ve never done it before, my guide on how to brown butter walks through exactly what to look for.
2
Once the butter has cooled, whisk in the sugars, followed by the eggs and vanilla bean paste. The dough should look thick and glossy at this point.
3
I love using a mix of chocolate wafers and chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
4
For large, bakery-style cookies, use a 2 or 1.5 ounce scoop.
I always move any large chocolate pieces from the bottom to the top of the dough balls so they melt into pools on top.
Just like my brown butter chocolate chip cookies, the dough benefits from a rest in the fridge. It gives the oats time to hydrate and helps the cookies bake up thicker.
My recipe tester Mackenzee said, “I got perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges and a soft, tender center! Chewy and delish. 5 out of 5 stars. I will be making them again!”
Enjoy!
— Cambrea 🫶🏻
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted full-fat cultured butter, (like Kerrygold)
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, *See notes below for measuring
- 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, *add 1 teaspoon if not using flaky finishing salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate baking wafers, (sub extra chocolate chips if not using)
- Flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
Instructions
- In a stainless steel or light-colored saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids at the bottom are deep golden brown. The butter will become quiet when all of the water has cooked off. Immediately pour it into a large mixing bowl. You should have about 185 grams of browned butter.1 cup (226 g) unsalted full-fat cultured butter
- Cool the browned butter to 90–100°F (32–38°C). To speed this up, place the bowl in the refrigerator or freezer and stir every 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, 1 1/3 cups (140 g) old-fashioned oats, 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) fine sea salt
- Once the butter has cooled, whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 2 (110 g) whole eggs, 2 teaspoons (5 g) vanilla bean paste or extract
- Fold in the dry ingredients until almost combined, with a few flour streaks remaining. Fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate wafers until evenly distributed.1 cup (172 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2/3 cup (97 g) bittersweet chocolate baking wafers
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes, or until the dough is firm enough to scoop.
- Using a 1.5-2 ounce cookie scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours. If chilling longer, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking to encourage the same spread.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Arrange 5–6 cookies per baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between them. Bake one tray at a time, for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set but still soft. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated while each tray bakes.
- Immediately after baking, use a large round cutter or bowl to swirl around the cookies to create perfectly round edges. Press additional chocolate chips or wafers into the tops, if desired, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.Flaky sea salt for finishing
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely.
