Brown butter takes a classic gluten-free chocolate chip cookie over the top. Deliciously thick & chewy, these easy cookies are ready from start to finish in under an hour. Brown butter, chunks of dark chocolate, and flaky sea salt create the best gluten-free cookie you've ever had!
These Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are the most classic dessert. Your favorite chocolate chip cookie is taken up a notch with browned butter, dark chocolate, and flaky sea salt. They have a chewy center with crisp edges, and are filled with gooey melted chocolate.
Brown butter takes just 10 minutes to make, and these cookies come together in under an hour total. That means you can get to enjoying them soon after the craving strikes.
These cookies are made in just 1 bowl from simple pantry ingredients. The best part is that this recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and even easily dairy-free. They're sure to fly off your counter! Keep reading to learn how to make these cookies.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- BROWN. BUTTER. A classic chocolate chip cookie is taken to the next level by browning the butter. It takes just 10 extra minutes and gives a delicious nutty, caramel flavour.
- One bowl. The easiest type of dessert!
- Made in 1 hour. This recipe has just a 30 minute chill time (and it's even optional!) to ensure the best soft-baked texture.
- A classic flavour combination. What's more comforting than a chocolate chip cookie?
- Easily allergy-friendly. These cookies are gluten-free, nut-free, and easily dairy-free.
This is one of my favorite classic cookie recipes! You'll also like my gluten-free shortbread cookies, gluten-free snickerdoodles, inside out chocolate chip cookies, funfetti cookies, gluten-free and dairy-free cookies, or white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.
What is Brown Butter?
Brown butter is a magical product that results when butter is heated in a saucepan. When exposed to prolonged heating, some water evaporates and the milk solids in the butter begin to caramelize and brown. Browned butter has a nutty aroma and caramel-like taste and adds a delicious note to baked goods.
Ingredient Notes
Here is everything you'll need to make these gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies:
Browned salted butter: Brown butter adds an incredible nutty, caramel-like flavour to these cookies that goes so well with the espresso. If you don't have time to brown the butter, they will still turn out great with melted butter.
If using unsalted butter, add an extra ⅛ teaspoon salt to the dough. See notes below about making these cookies dairy-free.
Brown & white sugar: Using both types of sugars in a cookie typically helps to achieve the desirable crisp edge with a soft and chewy centre.
Vanilla extract: Use a good quality pure vanilla extract here so the flavor can really shine.
Egg + egg yolk: The addition of an extra yolk creates a soft and chewy centre.
Gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum: My favourite is the Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag). Any should work!
Dark chocolate: I prefer to chop 1.5 bars of dark chocolate for this recipe. I like how ooey gooey the chocolate melts. You can of course use chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Flaky sea salt: Sprinkling just a little bit of flaky salt on top of the baked cookies pairs so well with the sweetness.
Substitutions
There are many ways to change up these cookies depending on your mood. Here are some substitution suggestions:
- Gluten-free flour. Ensure that you use a gluten-free all-purpose blend that contains xanthan gum. Other than that, most brands should work the same. I typically use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag) or Robinhood gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free? Use a dairy-free butter or coconut oil, and dark chocolate. Dairy-free butter won't brown well, so skip that step and just melt it. Ensure the chocolate is dairy-free.
- No brown sugar? You could also use coconut sugar.
- Change up the chocolate. If you're not a fan of dark chocolate, try milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or white chocolate.
- Add nuts. Chopped pistachios, pecans, or almonds would be a great addition to the flavours in this recipe. Mix them into the cookie dough at the end.
- Add dried fruit. Raisins, dried apricots, or any other dried fruits would be delicious in these cookies.
- Add espresso powder and make my gluten-free coffee cookies.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions for how to make gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
How to Brown Butter
(1) Cube the butter and place it into a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally.
(2), (3), (4) Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown.
(5) When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all the brown bits with it. This whole process should take 6-10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes.
How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare 1-2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
(6) In a medium bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, sugars, vanilla extract, egg, and yolk until smooth.
(7) Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the same bowl. Use a rubber spatula to gently mix together the dry ingredients, then fold into the wet ingredients to create the dough. Finally, fold in the chocolate chunks, saving some to top the cookies with before baking.
(8) Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop to form the dough into 10 balls.
You can bake the cookies immediately to be slightly crispier, or place the dough balls on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes for chewier cookies (my preference!)
(9) Place the cookie dough balls the baking sheet(s) with enough room to spread. Press some extra chocolate into the tops. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. The middles will still look soft. I do about 11 minutes.
Baking Tip: For perfectly round cookies, take a large cookie cutter or the top of a glass and gently run it around each cookie immediately after removing from the oven. This will reinforce a circular shape as the cookie cools.
(10) Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes until they are set, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Enjoy warm or allow to come to room temperature.
How to Serve
These cookies are the perfect dessert for any occasion. Whether it's a birthday, the holidays, a bake sale, you're hosting, or you're just looking for a little treat—these cookies are easy to make and are always a crowd pleaser.
Here are some ways I like to serve them:
- With a hot tea or espresso. When dipped in a warm drink, these cookies soften into a delicious bite. Try a cappuccino, peppermint mocha, or a homemade gingerbread latte.
- Wrapped as a gift. Line a pretty box with some parchment paper, fill with cookies, wrap, and anyone is going to love to receive this!
- Enjoy with a holiday cookie spread. Pair with my gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, peanut butter cup cookies, chocolate amaretti, slice and bake sugar cookies, and more gluten-free desserts!
Storage & Freezing
Storage: Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Reheat for 10 seconds in the microwave if desired.
Freezing cookie dough: Cookie dough can be rolled into balls and placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet to flash freeze for 10 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from sticking to each other. Then place the cookie dough balls in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed, plus 1-2 minutes.
Freezing baked cookies: Wrap cookies tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and place in an airtight, freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw, allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours. Reheat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave if desired.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful gluten-free cookies:
- Be sure to watch the butter when browning! It can go from brown to burnt very quickly. Once it smells nutty and appears light brown, remove to a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes before proceeding.
- Don't overmix the dough. Stop once all the flour is just absorbed, as overmixing can great tough, gluey cookies.
- Chill the dough for soft and chewy cookies. You can bake right away, but the cookies will spread more and become firmer.
- Press some extra chocolate on top of the cookie dough balls before chilling/baking. This ensures the chocolate chips are visible and melty!
- Don't be tempted to over-bake. Once the edges look lightly set and the middle still looks soft, remove them. They will continue cooking on the baking sheet.
- Shape them right out of the oven. For perfectly round cookies, take a large cookie cutter or the top of a glass and gently run it around each cookie immediately after removing it from the oven. This will reinforce a circular shape as the cookie cools.
- Enjoy warm! These cookies taste delicious fresh out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
My favourite flour for all of my cookie recipes is the Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (in the blue bag). It is an all-purpose baking blend and contains xanthan gum. Feel free to use any gluten-free flour blend that also contains xanthan gum.
In general, almond flour cannot be substituted 1:1 for gluten-free all-purpose flour. Almond flour does not absorb as much liquid and is much softer, which may change the texture of this cookie dough. I do not recommend it for this recipe.
Sure! Just use your favourite dairy-free buttery sticks and dairy-free chocolate. Note that dairy-free butter will not brown as it does not contain milk solids. Instead, just melt the vegan butter and proceed.
There are many intentional factors that create these soft-baked chewy cookies.
1. Using brown and white sugar. Brown sugar gives the chewiness, white sugar gives the crisp edge.
2. Chilling the cookie dough. This allows the flour to hydrate so the cookie will spread slower and softer.
3. Do not over-bake them! Remove from the oven when the centre still looks quite soft, and it will firm up as it cools for the perfect soft cookie.
These gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies are the perfect quick and easy cookies that are sure to impress! The deep nutty flavor of the brown butter, the gooey dark chocolate, and the flaky sea salt come together in under an hour to create an irresistible chewy cookie. Best part is it's allergy friendly so all can enjoy!
More Gluten-Free Cookies
- Chocolate amaretti cookies
- White chocolate cranberry cookies
- Vegan millionaire shortbread bars
- Vegan Oreo truffles
- Gluten-free matcha shortbread
- Classic gluten-free shortbread cookies
- Slice-and-bake sugar cookies
- Gluten-free coffee cookies
- Gluten-free peanut butter cup cookies
- White chocolate peppermint cookies
Related Recipes
Have you made these gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below, and tag me on instagram @livglutenfree!
Recipe
Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, melted see instructions for how to brown the butter
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg + 1 yolk
- 1½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt add an extra pinch if using unsalted butter
- 1½ bars of dark chocolate, chopped about 150g
- 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
Brown the butter
- Cube the butter and place it into a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown. When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all the brown bits with it. This whole process should take 6-10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes.
Make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare 1-2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter, sugars, vanilla extract, egg, and yolk until smooth. Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the same bowl. Use a rubber spatula to gently mix together the dry ingredients, then fold into the wet ingredients to create the dough. Finally, fold in the chocolate chunks, saving some to top the cookies with before baking.
- Use a 3 tablespoon scoop or an ice cream scoop to form the dough into 10 balls. You can bake the cookies immediately to be slightly crispier, or place the dough balls on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes for chewier cookies.
- Place the cookie dough balls the baking sheet(s) with enough room to spread. Press some extra chocolate into the tops. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. The middles will still look soft. I do about 11 minutes.
- Wearing oven mitts, slam the baking sheet on the counter a few times to encourage the cookies to spread. Immediately take a large cookie cutter or a glass and gently swirl it around each cookie to create the perfect circle shape.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes until they are set, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Enjoy warm or allow to come to room temperature.
Notes
- Make it dairy-free: Use an equal amount of dairy-free butter or coconut oil in place of butter. Dairy-free butter won't brown well, so skip that step and just melt it. Ensure the chocolate is dairy-free.
- Storage: Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Reheat for 10 seconds in the microwave if desired.
- Freezing cookie dough: Cookie dough can be rolled into balls and placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet to flash freeze for 10 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from sticking to each other. Then place the cookie dough balls in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed, plus 1-2 minutes.
- Freezing baked cookies: Wrap cookies tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and place in an airtight, freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw, allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours. Reheat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave if desired.
Let us know what you think!