Mimi's Organic Eats » Recipes » Cookies » Brown Butter Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies

Brown Butter Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies

Cookies • Sweet & Salty Desserts • No Seed Oils • High Altitude | Published January 11, 2024 by Mimi Council

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Crispy on the outer edges and chewy in the middle, these big Brown Butter Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies are a sweet and salty treat! You’ll want a big glass of milk with these cookies!

If you’re looking for more big cookie recipes, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like my Massive Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies, or my Coconut Milk Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Tools Needed
Step by Step Instructions
Baker's Tips
FAQ's
Craving More?

If you're looking for big, soft, chewy cookies with that signature brown butter flavor, then look no further! These brown butter cookies are a favorite in our house and I make them all the time!

My secret ingredient in this recipe is Lake Champlain Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars. This one chocolate bar adds loads of flavor with just one simple ingredient as it's filled with a maple caramel. That makes these brown butter cookies easy to make with minimal effort and maximum flavor!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Big Cookies: Well, I guess a plus for these is that they are big! They are two times the size of cookies I usually make. I get 12 cookies out of this one batch, where I’d usually get 24. I did a poll on Instagram asking if you guys like big cookies or small cookies more and big cookies was surprisingly the vast majority of you! I’m more of a fan of small cookies, because I feel I can eat more? Haha! But you can make these any size you like as long as you adjust your baking time accordingly (more on that in the tips section). Also, check out my article How Many Cookies Equal a Big Cookie?

Brown Butter: Brown butter is the star of these cookies! I love making brown butter cookies as it provides a slightly nutty and sweet flavor that pairs so well with dark chocolate and sea salt!

Sweet & Salty: These Brown Butter Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies are both sweet and salty! I use Lake Champlain Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars in these cookies, so you get a sweet caramel and maple flavor along with dark chocolate and flaky sea salt. I used these same chocolate bars in my Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Bars that were wildly popular during the holidays, so I know you’ll love them in this cookie recipe too! You can also use plain dark chocolate bars too (more on that in the tips below!).

Ingredients

Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter. You can use unsalted butter, but just add a little over 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dough if you do that.
Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar in these cookies.
Vanilla Extract: My favorite is Simply Organic as I think it has the best flavor.
Eggs: I use organic large eggs. If you use medium or extra-large, be sure to weigh them and use the right amount. One large egg is about 50 grams (use the extra for breakfast or pie wash). But, too little eggs can result in dry cookies and too much eggs can result in gooey cookie dough that creates a more melted thin cookie.
All Purpose Flour: I use Cairnspring Mills which is a small flour mill in Washington, they have the best flour!
Baking Powder: I use baking powder because these cookies do not have an acid to react with (such as brown sugar). For more info on the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder, read my post!
Salt: Make sure to use a fine sea salt in the cookies.
Chocolate Bars: I use Lake Champlain Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars in these cookies. These chocolate bars add so much flavor to this cookie (this is where the caramel flavor comes from) so you need to use these for the right flavor! If you have just plain chocolate bars, you can use that too, but it will just be a plain brown butter chocolate chip cookie.
Flaky Sea Salt: I top these with flaky sea salt (optional) but totally worth it if you are obsessed with sweet and salty desserts, like me!

Tools Needed

Scale: I always use a digital food scale for the best results.
3-Quart Pot: I use a 3-quart pot to brown the butter. Don't go smaller with this amount of butter as it can bubble over (I know from experience!).
Stand Mixer: I love using my stand mixer for ease and it makes these more hands free. You can use a hand mixer for this recipe if you prefer.
Baking Sheets: You'll need two half sheet pans.
Parchment Paper: I use parchment paper for ease and I believe cookies bake best on it. My favorite nontoxic parchment paper is from Kana.

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woman sharing cookies with pug in kitchen

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

In a 3-quart pot, add the butter. Put over low/medium heat and melt completely. Once melted, continue to stir the butter while it browns. This can take about 10 minutes; the butter will turn a light golden brown color and speckles will appear. Remove from heat immediately when you see this happening, as it can easily burn.

Step 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the brown butter, cane sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, and sea salt and mix on low until combined.

Add the chopped chocolate bars into the dough and mix to combine completely.

Step 3

Line 1 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using your hands (or a cookie scoop) ball the dough into 12 balls and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate dough balls for 1 hour.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer half the cookie dough to the second baking sheet. Spread out the cookies so they are evenly spaced apart on each sheet (2×3).

Step 5

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately after coming out of the oven.

Baker's Tips

I use brown butter in this recipe, so that makes you’ll have to brown the butter as the first step. This also means that the butter can be straight from the fridge as you will melt it anyways. So, that’s a huge bonus as you do not need soft butter for this recipe!
When browning the butter, be sure to keep a close eye on it. Once it’s completely melted it will brown very quickly and it can easily burn. So don’t leave it! Check out my tutorial How to Make Brown Butter if you are new to browning butter.
I use Lake Champlain Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars in this recipe. This gives these cookies a sweet caramel flavor and dark chocolate with just one ingredient! But, if you don’t have these, then you can use a plain dark chocolate bar, they will just taste a little different as the maple caramel flavor will be missing. You could also use any other kind of caramel filled chocolate bar for this recipe and it would work the same way.
Be sure to refrigerate the cookie dough. This is crucial as this helps with cookie spread and also to develop the best flavor. Read my article Why Chill Cookie Dough? for more information on that.
I make 12 big cookies with this recipe. But, if you want to make them a more normal size (or more typical of the size cookies in my other recipes) then you can make 24 cookies out of this batch. If you want to make 24 cookies, then just bake them a little less, start with 8 to 10 minutes, and then go from there, watching for the physical signs that they are done.
If you want to keep some of the dough in the fridge to bake off at a later date, you can also do that. If you choose this, be sure to store the dough balls in an airtight container. You can keep raw baked cookie in the fridge in an airtight container for about 3 days.
I top these cookies with flaky sea salt, but this step is completely optional. There’s nothing I love more than a sweet and salty cookie!
Make sure to store these cookies in an airtight container so they stay soft and chewy! I use a cake dome for these as they are so big! But you can use a Tupperware or zip bag as well.

FAQ's

Can I make these smaller?

Yes, absolutely! If you want to make these cookies smaller, you can do that, just be sure to bake them for less time so they do not over bake!

Can I use another kind of chocolate?

Yes, you can use any kind of chocolate you like! White, milk, dark… but, in this recipe I use Lake Champlain Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars which gives this cookie a caramel and maple flavor as well, so if you use different chocolate, it will just be a plain brown butter cookie with whatever chocolate you choose.

Can I add nuts?

Yes, nuts would be delicious in this cookie! If you're going to add nuts, I recommend 85 grams (3 ounces) of whatever kind of nuts you like. Cashews, almonds, and pecans would all be great choices!