Chocolate chip cookies consistently rank among my absolute favorite baked goods – right up there with fudgy brownies, making them a firm top-two dessert choice! Their widespread appeal isn’t hard to understand. They are inherently simple to prepare, incredibly versatile, and perfect for satisfying that sudden sweet craving. You can easily store them for up to a week, or even freeze them for longer enjoyment. What’s not to adore about a perfectly chewy, richly flavored chocolate chip cookie?

This particular recipe for chocolate chip cinnamon cookies builds upon my tried-and-true, much-loved chocolate chip cookie dough base, which you might recognize from my dark chocolate chip espresso cookies. However, for this version, I’ve generously incorporated a significant amount of ground cinnamon, along with a hint of nutmeg, to create a uniquely spiced cookie that is both comforting and exciting. The warm, aromatic spice elevates the classic chocolate chip cookie, adding a layer of sophisticated flavor that’s hard to resist.

While these cinnamon chocolate chip cookies are delightful year-round, they truly shine during the autumn months. If you’re looking for an even more seasonal twist, be sure to try my pumpkin brown butter chocolate chip cookies for a true taste of fall. And if you find yourself captivated by the enchanting aroma and flavor of cinnamon, explore more of my cinnamon-centric recipes, such as my fluffy cinnamon mini muffins and the rich, tender cinnamon pound cake.

Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Brown Butter Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Effortless One-Bowl Wonder: Say goodbye to piles of dishes! This recipe comes together easily in a single bowl, simplifying your baking process from start to finish.
• No Mixer Needed: You don’t need fancy equipment to achieve bakery-quality results. A whisk and a spatula are all you require, making it accessible for every home baker.
• Irresistible Brown Butter Flavor: The browned butter adds a unique, nutty, and toasted depth that elevates the entire cookie, creating a more complex and satisfying taste.
• Warm & Comforting Spices: A generous amount of cinnamon, complemented by a pinch of nutmeg, provides a cozy, inviting aroma and flavor that’s perfect for any occasion.
• Chewy Perfection: These cookies boast that ideal soft, chewy texture with slightly crisp edges, characteristic of the best homemade cookies.
• No Chilling Required: Get fresh, warm cookies faster! The dough doesn’t need to be chilled, meaning less waiting and more immediate gratification.
• Bakery-Style Presentation: With a few simple tricks, you can make your homemade cookies look like they came straight from a gourmet bakery.

Decoding the Deliciousness: Just 13 Key Ingredients!

Creating these sensational cookies relies on a thoughtful combination of pantry staples and a couple of star ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in achieving the perfect flavor and texture. Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need to make these incredible brown butter chocolate chip cinnamon cookies.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter: The foundation of our cookies. Browning it transforms its flavor, adding a rich, toasted, nutty dimension that regular butter simply can’t achieve. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total salt content in the recipe.
• Light Brown Sugar: This provides moisture, chewiness, and that classic caramel-like sweetness essential for a perfect chocolate chip cookie.
• Granulated Sugar: Contributes to the crisp edges and helps the cookies spread slightly, balancing the chewiness from the brown sugar.
• Large Egg + Large Egg Yolk: The egg binds the dough and adds structure, while the extra egg yolk contributes to a richer flavor, increased tenderness, and an incredibly chewy texture. Ensure they are at room temperature for better emulsion with the butter and sugars.
• Vanilla Extract: A staple in most cookie recipes, vanilla enhances all the other flavors, adding a warm, aromatic note. Use a good quality pure vanilla extract for the best results.
• Kosher Salt: Essential for balancing the sweetness and bringing out the complex flavors of the chocolate, butter, and cinnamon. See my notes below regarding salt types.
• All-Purpose Flour: The primary structural component of the cookies. Measure it correctly (preferably by weight) to avoid dry, crumbly dough.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leavening agents work together to give the cookies their perfect lift and slightly chewy, soft interior.
• Ground Cinnamon: The star spice! A generous amount provides the signature warm, comforting flavor.
• Pinch Ground Nutmeg: A small touch of nutmeg complements the cinnamon beautifully, adding another layer of aromatic warmth.
• Heavy Cream: This might seem unusual, but it’s crucial! When butter is browned, some of its moisture evaporates. Heavy cream reintroduces that lost moisture, ensuring the cookies remain tender and chewy. It also adds a touch of richness.
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips: The classic choice for chocolate chip cookies. Semisweet offers a perfect balance of sweetness and chocolatey depth. Feel free to use chocolate chunks, milk chocolate, or even dark chocolate for variations.

1. Step 1: Achieve Golden Brown Butter. Begin by browning your butter in a saucepan. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, then increase to medium. Watch carefully as it foams, then eventually starts to brown and release a delicious, nutty aroma. This process usually takes 2-3 minutes. Once it reaches a deep amber color, immediately pour the browned butter into a large bowl to stop the cooking process and allow it to cool slightly. It should cool to about room temperature. This step is crucial for the unique flavor profile!

2. Step 2: Combine Wet Ingredients (Part 1). Once your browned butter has cooled to room temperature, add both the light brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl. Stir them vigorously with a whisk until the mixture is well combined and has a smooth, creamy consistency. Incorporate the vanilla extract and kosher salt, whisking until everything is evenly distributed. This ensures the flavors are well integrated throughout the dough.

3. Step 3: Add Eggs and Cream. Crack in the large egg and add the additional egg yolk to the butter and sugar mixture. Whisk thoroughly until the mixture becomes light, smooth, and noticeably glossy. This aeration helps create a tender crumb. Next, pour in the heavy cream and whisk it until it’s fully incorporated. The heavy cream is crucial for reintroducing moisture lost during the browning of the butter, ensuring your cookies stay wonderfully soft and chewy.

4. Step 4: Incorporate Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl (or directly over your wet ingredients if using one bowl for dry and wet separately, then combining), whisk together your all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Pour these dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold and stir until the ingredients are *just* combined. Be careful not to overmix; overmixing can lead to tough cookies. Stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry flour.

5. Step 5: Fold in the Chocolate Chips. Now for the chocolate! Add your semisweet chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Gently fold them in with your rubber spatula until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Again, avoid overmixing. You want pockets of delicious chocolate in every cookie.

6. Step 6: Scoop and Bake. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoon-sized), scoop out uniform balls of cookie dough and place them onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space between each for spreading. For best results, bake one sheet at a time to ensure even cooking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still slightly soft.

My Tips, Tricks, & More for Perfect Cookies!

• Mastering Brown Butter: If you’re new to browning butter, don’t fret! It’s a simple process that adds incredible depth. My detailed post all about how to make browned butter offers step-by-step guidance, including visual cues and common pitfalls to avoid. The key is to stir constantly, watch for the milk solids to toast, and remove it from the heat as soon as you smell that distinct nutty aroma and see the amber color. It’s truly transformative for these cookies!
• Don’t Skip the Heavy Cream: You might have noticed that I forgot to include my little bowl of heavy cream in the ingredient shot – oops! But rest assured, it’s an absolutely essential component of this recipe. When butter browns, water evaporates. The heavy cream (just a tablespoon!) is added back into the mixture to replenish this lost moisture, ensuring your cookies remain wonderfully soft and chewy. It also adds a touch of richness that complements the brown butter beautifully.
• Achieving Bakery Style Cookies: Want your homemade cookies to look like they came from a gourmet shop? Here’s a simple trick! As soon as the cookies emerge from the hot oven, use a large biscuit cutter (slightly larger than your cookies) and gently “scoot” or swirl the edges of each warm cookie within the cutter. This technique helps shape them into perfectly round, uniform circles. For that extra touch, immediately after shaping, gently press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops of the still-warm cookies. This makes them look incredibly appealing and professional compared to adding all the chocolate chips before baking.
• Optimal Storage: To keep your brown butter chocolate chip cinnamon cookies fresh and delicious, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will maintain their quality and delightful chewiness for up to a week.
• Freezing for Future Cravings: These cookies freeze beautifully! Once completely cooled, place the cookies in an airtight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty ziploc bag. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply let them thaw at room temperature. You can even warm them slightly in the microwave or a low oven for that fresh-baked feel.
• Precision with a Kitchen Scale: For consistent and professional baking results, I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients, especially flour and butter. Baking by weight is far more accurate than by volume, leading to predictable and perfect cookies every time.
• Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your egg and egg yolk are at room temperature. This allows them to emulsify better with the butter and sugar, creating a smoother, more uniform dough and a better cookie texture.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I make these cookies without brown butter?

While the brown butter adds a unique nutty depth, you can certainly make these cookies with melted, unsalted butter instead. The flavor profile will be slightly different (less depth, more traditional chocolate chip cookie flavor), but they will still be delicious! Just melt the butter and let it cool before proceeding with the recipe.

Do I have to use semisweet chocolate chips?

Not at all! Feel free to customize your chocolate. Milk chocolate chips will give a sweeter, creamier profile, while dark chocolate chips will add a more intense, slightly bitter contrast to the sweet dough and warm spices. Chocolate chunks are also a fantastic option for pockets of melty chocolate.

Can I add other spices or mix-ins?

Absolutely! This recipe is very adaptable. Consider adding a touch of ground ginger or cardamom for a different spice blend. Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would also be a fantastic addition, complementing the brown butter flavor beautifully. White chocolate chips could also create a wonderful contrast with the cinnamon.

How do I know if my brown butter is perfect?

Perfect brown butter will be a deep golden amber color with small, toasted milk solids at the bottom of the pan. It will also have a distinct, rich, nutty aroma, similar to hazelnuts. Be careful not to burn it; if it smells acrid or looks black, you’ve gone too far.

Why are my cookies spreading too much?

Several factors can cause cookies to spread too much. Ensure your butter wasn’t too warm when mixed (it should be cooled but still liquid after browning). Measuring your flour accurately (using a kitchen scale is best) is also crucial, as too little flour can lead to excessive spreading. The temperature of your oven can also play a role; ensure it’s properly calibrated.

Can I chill the dough if I want to make it ahead?

Yes, although this recipe is designed to be no-chill, you can certainly chill the dough if you prefer to make it ahead of time. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days. When ready to bake, you might need to let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to soften slightly before scooping, or simply scoop and add a minute or two to the baking time.

Want Even More Cookie Recipes?

If you’ve loved these brown butter chocolate chip cinnamon cookies, you’re in for a treat! My collection of cookie recipes is always growing, featuring a variety of flavors and textures to satisfy every craving. Explore some of my other favorites below and discover your next go-to cookie!

If you’ve made this recipe, make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! I absolutely adore seeing your creations, so please tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can admire what you’ve baked! You can also follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok for more delicious recipes and baking inspiration! Your feedback means the world to me and helps other bakers discover these delightful recipes.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Cookies

Ella Gilbert

Nutrition