Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter

These big batch chocolate chip cookies have been a family favorite for over a decade. Making about 40 cookies, this recipe is in rotation nearly *every* holiday or family gathering because my mom always requests it! After making versions of these wonderful cookies for nearly 15 years, I'm excited to share this beloved recipe here.

Jump to:

• 🍪 Why You'll Love this Recipe
• 📋 Key Ingredients
• Best Results: Baking in Grams
• Recipe Substitutions and Variations
• Guide for Browning Butter
• 📖 Prep and Baking Instructions
• 💡 Pro Tip for Round Cookies
• ❓ Recipe FAQ and Troubleshooting
• Storage Instructions
• Cookie Boxes and Pairings
• More Tips for Baking Success
• Related Recipes
• Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter

On the flip side of needing a lot of cookies at once, maybe you're not hosting all your friends and family for a meal. In that case, below are some cookie recipes that yield 24 cookies or fewer.

And if you're worried about leftovers, that's never an issue with these cookies! They all freeze beautifully so you've got baked cookies on hand for your next occasion. 😊

• 🍪 These small batch brown butter chocolate chip cookies are essentially the little sister to this recipe! On top of giving you just the right amount of cookies (8ish) for a smaller get-together, this recipe uses a no-chill dough AND no electric mixer needed to bake a batch!
• 🌈 If you're ISO a cookie recipe that brings all the party vibes, treat yourself to these funfetti Oreo cookies. With rainbow sprinkles and Oreos in every bite, these colorful cookies are perfect for special occasions like birthdays.
• 🍫 Chocolate chip sugar cookies are the ideal sugar cookie recipe, IMO. They take a simple sugar cookie but give it oomph by adding chocolate chips. And you can eat them as is or decorate them for holidays using my pumpkin cookie tutorial, Easter bunny cookie tutorial, or Christmas tree sugar cookies with buttercream! So. Many. Options!

🍪 Why You'll Love this Recipe

This Teens Cook Dessert cookbook introduced me to the original recipe that has evolved into this one. I have been making it on repeat for years.

And while I always opt for chocolate chunks now, take a more traditional approach to this big batch cookie recipe and use chocolate chips instead of chunks.

Over time, I gradually made changes, like replacing some of the chocolate chips with M&Ms and adjusting ratios of ingredients. This is now my favorite recipe for making chocolate chip cookies, and I often return to it. Here are a few reasons why I know they'll become the best cookies in your baking rotation, too!

No chill time - Because I have no patience to wait around for no-chill cookie dough to do its thing, I make pretty much all of my cookie recipes to bake immediately in the oven. Same is true here!

Fast and easy - From start to finish, you can have a freshly baked cookie in your mouth within an hour of starting this recipe. That's a win.

Browned butter - These are the best chocolate chip cookies, and brown butter definitely plays a role in their flavor. By browning butter (which is easy! Details below), you don't have to worry about waiting around for room temperature butter. The butter here is melted. This ingredient also provides a lightly nutty flavor that enhances the cookie's chocolaty flavor.

Lots of cookies all at once - Need I say more? It's called big batch for a reason! Get ready for 40 cookies. I'm sure you'll have plenty to do with them. 🙂

📋 Key Ingredients

After recipe testing these cookies for over a decade, below are the key ingredients that make this large batch cookie recipe delicious and extra special.

• Ground oats from old fashioned oats - Alongside some all-purpose flour in the dough, the oats here add texture and chewiness. They even add small health benefits - like fiber, vitamins, and minerals - to the cookie! And if you need a cookie made with no gluten, my oat flour chocolate chip cookies entirely ditch all-purpose flour and use oats only.
• Chocolate chunks (not chips, though they'll work in a pinch) - I recommend using chopped chocolate for its unique texture and gooeyness, but if you're a fan of classic chocolate chip cookies or have a bag of chips on hand, those are great too! Dark or milk chocolate varieties do great here. Unlike a chopped bar of chocolate, chips contain ingredients that make them keep their shape, meaning they don't melt as easily. Instead, chopped chunks of chocolate make your cookies unique in appearance as bits and larger pieces of chocolate scatter throughout. If you need further convincing, read this Epicurious article called "Why Chocolate Chips Ruin Chocolate Chip Cookies." I usually throw in a mix of milk and dark chocolate chunks, avoiding bars with greater than 70% cacao. I once tried 80%, and it made my cookies taste bitter!
• Browned butter - Brown butter brings a next-level flavor boost to cookies, giving them an irresistibly cozy, warming depth you simply can’t get with regular butter. As butter heats, the milk solids toast and caramelize, creating rich, golden-brown flecks that infuse the cookies with a subtle but rich faintly caramel flavor. Brown butter creates a classic chocolate chip cookie that’s complex, rich, and SO satisfying.
• Vanilla extract - An undervalued hero in desserts, vanilla extract helps elevate other flavors in a recipe. It also adds the familiar sweet aroma and flavor associated with cookies.

Recipe Substitutions and Variations

I love this easy chocolate chip cookie recipe as is. However, one of my favorite things about it is that you can adapt it to your liking! Below are some ways you can make this recipe your own.

• Chocolate: Replace some or all the dark chocolate chunks with white chocolate, milk chocolate, or chopped peanut butter cups or chips for a sweeter or more mellow taste. Also, during the holidays, I like to sub in seasonal M&Ms or pieces of Cadbury eggs for the chocolate.
• Other Mix-Ins: Instead of chocolate, use dried cranberries, shredded coconut, or chopped nuts (like pecans or almonds) to bring in texture and flavor.
• Up the Spices: For a cozy flavor, mix in a touch of cinnamon, cardamom, or even a pinch of ground ginger to the dough.
• Extracts: Swap some vanilla for almond or peppermint extract (just a tiny bit!) to add a unique hint of flavor. I love adding peppermint extract to this recipe during the wintertime for a more Christmas-forward cookie.
• Butter Variation: If you like your cookies saltier, use salted butter or add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top before baking for a sweet-salty twist.

Guide for Browning Butter

Browning butter helps the butter's water content evaporate while the milk solids caramelize. This process leaves behind a deliciously nutty flavor in these delicious cookies.

I also suggest you use a pan or pot that has a lighter colored bottom. That makes it easier to notice the subtle changes in your butter’s color.

If you’re new to browning butter, watch your pot closely.

Place your sticks of unsalted butter in a pot or small saucepan over medium heat. 

Leave butter in pot for about 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the butter begins to foam. It'll become golden brown.

Be sure to scrape all the brown bits and flecks of caramelized butter from the pan or pot. This is where the flavor is!

Once golden brown, it's ready for pouring it into a heatproof container. Let your brown butter cool in the freezer for 20 minutes.

📖 Prep and Baking Instructions

Prep Dry Ingredients – In a food processor or blender, pulse the oats until finely powdered. In a large bowl, whisk together the ground oats and flour, then set aside.

Chop the Chocolate – Roughly chop the chocolate bars into chunks and set aside.

Mix Butter and Sugars – In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, white sugar, brown sugar (either light or dark brown sugar works), vanilla extract, salt, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda. Start on low speed, then increase to medium and mix for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add Eggs and Dry Ingredients – Stop mixer to add one egg and half of the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer, mixing on low speed until smooth. Add the second egg and remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Fold in Chocolate Chunks – Add the chopped chocolate to the dough and mix briefly, about 15-30 seconds, to evenly distribute.

Portion the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Bake – Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to place golf ball-sized portions of dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing each ball of dough about 2 inches apart the others.

Bake at 350°F (177°C) for around 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden.

Cool the Cookies – Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

💡 Pro Tip for Round Cookies

❓ Recipe FAQ and Troubleshooting

Storage Instructions

Room temperature - These soft chocolate chip cookies will stay fresh at room temperature (around 70°F) for about 3 days.

Refrigerating - Instead of refrigerating them between servings, I'd recommend freezing them. Bring them out in small quantities at a time if you plan to share them over the course of more than 3 days.

Freezing - These thick cookies also freeze well for up to three months in an airtight container.

I add wax or parchment paper between the layers as I stack them.

To enjoy, let them come to room temperature before serving.

For the feeling of freshly baked, warm chocolate chip cookies, you may also gently warm them for a few seconds on low speed in the microwave. 

Freezing Cookie Dough Balls - If you’ve previously made this dough and are pulling it from your freezer, add 1-2 minutes of baking time, depending on your preference for thicker cookies that are chewy vs. thinner ones.

Cookie Boxes and Pairings

This huge batch of cookies would be so sweet to share with new neighbors or bring to any large gathering.

If you want a mixture of cookies for a cookie box to gift, below are some fun options that could go along with this one:

More Tips for Baking Success

Below are some general tips to keep in mind when baking this cookie recipe and any recipe, really:

1. Periodically check the freshness of your leavening agents. Mix a pinch of baking powder with hot water to see if it reacts. For baking soda, you can mix a pinch of it with a few drops of something acidic, like vinegar or lemon juice. If your leavening agents have no reaction (i.e. you see no fizzing or bubbling), it means they also won’t help your ingredients rise during the baking process. 
2. Before diving into the recipe, clear your workspace and set out all your ingredients in front of you. This will make it less likely that you’ll forget to leave something important out of your mixing bowl! 

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