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Soft and chewy Brown Butter Dirty Chai Chocolate Chip Cookies loaded with warm chai spices, rich nutty brown butter, espresso powder, and melty chocolate chunks, finished with flaky sea salt.

  • Total Time: 40 minutes (including chilling)
  • Yield: About 24 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 113g unsalted butter (for browning)
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 110g dark brown sugar
  • 1 whole large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 256g all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves (a pinch)
  • 170g dark chocolate chips
  • 50g chopped dark chocolate bar pieces
  • flaky sea salt (for sprinkling)

Instructions

  1. Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty (brown butter). Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and molasses until smooth.
  3. Pour in the cooled brown butter and stir until fully combined and glossy.
  4. Sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt over the wet mixture. Sprinkle in the espresso powder and chai spices (ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves). Gently fold everything until a soft dough forms.
  5. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and chopped chocolate bar pieces until evenly distributed.
  6. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let flavors meld and dough firm up.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
  8. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until edges look set but centers remain soft and fudgy.
  9. Immediately after baking, sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the warm cookies.
  10. Let cookies cool before serving.

Notes

Use a high-quality unsalted butter for best brown butter flavor., For gluten-free option, substitute all-purpose flour with a one-to-one gluten-free blend; avoid almond or coconut flour., If avoiding caffeine, use decaf espresso powder or omit, but flavor will be less intense., Milk chocolate may be used instead of dark chocolate if preferred., Measure flour properly by spooning into cup and leveling off to avoid dry/tough cookies., Avoid overmixing dough to prevent dense cookies., Chilling dough is important for flavor and thicker cookies., Do not overbake; cookies should be soft in center when removed from oven as they firm on cooling., To freeze dough, form balls, freeze on baking sheet 1 hour, then store in freezer-safe bag up to 3 months. Bake without thawing, adding extra minutes as needed., Baked cookies can be frozen up to 3-4 weeks, thaw at room temperature or fridge before serving.

  • Author: Laura
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: Approximately 150 calories per cookie
  • Fat: 8g per cookie
  • Carbohydrates: 20g per cookie
  • Protein: 2g per cookie