Every good home cook needs an on-deck recipe for chocolate chip cookies, so I’ve been on a mission to find an especially memorable one to adapt as my own. Once I found these, I stopped looking. There are good cookies, and then there are incredible cookies. These are incredible cookies!

There are three elements that set this recipe apart. The first is that the butter is browned before adding to the dough, providing a nutty flavor profile to the base. The second is cinnamon. Adding this non-traditional spice creates almost a snickerdoodle flavor to the dough that beautifully compliments the chocolate. The third and final element is espresso powder. It deepens the flavor of the chocolate chips.

Don’t take my word for it; try this recipe. These are my go-to chocolate chip cookies from now on. I doubt I will ever find their equal!

Brown Butter Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Original recipe: Cooking Therapy)

1 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C butter
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 C chocolate chips, divided

Heat butter over medium heat until it fully melts. Lower the heat to medium low and let it simmer until brown bits start to appear at the bottom of the pan. Pour the brown butter into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Let it cool for 10 minutes before using, or your dough will be greasy.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, espresso powder, and cinnamon. Whisk together and set aside.

Once butter has cooled, add both sugars to the first bowl and mix. Add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix until it becomes a smooth, brown texture.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. To insure you don’t overmix, stop when there’s a little bit of flour left. Add 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips and mix until everything is just incorporated.

Let the cookie dough rest in the fridge for 45 minutes (so the butter won’t melt too fast, creating flat cookies).

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a medium (2 TBSP sized) cookie scoop to scoop your cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure there are 2 inches of space between each cookie. Press the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (approx 2-3 each) into the tops of each ball of dough.

Bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges are light brown. Rest for 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then another 10 minutes on the cooling rack before serving.

NOTE: Heed the tips so as not to overmix the dough (it makes the cookies tough) and rest the dough in the fridge before baking (for better shape and flavor). These small details make big differences in your finished cookies!

TIP: Press extra chocolate chips into the top of the balls of dough before you put them in the oven for extra chocolate boost!

BONUS TIP: For even more flavor, use flaky salt!

There are two ways to do this. The first is to sprinkle it on the top of the cookies immediately after you pull them out of the oven. It makes the cookies look beautiful! Another way is to sprinkle flaky salt on the parchment paper before you place the balls of dough, so that the salt bakes into the bottom of each cookie. Why do this? Because the first part of the cookie to touch your tongue is the bottom, so you’ll taste the salt better!