Lower-Sugar Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
January 13, 2025
I’m kicking off the year with an exciting lineup of new recipes, including a low-sugar treats section! One of my favorites so far has to be these Low-Sugar Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re just as delicious as my usual cookies, with a rich, deep flavor thanks to the browned butter. Packed with Lily’s chocolate chips and finished with a sprinkle of sea salt, I didn’t miss the sugar one bit!
Lower-Sugar Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup oat flour (plus 1–2 tablespoons if the dough feels too wet)
- 3/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (granulated)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar substitute (I use Swerve or Truvia)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup Lily’s Milk Chocolate Chips
- Sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it simmer, stirring frequently, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty (about 5-7 minutes). Let it cool completely! Ideally overnight
- After the butter has cooled, add the monk fruit sweetener and brown sugar substitute to the cooled brown butter. Mix until smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, whisking until fully combined.
- Stir in the almond flour, oat flour, baking soda, and salt until a thick dough forms. Start with only 1/3 cup of oat flour and add more if needed.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours. This step prevents the cookies from spreading.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Two if you have them!
- Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of the dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. I used a small cookie scoop, about 1 1/4” in diameter. Slightly flatten each cookie with your hand or the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look just set.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with sea salt. If you wait too long, the salt won’t stick.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
From Skeptic to Sweet Tooth: My Journey into Low-Sugar Baking
I’ll admit it—when I used to see dessert recipes with “healthier” ingredients like alternative flours and sweeteners, my first thought was: umm, pass. I had no idea what I was missing out on. As someone with type 1 diabetes, I wish I’d started experimenting with low-sugar baking sooner. But recently, I decided to put more time and effort into creating recipes that not only work for me but are genuinely delicious.
And let me tell you—I’m officially hooked. These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are now one of my absolute favorite recipes on my blog. They’re crunchy, chewy, and perfectly sweet—kind of like a Chips Ahoy cookie, but way better. Let me tell you what makes these cookies so special…
The Magic of Brown Butter
If you haven’t tried brown butter in your baked goods yet, this is your sign. Browning butter is simple but so transformative. You melt the butter over medium heat, letting it bubble and foam until the milk solids turn golden brown and the aroma is nutty and heavenly. The flavor is deeper, richer, and adds an almost caramel-like quality to baked goods. In these cookies, the brown butter gives a subtle toffee flavor that totally complements the chocolate.
Lily’s Baking Chips: A Low-Sugar Lifesaver
Another game-changer I discovered while perfecting these cookies? Lily’s baking chips. They’re made with stevia, so they’re low in sugar but still taste like a dream. They come in a variety of flavors, but for these cookies, I used milk and dark chocolate. When you bite into a chocolate-studded piece of this cookie, it’s perfection—rich, chocolatey, and indulgent without the extra sugar.
The Perfect Finishing Touch: Sea Salt
Let’s talk about the sprinkle of sea salt on top of these cookies. I cannot overstate my love for that salty-sweet combo. Salt enhances flavor by balancing sweetness and intensifying other ingredients. It’s that subtle pop that makes you go back for another bite (or five). On these cookies, the sea salt amplifies the nuttiness of the brown butter and the richness of the chocolate…mind-blowing.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
Whether you’re managing a dietary restriction, cutting back on sugar, or just looking for a fun, new take on classic chocolate chip cookies, this recipe has you covered. These cookies are proof that low-sugar doesn’t mean low flavor. Trust me, once you try them, you’ll be making them on repeat!
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