Melt butter over medium heat in a small skillet or heavy-bottomed pot.
Continue to heat the butter, stirring periodically, until it turns brown (10-15 minutes).
The butter will first boil with big bubbles (it’s not done then). Then, the bubbles will get smaller. Turn up the heat slightly and monitor closely until the butter looks more brown (that’s when it’s done).
Remove butter from heat and cool to room temperature.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until just combined.
Mix in the eggs.
Mix in the vanilla, flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill cupcake liners in a cupcake tin almost to the top with cookie dough.
Bake cupcakes for 25 minutes or until tops just begin to get dark brown. Cool in cupcake tins.
Cookie Dough Frosting Instructions
Heat flour in the microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until a thermometer placed into the center of the flour reads 160 F/70 C.
Mix flour with the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl.
Let the frosting sit for a few minutes while the flour absorbs some of the melted butter.
Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes and top with a cookie.
Notes
You can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. Dark brown sugar will yield more of a molasses flavor.
If you want to bake these as mini cupcakes, the recipe will make 24. Bake them for 15 minutes and make 24 smaller cookies with the extra dough.
If you want cookies on top of the cupcakes, make 12 cupcakes as use the rest of the dough to make cookies. Those take 15 minutes to bake.