Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies are simple to make and the rich flavor of browned butter takes regular sugar cookies on a delicious flavor trip!
Why We Love Browned Butter Sugar Cookies
- Brown Butter Cookies are mouthwateringly irresistible, with a deep nutty, almost toffee-like flavor that everyone raves about!
- These browned butter sugar cookies are just as simple to make as regular sugar cookies, using flour, sugar, butter, egg, baking soda, and other spice cabinet goodies, and the magic is in the browned butter, which is a snap to make!
- Brown butter brown sugar butter cookies are perfect as-is, but don’t let that stop you from adding your favorite nuts, chocolate chips, toffee, sprinkles, or white chocolate drizzle to make them even more outstanding!
- This brown butter sugar cookie recipe is so easy to make that you can absolutely bake multiple batches to freeze to enjoy later or give as gifts!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
WET INGREDIENTS: To make these cookies, you will need cubed salted butter, a room-temperature egg, and vanilla extract.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Set out all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar for this recipe. You will also need salt, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and baking soda.
How to Make Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Melt the cubed butter in a skillet over medium heat. Continue to stir the melted butter until it stops bubbling and gets foamy, about 3-5 minutes. Cook the butter for about another 2 minutes, until the butter reaches a golden brown color. Pour the brown butter (and all the little brown bits) into a large mixing bowl. Stir to help it cool down and let the butter rest for about 5 minutes.
STEP 2 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the butter and beat for 1 minute until combined. It’ll look grainy, don’t worry. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes, until fluffy and lighter in color.
STEP 3 In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch together. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and beat on low until just combined.
STEP 4 Use a cookie scoop to portion 1 ½ tablespoon scoops of dough. Then the scoops into balls, and place the balls on the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.
STEP 5 Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden and the top has an even color across. Once out of the oven, allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips & Tricks
- Be sure to spoon the flour into a measuring cup rather than scooping to ensure you get the right amount of flour for cookies that are light rather than dense.
- Cornstarch is used in this recipe to maintain the fluffiness of the cookies so they don’t spread out and become little tasty pucks. If you choose to leave the cornstarch out, then be sure to chill the dough for 30-60 minutes to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Once the dry ingredients have been mixed in, feel free to fold in chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or toffee bits! You can also roll the balls through sprinkles or coarse sugar and then bake them. After the cookies have been baked and cooled, drizzle a little melted chocolate over them for an extra sweet treat! You can also dollop a little cream cheese frosting on top of the cookies for a really decadent experience!
- Make up the browned butter ahead of time and once it has cooled, store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to use it, set it in the fridge to thaw or on the counter to come to room temperature to make cookies!
- Store the brown butter cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze these cookies for 2-3 months.
Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Recipe FAQ
What does brown butter do to cookies?
Browned butter gives these cookies (and other foods) and deeper flavor profile. It has a rich, nutty, caramel-like taste. Brown butter also helps keep the cookies from spreading as much as a regular cookie might and gives them a tender texture.
How do you prevent brown butter cookies from spreading?
Browned butter sugar cookie dough has less moisture than regular sugar cookie dough because much of the moisture has been cooked out when browning the butter. This should prevent the cookies from spreading too much but if it’s still a problem, then chilling is the answer.
Chilling cookie dough for 30-60 minutes solidifies the butter in the dough, which slows the spread of the cookies. Chilling can also help the flavors develop more. If you notice your cookies spreading too much while baking the first batch, toss the bowl of dough in the fridge for a bit and once cool, bake the rest of the cookies.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Molasses Cookies
- Monster Cookies
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and salt and cook until the butter is melted. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes. The butter will be foamy, turn golden, and little brown bits will be in the bottom of the skillet.
- Pour the butter into a large mixing bowl and stir to help cool it down. Let the butter rest for about 5 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Add the sugar and brown sugar to the cooled butter. Beat for 1 minute. The mixture will look grainy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy and lighter in color.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low just until a soft dough forms.
- Use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough. Roll each scoop into a ball and place them on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges begin to get golden brown and the top of the cookies is an even color across.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the packing sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for 2-3 months.
- Adding a couple of teaspoons to cookies can help them maintain a fluffy texture instead of flattening out too much and becoming hard discs. If you wish to omit the cornstarch, be sure to chill the dough for 30-60 minutes before baking so that they don’t flatten too much.