Brown butter sugar cookies are the best sugar cookies made with nutty brown butter. These brown butter cookies have with soft and chewy centers with crisp edges. This brown butter cookie recipe is easy to make and transforms sugar cookies from delicious to divine.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
There are few things I love more than a soft, chewy and cozy cookie made with brown butter. The nuttiness from the browning the butter transforms cookies from good to great. My Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brown Butter Snickerdoodles and Brown Butter Blondies are just a few browned butter cookie recipes I love. I am so excited to add this brown butter sugar cookie recipe to the blog.
- Layers of flavors and textures. From the soft and chewy brown butter cookie to the sweet and crunchy sugar coating classic to sugar cookies, these sugar cookies with brown butter will delight your senses and satisfy your cookie cravings.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. This easy browned butter sugar cookie recipe is easy to make and takes just a bit longer than regular sugar cookies. Simply brown the butter, cool for about an hour, make the dough and bake.
Ingredients
This brown butter cookies requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, an egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these burnt butter sugar cookies if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make this cookie recipe gluten free by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based off weight (180 g) rather than cup for cup.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda gives the cookies a bit of a rise and also brings chewiness to the cookie. Although the texture will be slightly different, the best substitute for baking soda is a double acting baking powder. For this recipe use 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder. Keep in mind the final texture will be different.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar: Maple sugar would also work well to make these sugar cookies with brown butter refined sugar free.
- Unsalted Butter: Salted, vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter. I personally love Miyokos Plant Butter.
- Egg and Yolk: This recipe has not been tested without an egg or egg yolk. The extra egg yolk is optional for more richness and chewiness.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
How To Make
Learn how to make brown butter sugar cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 20 minutes to room temperature. Transfer the browned butter to the fridge to chill an additional 30 - 45 minutes or until the brown butter resembles the same texture of room temperature butter.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the cooled and semi-firm browned butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Cream in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. I like to do this about ½ of the dry ingredients at a time. Cover the cookies with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for 1-2 hour(s) or up to overnight.
4. About 30 minutes before baking the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a small bowl with sugar for rolling (if you like). Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the sugar browned butter cookie dough into balls. Roll the sugar cookie balls into the sugar and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Bake for 10 -12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the chewy sugar and brown butter cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Prepare the brown butter up to 1 week in advance. Simply brown the butter, pour the butter into a heat safe and air tight container. Cool to room temperature and then transfer to the fridge until you are ready to use the butter to make the cookies. Just like bringing regular butter to room temperature, allow the butter to sit out at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes to soften before using in the recipe. Prepare the cookie dough. Store the cookie dough covered in the fridge for 1 - 2 days. Bring the cookie dough to room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats and bake as directed in the recipe. For longer cookie dough storage, transfer to the freezer.
- Store: Place the baked brown butter cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up 4 - 5 days. Cookies taste best when enjoyed within the first 1 - 2 days. Cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container overnight. For longer storage, I suggest freezing the cookies or cookie dough.
- Freeze Dough: Prepare the brown butter cookies through the chilling step. Chill for 30 minutes then scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the cookie balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight, set out at room temperature for 20 - 30 and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting with rolling in the sugar and baking.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature transfer them to a freezer proof container in a single lined with parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the chewy brunt butter sugar cookies is to let them sit out at room temperature until thawed or thaw overnight in the fridge. I like to heat them in the microwave for 20 - 30 seconds to get that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Allow some prep time. The brown butter takes about 10 minutes to melt and brown and another 1 - 2 hours to cool to the consistency of room temperature butter.
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Chill the dough. Not only do the cookies have more flavor overall, but chilling the dough is a necessary step for creating the perfect chewy sugar cookies with brown butter.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first 30 - 60 seconds of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
- Dress the cookies up. If you want to add even more nutty flavor, I suggest topping these brown butter sugar cookies with brown butter cream cheese frosting or a brown butter glaze. To make the brown butter glaze, add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the total. Once the butter has browned and is still liquid, scoop out 1 tablespoon of brown butter. Set aside to make the glaze. Then whisk the tablespoon of brown butter with 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar and 1 - 3 tablespoons (15 - 45 ml) milk. Top the cooled cookies.
FAQs
Swap the all purpose flour with gluten free flour and swap the dairy ingredients with plant based ones to make these cookies dairy free.
They taste just like regular sugar cookies, but have a distinct nutty flavor in the background.
The brown butter takes about 10 minutes to melt and brown and another 1 - 2 hours to cool to the consistency of room temperature butter.
Yes, brown butter can be used to make any cookie recipe with a few adjustments. Make sure to add 1 tablespoon more butter per ½ cup of unsalted butter to account for the loss of water that comes from browning the butter. Cool the browned butter to room temperature of the cookie recipe. For room temperature butter, cool the browned butter to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to chill until the butter has solidified to the consistency of room temperature butter. This takes about 45 - 60 minutes in the fridge.
I find that a medium cookie scoop, with about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough makes the perfect cookie. However, you can make a small (1 tablespoon) cookie if you like. Bake this size cookie for about 8 - 10 minutes. For a larger cookie, use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons, 45 ml) and bake for 12- 14 minutes.
Other Brown Butter Recipes to Try
If you try this Brown Butter Sugar Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 heat proof bowl
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, sliced
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom. Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 20 minutes to room temperature. Transfer the browned butter to the fridge to chill an additional 30 - 45 minutes or until the brown butter resembles the same texture of room temperature butter.¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, sliced
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda , ½ teaspoon salt
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the cooled and semi-firm browned butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Cream in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.¾ cup (150 g) sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 teaspoon (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. I like to do this about ½ of the dry ingredients at a time. Cover the cookies with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for 1-2 hour(s) or up to overnight.About 30 minutes before baking the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a small bowl with sugar for rolling (if you like).
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the sugar browned butter cookie dough into balls. Roll the sugar cookie balls into the sugar and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the chewy sugar and brown butter cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy.
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