Brown Butter Sugar Cookies are sure to impress with their rich, nutty flavor and their chewy, soft texture. This homemade sugar cookie recipe is incredibly easy to prepare, but totally guest-worthy at the same time!
Here are a few reasons these brown butter cookies have become one of my favorites to make and share.
- The perfect texture. These brown butter cookies are soft and chewy on the inside with slightly crispy edges – just the way a perfect sugar cookie should be!
- Incredible flavor. Brown butter is life-changing! It takes any recipe to the next level, and that level is called pure amazingness. These cookies are no exception. The nutty-ness, the depth of flavor, the creamy quality that still lingers… it just can’t be described.
- Quick and easy to make. This recipe is made with pantry staples and the dough comes together quickly and easily, with no chilling necessary.
What is Brown Butter?
Brown butter is just a regular stick of butter that has been cooked in a pan/skillet until, you guessed it, brown. During the cooking process the fat and water in the butter separate, the water cooks out, and an addicting, rich flavor begins to shine through. The milk particles in the butter are what actually turn brown by the end, and when they are properly toasted (but not burned!) the trademark nutty flavor is achieved. Here’s more info/a tutorial on how to brown butter if you’re curious!
Recipe Ingredients
Okay, now that we’re all dreaming about drool-worthy brown butter, let’s talk ingredients! Here’s what goes into these simple brown butter sugar cookies:
- Butter: I generally use a stick of unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Flour: I like to use unbleached flour, but regular all-purpose flour will work too.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Including both ensures that your cookies will have a nice lift to them instead of turning out flat.
- Salt: To enhance and balance out the sweetness in the cookies.
- Sugar: This recipe uses a mix of packed brown sugar (both light and dark) and granulated sugar. The brown sugar offers caramel notes that complement the brown butter really well, and granulated sugar keeps the traditional sugar cookie texture/flavor intact.
- Egg: This is the binding agent for your cookie dough.
- Vanilla Extract: For extra sweetness!
Can The Dough Be Prepared in Advance?
If you want to bake the cookie dough at a later date, feel free to roll the cookie balls, save them in the fridge for a couple days, and proceed with the rest of the recipe later.
You can also freeze the balls of dough on a baking sheet, then transfer to another container once they’re frozen. You can bake the cookies straight from frozen, you’ll just need to add a few extra minutes of bake time.
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See? Easy! Brown butter sugar cookies are so simultaneously simple and delicious that they are fast becoming the solution to my daily “what should we have for dessert?” dilemma…
Anyway, before you head into the kitchen, I’ve got some last minute tips that could make the baking process even easier:
- Let the Brown Butter Cool: 20 minutes may seem like a lot of time, but you want the butter to solidify so that it will blend completely with the sugar (don’t quite cream them together, but make sure they are completely combined).
- Don’t Overbake the Cookies. These brown butter sugar cookies bake quickly. Be sure to keep a close eye on your oven and remove them from the oven as soon as the edges begin to brown. The center will still look undercooked but don’t worry – they’ll continue to bake after you remove them from the oven!
- Add Sprinkles: Why not? They’re super festive and fun, and you can color coordinate for holidays, seasons, etc!
After some readers had issues with flat cookies, I retested the recipe. I baked some immediately after rolling, but I also rolled some, put them in the fridge for 15 minutes, and then baked them. Both methods had awesome results, so if you are having issues, try popping them in the fridge before baking.
Other things that could cause flat brown butter sugar cookies are using ingredients that aren’t fresh or an oven temperature that’s a bit off.
How to Store
- Counter. I like to keep these brown butter sugar cookies in an airtight container on my countertop for a week or so. That way they’re easily accessible for midday snacks!
Can I Freeze These?
Sure thing. Freeze your brown butter brown sugar cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months – thaw them in the fridge overnight before eating again!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup unbleached flour, plus 2 tablespoons
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
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Instructions
- Follow these steps to brown the 1 stick of butter: How to Brown Butter. Transfer butter to a large bowl and allow butter to cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons brown and granulated sugar. I used my fingers, but you could also use two forks. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 cup brown sugar to bowl with cooled, browned butter and mix until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined and there are no lumps. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Roll about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough into a ball using your hands. Then toss the dough in the brown/granulated sugar mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The cookies are ready to come out when the edges have just turned a light golden brown. They will appear underdone in the center…but they will be fine after resting!
- Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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I think some people’s cookies are coming out flat because you are measuring the flour by volume and not by weight – I think this leads to a lot of variation in the amount of flour and too little flour definitely causes these cookies to be flat based on my experience
Truly great cookies!
Hi this is a great recipe I’ve been making it for years since I saw it on America’s test kitchen.
Very good tip. 🙂
Sorry, duplicate comment. 🙁
Light or dark brown sugar?
Light brown sugar! 🙂
Did you use dark brown or light brown? I used dark and they’re much darker than yours, but also lovely.
Wait 12 hours, are you mad? Mine barely made it 12 seconds out of the oven before they were in my tummy!
I used light brown sugar, but as you found out either are good!
And I know it’s nearly impossible – but I swear they were even better the next day!
I have become addicted to these cookies, unfortunately I will sit and eat the whole batch! They ate amazing!!!
This recipe sounds delicious. Definately plan on making them. Do you think the dough would be good for cookie cutters? Or too soft?
No, they spread a lot so I would sadly not recommend them for cookie cutters!
I just tried these (with a couple of tweaks) and they turned out great! I decided on this recipe because I have been obsessing over Jeni’s Browned Butter Almond Brickle ice cream. Wouldn’t that be a fabulous cookie – I thought. Especially because the ice cream is about $10 a pint and I live 20 minutes from the closest Whole Foods. So my hunt began, and I found this cookie. Rather than grade papers, I decided to bake.
First, I used European butter, browned it and went along my happy culinary way. But, the batter was super loose. I added 1/2 cup more flour. Still runny. Hmm…then it hit me. I looked at the other block of European butter in my fridge. Doh! One block is 16 tablespoons not 8! Genius. Well, I just added in more of everything else (and a dash more flour for fun) and let my stand mixer go. I added in about a cup of almonds because I was still thinking about the ice cream. It was still a little soft so I chilled the batter for about 15-20 minutes.
I was ready to bake. Then, inspiration struck. Into the brown and granulated sugar mixture, I added about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon (I just licked my fingers to settle on the right balance – then washed my hand, of course) of Fleur de sel sea salt. I popped three in for a test run and WOW. First, the topping was a bit much for the whole cookie so for the full batches, I just dipped the tops of the balls into the sugar/salt.
They tasted just like this old Southern classic ice cream I fondly remember from my childhood – butter brickle ice cream. I think I’ve got a new obsession!
I love your detailed comments! And that ice cream sounds AMAZING!
Fantastic. I put the butter in the fridge after browning it and the consistency was perfect. They were soft an oh so indulgent.
I think these are way too sweet. And they got hard really fast. 🙁 I love soft cookies. Anyone else have a recipe to share?
I just made these today. I didn’t roll in sugar though because I made whoopie pies with Nutella in the center. Oh.My.God. Heavenly! I didn’t have any problems with the cookies flattening either.
I don’t know if this will help the flat cookie problem.
But my first batch came out flat and were impossible to get off the sheet; sticky as hell, folded as I tried to scrape them, and stuck to the spatula.
I saw the bit about parchment paper and ignored it, but also failed to butter the sheet or anything; the second batch (on the same sheet, so it was still hot) I buttered (and put the dough in the fridge a minute) and it turned out great.
I’m thinking the flat cookies were either not quite done, or the sheet really needs to be buttered.
Re: using your fingers or 2 forks…. has no one heard of a pastry blender? You can find one at Walmart, or for a couple of $’s you can find one at an antique outlet or mall. This handy item can be used to make breads and biscuits without dirtying either your hands or other utensils and it’s much quicker than anything else. Everyone who bakes should have one.
Thanks for the idea Donna! But there is no point in using a pastry blender to mix together granulated sugar and brown sugar. I could see using one for a pastry dough…but not just for sugar. 🙂
The idea of these cookies sounds so amazing! Unfortunately, I’ve made them twice now and they’ve never come out quite right. They are always super flat. I saw your update about refrigerating the dough and that’s what I did this time, but had the same result. bummer! brown butter and brown sugar are two of my favorite things!
ERRGHHH!!!
I swear I don’t understand what could be going wrong! Half of the people that make them have perfect cookies…the other half get flat ones. Three of the commenters above you had great cookies. And I was so excited because I thought the curse was broken. 🙁
So sorry that yours turned out flat Anne! I really wish I had an answer! :-/
Just made these. Delicious and amazing, trying to think of other things I can add brown butter do.
So glad they turned out well for you Jenifer! A commenter below you said she had flat cookies…twice! UGH! I will never understand what makes them turn out for some and not for others!
I tried these cookies on Saturday and couldn’t help but make them again. This is the only sugar cookie I will ever make again. Before this recipe, shame on me, I had no idea what brown butter was. The cookies came out perfectly!! (For anyone who wants to know, I put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes before baking them). Thank you so much, Jessica!
I am so glade you tried them and they came out perfect for you! I love these little cookies soooo much and want everyone else to love them too! 😀
These are awesome but the recipe doesn’t make nearly enough!
If your waistline can handle it, you can always double the recipe!! 😉
Made a new batch today, came out perfect! I think it was needing the extra flour. Still the best cookies ever! Thanks so much!
So glad they worked out perfectly for you this time Christine! 🙂