Savor the fall season with these brown butter sugar cookies. Soft and chewy with crispy golden edges and a delicious nutty flavor. They are an upgrade to the classic sugar cookie and need to be on your baking list this holiday season.
These brown butter sugar cookies have a delightful caramel flavor from the brown butter. They are rich, buttery and fill your entire kitchen with a warm, nutty aroma as they bake in the oven.
It took me 4 tries to perfect this recipe and boy did it pay off. They are the BEST sugar cookies and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Best texture- These sugar cookies are chewy with soft centers and crisp edges. They have crackly, sugary tops and maintain their incredible texture even the day after they are baked.
- Perfect for fall- These cookies are the best way to celebrate the fall season. Pour yourself a cup of tea, grab yourself a cozy blanket and enjoy these cookies on a cool autumn morning.
- Brown butter- The brown butter is what makes these cookies so unique. It fills your kitchen with the most amazing nutty aroma and adds a sweet caramel-like flavor to the cookies.
- Easy to make- These cookies are so simple to make. You can mix everything inside one large bowl. No mixer needed!
How Do You Make Brown Butter?
Making brown butter is incredibly easy but it's also easy to burn if you're not careful. Here are some helpful tips to follow.
- Remove the butter from the refrigerator 30 minutes before starting. This will help take off the chill and prevent the butter from splattering and burning quickly.
- Use a light colored pan so that you can actually see when the butter is browned.
- Once the the butter begins to foam, you need to stir with a wooden spoon to prevent the milk solids from burning.
- Once finished, the butter will be a light amber color with little brown flecks at the bottom of the pan. The butter will also have a nutty aroma.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Butter- I use unsalted butter in which I brown inside a saucepan and cool completely before mixing the dough.
- Sugar- I use white granulated sugar inside the dough as well as for rolling the cookies in before baking.
- Eggs- Pull from the refrigerator 2 hours before mixing. I use 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk.
- Vanilla- Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Leavening- I use both baking powder and baking soda. The key to soft and chewy sugar cookies is the combination of baking soda and baking powder.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Brown the butter. Place the butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring until the butter begins to turn a light amber color. The foam will subside and you will have little brown specks (milk solids) at the bottom of the pan.
Then, pour the butter, along with the brown bits into a small bowl. Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
STEP 2: Mix the wet ingredients. Scrape the cooled brown butter into a large bowl. Then, mix in the sugar with a rubber spatula. Next, add the whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
STEP 3: Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Then, fold in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
STEP 4: Scoop the cookies. Using a 1 ½ oz ice cream scoop, scoop the cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each cookie dough ball in the palm of your hands. Then, roll them in sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
STEP 5: Bake the cookies. Preheat oven to 350°. Place the cookies onto a parchment lined sheet pan, 2" apart (6 cookies per sheet).
Then, bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The edges will be lightly golden brown and the centers will be slightly puffy.
Expert Baking Tips
Make sure to measure your flour correctly. Never scoop your flour directly from the flour canister. The will compact the flour and make your cookies dry and not spread properly. Start by fluffing the flour with a spoon. Then, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level the flour with the back of a butterknife.
When making the brown butter, maintain a low-medium heat. If your heat is too high, it will burn the butter and you will have to start over.
Before mixing your cookie dough, it's important that the butter is completely cooled. If the butter is not cooled properly, it will affect the consistency and texture of the dough. I like to let it cool for at least 30-45 minutes. The consistency should be similar to bacon grease after its had time to solidify. (Sorry that's the best example I can think of haha.)
If your cookies aren't perfectly round like you want them to be, do not worry. Take a round biscuit cutter, slightly larger than the cookie and as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while they are still hot, put the cutter over the cookie and 'scoot' it into a perfectly round shape
FAQ
Brown butter adds a beautiful rich and nutty flavor to these sugar cookies. It really helps elevate the flavors in both savory and sweet dishes and gives these cookies a warm feel that is perfect for the fall season.
Bake the sugar cookies until they are just set in the center and lightly golden around the edges. They will begin to have a crackly texture across the tops. I tend to slightly underbake my cookies to ensure they keep their soft and chewy texture.
If your cookies spread too much, it's because the browned butter was not properly chilled before mixing or you did not chill the cookie dough long enough before baking. Make sure to refrigerate the brown butter for at least 30-45 minutes. Once you have scooped and rolled your cookies in the sugar, refrigerate for 30 minutes until the dough is firm.
Storing and Freezing
Store these brown butter sugar cookies inside an airtight container. Store for up to 5 days.
Freezing
The scooped cookie dough can be frozen before rolling in sugar. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap. Freeze up to 30 days.
Let the cookie dough come to room temperature and roll in sugar before baking.
Other Cookie Recipes To Try
If you decide to try this recipe, please make sure to leave a STAR RATING on the recipe card and leave a comment below. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
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📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup +2 tbsp Unsalted butter browned
- 1 ⅓ cup White granulated sugar
- 1 Large egg room temperature
- 1 Egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups All purpose flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup White granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Brown the butter. Place the butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring until the butter begins to turn a light amber color. The foam will subside and you will have little brown specks (milk solids) at the bottom of the pan. Then, pour the butter, along with the brown bits into a small bowl. Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Scrape the cooled browned butter into a large bowl. Then, mix in the sugar with a rubber spatula. Next, add the whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Then, fold in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Scoop the cookies. Using a 1 ½ oz ice cream scoop, scoop the cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each cookie dough ball in the palm of your hands. Then, roll them in sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Bake the cookies. Preheat oven to 350°. Place the cookies onto a parchment lined sheet pan, 2" apart (6 cookies per sheet). Then, bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The edges will be lightly golden brown and the center will be slightly puffy.
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