Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.
Brown butter snickerdoodles are a new way to enjoy a classic cookie that’s everyone’s favorite. They have a rich, nutty, buttery flavor with super chewy centers.
Want To Save This?
Enter your email below and we'll send the link straight to your inbox.
These brown butter snickerdoodles are so easy to make and don’t require chilling. You simply mix the ingredients and bake.
This is a gourmet take on the classic snickerdoodle cookie. You will love the nutty flavor of the brown butter. It pairs beautifully with cinnamon sugar.
If you enjoy these cookies, you might also like to try my pumpkin snickerdoodles.
Why This Recipe Works
- Brown butter offers a rich, nutty flavor that tastes amazing.
- These snickerdoodles bake up chewy instead of dry because of the melted brown butter.
- This recipe doesn’t require chilling the dough! You can have them in the oven once the brown butter cools slightly.
- Rolling the cookies in cinnamon sugar gives them the classic snickerdoodle taste.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Brown butter: Use regular unsalted butter and cook until it turns brown.
- Flour: I prefer all-purpose flour for most of my baking.
- Cream of tartar: This key ingredient makes the cookies different from a regular sugar cookie.
- Baking soda: This helps the cookies spread in the oven.
- Salt: Needed to balance the flavor and sweetness.
- Sugar: I like using brown and granulated sugar in my brown butter snickerdoodles. The brown butter offers richness and tastes amazing with brown butter.
- Eggs: You need one whole egg and one egg yolk.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract and avoid the imitation stuff.
- Cinnamon: Mix cinnamon with granulated sugar for rolling the cookies before baking.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Brown the butter. Cook the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it forms amber-colored bits in the bottom of the pan.
- Cool the brown butter. Transfer the brown butter to a heatproof bowl and let cool for about 1 hour.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and stir with a whisk.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Cream the brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla then mix until well combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Roll the cookie dough. Portion the dough into 1.5-tablespoon sized balls and roll each one in cinnamon sugar to coat.
- Bake. Bake the cookies until they look puffy and soft. The centers will look underdone, this is okay!
Tips For Success
- Measure the flour correctly: I always recommend using a scale for precise measurements. If you don’t have one, lightly spoon and level the flour into a measuring cup.
- Browning butter: When browning butter it can go from brown to burnt in a matter of seconds. As soon as it turns amber, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a heatproof bowl.
- Cool the butter: Allow the butter to cool to room temperature before using it. Hot butter will affect the texture of the dough.
FAQ
Yes, salted butter will work fine with this recipe. Omit the additional salt.
No, it reacts with the baking soda so the cookies puff up and deflate. This creates a cracked top appearance. The cream of tartar also adds a little tanginess to the cookies.
Yes! Fresh lemon juice or white vinegar can be used in place of cream of tartar. Baking powder also works but will not offer the tangy flavor cream of tartar usually adds.
Snickerdoodle cookies will keep for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze snickerdoodles for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cups (325 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup (250 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the coating
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the cookies
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter will foam and crack and pop. Keep swirling the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits form at the bottom.
- Once the bits are amber in color, 2 to 3 minutes, remove from heat and pour into a heatproof mixing bowl. Let butter cool to room, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale in color. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl
- Add the egg, followed by the egg yolk and vanilla, beating for 20 seconds after adding each. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Make the coating
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Roll the dough into 1.5-tablespoon-sized balls. Dip each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, rolling it around to coat.
- Place the cookie balls 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 10-12 minute, until the edges are just beginning to brown but the centers are puffy and soft. (The centers will look underdone, this is okay.)
- Cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure to measure the flour correctly. If you can, use weight measurements. Or lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the cup with the back of a knife. Never scoop the flour out with the measuring cup. Flour compacts and you’ll end up with too much flour.
- Cookies will keep for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- The dough balls can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake frozen dough balls at 300°F for 18-20 minutes.
- Baked and cooled cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.