Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Regular sugar cookies? Not even close. These brown butter beauties are chewy, nutty, and coated in sweet crackly sugar that keeps everyone reaching for more.

Course Desserts & Sweets, Snacks, Sweets

Cuisine American

Keyword brown butter cookies, brown butter sugar cookies, sugar cookies

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 12

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 37

Servings

Calories 167kcal

Author Lisa O'Driscoll

Equipment

cookie sheets
parchment paper

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar plus extra for rolling
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon sugar for rolling or a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar Optional

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring constantly. Cook until it foams and brown bits form, 5-7 minutes.
¾ cup unsalted butter
Remove from heat and let cool 10-15 minutes. Skim off excess foam.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and salt.
2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon cornstarch
Whisk the browned butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
1/3 cup light brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup granulated sugar
Stir into the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
Mix just until the dough comes together and everything is combined well.
Scoop dough with a cookie scoop (about 1.5 tbsp each), roll into balls, and coat in granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar. Chill sugar cookie dough balls for at least 1 hour.
1 cup granulated sugar, Cinnamon sugar for rolling or a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar
Step 8. Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place dough balls on prepared sheets with a little space between them.
Step 9. Bake 12-14 minutes, until edges are set and centers look slightly underdone.
Step 10. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

Let the browned butter cool before mixing so the dough stays thick instead of turning greasy.
Always chill the dough balls to keep cookies from spreading too thin.
A cookie scoop makes portioning easy and guarantees every cookie bakes evenly.
Parchment paper is great for easy cleanup and also keeps the bottoms from browning too quickly.
Watch for edges that look set but centers that still look slightly soft. That’s the secret to chewy cookies.
Leave the cookies on the baking sheet a few minutes so the centers finish setting before you move them.
Trust your nose when browning butter. It should smell nutty and toasty, never burnt.

Nutrition