Brown Butter Sugar Cookies - Soft and Chewy!

If you want to take your sugar cookie recipe to the next level, you have to make these brown butter sugar cookies. The brown butter flavor makes for the BEST cookies. These will be on repeat all year long. 

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You’ll love these brown butter sugar cookies.

They're so full of flavor. ​Browning the butter adds such a delicious, caramel-like flavor to cookie recipes. People will not believe these are sugar cookies!

Browning butter is so easy to do. The trick is having a light-colored pan to brown your butter in. That way you can keep an eye on the color of the butter for the best results. 

They're perfect for any occasion! This brown butter sugar cookie recipe is truly perfect for any celebration. Whether you're satisfying cookie cravings, looking for the perfect cookie for a holiday party, or anything in between, you'll love making these. 

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is regular butter that is cooked long enough to toast the milk solids.

What does browned butter do in cookies?

Flavor. Brown butter adds a richer flavor to baked goods. The brown butter gives a nutty flavor fused with a rich caramel flavor that doesn't overpower any baked goods but adds to the intensity of the flavors. Brown butter can take a simple baked cookie and make it the best thing you've ever had. 

Texture. Not only does brown butter affect the taste of baked goods, but it will affect the texture, too. It makes for super chewy cookies, which is an essential quality for classic sugar cookies! 

Ingredients

Butter. Typically, cookie recipes call for a stick of butter. Because we are browning this butter, you are going to have to use 2 full sticks of butter. Trust me, it is worth it to make the best chewy sugar cookies. 

All-Purpose Flour. Like all my baking recipes, I prefer to use all-purpose flour as opposed to cake flour, or any other flour. It's all-purpose, so I prefer to just keep 1 flour in the pantry for all purposes. You can still make amazing cookies without the fancy flours. 

Baking Soda. Baking soda will help to leaven the cookies to give them a slight lift but still keep things condensed and chewy... aka cookie perfection. 

Salt. You always need a bit of salt to help offset the sweetness and really bring everything together. 

Light Brown Sugar. The light brown sugar is essential for getting the chewiest cookies. Light brown sugar and brown butter is the perfect combination for any favorite cookie recipe. 

Granulated Sugar. To avoid things getting too sticky, the granulated sugar adds sweetness while also keeping the texture from getting out of hand. 

Egg. Be sure to bring your egg to room temperature for the best results, you don't want the cold egg to solidify the brown butter when mixing all the wet ingredients. 

Vanilla Extract. A baking essential! If you want to get really fancy, you can use vanilla paste. 

How to make brown butter

You'll want to make sure you have a light pan to make sure you can accurately monitor the butter cooking. 

1. ​Over medium heat, place butter in the pan and melt. 
2. Using a wooden spoon or silicone whisk, stir your butter consistently to make sure none of the milk solids burn. The milk solids will be brown specks at the bottom of the melted butter. 
3. Once the butter is browned, it'll have a deep, golden brown, caramel color and a nutty aroma. 
4. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl to avoid having the butter cook further in the hot pan.
5. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then use brown butter however you'd like!

How to make brown butter sugar cookies

1. Brown the butter over medium-low heat.
2. Pour into a heat-safe bowl and place in the fridge for 5 minutes to cool.
3. Once cooled, mix your butter, light brown sugar, and white sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. 
4. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
5. Mix well and add in your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
6. Roll into 1 tablespoon round balls and place on a cookie sheet.
7. Place the cookie dough balls into the fridge and allow to cool for 30 minutes. 
8. Preheat your oven to 350F
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
10. Repeat until the dough is gone.
11. Allow to cool and enjoy your brown butter sugar cookies!

Tips for making brown butter sugar cookies

Chill time. To make the best chewy brown sugar cookies, you have to let the dough chill. It is much easier to chill the cookie dough versus the dough in the mixing bowl. 

Substitutions and Variations

Flavor.​ You can do a combination of almond extract and vanilla extract to get some amazing flavor. The almond will bring out the nuttiness of the brown butter. 

Sprinkles. To make these cookies extra fun for any holiday or occasion, roll them in sprinkles before baking!

Storage

You'll want to store the baked cookies in an airtight container on your counter for 5-7 days. 

FAQ

Does brown sugar change the taste of cookies?

Yes! Brown butter takes a simple cookie and adds a rich flavor. 

Should I use light or dark brown sugar?

You can use either! I suggest using light brown sugar, plus that's typically what you have in your pantry. 

Why did my brown butter cookies get hard?

Don't over-mix your dough! You want to mix until it is just all fully incorporated. 

Amazon home finds

If you want to get the majority of these cookies baked at once, you'll want to get some large baking sheets, and if you want to ensure they don't stick, get yourself some silicone mats to place on the cookie sheets!

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Want more dessert recipes?

If you love these brown butter sugar cookies, you'll love these other recipes!

• Copycat Nothing Bundt Cake White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Condensed Milk Brownies
• Strawberry Nutella Pizza
• Air Fryer S'Mores
• Orange Lemon Cake