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    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

    Published: May 24, 2023 by brooke · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    137 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    These brown butter sugar cookies have a crispy edge, and soft chewy center, with the best brown butter flavor. They're a small batch, simple to make, and no chilling required.

    all the brown butter sugar cookies layered on top of each other on a baking sheet.

    Brown butter sugar cookies are the elevated sugar cookie that everyone needs. The brown butter flavor adds so much depth to these chewy cookies.

    Some other brown butter cookie recipes that people love are my brown butter oatmeal raisin cookies, my butterscotch chocolate chip cookies or my coffee toffee cookies.

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Expert Baking Tips
    • FAQ
    • Storing and Freezing
    • Other Popular Recipes to Try
    • Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

    Why You Will Love This Recipe

    • CRISPY EDGE & CHEWY CENTER: My favorite cookies tend to have crispy edges without being a complete crispy cookie. The chew in the middle is a must. These cookies are the perfect combo of both!
    • SMALL BATCH: This recipe makes 8 cookies so you don't have to over indulge if you don't want to.
    • NO CHILLING: These cookies don't require the dough to be chilled, so they can be made much quicker.

    Ingredient Notes

    Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

    • Butter: You will start with browning the butter, and then allowing it to completely cool before starting to make the cookies.
    • Egg: Pull your egg out of the fridge when you start to brown the butter so it is room temperature when you make the cookies.
    • Vanilla: I love using vanilla paste in these cookies, but vanilla extract is great too.
    • Flour: Use a scale to measure flour if you have one, if not, lightly spoon it into your measuring cup so you don't over pack it.
    • Nutmeg: It's just a little amount, but it adds a little extra flavor.
    all the ingredients needed to make brown butter sugar cookies.

    Step by Step Instructions

    Step 1: Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and allow to cool completely.

    Step 2: Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in vanilla.

    Browned butter after cooled.
    wet ingredients.
    dry ingredients added.

    Step 3: Slowly mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, being careful not to over mix.

    Step 4: Scoop the dough into large balls, I like to use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop for these. Roll in granulated sugar.

    Step 5: Place 8 cookie dough balls on your lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes. You're looking for a light golden brown around the edges. Be careful not to over bake, or you will lose the chewy factor we are going for.

    cookie dough before sugar.
    cookie dough rolled in sugar.
    cookies after baking.

    Expert Baking Tips

    If you prefer to have a thicker cookie that doesn't spread as much I would suggest chilling the dough for a few hours before baking. Roll in sugar after it's chilled.

    I like to sprinkle a little extra sugar on my cookies after they're done baking as well.

    FAQ

    Can I brown the butter ahead of time?

    Yes, I like to brown my butter the night before I am going to make cookies and just leave it sitting at room temperature in a bowl until I'm ready to make the cookies.

    Can I make these cookies without browning the butter?

    Yes, but if you want to use regular butter, do not melt it before.

    Can this recipe be doubled?

    Yes, just click the 2x button on the recipe card and it will double all the ingredients for you.

    brown butter sugar cookies on the baking pan.

    Storing and Freezing

    Brown butter sugar cookies will remain fresh in an air tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Storing in the fridge is not suggested, it will dry them out.

    You can freeze your cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months with them remaining fresh. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls if you would like to bake them one at a time. Just allow them to sit out and thaw a bit while the oven is preheating.

    showing the inside of a broken cookie.

    Other Popular Recipes to Try

    Lemon Blueberry Cookies

    Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

    Blueberry Blondies

    For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment below if you make them and love them as much as I do. 

    Make sure to leave a star review below!

    all the brown butter sugar cookies layered on top of each other on a baking sheet.

    Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

    brooke
    These brown butter sugar cookies have a crispy edge, and soft chewy center, with the best brown butter flavor. They're a small batch, simple to make, and no chilling required.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    butter cooling 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 341 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ cup butter
    • ¾ cups granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg room temperature
    • 1½ teaspoon vanilla this is a good time to use vanilla paste
    • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
    • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar for rolling cookies in

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
    • Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
    • Add egg and mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in vanilla.
    • Slowly mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, being careful not to over mix.
    • Scoop the dough into large balls, I like to use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop for these. Roll in granulated sugar.
    • Place 8 cookie dough balls on your lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes. You're looking for a light golden brown around the edges. Be careful not to over bake, or you will lose the chewy factor we are going for.

    Notes

    I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don't have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 341kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 256mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 388IUCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword brown butter cookies, brown butter sugar cookies, cookies
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lori

      May 26, 2023 at 5:28 pm

      I'd like to make these for a crowd. Do you see any reason I should not quadruple or even 6x the recipe? Thanks!

      Reply
      • brooke

        May 26, 2023 at 7:06 pm

        Quadrupling would be fine! But when you go much more than that the variables can change and the texture isn't always the same, so I probably wouldn't go much bigger than that per batch. You can always make the cookies slightly smaller if you need to serve more as well.☺️

        Reply
        • Lori

          May 29, 2023 at 9:01 pm

          5 stars
          Okay, I quadrupled the recipe and made smaller dough balls (maybe 1.5 T?). It made 4-5 doz just-right sized cookies. Love the chewy cookie and the sugary crunch on the outside. Really tasty. Thanks for a fun new recipe and for responding to my earlier question.

          Reply
    2. Cindy

      May 27, 2023 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      These looked so good when Brooke was showing in stories. They are so easy to make and I love the small batch. They were delicious and my family loved them.

      Reply

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