Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
These brown butter snickerdoodles are crisp around the edges, chewy in the middle, and generously coated in cinnamon sugar. This recipe makes the perfect snickerdoodle, thanks to the addition of browned butter & dark brown sugar for even more flavor. These easy-to-make, super soft cookies are sure to be a hit with friends and family!
Why you will love these brown butter snickerdoodles
- Aromatic brown butter. The nuttiness, almost butterscotch, caramel-like flavor, that brown butter adds to the cookies is *mwah* chef’s kiss.
- Crispy edges & soft centers. These cookies have a lightly crisp exterior, with the edges more set than the puffy centers. They are unbelievably tender thanks to the extra egg yolk, dark brown sugar, and cornstarch. AND they stay soft for days.
- Warm cinnamon spice. The combination of ground cinnamon in the dough and the cinnamon sugar coating delivers that classic snickerdoodle warmth and spice.
Key ingredients
- Brown butter: unsalted European butter is used in this recipe. The higher fat content contributes to the wonderful flavor and texture of the cookies. Browning the butter adds a rich, nutty, almost caramel-like flavor.
- Dark brown sugar & granulated sugar: these sugars provide sweetness and moisture to the dough. Dark brown sugar brings a hint of molasses, adding to the flavor and texture.
- Egg and egg yolk: these add moisture and richness to the dough, contributing to the soft and chewy texture of the cookies.
- All purpose flour: the main structure builder, flour provides the necessary body and texture to the cookies.
- Baking soda & cream of tartar: baking soda helps with the cookies’ rise, while cream of tartar contributes to their characteristic tangy flavor and chewiness.
- Cinnamon: the classic spice in snickerdoodles adding warmth and sweetness.
- Cornstarch: the secret ingredient for the perfect texture. Cornstarch keeps the cookies soft and tender on the inside.
Steps
- Brown the butter. Toast the butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Let it completely melt and crack/sizzle in the pan, then it will start to foam up. Once this happens, you should begin to see brown bits swirling around in the butter. Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the wet ingredients to the butter. Add the dark brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Add the egg & egg yolk and whisk to combine.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Chill. Cover tightly and chill the dough for three hours.
- Make the sugar coating. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Scoop and toss the dough in the cinnamon sugar. Space the cookies 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will be set on the edges and puffy in the center.
FAQ
Yes, you can use regular unsalted butter if you don’t have European. Just add 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of extra butter to the recipe before browning to compensate for the lower fat content.
Yes! Chill the dough until firm, then store in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for 24 hours maximum.
Absolutely! Portion the dough into balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar, and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to a zip-lock bag. Bake straight from the freezer, adding a minute or two to the baking time. You may need to roll them again in cinnamon sugar.
Of course! While the cinnamon sugar coating is a hallmark of snickerdoodles, you can omit it if you prefer.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze them in an airtight container for up to three months.
Don’t over measure your flour!! That is the most common mistake in cookies. Make sure to use a kitchen scale for optimal results. Also, make sure you’re not over-baking them. Take them out of the oven when the edges are set but the centers are still slightly undercooked.
This can result from warm dough or a hot oven. Make sure your dough is well-chilled before baking, and don’t overcrowd the baking sheet. I put the container of dough in the fridge between batches to keep it cold.
Baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. I cannot stress this enough – a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure accurate results. They are cheap and will make cleaning up SO much easier.
- Chill the dough. Chilling the dough controls spread and it gives the ingredients the chance to emulsify, resulting a much deeper, caramel-like flavor.
- Let the brown butter chill in the fridge before adding the other ingredients. The butter will get very hot during the browning process, so make sure you give it enough time to chill. Otherwise, the hot butter may cook the egg.
- Use an oven thermometer. Making sure your oven is calibrated correctly and is at the right temperature is incredibly important. If your oven runs hot, the cookies may spread too much too quickly.
- Use a cookie scoop. Cookie scoops are one of my favorite kitchen tools. It makes scooping the chilled cookie dough so much easier, and you don’t have to get the dough all over your hands.
- Cookie scoot. “Cookie scooting” is taking something circular (a cookie cutter, as an example) and gently scooting the cookies after they are removed from the oven. This makes the cookies the perfect circular shape. You can also use a mug, a glass storage container, etc.
Baking in grams
While I provide volume measurements for the recipes on my blog, I highly suggest baking these recipes using weight. It is the most standardized and accurate way to bake. I carefully recipe test all of my recipes using a kitchen scale, not by using cups, and therefore I cannot guarantee the success of my recipes when using volume measurements.
Other recipes you may like
- Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
- White Chocolate Maple Oat Cookies
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Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 184 grams (13 tablespoons) unsalted Kerrygold butter, browned to 150 grams*
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) dark brown sugar
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 250 grams (2 cups) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 grams (2 teaspoons) cornstarch
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 66 grams (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Equipment
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, ground cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. It will start to crack and sizzle – let it do this while stirring occasionally. After a few minutes or so, the butter cracking/sizzling will subside and the butter will begin to foam up in the pan.
- Every few seconds or so, swirl the pan around until you can see that the butter is golden brown. You should also be able to see some of the brown bits swirling around in the butter. Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl and put in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes.
- After the 10 minutes, remove the butter from the fridge and add the dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
- Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk well until completely combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Cover the bowl tightly and chill the dough for at least 3 hours.
- Once the three hours is almost up, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for the coating.
- Scoop the dough using a cookie scoop and roll it in the cinnamon sugar so it is generously coated. I used a 1.125 oz cookie scoop, approximately 40 grams or 2 heaping tablespoons.
- Space the cookies on the prepared baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set and centers are puffy. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then enjoy warm or transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If you are using regular butter (not European), add an extra 1 ½-2 tablespoons of butter to the recipe before browning.
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
I love these recipes and these cookies in particular are amazingly delish! Truth be told there is not one recipe of hers I’ve made thus far (and I’ve made many) that I haven’t come away not wanting to repeat. The genius behind these cookies in particular lies in the type of Butter (I used Kerrygold). After the first taste, I immediately was kicking myself for not doubling the recipe. Do yourself a favor and ensure you are using top-notch quality ingredients as well as a kitchen scale. It’s an investment that will pay dividends on your tastebuds long term! These cookies are great for autumn, the winter holidays or on any day ending in “y.”
Christopher in Pennsylvania
Thank you so much Christopher! This made my day
These are amazing! Just made a batch, my husband and I devoured them. I didn’t use European butter, just regular, but I didn’t end up increasing the tablespoons per the note and the cookies were still perfect. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
This was my first time making snickerdoodles and WOW! They came out looking exactly like the ones on the picture and are so so good! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay!! Enjoy 🙂