Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Closeup of Brown Butter Sugar Cookie with bite missing, with more cookies stacked in the background.

Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

These Brown Butter Sugar Cookies elevate your average sugar cookie with the nutty, caramelized flavor of brown butter! So simple and scrumptious, they may just become your new favorite cookie recipe!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 7

Cooling Time (for brown butter) 30

Total Time 1 7

Servings cookies

Calories 104kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Baking Sheets
Nonstick Parchment
Medium Cookie Scoop (about 1.5 Tablespoons in volume)

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste (see note)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To Brown Butter

Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, swirl the pan occasionally to help promote even browning of the butter. Foam will form on top, this is normal!
As the butter browns, it will bubble and sputter and the foam will begin to dissipate a bit. Keep a close watch on the butter, as it's easy to burn! It's easy to know when the butter is done: it will be quiet! Just listen for the bubbling and sputtering to be nearly stopped, then it's perfectly browned! The browning process typically takes 10-15 minutes total.
After removing the browned butter from the heat, pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

For Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment (see note) and set aside.
Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine the brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add eggs one at a time, allowing the first egg to incorporate before adding the second. Add the vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine.
With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
With a medium cookie scoop (see note), scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart (if using a spoon, each scoop should be about 1.5 tablespoons in volume). Roll the dough into balls, then coat in sugar, if desired. Bake 7-9 minutes, then cool at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
For smaller cookies, use a small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon in volume; see note). This recipe will yield about 60 small cookies, which bake up in 6-8 minutes.
The cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for a few up to three days, or up to three months in an airtight container in the freezer. Once baked, the cookies will keep for up to five days in an airtight container on your counter, or up to three months in the freezer.
Enjoy!

Notes

Note on parchment: I like using nonstick parchment on my pans to ensure no sticking and for easier cleanup.

Note on cookie scoop: I used a medium cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough. This helps me to keep them more uniform in size and to keep my hands clean. If you're using a spoon, you'll want about 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie.

For smaller cookies, use a small cookie scoop (about one tablespoon in volume) and bake 6-8 minutes. You'll get about 60 cookies using the small scoop.

Nutrition