Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies are a combination of everything there is to love about drop sugar cookies and brown butter cookies, not to mention they are soft, chewy, and delicious!
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies Recipe
As a lover of all things sweet and indulgent, I must say that brown butter sugar cookies are one of my absolute favorites. The nutty, caramelized flavor of brown butter pairs perfectly with the richness of my classic drop sugar cookie, making them an irresistible treat for any occasion. So whether you’re a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, these cookies are definitely worth a try!
My take on a brown butter sugar cookie has a melt-in-your-mouth, buttery-crunch of an exterior that meets a sweet and chewy interior—one bite will have you wanting more!
If you know someone who loves buttery cookies, too but happens to be GF- check out these Gluten Free Butter Cookies!
Jump to Recipe
Ingredients for Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
- Salted Butter – These cookies wouldn’t be what they are without the butter, so I highly recommend sticking with salted butter for this recipe!
- Sugar – of the granulated kind
- Egg
- Corn Syrup – This helps give the cookies a nice, chewy texture when finished baking.
- Canola Oil – The key to our melty, buttery-crunchy exterior! Including Canola Oil will help the cookies spread while baking, but this can be replaced with milk depending on your personal preference.
- Vanilla – Just a bit to help enhance the overall flavor. My heart is with Lorann Oils or Watkins brand of Vanilla.
- Flour – Any all-purpose flour will do!
- Baking Soda
- Salt
How to make Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
How to brown butter
- In a small saucepan, heat your butter on low, stirring constantly until the color of the butter turns a golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma.
- Immediately transfer the brown butter to a cool bowl or container. This stops the cooking process so your browned butter doesn’t burn.
- Allow the butter to sit in the cool bowl until it comes to room temperature. Then, place in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes or until the butter is back to a solid form.
Making the Sugar Cookie Dough
- Once the butter has returned to a solid, preheat your oven to 350℉
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), combine the brown butter and granulated sugar until it is light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the corn syrup, canola oil, and vanilla.
- Mix together until well combined. Then, add in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough. For small cookies, use 1 ½ tbsp of dough (#40 scoop) and for larger cookies, use 3 tbsp of dough (#24 scoop). Arrange on a cookie sheet.
- Place in your preheated oven (350℉) and bake until the cookies spread slightly and expand in size. For the small cookies, bake roughly 7-9 minutes. For the large cookies, around 9-11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 additional minutes once taken out of the oven. Then, simply transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack.
What is brown butter and how does it differ from regular butter?
Brown butter is the outcome of browning the milk contents within the used butter when heated. Through this process, the flavor and aroma of the butter are significantly enhanced.
Can I substitute regular butter for brown butter in this recipe?
While you can theoretically substitute regular butter for brown butter, the flavor of the finished cookies would be very different. The brown butter used in this recipe has a unique nut-like flavor and aroma to it, something you will not attain from regular butter. I recommend using brown butter if possible!
How do I make brown butter for these cookies?
The process is less complicated than it may sound. Brown butter is created when slowly cooking butter over heat and stirring it often. This process cooks the milk components of the used butter, resulting in a browned color, nutty aroma and flavor. Be careful not to overcook your butter, as it is possible to burn it!
Can I freeze Brown Butter Sugar Cookies to keep them fresh?
Yes! These cookies freeze GREAT!! If you wish to freeze your leftover cookies, arrange them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and then freeze just like that for 1 hour. At that point, you can toss all of the cookies into a freezer zip top bag without the cookies freezing together.
How do I store Brown Butter Sugar Cookies to keep them fresh?
First and foremost, check to be sure your cookies have completely cooled before storing them! Hot cookies will create condensation, which will leave the other cookies they are stored with soggy. I recommend storing your brown butter sugar cookies inside an air-tight container to maintain their crunchy exterior and soft and chewy interior.
Can I add other flavors or mix-ins to my Brown Butter Sugar Cookies?
Absolutely! Here are a few ideas of what you could add in:
- chocolate chips
- chopped nuts
- toffee bits
- dried fruit
- shredded coconut
- peanut butter chips
- m+m’s
Recipes similar to Brown Butter Sugar Cookies that you will love!
- Edible Sugar Cookie Dough For One
- Drop Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Almond Joy Cookie
- Recipe for Cornflake Cookies
- Butter Pecan Cookie
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, heat your butter on low, stirring constantly until the color of the butter turns a golden brown color and it gives off a nutty aroma.
- Immediately transfer the brown butter to a cool bowl or container to stop the cooking so the butter doesn't burn.
- Allow the butter to sit until close to room temperature and then place in the fridge for approx 30 minutes, or until the butter is back to it’s solid form.
- Once the butter is back to being solid, preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown butter and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg, canola oil, corn syrup and vanilla extract.
- Mix until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Mix until a soft dough comes together.Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough. For small cookies, use 1 1/2 tbsp of dough (#40 scoop) and for larger cookies use 3 tbsp of dough (#24 scoop).
- Arrange on a cookie sheet.Bake at 350° F until the cookies spread slightly and expand. For the small cookies, about 7-9 minutes. For the larger cookies, for 9-11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
These came out well, but I had to guess at the amount of corn syrup, as it is not listed in the ingredients.
These were absolutely delicious- now one of my favorites! I drizzled homemade salted caramel on them- absolutely divine! You mentioned adding corn syrup in the description, but the amount wasn’t listed in the recipe. I guessed and added 2 Tablespoons- they turned out great!🤷♀️
I love the flavor of brown butter! Tried the recipe, great flavor and tender but they fell flat. I followed the recipe exactly as it said. Butter to flour ratio?? Need to refrigerate dough 1st?? Help please
Hi Gayle- is it possible that the butter didn’t brown for quite long enough?
Anything you’d recommend as a substitute for corn syrup?
You can just omit- the cookies own’t spread quite as much without it though so I would flatten them a bit.
I just made these cookies. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. They’re perfectly soft and chewy. Subtle crisp on the outside. The FLAVOR!!!! Seriously chef’s kiss!!!! Thank you so so much for sharing, Karli. 💛
These just came out of my oven and they are SO yummy!!
The recipe was very easy and quick! The only time consuming part is waiting for your browned butter to solidify again.
I definitely recommend you try these!
These are AMAZING!!! Will be making these on repeat!