Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Name: Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 10 - 12
Ingredients: 1 c. (2 sticks) salted butter; 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; 1 1/3 c. sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

These soft cookies melt in your mouth.

By Ree DrummondPublished: Nov 9, 2024

3 Ratings

the pioneer woman's brown butter sugar cookies recipe

C.W. Newell

Yields:

10 - 12

Prep Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 30 mins

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If you love soft, melt-in-your mouth sugar cookies, you've come to the right place. These big sugar cookies remind me of ones you'd get at a bakery, but with one special ingredient: glorious brown butter.

Brown butter is one of life's greatest pleasures, whether it's drizzled over mashed potatoes or mixed into cookie dough. It's such an easy way to elevate recipes because it doesn't take a lot of effort but the payoff is big. In this recipe, the brown butter gives the cookies a decadently rich, nutty, almost caramel-like flavor that is absolutely magical. You must make them immediately. Sorry to be bossy, but you absolutely must.

How can you tell if butter is brown?

You can tell by both its color and its aroma. The butter will initially sizzle and foam (be sure to give it swirl or stir pretty often), but as it cooks, some of the foaming will subside, the color will darken from golden to golden brown, you'll see toasted milk solids on the bottom of the pan, and the butter will smell nutty. When you get to this point, pull it off the heat. Butter can very quickly go from brown to burnt! Pour it into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process and let it cool.

Do you have to chill brown butter sugar cookie dough?

Yes! After you roll the scoops of dough in the sugar coating, pop 'em in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking. This gives the butter a chance to firm up so the cookies don't spread too thin. The dough balls will stay good for up to three days in an airtight container in the fridge, but if you're chilling them past the required 15 minutes, wait until right before baking to roll them in sugar.

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Ingredients

Directions

1. Step 1Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Step 2In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Let cook until medium golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat to stop the cooking. Transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl or measuring cup and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Step 3In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. Step 4In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cooled butter with 1 1/3 cups of the sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until just combined.
5. Step 5Put the remaining 1/4 cup sugar on a shallow plate. Using a 1/3-cup scoop, scoop the dough directly into the sugar. Roll to coat well and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press lightly to flatten the tops. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
6. Step 6Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Step 7Arrange the cookie dough mounds on 2 unlined baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cookies are just set and the edges are lightly golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheets, about 5 minutes, before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Tip: Brown butter sugar cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months. Let the cookies thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. The unbaked scooped dough can be frozen for up to three months; bake them from frozen, adding one to two minutes to the bake time.