Description
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies bring pure comfort straight from your kitchen, melting with rich, nutty sweetness that makes classic baking feel like a warm embrace. Browned butter and sugar blend into delicate treats perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
Base Sweeteners:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
Finishing and Leavening:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- White sanding sugar or granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Melt ½ cup butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. Swirl and stir constantly for 5-6 minutes until milk solids turn golden and release a nutty aroma. Transfer browned butter to a heatproof bowl.
- Refrigerate browned butter for 45 minutes until solidified but soft. Move butter to a mixing bowl and combine with ½ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until the mixture looks lighter and fluffy.
- Add 1 large room-temperature egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until completely incorporated, scraping the bowl’s sides as needed.
- Gently blend in 1 cup flour, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt on low speed. Your dough will feel slightly sticky and soft.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, creating about 12 portions. Place scooped dough on a parchment-lined plate and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll chilled dough balls in white sanding sugar.
- Arrange sugar-coated dough balls 3 inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F until cookie edges turn light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use a light-colored pan when browning butter so you can clearly see the color change and prevent burning.
- Chill the browned butter completely to ensure the right cookie texture and prevent spreading during baking.
- For gluten-free cookies, swap the all-purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum.
- Brown butter develops a deep, nutty flavor that transforms these simple sugar cookies into something extraordinary, so take your time during the browning process.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 7-8 minutes
- Cook Time: 11-13 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 160 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg