Chewy Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies
Behold, the chewiest, most flavorful cookie you’ve ever tasted. They’re crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside – these chewy brown butter brown sugar cookies are the perfect brown butter cookie recipe to bake during the fall or throughout the year.
We all know that when fall rolls around there’s nothing that tops the menu more than something made with brown butter or something made with brown sugar. We could easily just stick to classic brown butter cookies or brown sugar cookies, but why not combine the 2 into a delicious brown butter brown sugar cookie? That’s my thinking on it at least.
I love a good chewy sugar cookie, and I based this recipe off of another sugar cookie recipe that I’ve always loved here on the blog. Because we’re using brown butter, though, we’re going to use a bit more butter and a lot more brown sugar. In fact, we’re skipping the granulated sugar all together (except for rolling the cookies in it at the end).
Why this recipe works
There’s nothing worse than finding a recipe online, baking it, and it flops. All of the recipes on the blog are tested multiple times before I bring you the final product, and this one gets extra fail-proof cookie points because it’s based on another sugar cookie I developed recently.
I made sure to use extra butter for these brown butter cookies because as you’re browning the butter, moisture evaporates – resulting in less butter than you had at the beginning of the recipe. We still want the cookies to have a slight spread to them, so by using an extra 2 Tbsp we can offset some of the moisture lost in the browning process.
I also love this chewy cookie recipe because we’re using cinnamon and nutmeg in the actual cookie dough. Nutmeg + brown sugar + brown butter all wrapped up into 1 delicious cookie is a true match made in heaven.
What is brown butter?
Brown butter is a cooking and baking delicacy. Browning butter is essentially the process of toasting the milk solids of butter in a saucepan over a small amount of heat until they begin to turn a deep amber color, kind of like making homemade caramel in a way. It’s similar in that the toasting process happens slowly at first, as the milk solids are separating from the fat, but then browns rapidly (like caramel does).
I’ve burned many batches of brown butter in my days – mostly because I get distracted and walk away from it at the wrong moment. But I don’t want that to happen to you, so I created a step-by-step post walking you through the entire process, including photos so you really can’t go wrong. A fail-proof chewy cookie is a good chewy cookie, right?
Some equipment you may need…
- Stand mixer: if you’re new to baking, this is something I’d recommend saving up for. You can do so much with this one piece of equipment – I really couldn’t recommend it enough. This one from KitchenAid is the one I have in my kitchen and I don’t know that I’ll ever get a new one!
- Cookie scoop: the cookie dough – more like cookie batter – is very loose in this recipe so you’ll need a good scoop to ensure you get equally-sized cookies. It makes the process a lot easier – trust me!
- Sheet pans: just a universal pan that every baker needs. You’ll need 2 for this recipe!
- Mixing bowls: I love these glass mixing bowls from Amazon. They’re especially perfect for food photography.
- Wooden spoon: I only use wooden spoons and rubber spatulas when I’m baking, and I love these!
- Measuring cups/spoons: I’ve been linking these in all of my posts because I love them SO much! They are beautiful and look just like some other expensive ones on the market (but wayyy cheaper).
Ingredients for Chewy Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies
We’ll only need a few ingredients for this recipe, so be sure to grab these the next time you’re at the store!
- All-purpose flour – I almost always use King Arthur flours, because I think consistency is important when developing recipes. Protein content can vary between brands, so I’d recommend sticking with King Arthur as well!
- Baking soda – for this recipe we’re using a chemical leavening agent. This is what will give our cookies a slight fluffy rise to them.
- Cream of tartar – kind of an unusual ingredient for a cookie recipe, but a very important one. Cream of tartar is an acid, and because baking soda is a base, the 2 will react when heat touches them to give the cookies their fluffy texture. You can read more about that process here.
- Kosher salt – Diamond crystal kosher salt is the brand I always use in my recipes!
- Ground cinnamon – I’ve always loved brown butter and cinnamon together, so I thought why not!
- Ground nutmeg – we’re only using a pinch here, but even that will do exactly what we want it to. You can definitely use freshly grated nutmeg as well if you’d like, just make sure you use a proper tool to get the texture very fine.
- Unsalted butter – again, we’re using more butter here than you typically would in a cookie recipe, but that’s because some of the moisture will evaporate during the browning process. Increasing the amount you start with will help mitigate any lost moisture.
- Light brown sugar – all brown sugar here people. Brown sugar provides more of a molasses flavor, and also leads to less browning around the edges than granulated sugar would. It creates the perfect texture and flavor for this brown sugar cookie recipe
- Large eggs – we’ll be using both whole eggs and an egg yolk for this recipe. Egg yolks are always something I love adding to cookie recipes because they add so much chewy texture.
- Pure vanilla extract – this is a time you’ll want to skip the vanilla “flavoring.” It tastes incredibly artificial and you’ll wish you had used pure vanilla extract. Just look for the word “pure” on the label. Pro-tip: for extra flavor points try using vanilla bean paste. It’s a little bit more expensive but will combine with the brown sugar and brown butter in a beautiful way.
- Granulated sugar – we’ll roll our cookie dough in some granulated sugar before we bake them. This will give our cookies a very pleasant crisp crunch on the outside as you bite into the chewy centers – not to mention that it makes the cookies sparkle.
Possible ingredient substitutions
Light brown sugar vs dark brown sugar
This is certainly an option for these cookies, though I will say I’ve tested it with both and far prefer the light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can give almost a “molasses” flavor, and because this is the only sugar we’re using in the actual dough, it really stands out. I also went with light brown sugar because it’s what most people keep in their kitchen. If you’re looking for a deeper flavor, you could try doing half-light half-dark. If you do try that, let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email (sarah@sarahsdayoff.com).
Salted butter
If you don’t have unsalted butter on hand or you’d just rather use salted butter, feel free. Just reduce the salt amount to 1/4 tsp kosher salt.
Whole eggs
You can substitute the egg yolk in the recipe for a whole egg, though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as the yolk is responsible for providing a chewy cookie texture.
If it’s the separating of the egg that intimidates you, don’t let it! It’s really very simple. Here’s the process:
- Grab a small bowl and place it in front of you
- Tap the egg on the counter 2 times to make a slight crack without opening it
- Turn the crack towards the ceiling and place your thumbs on the crack
- Gently pull the egg open, and if you’ve done a good job with your tapping, it should split the egg shell in half
- Over the bowl, pull the 2 egg shell halves apart, keeping the egg yolk in 1 of the halves
- Transfer the yolk back and forth between the 2 shell halves. You’ll notice that the egg white will naturally slip out as you’re moving the yolk from side to side
- Continue this process until all you’re left with is the egg yolk. You’ll be able to tell when you get to that stage. It should only take a few passes between each shell half
- Make sure you keep your egg white for another recipe like this swiss meringue buttercream or this chocolate s’mores tart.
There are many different ways to separate eggs, but I’ve found this is the easiest. It’s the same process I use when making homemade ice cream, French buttercream, and French silk pie, so it’s definitely a good, basic kitchen skill to develop!
My Kitchen Tips:
Do NOT overbake
I know this one is obvious, but I wanted to include it very first because it is SO easy to do! Because these are brown sugar AND brown sugar cookies, they’ll obviously be brown before you bake them. This means we can’t really see when the cooking process is finishing as you would be able to in regular sugar cookies (fluffy sugar cookies, sugar cookie cut-outs, and soft sugar cookies alike). Usually you can see just the teensiest bit of browning happening around the edges and you’d remove them, but trust me that you just can’t really see anything happening in this recipe.
Here’s what makes it even tougher: when you touch the edges of the cookies, they’ll feel like they’re not finished baking, but once your timer hits 10 minutes, they are done. No questions asked. They’ll be rock solid if they go any longer and you wait for the typical cues of a properly baked cookie.
Want perfectly round cookie edges?
Don’t we all? I love a perfect looking cookie, so when you pull them from the oven, grab a big circle cookie cutter and move it in a circle motion around the cookie. You’ll see this will begin to pull some of the wonky edges back to a more uniform placement. You can also use the rim of a large drinking glass for this.
FAQs
Do I have to brown the butter?
No, certainly not. It does add a lot of flavor to these cookies, but if you don’t have time or just don’t want to, you can skip this step. Just reduce the amount of butter to 1 cup (2 sticks).
Can I use granulated sugar instead of brown sugar?
Yes, you can use granulated sugar. The cookies will be more similar to this sugar cookie recipe, but you can use the same amount of granulated sugar that you would brown sugar. Continue with the recipe as it writes.
How to store?
I keep these cookies (completely cooled) at room temperature in an airtight container or plastic bag. People can come and go as they please!
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes, I’m always a fan of freezing cookie dough. Sometimes you don’t want to bake an entire batch, you just want 1 cookie. You can check out this post on how to freeze cookie dough for a little guidance.
Do I need to chill the cookie dough?
You do not need to chill this dough, though it will yield a chewier cookie. If you do choose to chill the dough, be sure to let it come back to room temperature before you bake the cookies. They won’t spread as well if the dough is too cold.
How to know when brown sugar cookies are done
Like I said above, these cookies are a little tricky because they use only brown sugar in the dough, so you really can’t see any browning taking place. For this recipe, I’d recommend setting a timer for the exact amount that I tell you in the recipe below, and stick to that! They’ll bake through. For other cookies, though, check out this post for more information on cookie doneness.
I hope you all love this simple brown sugar cookie recipe as much as I (and my family) do. I hope they put you in the fall mood and I hope you (like me), also eat them year round – you’ll be hooked once you bake them once 🙂
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on socials @sarahsdayoff so I can see them! I love seeing what you guys create in your kitchen, it truly brings me so much joy. If you have a question about this recipe or any others on my site feel free to email me at sarah@sarahsdayoff.com and I’d be happy to chat with you.
Happy baking 🙂
Love,
Sarah
“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” -Matthew 5:6-
Chewy Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 18 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a small saucepan over low heat 1 minute or until melted.
- Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, 7 to 10 minutes or until you notice the butter turning a dark golden brown color along the bottom of the pan. This browning process happens very quickly, so be sure to stay near your butter so that it doesn't burn!
- Immediately pour the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure to scrape all of the brown specks out of the saucepan. Chill at least 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until no longer warm to the touch.
- Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour granulated sugar into a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Add the brown sugar to the stand mixer bowl with the butter and mix on high for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until fully combined (I do this in 2 additions), being careful to not overmix.
- Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls, drop in the granulated sugar and roll to evenly coat. Place the cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for exactly 10 minutes (no more, no less). The cookies will seem like they're underdone, but they will set up as they cool. Cool completely on pans before moving to wire racks.
Notes
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