Using homemade browned butter and plenty of cinnamon sugar, these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles are so delicious and a unique twist on the classic cookie flavor! They are chewy on the insides with perfectly crisp edges, and can be baked up into your perfect serving size.
I love this recipe for snickerdoodles because the dough all comes together all in one bowl, and it doesn't even require a mixer! These make the perfect cookie to add to your Christmas cookie exchange box; and they also fit the bill for anytime of the year that your sweet tooth has a craving.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving (2 cookies): $0.15
- Total Cost (about 40 cookies): $2.96
- Those Other Guys: $6.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Cooled Brown Butter - To get that unique depth of flavor, we're using browned butter instead of regular melted/softened butter. I have a blog post for How to Brown Butter that goes into more detail on this!
- Sugar & Cinnamon - Most of our granulated sugar goes into the recipe, but there's also another quarter cup that we use to mix with cinnamon. Before baking, roll the dough into the cinnamon-sugar mix for that signature snickerdoodle taste.
- Cream of Tartar - A signature ingredient for snickerdoodles that helps keep them pillowy soft, and adds a small amount of tang that the cookies are known for! If you need to use up more of the container, try my Royal Icing recipe.
- Egg - A binding agent for the cookies. If you can, get them to room temperature before mixing in.
- Cornstarch - This ingredient helps our cookies bake up nice and soft. I love to add a little cornstarch to recipes where we use brown butter, since that process removes some moisture from the dough!
Variations and Substitutions
Chocolate Dipped Snickerdoodles: Melt some dark, milk, or white chocolate and dip the sides of the cookies. I've also dipped the entire bottom of the cookie to make a really nice chocolate coating.
Chai Snickerdoodles: Roll the cookie dough in a delicious chai spice. If you eat a few of these for breakfast, I won't judge!
Eggnog Snickerdoodles: Add a little bit of rum extract to the cookie dough, and pour a pinch of nutmeg into the cinnamon sugar coating.
How to Make Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Step 1: To begin, add your cooled brown butter and sugar to a mixing bowl.
For an in-depth tutorial on browning butter, see my post on How to Brown Butter here.
Step 2: Pour in vanilla extract and add two room temperature eggs. Mix until combined.
Step 3: At this point, the bowl should be smooth with small pieces of browned butter bits throughout.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients.
Stir into the mixing bowl in two separate batches until a thick dough forms.
Step 5: Preheat your oven to 350℉.
Portion out balls of dough using a cookie scoop to get even-sized cookies.
Step 6: Roll the dough into a bowl of cinnamon sugar. The cookie dough doesn't have to be a perfect circle!
Bake for 8-9 minutes, then let finish cooking on the hot pan. Once they have set, you can move to a cooling rack.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Your finished cookie is determined by the butter stage. For the more spread out, thin cookies: cool the brown butter to room temperature and liquid. If you want more rounded, puffy cookies: chill the brown butter until soft and solid.
- Don't overbake! Like all of my cookie recipes, it's much better to underbake them in the oven and let them finish cooking completely on the hot pan outside of the oven. This helps the cookies stay soft and chewy for days.
Recipe FAQs
This is a signature ingredient for snickerdoodles for a reason! Cream of tartar helps keep the cookies pillowy soft, and it also adds a small amount of tangy flavor that the cookies are known for. You can find cream of tartar in the spice aisle.
Yes, these will freeze beautifully!
To freeze the unbaked dough: Portion them out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until they are solid, then add the dough balls to a large freezer-safe bag. This will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can bake from frozen (adding a few extra minutes to your total cook time) or let the dough come to room temperature on the counter before baking.
To freeze fully-baked cookies: Store in a freezer-safe bag with sheets of parchment in between each layer. When you're ready to eat, let the cookies come to room temperature on the counter.
I recommend freezing the dough before rolling, and adding the cinnamon sugar coating right before baking. Sometimes, the freezing process can affect the texture of the sugar on top of the cookie!
Other Easy Dessert Recipes You'll Crave!
If you tried this Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Saucepot for browning butter
- 3 Small Bowls
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Cookie Scoop
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Sheet
Ingredients
Browned Butter
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons salted butter
Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
- 2 count eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
Browned Butter
- Start by slicing the butter into even pats, about 1 tablespoon cubes.1 cup + 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Add to a saucepan with a light colored bottom and cook over medium heat, consistently stirring, for about 10-15 minutes.
- The butter will bubble and foam at the top, and will turn a golden brown color with a nutty aroma. Small brown specks of milk solids will form at the bottom; continue to stir so they don't stick to the pan.
- Once that's done, immediately transfer the browned butter to a heat-safe bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Cookie Dough Assembly
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In another mixing bowl, mix together the cooled browed butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract; stir well.1 ½ cups granulated white sugar, 2 count eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Fold in the dry ingredients until a thick dough forms.
- In one more small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.¼ cup granulated white sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
- Use a cookie scoop to create cookie dough balls and roll them into the cinnamon sugar. Add the coated dough balls to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until the cookies are slightly golden brown around the edges.
- Let them cool slightly on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Callie Smith says
These are so good and chewy!! I brought some to a cookie exchange in my neighborhood and they flew off of the table.
Shani H. says
Yum! Let me know when the next exchange is 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipe Callie!