These easy brown butter sugar cookies bake in just 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how chewy or crispy you like them. And a mix of granulated + brown sugar and a quick chill in the fridge adds depth of flavor & ensures the cookies don't spread too much.
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These Rich Brown Sugar Cookies are a Love Letter to Brown Butter
I love baking sugar cookies, and a quick 10 minutes on the stove turns butter into rich & nutty brown butter. This is such an easy way to elevate cookies from simple to special, without spending hours decorating them.
For soft, chewy cookies I pull them out of the oven after 5 to 6 minutes. But when I want crispier biscuits that are perfect for dunking in tea, I leave them in for closer to 10 minutes.
When it comes to shapes & decoration for these roll-and-cut-out cookies, I like to keep it simple but still get creative. During the holidays, I'll reach for festive cookie cutters like evergreen trees and mittens. But in a pinch, I've used the rim of a drinking glass to cut out circles! Of course, you can leave your cookies plain (like I did for these photos) or add a dusting of powdered sugar on top like my Linzer cookies. If you want them to look extra fancy though, royal icing is the way to go, like my Lebkuchen.
Ingredients Needed: unsalted butter, all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
Let's Bake Holiday Cookies!
For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient quantities, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Make the brown butter.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients.
3. Beat the butter & sugars.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients.
7. Roll out the dough.
9. Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet.
4. Mix in the egg & vanilla.
6. Chill the cookie dough.
8. Cut out the cookies.
10. Bake until golden around the very edges.
Carissa's Baking Tip
I bake these cookies in two batches so I can bake the first half while I re-roll and cut out the remaining dough. You can use two baking sheets, or let the first one cool before baking your second batch.
Pro Tips for Baking with Brown Butter
- Watch It: Butter doesn't take long to brown, so I hover over the stove and remove it from the heat as soon as it smells toasty & I see brown flecks on the bottom of the pan to avoid a burnt flavor.
- Cool It: To avoid greasy cookies, I found that it's critical to let your brown butter cool and solidify into softened butter before mixing it into the dough.
- Chill It: After testing this recipe a few ways, a short chill in the fridge ensures the butter is solid so these cookies don't spread too much in the oven.
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies (Cut Out Cookies)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Brown Butter
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Whisk the butter as it gently simmers until the butter is golden, frothy, and you start to see flecks of brown at the bottom of the pan, after about 10 minutes. Transfer the butter to a large mixing bowl to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then another 30 minutes in the fridge, until it solidifies into softened butter.
Mix the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Once the butter has solidified but is still soft, use an electric hand mixer to beat the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until it's fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until it's creamy.
- Add the flour mixture and gently mix just until it forms a soft, cohesive dough.
- Dump the dough onto the counter and press into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
Shape & Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out the dough until it's about ¼-inch thick. If the dough is hard, allow it to warm up and soften just a bit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place the cut-out shapes onto your prepared baking sheet. You can roll out the dough and cut out more shapes once more from the dough.
- Bake the cookies for 5 to 7 minutes for slightly chewy cookies, for 7 to 9 minutes for crispy biscuits. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. If you're storing decorated cookies, place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper between cookie layers.
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