Chewy Brown Butter Sugar Cookies Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links.
These Brown Butter Sugar Cookies are a nice twist on your basic sugar cookies. The brown butter adds some nice depth to this cookie and they are lightly iced for a sweet finish.
This Brown Butter cookie recipe is a fun take on classic sugar cookies and does they do not have granulated sugar and they not require any special ingredients as it is all in how the butter is browned.
This lightly iced chewy cookies is delicious with brown butter flavor.
Why This Recipe
Browned butter adds dimension and flavor to cookies. There is a nutty, rich flavor that just makes this simple cookie recipe delicious and rich.
The key is to brown the butter just enough and not overcook it. You can use browned butter in other recipes too and I encourage you to try it and change things up a bit. The key is to heat the butter until the color turns light amber.
I use a simple two-ingredient icing for these cookies because that is all they need. The result is a delicious cookie!
Note – These are made with pecans for an added crunch and flavor, but feel free to omit.
Ingredients For brown butter sugar cookie recipe
Butter – You muse use real butter for this recipe, margarine will not work. I prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the recipe, but you can use salted if that is what you have on hand. Butter should be at room temperature.
Applesauce – Applesauce adds a rich flavor to recipes and is a great substitute for oil. I buy the six-pack of lunch-sized servings to keep them fresh for recipes. This recipe uses one individual applesauce container.
Brown Sugar – The molasses in brown sugar adds a nice dimension to the cookies. You can use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar.
Pecans – I love using pecans in cookies, you can omit if you wish.
Flour – I use all-purpose flour for these cookies.
Egg Yolk – You will just need one egg yolk for this recipe.
Spices – Cinnamon, salt and Vanilla extract are needed for these cookies.
Powdered Sugar – Powder sugar for the icing.
Just a few equipment items are needed for this recipe:
- Large bowl and a medium bowl
- Wood Spoon or Rubber Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheets
- Cookie or ice cream scoop – they really help to make nearly perfect round cookies
- Cooling Rack
Full details in recipe card below.
How to Make Brown Butter Cookies
Step 1 – Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2 – Mix the egg yolk, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed in a large mixing bowl bowl.
Step 3 – In a large bowl (separate bowl) add chopped walnuts, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
Save The Recipe!
Add your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox+ you’ll receive all our newest recipes
Step 4 – Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients wioth mixer on low speed and blend well. The texture will be thinner than standard sugar cookies. Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet
Step 5 – Bake cookies in the oven and check after 10 minutes. Edges of the cookies should be a golden brown. When done, transfer the cookies to a baking rack to continue cooling.
Then frost with the icing by drizzling icing with a spoon over the cookies.
Timesaving tips to make this perfect every time
- When heating the butter, keep it on the heat until the butter turns an amber color. There will be little browned butter bits in the mixture.
- Use a parchment-lined baking sheet for even baking and easier clean-up.
- If the brown butter sugar cookie dough is too thin, you can add a little more flour to the batter.
- Pre chop your walnuts so that they are ready to go for recipes. Walnuts can be stored in the freezer to maintain freshness.
- Store cookies in an airtight container.
FAQ
Can I Add Chocolate Chips to Brown Butter Cookies?
Yes, you can add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to the recipe, if desired.
Can You Freeze Brown Butter Cookies
Yes, these Brown Butter Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
What does browned butter do to cookies?
Browning the butter helps to develop a light caramel flavor that elevates the taste of the cookies.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies. Bakery-style chocolate chip cookie recipe
S’mores cookies – Perfect for any time of year with the sweet taste of S’mores
Nutella Cookies – An awesome cookie for the Nutella lover in your home
Soft Snickerdoodles – light cinnamon cookies that are like air!
Award Sugar Cookie Recipe – this recipe makes the perfect, crisp sugar cookie!
Sour Cream Lemon Cookies – Deliciously light cookies with lemon and a light icing.
DoubleTree Chocolate Chip cookies – My twist on these hotel-chain favorites
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – These are a wonderful combination – soft and chewy!
Confetti Cookies – Colorful shortbread cookies with sprinkles.
Crumble Copycat Cookies – A delicious chocolate chip copycat cookie
Brown Butter Cookies
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- Cookie sheet
- Cookie scoop
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans chopped (optional)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop pecans if including and set aside.
- Melt butter in a skillet or heavy bottom medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.
- Swirl the butter in the pan or pot as it begins to boil. The butter should boil out the frothy phase and begin to turn an amber brown color. Remove, add to a bowl and let cool for 15 mins.
- In a large bowl add chopped pecans, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- In a small-medium sized bowl combine the egg yolk, applesauce, vanilla and brown sugar add in the cooled brown butter (Strain it if you have a lot of larger brown butter particles). Mix until combined on medium-high speed.
- Combine the egg and butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until well incorporated.
- Using an ice cream scoop or rounded spoon, drop cookie dough balls onto prepared paking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and the center firm.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 10 mins before removing them to a baking rack for icing.
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and milk in a bowl.
- Stir until there are no lumps.
- Using a spoon drizzle icing over cookies and let sit for about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
If you are not yet subscribing to my CELEBRATE THE SEASON newsletter, you can subscribe here. I share a few things that I don’t share here and I email you only once a week. I know how valuable your time is and respect that tremendously!
Cassidy makes these amazing Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies and is, in fact, making them for teachers this week back at school!
That said, the process of browning butter is so precise and worth it. It makes me think that these cookies would be simply wonderful, and don’t even need the additions of chocolate and candy.
Those look delicious!
Thanks Joanne!
The browned butter, along with the toasted walnuts takes these cookies to the next level! I didn’t even ice them and they were a huge hit!
So happy you loved them! Thank you for rating them!
Oh gosh these look phenomenal and the drizzle completes it! I wish I could reach in and grab one…how delish!
The drizzle makes the cookie!
These brown butter cookies are on my list to make this weekend! I love how you iced them on top top, yum!
Thank you – I hope you love them!
The drizzle on these cookies adds that extra bit of delicious flavor! My kids helped me make these cookies and we loved them.
I love baking with brown sugar and you added applesauce which also makes these cookies awesomely delicious. Thank you for sharing this awesome cookie recipe
Love brown butter specially the flavor it gives to desserts. Can’t wait to try these cookies. Thanks for sharing
Aah, I haven’t made anything with brown butter for years! I totally need to give these a try. I bet the brown butter adds so much flavor!
What a great idea to buy the lunch-sized containers to keep them for recipes! I always have the issue that I use 1/4 cup and then have almost 3 cups left. And these cookies look crazy great!
Oh man these cookies look amazing! I love the flavour of brown butter – these are going to be a hit for sure!
What a great idea to do a brown butter for a cookie. I love using brown butter in sauces for pasta. It gives such a wonderful caramelized flavor and wonderful almost nuttiness and color. I think being the cookie monster I am, these would be in grave danger!😁😍👌👍