Brown Butter Snickerdoodles – The Almond Eater

October 3, 2024

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Classic snickerdoodles with a rich and buttery twist! These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles are super chewy, puffy, delightfully nutty, and rolled in cinnamon sugar, making them a must-bake for the holidays.

overview of brown butter snickerdoodles with a bite taken out of a cookie

Snickerdoodles are a classic holiday cookie with soft, chewy, and puffy bites, a unique tangy flavor, and a cinnamon sugar coating. They’re just plain perfect!

But my Brown Butter Snickerdoodles? They’re my take on an over-the-top, bakery-style version of the popular cookie. One taste and I know you’ll be hooked.

The rich, complex, and delightfully nutty brown butter makes these snickerdoodle cookies perfectly soft and chewy on the inside. Crisp around the edges with a delightful cinnamon sugar coating, you’ll want to share them with all of your family and friends around the holidays! Or, hide a stash in the freezer if you’d rather keep them all to yourself. I won’t tell!

Recipe features

An easy holiday cookie with rich and buttery bakery-worthy flavors, all thanks to brown butter!
Each cookie is soft and pillowy on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, and coated in sweet and comforting cinnamon sugar.
Just like my matcha snickerdoodle cookies, they’re a quick and easy treat you’ll be enjoying or sharing in less than 45 minutes.

Ingredients

Butter – Stick with unsalted butter. According to America’s Test Kitchen, unsalted butter doesn’t foam as much as salted butter during the browning process. With less foam in the pan, you’ll be able to monitor the color more closely.

Flour – All-purpose flour is the way to go here! Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe with flour alternatives but a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour might work as a substitute if you’re looking for gluten-free snickerdoodles.

Sugar – You need both light brown sugar and white sugar (or cane sugar) to give the cookies their signature cozy flavor and chewy texture. Save some extra white sugar for the cinnamon sugar coating, too!

Cinnamon – A must-have ingredient in any snickerdoodle recipe.

Instructions

Step 1: Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Whisk it constantly until it takes on a rich amber color and gives off a nutty smell. Pour it into a large bowl to cool.

2 images: the left image shows butter melted in a saucepan and the right image shows browned butter in a glass bowl with a whisk

Step 2: Make the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and beat the wet ingredients into the cooled butter. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and beat until everything is just combined.

Step 3: Roll into balls. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Use clean hands to roll pieces of the cookie dough into balls, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on a prepared baking sheet.

2 images: the left image shows a cookie dough ball placed on top of cinnamon sugar on a plate and the right image shows cookie dough balls rolled in cinnamon sugar placed on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

Step 4: Bake. Bake the snickerdoodles until golden brown. Set them aside to cool, then enjoy.

side view of brown butter snickerdoodles with a bite taken out of a cookie

Tips and FAQs

Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula as the butter is simmering to loosen any stuck milk solids. You need these for the color!
Take the pan off the heat as soon as the butter turns amber. If you heat it too long, the butter will burn.
Low on time? Make the brown butter ahead of time! You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. It will solidify as it chills, but you can melt or soften it before serving.
Do not overmix the cookie dough or else your cookies won’t be as puffy. Only beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until all of the flour is absorbed.
Gently press down on the cookies after they come out of the oven to give them the true snickerdoodle cookie shape and texture.

Tip

Brown the butter in a light-colored stainless steel saucepan. This makes it so much easier to see the color of the butter change.

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is simply melted butter that’s been gently simmered until it takes on a darker, chestnut-amber color and rich, nutty flavor.

Do I need cream of tartar to make snickerdoodles?

A mix of cream of tartar and baking soda is typically used instead of baking powder in snickerdoodles to give them a tangy flavor and puffy texture. You don’t always need it, though. In this recipe, I replaced the cream of tartar with baking powder and baking soda since the brown butter adds so much flavor.

How else can I use brown butter?

You can use brown butter in both sweet and savory recipes! It makes these roasted sweet potatoes completely irresistible, adds complexity to this brussels sprouts salad, and, just like these snickerdoodles, makes these pumpkin crepes extra comforting.

Basically, brown butter goes well anywhere you’d use regular butter. Toss it with pasta, risotto, or roasted vegetables, drizzle it over seared steak or salmon, or bake it into blondies, chocolate chip cookies, fudge, and more.

Storage

Room temperature: Store the leftover cookies in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days.

Freezer: The baked cookies freeze well for up to 6 months in a freezer-safe container. The raw cookie dough balls (without the cinnamon sugar) will also freeze well for up to 3 months. They can be baked from frozen but will need an extra few minutes in the oven.

a stack of brown butter snickerdoodles with a bite taken out of the top cookie

More holiday cookies

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!