Brown Butter Cookies
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 12, 2025 
These Brown Butter Cookies are incredibly soft, chewy and packed with rich nutty flavors thanks to the caramelized brown butter.
Get Ready To Bake These Brown Butter Cookies On Repeat
You guys…There are no words for just how intensely buttery and decadent these cookies are.
I’m pretty darn proud of my classic “white” sugar cookies, but these Brown Butter Sugar Cookies definitely give the former a run for its money.
The secret to these totally addictive cookies is the brown sugar and brown butter combo, which makes for a richness and depth of flavor that is not usually found in a simple cookie recipe.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Trust me when I say that these chewy Brown Butter Cookies will take your cookie game to the next level! They’re the type of treat that needs to be locked in a cookie jar, because otherwise…well, they’ll disappear in a matter of time.
Why You’ll Love These Brown Butter Cookies
- Intense flavors – The brown butter gives these cookies a bold and rich caramelized flavor that you won’t find elsewhere.
- Easy to make – All you need to do is brown, mix, scoop and bake, and presto, you’re ready!
- Customizable – Mix in your favorites like chocolate chips, caramel pieces or nuts.
These cookies are a major crowd pleaser, so make sure to make enough of these no-fuss decadent sweets.
Ingredients and Tips
- Dry ingredients – You’ll need sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and packed brown sugar, either dark or light works.
- Butter – Use three sticks of unsalted butter.
- Eggs – You’ll need large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Go for a high-quality vanilla extract.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Chocolate chips – Fold into the flour mixture some dark, milk or white chocolate chips for a gooey chocolatey twist.
- Cinnamon – Sprinkle in ground cinnamon to make a version that will remind you of Snickerdoodles!
- Nuts – Add your favorite chopped nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans for a crunchy texture.
- Gluten-free – Use a gluten-free flour instead of regular flour.
- Dairy-free – Replace the butter with a plant-based version.
- Egg-free – Swap eggs with a flax-egg combo of ground flax and water.
How To Make Brown Butter Cookies
This Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Recipe is utterly divine. Soft, tender, ultra-rich, undeniably addictive, and most definitely on the list for my cookie exchange next year.
Find the full Brown Butter Cookies recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezing Dough – Freeze the scooped balls of dough and then place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. You can bake these straight from frozen.
Serving Suggestions
These Brown Butter Cookies are the perfect treat for an afternoon pickup and the best fix for your sweet tooth craving.
Enjoy these alongside a hot cup of tea or coffee, or dipped in milk. You can also turn these into ice cream sandwiches with a generous layer of vanilla ice cream in between each cookie.
Crumble these onto ice cream sundaes or Greek yogurt for a decadent twist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep an eye on the butter while browning it! The butter will turn brown very fast, so make sure you keep an eye on it and take it off once it starts to turn an amber color and smells nutty and caramel-y!
If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a spoon to ensure that you get cookie dough balls that are all very similar in size! This will ensure that the cookies are all done at the same time.
Cookies with brown butter can be made with either light or dark brown sugar! The cookies in the photos were made with light brown sugar. However, we’ve made them with dark brown sugar for an even richer flavor. Your call!
Brown butter is plain butter that has been simmered on the stovetop until brown. As the butter simmers, the milk protein particles separate and sink to the bottom of the pan. These particles are what are actually turning brown.
Allow the butter to simmer until the particles at the bottom are a deep teddy bear brown, then turn off the heat. The butter should smell rich and nutty, but not burnt.
Some people remove the protein particles for “clarified” brown butter, but I think leaving them in adds so much more flavor to any recipe. You will definitely notice the difference in flavor in browned butter cookies!
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Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Place the butter in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Watch the butter as it melts and simmers, stirring occasionally. Once the butter particles in the bottom of the pot have turned a dark teddy bear brown, and the butter is light brown, turn off the heat. It should smell nutty, not burnt. Place the butter in the refrigerator until in has solidified again.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Scrape the firm brown butter into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Make sure to scrape in all the dark particles… They add a lot of flavor! Add the brown sugar and beat the mixture on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. It's okay if there are a few brown sugar chunks left.
- Scrape the bowl and set the mixer of low. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Once well-combined, slowly add in the flour. Turn the mixer off when the mixture looks smooth.
- Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough. Roll the scoops into balls, then roll each ball in the granulated sugar to coat.
- Place the cookies two inches apart on the baking sheets. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press to dough balls into flat 1/2-inch disks.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should look golden around the edges, but a little under-baked in the center. Cool on the baking sheets.
How long does it take for the butter to resolidify? It’s already been over an hour. I thought I could make these cookies right away. Can I put the butter in the freezer?
Got them made! It took one and a half to two hours for the butter. But they were worth the wait! Yum!
Hi Angela!
Wow, I’ve never had it take longer than 20 minutes to chill and resolidify. Maybe my fridge is on a lower setting than yours?
Hi, Can I make the butter and store it ahead of time?
Hi Tamm,
Absolutely! Just use it within 3-4 days. :)
Thank you so much for sharing this, these are ah -maaaahzing. Totally worth the extra time cooking the butter!
Hi,
So when you say the cookies are more “dense” when you don’t re-solidify the butter, do you mean they will become a little cakier/gooey (almost like an underbaked cookie or a brownie) or do you mean they’ll turn into a brick? Because I do tend to like somewhat cakey cookies (such as those from Levain bakery) so if that’s what I could end up with, I would intentionally skip the re-solidification step due to preference.
Hi Sarah,
Good question! They shouldn’t turn into hockey pucks if you don’t solidify the butter, but they are definitely more on the heavy fudgy end of the cookie scale. Some cookie recipe call for melted butter… I just prefer sugar cookie to have a pillowy texture. PS, most copycat Levain cookie recipes online actually call for cold cubed butter, because they want the interior to be left under-baked. You definitely won’t end up with that texture if you leave the butter melted.
Hope this helps! Happy Baking!!
Amazing! I get so many compliments on these!
Hi Kelly,
YAY! Thanks so much for reporting back. :)
Did you use dark brown or light brown? I used dark and they’re much darker than yours, but also lovely.
I make them both ways! For the photos, I used light brown sugar.
These are the BEST cookies. Plus, they are so easy. Thanks for the recipe.
I added chopped walnuts to the dough and they were amazi g!!! Our favourite!
OMGosh! I made these for the first time last night and they have disappeared. They are seriously yummy! Thanks for the recipe and the tips!
Fantastic! I couldn’t help it, I added chocolate chips
To half the batch. Perfection. Thanks for sharing!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! The cookies look so yum!
Hi Gloria,
It’s working for me. Do you mind trying again and reporting back? Thanks!!
This will be my first time making Brown Butter. Once the bottom of the pan has turned a dark teddy bear brown & the butter has turned a light brown color & it solidifies, do you use what is in the bottom of the pan?
Hi Susan,
Yes, use it all! The crumbs add flavor. :)