the details

Sometimes simple is just best. These Salted Browned Butter Sugar Cookies totally exemplify that. They are just the BEST sugar cookie ever–think chewy, crunchy buttery edges, slightly underdone middle. Then, we add in browned butter for a rich, nutty, and butterscotch-y flavor. SO GOOD. These are simple to throw together, chill in the fridge for a bit, and bake up easily. And with flavors as simple and delicious as sugar and browned butter, anyone can enjoy them.

The process

If you feel intimidated by browning butter, watch my demo video on browned butter here! Basically, we heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, foams, and begins to brown. The key is to take the butter off the heat immediately as soon as the little brown flecks on the bottom form. Continue stirring and pour the browned butter into a heat-proof container. Freeze or refrigerate until solidified, and you are good to go for this recipe!

A few notes on these cookies (which really goes for all cookies, IMO). First of all, chilling the dough overnight is crucial and results in cookies with better emulsification of ingredients and spread. It also helps develop that chewy center that we know and love in a cookie. When you put together the dough, make sure you cream the butter and sugar well for about 4-5 minutes. See more notes on creaming butter and sugar on my Tips + Tricks page.

This recipe utilizes a pan-banging method (a la Sarah Kieffer) to develop crispy, thin edges and a chewy, under-done center. You will bang the pan down (pretty hard) on the oven rack/kitchen counter intermittently during baking to flatten the cookie and create circular ridges. It’s a noisy process, so maybe don’t attempt this during naptime. I learned this the hard way! Pan-banging is optional in this recipe, but really helps with that perfect cookie texture. If you pass on the pan banging, you will have a smaller and puffier cookie, which is totally okay! All up to your personal preference.

similar recipes

Love the rich and nutty flavor of browned butter in these cookies? You’ll love my Gooey Browned Butter Blondies. Highly highly recommend!

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Salted Browned Butter Sugar Cookies

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Sometimes simple is best. These are THE sugar cookies, made even better with nutty and caramel-y browned butter. Chewy center and crispy edges, they have it all.

Yield: 24 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
extra sugar for rolling dough balls if desired

Instructions

Brown your salted butter. Melt 2 sticks of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Continue heating, stirring consistently, until brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. This happens all of a sudden, so continue to watch butter as it heats. Remove from heat immediately and pour into a heat-proof container. Allow to cool at room temp for 5-10 minutes, then chill in the fridge until the butter is room temperature, solid, and spreadable.
Cream together salted, solidified browned butter with sugars on medium-high speed, for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and completely emusified, about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix on low/fold until the ingredients just come together into a cookie dough. Do not overmix.
Scoop into 24 medium-sized cookie dough balls and line up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten tops of cookie dough balls slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the whole baking sheet in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or up to 36 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chilled cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. With oven mitts, grab your hot baking sheet and bang it down (hard) onto the over rack. This will make the puffy centers of the cookies deflate, the edges spread a bit, and create a circular ridge on the cookie. Repeat again at 10 minutes cook time. Remove the cookies from oven around 12 minutes cook time, and bang the pan one more time on the counter. Allow cookies to cool.
Serve warm or at room temp. Cookies keep well at room temp up for up to one week.

Notes

Browned butter gives this recipe its nutty flavor and elevates it from your typical sugar cookie. If you burn your butter, throw it out and start over!
This pan banging technique is borrowed from Sarah Kieffer, and imparts a wonderful crispy edge and chewy center texture to the cookie. The pan banging is optional but recommended.
If needed, you can sub unsalted butter for salted butter and add and additional 1 tsp of kosher salt.
Also optional, you can roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar for an extra sweet crunchy outside.

Author: Caroline Crockett