Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle cookies are a truly delicious cookie.  Banish boring basic snickerdoodles and amp up the flavor with brown butter and brown sugar to make these a decadent and chewy snickerdoodle!

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Do you love snickerdoodles?  I’ll be honest – they never reached the top of my favorite cookies list.  They always remind me of Christmas cookie exchanges because that was usually the only time I would see them. I love a good cookie, but usually it needs to involve some chocolate.

I recently decided to take on the challenge of making the best snickerdoodle cookie.  I made a basic snickerdoodle recipe and I was…underwhelmed.  Surely I could figure out how to make a chewy, moist and flavor packed snickerdoodle?

What is a Snickerdoodle cookie?

A Snickerdoodle is a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar.  However, there is one more major difference between a sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle – cream of tartar.

Why is cream of tartar used in snickerdoodles?

Cream of Tartar is a leavening agent, and it also gives snickerdoodles their signature tang.   It helps the cookies become light and pillowy instead of crisp.

When I first made a basic snickerdoodle recipe, I found the results lackluster.  I decided to amp up the flavor of the cookie by using browned butter and adding some brown sugar.  Traditional snickerdoodle cookes are made with all white granulated sugar.  But I found that substituting brown sugar for some of the white sugar gave me a more complex and chewy snickerdoodle cookie.

What are the ingredients in a Snickerdoodle?

Traditional ingredients in Sinckerdoodle cookies are butter, granulated white sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.  I decided to swap out some of the granulated white sugar for brown sugar to give the cookie a more flavor and a chewy texture.  In addition to the brown sugar, I also decided to use brown butter because it adds such a delicious complex, nutty flavor. I didn’t want average snickerdoodles, I wanted the best snickerdoodles!

How to make a brown butter snickerdoodle cookie

1. First make the brown butter, see  my tips below on making brown butter.
2. Cream together brown butter, 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend until just mixed.
4. Chill dough for at least 45 minutes or even overnight.
5. Shape dough into balls about 1.5 Tablespoons in size. I use THIS cookie scoop
6. Mix the 4 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silcon baking mat – I use THIS ONE.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are set and golden and centers are puffed.

How to brown butter

1. Add butter to a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.
2. Whisk as the butter melts to keep it melting evenly.
3. Butter will foam up and then subside.  You will notice solid bits fall to the bottom of the pan.
4. The butter will turn brown and smell nutty.  Remove from heat and transfer to a heat safe bowl until ready to use.

Tips for making brown butter

• Use a pan with a light bottom so you can monitor the color of the butter as it browns, which will help you to remove it from heat before it burns.  I use THIS ONE.
• Cut your butter into slices so it melts more evenly
• whisk the butter as it melts or swirl the pan to keep the temperature more even.
• As soon as your butter is browned to your liking remove it from heat and pour it into a heat proof bowl to keep it from continuing to cook.

More cookie recipes to love

Easy and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie

Double Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie

Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookie

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles cookies are a truly delicious cookie.  Banish boring basic snickerdoodles and amp up the flavor with brown butter and brown sugar to make these a decadent and chewy snickerdoodle!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Baked Goods/Breads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies, snickerdoodle

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

chilling time: 1 hour

Servings: 28 cookies

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Meghan McMorrow | Fox and Briar

Ingredients

• 1 cup browned butter
• 1 cups white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Make Brown Butter

• Add butter to a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.
• Whisk as the butter melts to keep it melting evenly.
• Butter will foam up and then subside.  You will notice solid bits fall to the bottom of the pan.
• The butter will turn brown and smell nutty.  Remove from heat and transfer to a heat safe bowl. Allow to cool slightly before using in cookies.

Make Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

• Cream together butter, 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed until butter and sugar are well mixed.
• Add eggs and vanilla extract, continue to beat until mixture is pale and thick.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend until just mixed.
• Chill dough for 45 minutes or overnight.
• Shape dough into balls about 1.5 Tablespoons in size. I use a cookie scoop.
• Mix the 4 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are set and golden and centers are puffed.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Nutritional information is an estimate for your convenience. If you have strict nutritional needs, please do your due diligence to make sure this recipe fits your needs.

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