Brown Butter Snickerdoodles (Must try!)

There’s nothing like these incredible Brown Butter Snickerdoodles! Brown butter brings the flavor to the next level–it’s a must-try recipe!

The holiday season is in full swing, and with all the preps for Christmas and the New Year going on, I always end up craving something warm and buttery. I’m talking about the soft brown butter snickerdoodles with a chewy center and crispy edges!

Whether you are a huge fan of Snickerdoodles or you’re in the camp of “take ’em or leave ’em,” these BROWN BUTTER Snickerdoodles are a game changer. Trust me, the brown butter changes everything and brings your standard Snickerdoodle to a whole new level. The flavor of the brown butter shines through and is so so good.

These might just become your all-time favorite and they are so quick and easy to make that you can whip them up in under 30 minutes as long as you make your brown butter ahead of time. It’s so worth it!

Recipe Ingredients–What You Need

The ingredients required for this snickerdoodle recipe are almost the same as the classic snickerdoodles, with just a few modifications.

Butter

You will need half a cup of unsalted butter for this recipe. I used European-style grass-fed butter for this recipe; however, you can use any available option. The key is to melt butter on medium heat until it crackles, foams, and turns golden brown. Then you’ll have to cool the melted butter before using it in the dough. Butter is an important ingredient to make your snickerdoodles cookie dough balls form just right. It is a good source of Vitamin D that helps with bone growth and development! See, cookies can have health benefits. 😉

When you use browned butter, it adds a distinct nutty flavor to your chewy snickerdoodles cookies. That’s the key here!

Sugar

For this recipe, you can use granulated white sugar, brown sugar, or a mix of both. I have used granulated sugar because it makes the cookies chewy and rich and adds a tinge of caramel flavor. You will need half a cup of sugar to mix with the butter and one-fourth cup at the end to make a cinnamon-sugar mixture to roll the cookie dough balls in. Also, did you know that our brain needs 130 grams of sugar/glucose daily to function? Therefore, a little sugar is important for your brain!

Shortening

We are already using nutty brown butter for this snickerdoodle cookie recipe, then what’s the reason for adding shortening to it? I’m sure you’re all wondering the same. You see, when you combine two different fats, butter and shortening, in this case, your recipe benefits from both. Butter or browned butter gives it a deliciously nutty aroma. On the other hand, the shortening will keep them puffy so that they don’t turn out flat and hard.

Eggs

Cookie recipes are incomplete without eggs; for this recipe, you need 2! They help keep the snickerdoodle cookies moist and give them a rich, chewy texture. Also, eggs help keep all the ingredients together. The egg white and egg yolk are both good protein sources and contain healthy, unsaturated fats. They are nutrient-packed with Vitamin B, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin D. I use eggs from pasture-raised hens for maximum nutrition.

All-Purpose Flour

If you want to give your brown butter snickerdoodles a classic snickerdoodle cookie taste, you’ve got to use all-purpose flour because it’s the best kind of flour for these cookies! I used 2¾ cups of unbleached all-purpose flour because it does not contain any traces of preservative chemicals. Plus, all-purpose flour is a good source of iron and calcium, with high protein, iron, fiber, and fat. It also contains Vitamins B3 and B2 and is of high nutritional value. You know for most of my recipes I shy away from regular white flour, but sometimes you just have to use what works best.

Cream of Tartar

The classic snickerdoodle taste is sweet with a slight tang. And that tangy flavor comes by adding 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar to the flour mixture. Cream of tartar comes from tartaric acid and works as a leavening agent in baked cookies. It also stabilizes egg whites and speeds up the whipping process giving you a fluffy and glossy mixture, perfect for brown butter snickerdoodles, chocolate chip cookies, and other baked goods.

It is also rich in potassium and has several health benefits like relieving migraine, helping with digestion, and regulating kidney function. Who knew?!

Baking Soda

We will add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to this snickerdoodle cookie recipe, as it is quite an essential ingredient to help bake textured and chewy cookies.

Cinnamon

You need 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar mixture to roll balls of cookie dough in. It adds a little bit of spice and woodsy flavor to the cookies, plus it’s suitable for regulating blood sugar levels.

Salt

A pinch or ¼ teaspoon of salt is good enough to give an enhanced flavor to the snickerdoodle cookie dough for perfect cookies.

How to Make Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

1. Place your butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to melt and cook, whisking frequently.
2. The butter will foam and crackle, and eventually turn a golden brown color. Once it turns brown, remove it from the heat immediately.
3. Transfer the brown butter to a bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Allow it to solidify, about 45 minutes.
4. Once the butter has solidified, mix it with 1 1/2 cups sugar, shortening and eggs.
5. Mix in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
6. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls.
7. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon and place on a plate. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
8. Place the balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the tops are set. Transfer the cookies from the cookie sheet to a baking rack. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Follow these easy tips to get the best results when baking your Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

1. Always use a spoon to put the flour in the measuring cup; otherwise it’s really easy to use too much flour. If you can use a food scale and measure by weight, even better!
2. Measure the ingredients accurately, or you might end up with dry and crumbly snickerdoodles!
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat to brown it quickly.
4. You can keep the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
5. For even crispier edges and a chewier texture, you can let the dough chill in the fridge for an hour. It’s not required for this recipe, but the extra step might be worth it for you!
6. Pair these brown butter snickerdoodle cookies with a cup of milk or coffee for the perfect afternoon treat.

If you like unique Christmas Cookies, you should also check out these Pistachio Cookies. Don’t they look amazing?

Try this delicious brown butter snickerdoodles recipe, and don’t forget to take a picture to upload on Instagram and Facebook! Tag me, and I’ll feature your snickerdoodles on my page.

Or if you are looking for some healthier cookie ideas, check out my Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, Healthy Ginger Cookies, or these Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms.

Before you leave, give this recipe a star rating for the love of cookies! Happy baking!

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