These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles cookies are made with toasty brown butter, plenty of warm cinnamon sugar, and have the best chewy texture! If you love snickerdoodles then you’re going to love this version with brown butter.
The One Thing That Makes Snickerdoodle Cookies Even Better? Brown Butter!
Snickerdoodles are the first cookie I ever learned to make from scratch and one of my favorite Christmas traditions – I’ve been baking them for decades! If rolling snickerdoodle dough balls in cinnamon sugar also makes you nostalgic for childhood baking, then you won’t want to miss this grown-up version.
This recipe is an adaptation of my mom’s classic snickernoodle recipe, made more sophisticated with the addition of brown butter. I love the depth of flavor that it adds to treats like Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, and I couldn’t resist adding some toasty, golden goodness to snickerdoodles, too.
Taking the extra step to brown your butter really makes these snickerdoodles feel a bit more elevated. The rich, nutty, and toasted flavor pairs perfectly with cinnamon-and-sugar snickerdoodles. Trust me, it does not disappoint!
Key Ingredients for Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Butter: Since brown butter is a key ingredient in these snickerdoodles, it’s really important to use a high-quality butter. Now is the time to splurge a little on that flavorful grass-fed butter if you can.
Cinnamon: Warm cinnamon is the signature flavor of a snickerdoodle cookie, so use a good quality ground spice here too!
Sugar: A blend of granulated sugar and dark brown sugar adds a deeper flavor to the snickerdoodles.
Flour: I always use all-purpose flour for brown butter snickerdoodles, but you can also substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour if you’d prefer. Other gluten-free alternatives, like a 1:1 ratio of almond flour or coconut flour, won’t work in this recipe!
Eggs: The secret to a snickerdoodle’s signature soft and chewy bite is using one egg + an extra yolk. Save that extra egg white for later.
Cream of Tartar: This is my other trick for giving snickerdoodle cookies a chewy bite, while also adding a little bit of tang to balance all the sweetness
How to Make Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Step 1: Make the brown butter. If browning butter is new to you, I promise it’s easier than it seems! Browned butter is simply melted butter cooked until the milk solids are toasted to a rich golden-brown. I walk you through every step in my guide on How to Make Brown Butter.
Step 2: Combine the wet ingredients. Allow the browned butter to cool, then whisk it with the granulated and brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients, then stir to combine to form the snickerdoodle cookie dough. Be sure to properly measure your flour by spooning and leveling it into your measuring cup.
Step 4: Chill the dough. I know it can seem like a pain, but don’t skip chilling the dough! It only needs to chill for about 30 minutes, but it makes such a difference in the overall flavor of the snickerdoodles.
Step 5: Mix the cinnamon sugar topping. Combine more ground cinnamon and granulated sugar, and place the mixture in a shallow bowl or plate for easy rolling. This is a great thing to do while you wait for your dough to chill!
Step 6: Roll the dough balls. Scoop and shape the chilled dough into balls, then roll each ball in cinnamon sugar topping. If you like a thick and puffy snickerdoodle, you can bake the dough straight from balls. If you want a thinner cookie, press them down a bit before baking.
Step 7: Bake the brown butter snickerdoodles. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and place the dough balls 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, until the edges set, the bottoms are golden, and the tops are still slightly underdone. You don’t want to overbake snickerdoodles! They’ll firm up slightly as they rest, then be perfectly chewy in the middle.
Making several batches? Be sure to let the sheet pan cool! Placing the dough balls on a hot baking sheet will melt the brown butter, causing the snickerdoodles to spread and cook unevenly. For the best texture, let the sheet pan cool before adding more dough.
Freezing Tips
I love freezing cookies for easy access to a delicious treat, especially around the holidays! You can freeze these brown butter snickerdoodles in 2 ways. Store them for about 3 months as frozen dough balls, then bake them directly from the freezer. Or freeze the freshly baked snickerdoodles, then thaw them for an easy add-on to a cookie plate.
If you do give this Brown Butter Snickerdoodle recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
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Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Perfectly chewy and sweet brown butter snickerdoodle cookies made with plenty of cinnamon sugar!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the brown butter: Add the diced butter to a small light-colored skillet or pot. Heat the skillet to medium heat. The butter will start to melt as the skillet heats up. Allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to a golden brown color. Continually stir the butter as you see the foam start to dissipate and brown bits begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir the butter until it is a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat safe dish to cool slightly.
- Add the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, eggs, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Pour in the cooled brown butter and stir again until the butter is well incorporated.
- Sift the all purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir until well combined and you have a dough.
- Transfer the cookie dough to a fridge and let chill for 30 minutes.
- Make the Cinnamon Sugar Topping: Add the granulated sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl. Use a fork to stir until well combined.
- After the dough has chilled use a small cookie scoop (the size of 1 tablespoon) to scoop the dough and use your hands to roll the dough into balls.
- Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar topping until well coated. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. The edges of the cookies will be set and the middle will still look slightly underdone. Let the cookies cool for 1 minute on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Sprinkle a bit of extra cinnamon sugar on top of the cookies before they cool if you prefer.
Notes
To Freeze Cookie Dough: scoop the cookie dough into balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze the cookie dough balls for an hour or until solid. Once the cookie dough balls are frozen solid transfer them to a freezer safe storage bag and store for up to 3 months. You can bake the cookies from frozen, just add a few extra minutes to the cook time.
To Freeze Baked Cookies: once the cookies have baked, let them come to a complete cool. Transfer the cookies to a freezer safe storage bag and freeze for up to 3 to 4 weeks.
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
These cookies are amazing, I’d give them 1000+ stars!!! I’ve made a few times since you originally posted the recipe. Always a hit! I have to take them to work so I don’t eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 🙂
How do you handle the cinnamon sugar topping when you’re cooking then frozen?
Hi, Megan! I usually roll the cinnamon sugar on the cookie dough before freezing. Hope that helps!
Made these and they were perfect, chewy and delicious. So good I made them again to put on my Christmas Cookie trays this year. Spend the extra $ and buy the really good butter!
I was craving a cookie so decided to make these. My first time trying these and making them. It was a very easy and quick recipe. These cookies are freaking delicious!! Will be making these again!
These are SO good!! Love the brown butter twist. Just finishing a first batch – thinking about whipping up a second!!
Quick Question: Can this dough sit in the fridge for a day or so before being baked? I want to take this to a cookie baking party — but already have the dough chilled.
This looks AMAZING!
Hi, Michelle! Yes – that will work fine!
Browned butter + snickerdoodle…what’s not to love?? This recipe produces perfect cookies that get gobbled up before pictures can be taken. Thanks for another great recipe, Ashlea!
I have never made snickerdoodle cookies before, but this recipe was easy to follow. The cookies also came out great and tasted amazing!
Truly the best cookie I have ever eaten! They were perfect! I was very intimidated about making the brown butter but it was so simple! Now, I have to give them away to friends because I could seriously eat the whole batch today! Sundays are my cooking day so I figured I’d add these in! So happy I did! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy you loved these, LeaAnn! this made my heart so happy!