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Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Brown butter snickerdoodles with a deeply golden, crinkled cookie surface and a thick cinnamon-sugar coating. Brown the butter, chill until solid, then bake at 375°F until the edges are set for classic snickerdoodle flavor with caramel-like depth.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
brown butter solidifying 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 170
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, browned and solidified Brown until golden and nutty, then cool until solid.
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Rolling mixture
  • 0.33 cup granulated sugar
  • 2.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.0625 tsp nutmeg Pinch, optional in the mix.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown and chill the butter
  1. Brown the unsalted butter until golden, then refrigerate until solid, about 1 hour with a visual cue of a firm, scoopable butter texture.
Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment, using a visual cue of parchment fully covering the pan surface.
Mix the dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined, with a visual cue of uniform color and no dry streaks.
Cream butter and sugar
  1. Beat the solidified browned butter and granulated sugar until creamy, then add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and lighter in appearance.
Combine dough
  1. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined, with a visual cue of no visible dry flour pockets.
Make rolling mixture
  1. Mix the rolling cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl using granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with a visual cue of a consistently speckled coating.
Shape and coat
  1. Scoop dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls, then roll generously in the cinnamon sugar mixture, using a visual cue of a thick, even coating.
Bake
  1. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375°F until crinkled and the edges are set, with a visual cue of deeply golden tops and set rims.
Cool
  1. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, letting the surface finish setting before transferring if needed.

Notes

Pro tip: after browning, let the butter cool just until solid so the dough creams smoothly; if it’s too soft, chill briefly again. Store baked cookies airtight at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months (thaw at room temperature). For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that includes xanthan gum.