I’ve professed my love for Snickerdoodles before. And I’m pretty keen on brown butter too. So it was a no-brainer to combine the two and create Brown Butter Snickerdoodles.
Snickerdoodles are a cinnamon-sugary type of cookie, usually made with shortening to give them a light and crispy texture and cream of tartar to give them a tangy flavor. If I’m making regular Snickerdoodles, I use the butter-flavored crisco. For this recipe, I substitute brown butter for the shortening, to impart a little bit of that nutty brown-butter flavor onto my favorite cookie.
How to make Brown Butter:
To make brown butter, just melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat- stir or swirl the pan so the butter doesn’t burn, and remove from heat when the butter turns light brown and gives off a nutty scent. Watch it closely, so it doesn’t burn!
Why is there Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles?
A real Snickerdoodle recipe contains cream of tartar in its ingredient list. It’s essential, really, to give it that tangy little flavor that is indicative of what a Snickerdoodle is supposed to taste like. Cream of tartar is the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking. If you’re in the US, you’ll find it in your market’s spice aisle. If you’re outside the US hopefully you’ll have access to it as well. You can always leave it out, but it does give a nice flavor to the cookie.
See that crackle and those craggly craters? That’s what Snickerdoodles are supposed to look like!
How does the brown butter fare in these cookies? You can certainly taste it in the dough, and I think it improves the final version of the baked cookie. You’ll have to let me know if you think the brown butter does wonderful things to the cookie. Enjoy!
Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
ROLLING MIXTURE:
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH:
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter at medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir until the butter turns golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cooled butter, sugar and eggs.
- Sift the dry ingredients together and stir into the wet mixture. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm.
BAKE AND ROLL:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Roll the dough into small balls (about 1½ tablespoons of dough per ball). Roll the balls in the mixture of cinnamon and sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are flattened and crinkly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe! These were super easy and quick to whip up, and absolutely delicious!
I love brown butter snickerdoodles!! They became a favorite in my house quite some time ago. Now…to really blow your taste buds…a couple years ago i saw a recipe for brown butter, SALTED CARAMEL snickerdoodles! Let me just say FABULOUS!!! Definitely a must try 🙂
Mmmm looks great!!!
Oh. My. Frigging. GAWWWWD!!!! Best snickerdoodles I have ever had. Seriously. No joke. My boyfriend and I are cookie fanatics and the last recipe we tried was a real stinker. This one redeemed our cookie dreams. Amaaaaaazinnnnguh!
I make snickerdoodles every year at Christmas time. I have my Mother’s recipe that she’s made for the past 50+ years. I saw this recipe the other day and today seemed like the perfect “snickerdoodle” day. I am not at my house, so I searched a recipe here on RecipeGirl and ended up making these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles. I am not sure about the difference but if I remember right, I don’t use butter, I use Crisco…..Well, not anymore, this recipe is by far better than any I’ve ever eaten. And I am a “snickerdoodle” expert. I am always trying different recipes and now I can look no further. I have found the one I will use from now on. Don’t get discouraged with browning the butter. It takes about 20 – 30 to get it as brown as you need it but they are worth the wait ! A++++++
You won’t regret it. They are fabulous!!!
I’m so glad to hear you had such great success with these!
Absolutely the best snickerdoodles ever! They are my husbands favorite cookie but I always hated to make them because they were so messy and such hard work, but the consistency of the dough is so easy to work with I can make them super-quick. They were the perfect texture, thickness, and flavor and a new household favorite!
have made snickerdoodles many times but these are PERFECT..the browned butter extra flavor is slight, but absolutely YUMMY!
I have been making snickerdoodles for years, and always had a problem with the cookies being way too flat when they cooled (still yummy, though). This recipe not only had a far, far better flavor, but the texture and appearance are perfect. These are amazing, and my new go-to cookie. Thank you!
These were scrumptious! The browned butter taste was not very strong, but I did think it gave them a slightly “warmer” flavor. Maybe it was all in my head. 🙂
At any rate, they were absolutely amazing and I ate way too many when I was making them!