Brown Butter Snickerdoodles are buttery and gooey, soft and chewy with a crunchy cinnamon and sugar topping. This is the BEST snickerdoodles recipe ever!
Snickerdoodles are basically chewy sugar cookies coated with cinnamon sugar but sometimes the simplest things are the best! We brought these snickerdoodles to the next level by using brown butter for extra flavor.
Start by making the brown butter for the snickerdoodles. Put the butter in a pan with a lightly colored bottom so that you are able to see when it’s done browning. Cook it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter browns on the bottom of the pan.
At first, it feels like it’s never going to brown, and then suddenly, it’s done and you have to remove it from the heat, so this is one of those things that you don’t want to walk away from.
Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the browned butter to a heat-proof bowl, if desired, and place it in the fridge to chill.
How do you make brown butter?
Brown butter is made by melting butter in a pan over medium heat until the milk solids are browned. It turns a golden brown color and smells deliciously nutty.
The browned butter can be used in baked goods for added flavor. Or you can add a little ground sage to it to make a brown butter sage sauce that is fabulous on pasta or roasted vegetables.
Put the cooled brown butter (be sure to scrape all of the brown bits into the bowl), brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes.
Add the eggs and the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture.
Beat for 1-2 minutes, until light in color and fluffy in texture.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
Why combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl when baking?
Combining the dry ingredients in a separate bowl disperses the leavening agents (baking soda and/or baking powder) as well as the spices (when called for) throughout the flour. This makes for evenly baked and evenly spiced treats.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Why is there cream of tartar in snickerdoodles?
The cream of tartar in snickerdoodle cookies is what distinguishes them from a sugar cookie coated with cinnamon sugar. The cream of tartar gives the cookies a tangy flavor. It also prevents the sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing making the cookies chewy.
Use a two tablespoon size dough scoop to make balls of dough. Roll the balls of dough in your palms to make them smooth and round. Then, coat them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
What other kinds of snickerdoodles can I make with this recipe?
This snickerdoodle recipe is for the classic kind of cookies coated in cinnamon and sugar. But you can switch it up by using other spices in the coating to make other flavors.
For an eggnog version, reduce the cinnamon to two teaspoons and add one teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
To make pumpkin spice snickerdoodles, use two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the ground cinnamon.
Place the coated snickerdoodle dough balls evenly spaced on parchment covered baking sheets.
Bake at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Allow the snickersdoodles to cool and as they cool the centers will go from gooey to soft and chewy.
Store the snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to two months.
Want more cookie recipes? Try these next:
A traditional Sugar Cookie Recipe that’s perfect for baking cutout cookies with your family and friends.
Classic Molasses Cookies recipe with the perfect chewy and crunchy texture with the ginger and molasses flavor everyone loves.
These Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups made with sugar cookie dough are filled with hot chocolate ganache, have a pretzel handle and mini marshmallows on top!
Kitchen hack for holiday baking: make Four Christmas Cookies From One Basic Dough with this recipe. Prepare the dough ahead of time, freeze and bake later!
Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pan with a light-colored bottom over medium-low heat. Continue heating, stirring often, until the butter browns on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat (transfer to a heat-proof bowl if desired) and place in the fridge to cool for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Put the cooled brown butter (be sure to scrape the bowl to get all of the brown bits), brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat 1-2 minutes, until light in color and fluffy in texture.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixing bowl and stir until combined.
- Make the cinnamon sugar coating by mixing the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Use a two tablespoon size dough scoop to scoop the dough into balls. Coat the cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar and place on parchment covered baking sheets
- Bake at 350˚F for 8-11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool slightly and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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