Brown Butter Cookies

Closeup of brown butter cookie with a drizzle of icing.

This is the cookie for brown butter lovers. Every bite of these cookies is packed with the nutty, rich, and toffee-like flavor of brown butter. These cookies bake up and soft and chewy and they are topped with a sweet and flavorful icing.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Cooling 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 194kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cookies:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into large pieces
⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1½ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Icing:

1½ tablespoons half and half or milk
⅓ cup powdered sugar
couple drops vanilla extract
flaky sea salt for topping
reserved brown butter see instructions

Instructions

Cookies:

Begin by browning the butter. Place the butter in a saucepan set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown bits form on the bottom of the pan and the butter begins to turn golden and smell nutty. Watch it closely as it can go from brown to burned quickly. Immediately transfer the butter into a bowl along with any accumulated brown bits. Allow the butter to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove 1½ tablespoons of the brown butter (including some of the bits at the bottom of the bowl) and set it aside; it will be for the icing.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Add to the sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
Scoop the dough into 1½ - 2 tablespoon portions and place a couple inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheets. Be sure that the dough balls are mounded, not flattened, so that they bake up with a nice thickness.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are beginning to set but the centers are still slightly under baked. Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool completely (see note about shaping cookies). Once cool, proceed with the icing.

Icing:

If the reserved 1½ tablespoons of brown butter has solidified you can microwave it for a few seconds, until melted. Whisk the melted brown butter and all remaining icing ingredients until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk to thin or more powdered sugar to thicken. Drizzle the icing over the top of each cookie (I use a ziptop bag with the corner snipped off). Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Notes

How to get perfectly round cookies:

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.

Nutrition