The Best Browned Butter Snickerdoodles

Name: Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup white sugar; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup unsalted butter; 1 cup white sugar; ½ cup light brown sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste; 1 large egg (room temperature); 1 large egg yolk (room temperature); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon cream of tartar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 2 ½ cups all purpose flour

These soft and chewy browned butter snickerdoodles are literally comfort in a cookie. Made with brown butter and cinnamon sugar, these soft baked cookies are simple to make and don't require any chilling!

A close up of snickerdoodles, one has a bite taken out of it.

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Snickerdoodles are such a classic cookie and I had to have a recipe on the blog for them! Just like peanut butter blossoms, this is one of those cookies that I think we all have nostalgic memories with. I literally cannot stop eating these cookies, I think this might be my new favorite cookies!

I've amped up the cinnamon flavor in these cookies by adding extra cinnamon in the cookie dough, and then brown butter to get those delicious nutty and toasted flavors. If you haven't made brown butter before, don't worry - it's super easy! I even have a blog post about how to make brown butter.

These browned butter snickerdoodles are super soft with chewy middles. They're perfect for the holidays! I recommend whipping up a batch of these snickerdoodles alongside some holiday kiss cookies and brown butter oatmeal cookies for a cookie exchange with friends.

If you want even more brown butter cookies, you need to try my brown butter espresso chocolate chip cookies next! Want a peanut butter version of these cookies? Try my peanut butter snickerdoodles!

Why you'll love this recipe!

These are made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
The brown butter in these snickerdoodles makes them extra special, giving them a toasted and nutty flavor. But if you don't want to make brown butter then you can use regular butter.
They're made with extra cinnamon and vanilla bean paste, so they're a bit more indulgent and fancy than a regular snickerdoodle!
These brown butter snickerdoodles are SOFT. No crispy crunchy snickerdoodles here! These are the perfect snickerdoodles for me.
You don't have to chill the cookie dough!

Ingredients Needed

Sugar: you're going to use white sugar in the cinnamon sugar topping and in the cookie dough.
Eggs: you'll need 1 egg and an egg yolk. That extra egg yolk is going to make the cookies soft and moist, so don't skip it out.
Flour: I have only tested this recipe with all purpose flour. Let me know if you try it with gluten free flour!
Cream of tartar: this is what makes snickerdoodles different to a regular sugar cookie. It is more acidic than baking soda and baking powder, giving a slight tang to the cookie dough. It's also what makes these cookies puff up!
Unsalted Butter: I always use European style butter since it is much richer and creamier.
Cinnamon: ground cinnamon is used in the cinnamon sugar and also in the cookie dough.
Vanilla Bean Paste: I love using vanilla bean paste in more simple recipes to really make them shine, but you can use an equal amount of vanilla extract. I've tested it with both and they work great.

Step by Step Instructions

Steps 1 and 2 in the brown butter snickerdoodle baking process.

Step 1: Start off by browning your butter. You can do this a day or two before you start making the cookies if you want to! Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, increase to medium heat and stir constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The butter will begin to foam and bubble. You should then see white milk solids at the bottom of the pan, and the foam should begin to subside. Keep stirring until the milk solids turn a light brown and it smells nutty and toasted. Pour the melted butter into your stand mixer bowl or a large bowl and let it cool for a bit, then place in the fridge to solidify. Take it out when it is still a bit soft - as you can see my finger left an imprint in it when I touched it which is the texture you want!

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon.

Steps 3 and 4 in the brown butter snickerdoodle baking process.

Step 3: In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the brown butter with the sugar and light brown sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. It should become light and fluffy.

Step 4: Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add your egg, egg yolk and vanilla bean paste. Beat again on medium speed for 1 minute.

Steps 5 and 6 in the brown butter snickerdoodle baking process.

Step 5: Pour in your dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Stop as soon as it is combined. Whisk the cinnamon sugar topping together in a small bowl.

Step 6: Roll cookie dough into 2 tablespoon balls (I use this cookie scoop ) and roll in the cinnamon sugar topping until completely covered. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake at 350°Fahrenheit/170°Celsius for 8-10 minutes. Any cookie dough balls that aren't being baked immediately should be placed in the fridge.

Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Baking Tips & Tricks

Measuring - I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
Fluff and Sprinkle Flour - if you aren't weighing your ingredients and are using a measuring cup, then use the fluff and sprinkle method to measure your flour. Go to this link here to find out how to do that. If you don't measure your flour properly you might have dry cookies.
Bakery Style Cookies - Once the cookies are out of the oven, use a biscuit cutter or a large mug to gently 'scoot' the cookies into a perfect circular shape.
Overbaking - It is better to slightly underbake these cookies if you want them to be soft and chewy, so keep an eye on them in the oven! If you overbake them then they will come out dry.

Got some questions?

What does brown butter do to cookies?

Brown butter will give these cookies a delicious nutty and toasted flavor. If you don't want to make brown butter or don't have time, you can use regular butter. Skip straight to the step where you beat room temperature butter with the sugars! In the recipe card I note down how much regular butter you will use if you want to do that.

Do I have to let the brown butter solidify? Can't I just use melted brown butter?

We want to cream the butter with the sugars to create a light and airy base, you can't do that with melted butter in this case so you will have to wait for the butter to solidify in the fridge.

How do I know when my cookies are ready?

They should be puffed up and the edges will have started to crack and split. You want the center of the cookie to be slightly underbaked though as it will continue baking when you take it out of the oven.

Can I use something other than cream of tartar?

For these to truly be snickerdoodles, you do need to use cream of tartar. It is what gives it it's classic tangy taste!

Storage & Freezing

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. You might have to just add an extra minute to the baking time for these.