Soft, buttery, and perfectly chewy, with a dusting of cinnamon sugar that makes every bite irresistible. These brown butter snickerdoodles put the ultimate twist on the traditional holiday cookie, by adding brown butter to create a deliciously rich and nutty flavor which only makes these classic cookies better! Then we'll roll these cookies in cinnamon sugar before baking, creating the perfect warm, crunchy coating that seals in the chewy goodness inside.
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Looking for more wonderful Christmas cookie recipes? Try my whipped shortbread cookies, these iconic chocolate crinkle cookies and my easy almond florentine recipe!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Snickerdoodles are famous for their crispy, crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. It adds a warm and spicy flavor, perfect for the holidays.
- Brown butter elevates this classic cookie by adding a buttery, nutty flavor while still maintaining the classic chewy snickerdoodle texture.
- It is easy to make, can be easily tweaked with fun add-ins and everyone will love it!
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What is a Snickerdoodle?
Snickerdoodles are classic holiday cookies made from a simple sugar cookie dough that is rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked to chewy, buttery perfection.
In this recipe, we elevate the classic snickerdoodle by using browned butter which gives these cookies warm and nutty undertones and makes them burst with flavor.
The cinnamon sugar is the star and adds a spicy, crunchy coating on the outside of the cookie that is unmatched, especially when you are enjoying these brown butter snickerdoodles with a warm glass of hot buttered rum while watching your favourite Christmas movie.
Ingredients for Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
- Brown Butter - Browning the butter gives these cookies an unreal depth of flavor, but you may substitute the browned butter with plain softened butter. You must use real butter for this recipe, margarine can not be substituted.
- Vanilla Extract - Change up the flavor of these cookies and use almond extract in place of the vanilla and make these almond snickerdoodle cookies instead!
- Cinnamon Sugar - The defining characteristic of snickerdoodles is their signature coating of crunchy cinnamon sugar and we recommend not skipping it.
A full ingredient list with the exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Optional Add-ins
These add-ins add a fun and delicious twist to these yummy brown butter snickerdoodles.
- Chocolate Chips - fold in 1 cup of dark chocolate chips to give these brown butter snickerdoodles a delicious chocolaty twist. If you love chocolate chip cookies, give our no-chill chocolate chip cookies a try!
- Caramels - stuff these cookies with individually wrapped caramel candy for a fun and tasty treat! To do this, scoop 2 tablespoon of cookie dough and slightly flatten it out in your hands, creating a disc. Add the unwrapped caramel candy to the center of the disc and seal the dough around the caramel. You may need to increase baking time by 1-2 minutes because of the increased size of the cookie.
- Mini Marshmallows - in the last few minutes of baking time, add a couple of mini marshmallows to the tops of each cookie.
How to Brown Butter
Browning butter is very easy, but it needs to be watched closely because it can go from gorgeously browned to burnt in seconds.
"Brown butter" means boiling the moisture off and browning the milk solids in the butter, transforming it and giving the butter a deliciously nutty and deep flavor.
To make brown butter, add your butter to a small saucepan and place it over medium-low heat. Fully melt the butter and let it come to a boil, watch the butter the whole time and stir it regularly until it starts to brown. Brown the butter until it is a deep caramel color, lowering the heat if necessary, this will take around 5 minutes. As soon as the butter is browned, transfer it to a coffee mug or jar and let it cool to room temperature.
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If you see black bits at the bottom of the saucepan, it means the milk solids have burnt and you will have to start over with new butter.
How To Make Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
- In a small mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cooled browned butter, eggs, and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes, until the batter is light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla and mix to just combine.
Cool the brown butter to room temperature before using it.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed until no dry bits remain. Be careful to not overmix the batter!
- Scoop the cookie dough with a standard-size cookie scoop and roll them into balls, it works out to about 1 - 1 ½ Tablespoons of dough per ball or the size of a golf ball.
- In a large bowl, combine the cinnamon and the sugar for the cinnamon sugar topping and roll the formed balls in the sugar. Place cookies onto a cookie sheet, leaving space in between them.
- Place snickerdoodles into the oven at 350° F and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just set. Do not overbake these cookies. When the cookies come out of the oven immediately transfer them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Tips
- Do not overbake these cookies. Bake these cookies until the snickerdoodles are just set and are still soft in the center, immediately transfer them to a cooling rack to stop the cooking.
- Cool the brown butter before using. Cool the browned butter to room temperature before using it in this recipe, the butter will be very hot and it will cook the egg prematurely if it is not cooled before making the batter. To speed up cooling time, place the brown butter in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
- Use a hand mixer, or a good old-fashioned whisk and wooden spoon instead of a stand mixer. Either will work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, cream of tartar gives these cookies their slightly tangy signature flavour and it helps to keep the cookies soft.
Yes! These cookies can be made as 100% traditional snickerdoodles by using regular, softened butter instead of brown butter.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 5 days.
Baked snickerdoodles can be stored in a resealable zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
These cookies are a part of our 12 Days of Christmas Series - Season 2. Don't miss Day 7: Bacon Jam Brussel Sprouts! 🎄
If you made these brown butter snickerdoodles or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
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Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Browned Butter (see below) cooled to room temperature
- 1 Egg
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, brown butter, and egg. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and beat until just combined. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until no dry bits remain. Be careful to not overmix the cookie dough.
- In a small, shallow bowl add the sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar topping, and stir together. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough (approx. 1- 1½ tablespoons each), and roll each cookie into a ball. Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar until it is completely coated. Place on a baking sheet, leaving 2"-3" in between each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are just set and still soft in the center. Transfer the cookies immediately to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
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Notes
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat. Watch the butter continuously and stir regularly, cook the butter until it is a deep caramel brown color, this should take around 5 minutes.
- Promptly transfer the butter to a coffee cup or a jar and let it cool to room temperature before using it in this cookie recipe. To speed up cooling time, place it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
- Use real butter for this recipe, margarine can not be substituted.
- If you prefer to not use brown butter, use regular butter softened to room temperature.
- Do not overbake these cookies. Bake cookies until they are just set and very lightly browned on the bottoms. Transfer them to a cooling rack to stop the cooking process.
- A hand mixer or a good old-fashioned wooden spoon and whisk can be used instead of a stand mixer for this recipe if preferred.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze in a resealable ziptop bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Eddie says
A fantastic cinnamon cookie for the holidays.