Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a classic cookie, one of my all time favorites thanks to their crisp cinnamon-sugar coating. These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles are a classic with a twist. They’re made with browned butter, which adds a rich nutty flavor to the cookie dough and make them even more addictive than the originals.

To start the recipe, you’ll need to brown some butter. Place some butter in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the butter is golden brown and smells a little like toasted nuts. Remove the butter from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature before using. It is best to transfer it to another container to cool, so that the butter doesn’t keep cooking as it cools.

The melted, browned butter is then mixed into the dough, along with a generous dose of vanilla extract to give the cookies a wonderfully rounded flavor. Browned butter and vanilla are always a good combination in my book. The cookie dough also uses a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda, a combination that tends to be traditionally used in snickerdoodles. Once the dough has come together, each ball is shaped and rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture before being placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet to bake.

These cookies should be baked until they are just set and only very lightly browned around the edges. They will fall a bit as they cool, which will give them their signature crackly look. The cookies are ready to serve as soon as they have cooled, but will keep for a few days when stored in an airtight container.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and spices. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan or skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat until it starts to bubble and turn golden brown. Stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes, until butter smells nutty. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature (about 10 minutes).
Once butter has cooled, stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add to sugar mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in reserved cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between balls to allow for spreading.
Bake for about 12 minutes, until edges are firm to the touch, but not quite browned. Cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 1/2 – 4 dozen.

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