Browned Butter Snickerdoodles
Bursting with warm cinnamon, cozy vanilla, and toasty browned butter, these soft and chewy cookies are sure to delight!
Dough
- 1/2 cup + 1 TBSP butter
- 1/2 cup (95 g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (57 g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon vanilla paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 2/3 cups AP flour
Brown the butter by melting it in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook gently until it goes quiet, or when brown flecks begin to rise through the foam. Pour butter into a mixing bowl and let cool to room temperature, when it solidifies again.
Cream the sugars and butter together by adding them to a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer in a large bowl) and whisking for 2-3 minutes, until very creamy and light in color. Scrape down the sides frequently. Add the egg, milk, and cinnamon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract). Whisk together. Add the dry ingredients. If you want, you can sift them together prior to adding them to the dough. Mix just enough to bring the dough together. It's ok if a few little streaks of flour exist. Transfer the dough to an airtight container and park in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, but overnight is great.
Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar (for rolling)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla powder
When ready to bake, mix together the cinnamon vanilla sugar in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick spray. Divide the chilled dough into 18 equal portions, or use a cookie scoop if you prefer. Roll the dough between your hands to make a tidy ball, then roll the dough into the cinnamon vanilla sugar. Bake 6 cookies at a time on each tray to prevent over crowding, and leave the dough balls in the fridge while they wait their turn to bake. Chilled dough means soft, chewy cookies that don't spread as much. Bake 7-8 minutes or until the cookies are set and golden on the edges but still are slightly soft in the middle. Let cool 3-5 minutes on the tray before moving to a cooling rack. If desired, give them another sprinkle/roll in cinnamon vanilla sugar while still slightly warm.
Note, this is a smaller batch of cookies. You can double or even triple the batch if you like, roll the dough balls out and dip them in cinnamon sugar, and then freeze them for later baking. Let them thaw on the counter for 20 minutes prior to baking.