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Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Brown butter snickerdoodles with deep golden, crinkled cookies and a cinnamon-sugar coating. Brown the butter, chill until firm, then bake at 375°F for set edges and a soft center.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chilling (brown butter) 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes
Servings: 30 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1 lb unsalted butter browned and solidified
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Rolling coating
  • 0.33 cup granulated sugar
  • 2.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.05 tsp nutmeg pinch

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Brown butter and chill
  1. Brown the unsalted butter until golden and nutty, then let it solidify. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, so it creams well later.
Prep oven and dry mix
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Keep sheets ready so the dough can be shaped and baked right away.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until the dry ingredients look evenly speckled.
Make dough
  1. Beat the solidified browned butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Mix until the mixture looks lighter in color and smooth.
  2. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined, then add vanilla extract. Stop when the dough looks glossy and cohesive.
  3. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks remain. Mix just until the dough comes together.
Coat and bake
  1. Stir the rolling granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a shallow bowl. Make sure the spices are evenly distributed for a uniform coating.
  2. Scoop dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls, then roll generously in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Press lightly so the coating adheres thickly.
  3. Bake 10–12 minutes at 375°F until deeply crinkled and the edges are set. The centers should still look slightly soft when you pull them from the oven.
Cool
  1. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack after resting so they finish setting without steaming.

Notes

For best crinkles, chill the browned butter until fully solid (about 1 hour) so the dough holds shape. Store airtight at room temperature for 3 days; freeze baked cookies up to 2 months (thaw at room temp). For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant butter that browns (or browning-free vegan butter) and chill until firm before mixing.