Description
These Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies elevate the classic cinnamon sugar treat by incorporating rich, nutty brown butter and a hint of Greek yogurt for added moisture and softness. With their perfectly crisp edges and chewy interiors, these cookies balance buttery depth with the iconic snickerdoodle cinnamon-sugar coating, making them irresistibly delicious.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
Rolling mixture
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Brown the butter: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the unsalted butter. Whisk constantly as it melts, starts crackling, foams, and then browns to a golden amber color with a nutty aroma. Remove immediately from heat to prevent burning and transfer to a medium bowl. Let cool for 5-10 minutes until just warm enough to touch.
- Mix sugars with brown butter: Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar, mixing on medium speed for about 1 minute until well combined.
- Add eggs and flavorings: Add the large egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt to the mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and fully combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Incorporate dry into wet: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl. Beat on medium-low speed just until combined, taking care not to overmix.
- Chill the dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap. For best results, chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight to develop flavor and texture. For a quicker option, chill in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, but this may slightly affect texture. For puffy cookies, overnight chilling is recommended. To ease baking, roll dough into balls before chilling.
- Preheat and prepare rolling mixture: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon for rolling.
- Form and coat cookies: Using about 2 tablespoons of dough, roll into balls. If dough is too firm, let it rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on a cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes until the edges turn golden brown. Cookies will appear slightly underdone in the centers but will firm up as they cool. For crispier cookies, bake a minute or two longer.
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Yields about 24 cookies.
Notes
- Constant whisking while browning butter is essential to avoid burning and achieve perfect nutty flavor.
- Chilling the dough overnight yields the best texture and puffiness in cookies.
- Rolling the dough into balls before chilling helps speed up the baking process.
- If dough is too hard to roll, resting it at room temperature helps soften for easier handling.
- Cookies will appear slightly underbaked when removed but will set as they cool.
- Adjust baking time if you prefer softer or crisper cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
