Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does browning butter make a difference in cookies? ›

In his recipe, he made the ingenious discovery that browning the butter before adding it to the mixture would give the cookies a much more pronounced nuttiness.

Begin stirring to move the butter around as it melts. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring. In about 5–8 minutes from when you started (depending on the amount of butter you used), the butter will turn golden brown.

You want to wait for the milk solids to turn a golden-brown color. The best way to see that this is happening is to use a light-colored skillet that more accurately shows the color of the butter as it cooks (most nonstick skillets work here, but cast iron is far too dark).

We recommend using a shiny pan with a silver finish or a cermaic coated pan because it allows you to see the transition as the butter melts down and changes color from light to dark golden brown more easily.

During the process of browning, much of the water evaporates from the butter. So if you start out with 1 cup of butter, you'll be left with just a hair over 3/4 cup of butter. You'll lose a couple tablespoons in the process. This is the evaporating effect.

During the baking stage, cookies may wind up too hard if ingredient measurements are off. Because different amounts yield completely different cookies (i.e. too much sugar makes very flat and thin cookies, too much flour makes tall and stiff cookies, etc.), be sure to use measuring cups for the best results.

As butter melts, it will begin to foam. Watch butter closely. The color will progress from a bright yellow to a golden tan, then quickly to a deep golden brown. When you smell a nutty aroma, butter is deep golden brown and browned milk solids appear in bottom of pan, take pan off the heat.

The key to browned butter is getting it browned just enough, which requires some attention. Too dark, and the flavor will taste burnt. If you don't cook the butter long enough, it won't have the deep, nutty flavor you're after.

Don't stop stirring.

Constantly stirring the butter allows the heat from the bottom of the pan to be evenly distributed and will prevent the solids from burning before the rest of the butter has browned.

How do you cool brown butter for cookies? ›

Some recipes may call for strained and cooled brown butter. In this case, strain the hot butter through a fine mesh strainer to remove the browned milk solids. Then place the liquid butter in the refrigerator to chill until it becomes solid.

Once the crackling stops, stir the mixture occasionally until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Don't swirl the pan too often; we want to encourage those nice brown bits on the bottom to continue to form, and stirring constantly will prevent that.

Just like regular butter, browned butter (also called just brown butter) improves the texture of baked goods and adds richness to savory dishes. But unlike regular butter, brown butter has a distinctive, bold flavor that otherwise can't be recreated.

Add your butter to the pan over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, continuously swirl it around the pan. As it melts, the butter will begin to foam, and the color will change from light yellow to golden and finally to brown (it only takes a minute or two)).

Just like regular butter, browned butter (also called just brown butter) improves the texture of baked goods and adds richness to savory dishes. But unlike regular butter, brown butter has a distinctive, bold flavor that otherwise can't be recreated.

Browned butter has a sweet and savory flavor, almost like toffee, which makes these cookies rich, delicious, and a little caramelly!

“Browning all the butter removes the water content, but the dough still needs some of that water to come together. Browning only some of the butter is enough to achieve that signature nuttiness, while the remaining unbrowned butter provides enough water content for the dough to come together.”

Brown butter adds a rich, slightly nutty, caramel flavor to baked goods that makes everything extra delicious. If you haven't made brown butter before, don't you worry.