This old fashioned brown butter sugar cookies recipe is the cutout cookie recipe you need! If you like my brown butter chocolate chip cookies, you HAVE to try these brown butter cookies! With the magic of brown butter and brown sugar, butter cookies take on incredible flavor - truly the best browned butter sugar cookies out there!
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And if you like these brown sugar butter cookies, you'll definitely want to try my Pop Tart Gingerbread House, my Cinnamon Chip Scones, and my Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar!
Browned Butter Sugar Cookies Recipe
These brown butter sugar cookies are soft cutouts packed with nutty, caramel flavor that is just irresistible! They're so much more complex than basic sugar cookies, -- the browned butter and brown sugar give the dough a toasted, cozy flavor. And it pairs perfectly with the creamy brown sugar icing!
This recipe is based on my No Spread Sugar Cookies, and just like those cookies, these browned butter sugar cookies keep their shape perfectly in the oven! They're ideal for holidays, cookie swaps, or any day you want to make a simple cutout cookie feel extra special. And if you love brown butter like I do, check out my full collection of over 44 sweet and savory brown butter recipes!
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What does brown butter do in cookies?
Brown butter is what happens when you melt butter over medium heat and keep cooking it until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn golden brown and get a nutty aroma. In the cooking process, the melted butter takes on an amazing nutty flavor, and that brown butter flavor truly transforms any recipe you add it to!
Brown butter adds a deep, toasted flavor that regular butter doesn’t have. It enhances the sweetness and creates cookie recipes with a subtle caramel taste and a slightly chewier texture than a classic sugar cookie.
Brown Sugar Brown Butter Cookies
We're not just using brown butter to make these cookies extra flavorful. We're also going to use brown sugar, which complements the flavor of brown butter perfectly and makes these cookies to die for!
Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredient measurements in the recipe card below, but here's a quick look at what you'll need for these browned butter sugar cookies:
- butter - we’ll start with unsalted butter and brown it on the stove to bring out that nutty, caramel flavor. Make sure to let it cool to room temperature so that it's solid, but still soft. If your kitchen is excessively hot or cool, you may want to check the temperature of your butter with a meat thermometer. It should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- light brown sugar – using light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar adds depth, moisture, and just the right hint of molasses that pairs perfectly with the browned butter. You can also use dark brown sugar, but you may need to sprinkle on some extra flour when rolling out your dough to account for the extra moisture from the molasses content.
- egg - for best results, you'll want your egg to be at room temperature too. If it feels cold to the touch, submerge it in a bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
- vanilla - for the best flavor, I like to use pure vanilla extract. Or you can make your own!
- flour - Measure your all-purpose flour by weight with a kitchen scale to make sure you don't accidentally add too much.
- cornstarch - just like with my Kitchen Sink Cookies, we'll use cornstarch to add a little more softness to the texture of these browned butter cookies.
- baking powder - this leavening agent gives the cookies a little lift so they bake up soft but not puffy.
- salt - brings out all these rich flavors!
Then, we're topping our brown sugar butter cookies with an incredible brown sugar icing! For that, you'll need:
- powdered sugar - we'll use powdered sugar to provide the structure and sweetness for our icing.
- brown sugar - for a little added flavor and sweetness.
- milk - to help get our icing to the perfect consistency! I like to use whole milk, but any milk you like works here.
- vanilla - brings all of these rich, warm flavors together!
- salt - just pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.
Equipment
I always measure my flour by weight with a kitchen scale to ensure accuracy, but it's even more important in this brown butter sugar cookie recipe because too much flour can make your cookies dry and crumbly. You'll also want to use a light-colored pan to brown your butter for these delicious cookies.
To mix this brown butter sugar cookie dough, I use my KitchenAid stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer. I also recommend a rubber spatula for folding in the dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl.
You'll definitely need a good cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for this recipe. I like to use my Our Place griddle pan for smaller batches and my Nordic Ware Big Baking Sheet for larger batches. You may also want to have a wire rack to help the cake cool more quickly and allow for your glaze to drip off the sides cleanly.
Instructions
The recipe card below will give you detailed step-by-step instructions and a recipe video! But here are the basic steps you'll follow for these brown butter cookies:
Cream solidified brown butter and brown sugar until they're fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer.
Add your egg and vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold until the flour mixture is just barely mixed in.
Roll the dough out and cut your cookie shapes with cookie cutters, then you're ready to bake!
Once cookies are fully cooled, whisk together icing ingredients until smooth and spread over cooled cookies.
Hint: If you notice your dough is a little dry, you may have accidentally added a bit too much flour. Just add a little milk a teaspoon at a time until it's malleable.
Brown Butter Sugar Cookies (No Brown Sugar)
If you want to make these nutty brown butter sugar cookies with no brown sugar, you're in luck! You can just swap the brown sugar in this recipe for white sugar, or you can use white sugar and add in a tablespoon of molasses to keep that rich brown sugar flavor.
Brown Butter Christmas Cookies
This recipe is perfect for a batch of brown butter Christmas cookies! Just cut out your shapes with Christmas cookie cutters and enjoy! I'll be making these on Christmas Eve to leave out for Santa! And don't forget to check out my collection of all the best holiday cookies for a cookie exchange!
Storage
You can store these brown sugar butter cookies at room temperature in an airtight cookie jar for up to 4 days, or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
You can also freeze your cut-out cookies, well wrapped, for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike traditional cutouts, this brown butter sugar cookie dough doesn’t need any complicated steps. It rolls out beautifully and bakes into cookies that hold their shape. Once cooled, you spread or drizzle the brown sugar icing on top, and as it sets, you get that glossy, bakery-style finish that makes these cookies look as good as they taste.
No, you don't! This simple brown butter sugar cookies recipe is based on my no spread sugar cookies, a no-chill recipe that goes straight from the mixer to your cookie cutters!
You can, but it’s best used fresh. If it thickens, just whisk in a splash of warm milk to loosen it up.
Yes! Both the baked brown sugar cookies and dough freeze well for up to two months, making them great brown butter holiday cookies to prep ahead.
Chances are you may not have added enough flour, or your butter was too warm when you mixed it in. Make sure your brown butter is softened but still cold, and I always measure my flour in grams using a kitchen scale to make sure it's accurate.
Brown sugar icing is the perfect complement to the nuttiness of the brown butter cookies! It balances the flavors perfectly, if I do say so myself!
I think so! These brown butter sugar cookies are a cut out recipe that works wonderfully!
Top Tip
Don't forget to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale! It'll help ensure accurate measurements and prevent crumbly cookies!
Related
Looking for other recipes like these old fashioned brown butter sugar cookies? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this simple cookie recipe:
10 festive recipes. No stress. All the holiday magic.
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If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup (284 g) unsalted butter - cubed
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar - packed
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 3½ cups (438 g) all-purpose flour - preferably measured out with a kitchen scale (438 grams); plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) salt
Brown Sugar Icing
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 3 teaspoon (15 ml) milk - plus more if needed for desired consistency
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Brown butter according to the instructions in my How to Make Brown Butter post (do not add any water to butter after it's browned); set aside a few hours to cool completely to room temperature. When it's ready, your browned butter should be soft, but cool to the touch.
- To make the cookies, preheat oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner.
- In a large bowl, mix solidified brown butter on medium speed with an electric mixer. Add brown sugar gradually, and cream together for 3 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.1 cup light brown sugar, 1¼ cup unsalted butter
- Mix in egg, followed by vanilla, until smooth.1 large egg, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- While mixing on low speed, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly, until just barely combined. Dough will be very thick, and you will likely need to help bring it together by hand.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and, with floured hands, form into a ball.
- Dust rolling pin with flour and roll dough out to approximately ¼-inch thick.
- Coat cookie cutters with flour and cut dough into shapes.
- Use a bench scraper to transfer cut cookie dough to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes in preheated oven.
- Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 10 minutes; then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Easy Vanilla Icing
- In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt. Add additional milk if needed for desired consistency.2 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 3 teaspoon milk, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, pinch salt
- To dip icing: one at a time, hold a cooled cookie upside-down by the outside edges and dip face-down into the icing. Be sure that the whole surface of the cookie is in contact with the icing.
- Lift cookie up and allow excess to drip from the surface of the cookie back into the bowl for about 15-20 seconds.
- Carefully flip cookie, without allowing any dripping icing to spill onto the sides, and place on parchment or cooling rack.
- To spread icing: Spoon a small spoonful of icing in the center of each cookies and spread carefully around close to the edges of the cookie shape. Place on cooling rack to set before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Last Updated on November 6, 2025 by Chenée Lewis
Chenée Lewis says
If you're anything like me, this is gonna be your new favorite cut-out cookie recipe! They really dont spread, and the flavor is incredible!!