Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does browning butter make a difference in cookies? ›

As you melt butter in a hot skillet and then let it bubble, its amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) react with its sugars to create new, nutty-flavored, brown-colored (and very delicious) compounds that add even more flavor to the classic snickerdoodle.

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.

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.

Why is my butter not browning? If using American butter, there is a higher percentage of water that needs to evaporate before the proteins in the milk solids will start to brown. Stick with it, the butter will turn eventually.

With less water, you also end up with less gluten development, thus a cookie made with browned butter is softer and more tender than one made with creamed or plain melted butter.

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.

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.

Immediately transfer the butter to a medium bowl to prevent burning (you do not want to burn your butter!), making sure you scrape all the butter from the pan. Set the butter aside to cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to touch before adding it to a recipe.

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.

Can you brown butter too long? ›

But the process of browning butter—simple as it may seem—requires some particular vigilance. A few seconds too long on the heat and this deeply flavored butter can turn from creamy and caramelly to bitter and burnt.

It isn't bad or bad for you, unless you take it too far and let the milk solids in the butter burn. Burnt butter is dreadful. If you are browning butter it is a good idea to take it off the heat when still a couple of shades lighter than you want. Residual heat will finish the process.

Black specks indicate burnt milk proteins which will give a bitter taste to your recipe. If this happens, no worries it has happened to all of us. Dump the butter and start the process over.

Brown butter really is the secret sparkle to so many baked goods. Brown butter adds a depth, richness, and irresistible nutty flavor to cookies, cakes, and breads. It's a simple pleasure that feels like a luxury.

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

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.

“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.”