These delectable, crunchy yet chewy cinnamon brown butter cookies are an absolute autumn dream. The nutty and cozy combination of cinnamon and brown butter results in a melt-in-your-mouth cookie that you’ll be dreaming about for days. It’s like a cinnamon roll smushed into delicious, chewy cookie goodness, crispy on the edges and soft from the center.
Welcome to Episode 3 of The Cookie Series. I have curated 4 epic cookie recipes that I will be sharing with you throughout the month with tips and tricks along the way to help you become a cookie monster, master.
Check out the first two episodes of the cookie series featuring the Double Chocolate Chip Cookie and Red Velvet Cookie.
I absolutely love cookies of all kinds. I think of myself as a real-life cookie monster. Everywhere I go, I look for the best cookie I can possibly find. And on this cookie adventure, I have eaten many delicious and fun cookies. However, I have never come across one that features cinnamon as the star of the show. I mean, yes, there are snickerdoodles, but there was still a cinnamon cookie-shaped hole in my heart that had to be filled.
It took me a while to nail this cinnamon cookie, but when I tell you I nailed it, I really did. Because it turned out better than I ever expected.
Initially, I wanted to create a cookie with a cinnamon filling that oozes out when you break open the cookie. But an accidental baking “fail” led me to this thin, crispy, yet chewy cookie that just blew me away. The combination of brown butter and cinnamon creates the perfect cozy, fall flavor in this cookie. It almost reminds me of a Stroop waffle!
The key to the deliciousness of this cookie is brown butter. It’s what takes this cookie from good to absolutely amazing.
Why This Cookie Recipe Uses Brown Butter
First off, if you don’t know what brown butter is or haven’t used it before, prepare for your life to change because it’s one of the most delicious flavors out there. I mean, do you think butter is delicious? Wait till you try brown butter.
Brown butter is basically cooked butter. The butter is cooked in a pan on medium heat for a few minutes, which cooks the milk solids and results in a nutty, toasty flavor. Think of it like roasting nuts – while regular nuts taste good, roasting and browning them gives them that extra nuttiness and flavor. That’s exactly what happens to butter when it’s cooked.
The nuttiness of brown sugar perfectly compliments and enhances the cinnamon flavor of this cookie, which is why I do not recommend skipping the browning step in this recipe. It’s what gives the recipe that delicious, cozy flavor.
While browning butter is a very simple process, it can be tricky to tell when the butter is done because the milk solids can very easily go over and burn. When the milk solids start toasting over heat, the butter will become foamy which makes it difficult to see whether it has reached the correct browning stage. Keep an eye on the butter and keep mixing it until you start seeing brown streaks in the butter foam.
Make sure to not overcook or it will burn, and immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to stop the cookie process.
The Cinnamon Filling
The cinnamon element in this cookie is added as a filling in the cookie dough balls, then it spreads across the cookie while baking, giving you crispy and chewy cinnamon bits throughout the whole cookie. The filling itself is very simple and is made with 4 ingredients – brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. The ingredients are whipped together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, then frozen in small dollops to make the filling process easier.
Here’s the step-by-step process for filling the cookie dough with the cinnamon butter filling –
- Spoon or pipe dollops of the cinnamon butter filling on a sheet and freeze them for 1-2 hours until they are firm. This will help in handling the filling and also make it easier to form the cookie dough ball.
- Take your chilled cookie dough out of the fridge and form the cookie dough balls. I weigh mine at around 60 gs each.
- Flatten each cookie dough ball into a disk.
- Now, place the cinnamon butter dollops in the center of the cookie dough disks. Then fold the cookie dough from all four sides around the filling and roll it into a ball using your hands. Make sure the cinnamon filling is covered with dough on all sides. Form rough circles, then let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Before baking, cover the cookie dough in cinnamon sugar.
You can check out the full recipe video to help you understand the filling process better.
How To Make The Perfect Cookie
If you want to make the perfect cookie using this recipe, here are a few tips that will help you along the way –
- Cream the butter and sugars properly. In baking, ‘creaming’ refers to the process of whisking butter and sugar together until they are properly combined. Creaming is the first step in making any cookie dough, and it’s important that it’s done right to make sure that your cookie turns out chewy and chunky. While mixing the butter and sugar together, make sure that you whisk for 3-5 minutes until the butter is light and airy and you end up with a fluffy and creamy mixture.
- Chill the dough. It’s absolutely necessary to chill the cookie dough for 6-8 hours or ideally overnight. This ensures that fats in the dough solidify, which means that the cookies take longer to spread while cooking. This results in thicker, chunkier cookies. Chilling the dough also helps the dry ingredients soak up more hydration from the liquid ingredients, which results in a more flavorful cookie.
- Weight the dough for each cookie. Instead of eyeing the amount of dough you are using for each cookie, weigh it to make sure that you end up with consistent sizes for each one. I use 60gs of dough for each cookie.
- Give each cookie enough space to spread. Make sure that you are not placing the cookies too close together on the baking sheet. Each cookie should have enough space to spread properly. If you don’t leave enough space, the cookies will stick to one another while baking.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. One of the main reasons cookies turn out cakey instead of chewy is overbaking. Baking cookies is all about balance. You want to bake them long enough that the edges are set but the center is still a little undercooked while making sure that the cookies are not too undercooked and soft. Every oven works differently, so you might have to experiment to find the right time and temperature balance to bake the cookies perfectly. If you’re unsure, remember that it’s always better to have an underbaked cookie than an overbaked one.
- Shape the cookies while they’re still hot. It’s likely that your cookies will not come out of the oven perfectly round, but here’s a secret tip that will help you make them perfectly round every time. As soon as the cookies come out of the love, place any circular object like a cookie cutter, a mug, or a jar lid on top of each individual cookie and swirl it around. The cookie will still be very soft and the circular movement will shape the edges and result in a round cookie. Make sure to do this as soon as the cookies come out of the oven.
With all that information, I think you are ready to make this epic cinnamon brown sugar cookie recipe. So let’s get started!
PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are very unreliable and can give different measurements, so I would suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups, however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.
PPS: if you notice a * after any word, it means that there are additional tips about it after the recipe.
Cinnamon Brown Butter Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Stand or electric mixer
- Silicone spatula
- Baking tray
- Baking paper
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cookie Dough
- 180 gs all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch/corn flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 115 gs unsalted butter
- 200 gs brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Cinnamon Butter Filling
- 113 gs unsalted butter, softened
- 100 gs brown sugar
- 10 gs all-purpose flour
- 12 gs cinnamon powder
Topping
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 50 gs granulated sugar
Instructions
Brown Butter Cookie Dough
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl: all-purpose flour, baking, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.180 gs all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cornstarch/corn flour, 1/2 tsp salt
- Brown the butter: In a saucepan, add the butter and cook it on medium heat. Keep whisking the butter while it cooks to help it cook evenly. Once the butter starts foaming, cook for 2-3 minutes until it's brown. Remove from heat and immediately transfer it to a bowl to stop the cooking process.115 gs unsalted butter
- In a stand mixer (or a bowl with an electric mixer), add the brown butter and brown sugar and whisk together on high speed for 3-5 minutes until well combined.200 gs brown sugar
- Add the room temperature egg* and vanilla essence into the butter mixture and whisk together until well combined. Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated into the butter and there is no liquid left in the batter.1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla essence
- With the mixer on slow, add the dry ingredients into the batter and keep mixing on low speed until everything is well incorporated and there are no streaks of flour still remaining in the mix. You will have a nice, thick dough at this point.
- Wrap the prepared cookie dough tightly in cling film and let it chill in the fridge for 8 hours, or ideally overnight.
- Prepare the cinnamon filling – In a bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon, and whisk together until everything is well combined and no lumps remain. Transfer the cinnamon filling into a piping bag and pipe (or spoon) small dollops on a tray and let them chill in the freezer for 1 hour until completely set.113 gs unsalted butter, softened, 100 gs brown sugar, 10 gs all-purpose flour, 12 gs cinnamon powder
- Fill the cookie dough: Take the chilled cookie dough out of the fridge and form the cookie dough balls. I weigh mine at around 60 gs each. Flatten the cookie dough balls into a disk. Now, place the cinnamon filling in the center of the cookie dough disks. Then, fold the cookie dough from all four sides around the filling and roll it into a ball using your hands. Make sure the cinnamon filling is covered with dough on all sides. Form rough circles, then let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Combined the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and roll the chilled cookie dough calls in the mixture.2 tsp cinnamon, 50 gs granulated sugar
- Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and cover a baking tray with baking paper. Place the cookie dough balls on the tray (leaving enough space for each cookie to spread) and bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes, until the edges are set but the center is still soft. These cookies spread a lot so make sure you leave enough space around each cookie.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, shape them using a circular object like a jar lid, a mug, or a cookie cutter. Let the cookies cool before digging in.
Notes
Storage:
- These cookies can be stored for up to a week in a refrigerated airtight box. Don’t forget to heat them in the microwave before serving
Make ahead:
- You can also make the dough in advance, freeze it for a few weeks and bake it whenever you want to
Tips & tricks:
- Room temperature eggs: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature as well, cold eggs also lead to deflation of cookies.
- Mixing the butter and sugar: Don’t mix the sugar and butter mix for longer than 2 minutes or you may overmix it and end up making cakey cookies.
- Chilling the cookie dough: Don’t skip the chilling step! Chilling your dough for 12-48 hours allows the sugar to combine within the dough a lot better, creating chewier, thicker cookies.
- These cookies spread a lot while baking, so make sure to leave enough space on the baking tray around each cookie dough ball.
If you are a cinnamon lover like me, I really hope you give this cookie recipe a go. It will definitely warm your heart!
Hope you enjoyed episode #3 of the cookie series. Stay tuned for the next one coming soon! Meanwhile, check these cookie recipes.
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Red Velvet Cookie With Cream Cheese Filling Recipe
- Bakery Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Kunafa Cookie Recipe
If you give it a try, don’t forget to let me know how you liked it in the comments, and of course, share it with me on Instagram.
Until next time!
