Brown Butter Cookie Company Recipe - Kickass Baker (2024)

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Our lives were forever changed when we visited Brown Butter Cookie Company along the central coast of California in a town called Cayucos. This Brown Butter Cookie Company Recipe makes thick, buttery cookies with a nutty flavor and the perfect amount of sea salt on top. This copycat recipe is a huge crowd-pleaser!

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Why you’ll love this recipe

These cookies are little bits of heaven! The first time me and my family bit into a cookie, we were in love with the unique and wonderful flavor profile of these cookies. The intensity of the nutty flavor of the brown butter mixed with the sea salt on top is unmatched. These cookies are super thick and dense with a crumbly, but definitely not dry, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Here are just a few of the many reasons why you'll love this recipe:

  • This is a very simple cookie recipe that produces incredible cookies
  • Browned butter, need I say more? The nutty aroma is reason enough to make this recipe. The depth of flavor this magical ingredient adds to these cookies is simply incredible
  • There are very few ingredients in this amazing recipe, it comes together quickly, no chill time required and no stand mixer or handheld electric mixer required
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Ingredients & substitutionsfor brown butter cookies

This recipe requires only simple ingredients. The ingredients are listed on the back of each package of cookies purchased from the Brown Butter Cookie Company.

So to make this copycat recipe, it was just a matter of figuring out the proper proportions and method. Through lots of trial and error, this recipe emerged as the closest match to the cookies you can purchase.

Here's what you'll need:

  • Brown butter: browning butter adds the most delicious nuttiness to this recipe! It takes just a few minutes to prepare, too.
  • Brown sugar: I recommend using light brown sugar in this recipe. Dark brown sugar adds a layer of caramel flavor that competes with the brown butter in this recipe. Do not substitute with white sugar (granulated sugar). White sugar and brown sugar act very differently in cooke recipes. Brown sugar maintains moisture and softness while granulated sugar creates a crispy cookie. Additionally, white sugar is not used in the original recipe.
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour: be sure to measure your flour correctly by spooning the flour into the measuring cup without packing it down at all. Sweep the top of the measuring cup with a butter knife to level it off. This cookie will not hold together if there's too much flour in the cookie dough.
  • Baking soda
  • Flaky salt: this is sprinkled on top just before baking. Flaky salt is different than coarse salt. Try looking for Fleur De Sel or Flaky sea salt such as Maldon.
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How to make Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookies

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2

Prepare the brown butter. I recommend using a light colored skillet for this. It will be much easier to tell when the butter has browned (aka, the milk solids have dropped to the bottom of the pan and browned).

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Step 3

Add the brown sugar and vanilla to the bowl with the brown butter, mixing to combine

Step 4

Add the dry ingredients (flour and baking soda) to the butter mixture and stir just until combined. The mixture will resemble wet sand.

Note: If your cookie dough is not coming together and seems very dry, try adding a drop more vanilla to the dough, adding more until it comes together.

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Step 5

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out cookie dough and roll between your palms to form a smooth ball. Place dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the top of cookies with flaky salt

Step 6

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown, rotating the tray halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Optional: use the flat bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to press down gently on the top of the hot cookies. Sometimes the cookies retain their ball shape while baking, so this helps create more of a cookies shape.

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Pro tips

  • As much as it may be tempting to take a shortcut and skip browning the butter, I would not recommend substituting melted butter for the brown butter in this recipe. It'll change the flavor profile of the cookies completely. Also, when butter is browned, a bit of the moisture evaporates, decreasing the volume of the butter. Melted butter has up to 25% more volume than browned butter, which can change the proportion of ingredients in the cookie dough. This changes the outcome of the baked cookie
  • Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days
  • Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet then place in a freezer-safe bag and store up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature

Love brown butter? Use it in my Brown Butter Blondies and my Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

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FAQs

How do you brown butter without burning?

Have you ever wondered can you overcook brown butter? The answer is yes! Butter can go from perfectly browned with a pleasant, nutty aroma to black and burnt in the blink of an eye. Learn more about how to properly make Brown Butter for all your baking recipes.

How do you know when brown butter is done?

When butter is browning, it goes through a few stages. First it melts, then it sizzles and pops then it foams. Once it settles down and stops making noise, you should see amber-colored, golden brown bits at the bottom. You can also smell a delightful nutty aroma. This is how you know the butter is done browning. Learn more here!

More recipes

  • How To Brown Butter (Simple Method)
  • Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  • Chocolate Chip Blondies
  • Soft Brown Sugar Cookies (no butter)

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Brown Butter Cookie Company Recipe - Kickass Baker (13)

Brown Butter Cookie Company Recipe

This Brown Butter Cookie Company Recipe makes thick, buttery cookies with a nutty flavor and the perfect amount of sea salt on top.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Course: All Recipes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown butter cookie company, brown butter cookie company recipe, brown butter cookies, cookies

Servings: 14

Calories: 161kcal

Author: Kimberlee Ho

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

  • brown butter made from ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • flaky salt for sprinkling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

  • Brown the butter. Remove the pan from the heat. Scrape the browned butter including all those brown bits at the bottom of the pan into a heatproof bowl

    brown butter

  • Add the brown sugar and vanilla to the bowl with the brown butter, mixing to combine

    ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Add flour and baking soda to the butter mixture and stir just until combined. The mixture will resemble wet sand. Note: If your cookie dough is not coming together and seems very dry, try adding a drop more vanilla to the dough, adding more until it comes together. You should be able to squish it together in your hand and it stays together.

    1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out cookie and roll between your palms to form a smooth ball. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of cookies with sea salt

    flaky salt

  • Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown, rotating the tray halfway through. Optional: use the flat bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to press down gently on the top of the hot cookies. Sometimes the cookies retain their ball shape while baking, so this helps create more of a cookies shape. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack

Notes

  • Note: If your cookie dough is not staying together and crumbles like wet sand, try adding a bit more vanilla extract just until it comes together. It should stay together when you squish it in your hand
  • Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days
  • Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet then place in a freezer-safe bag and store up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature
  • Adapted from Brown Butter Cookie Company, A Spoonful of Thyme, and Yummy Mummy recipes

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 303IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?Tag @kickassbaker on Instagram so I can see!

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Filed Under

ShortbreadSmall BatchUnder 30 MinutesBeginnerBrown Butter

Brown Butter Cookie Company Recipe - Kickass Baker (2024)

FAQs

Who is the owner of Brown Butter cookies Company? ›

Co-Owner and Founder, Traci Hozie-Alderson was interviewed on the podcast Consumed with Jaime Lewis (released December 4, 2023).

Why do brown butter cookies taste better? ›

Browning the butter adds a rich and nutty flavor to the cookies, enhancing the overall taste and creating a more complex flavor profile. The nuttiness of the browned butter complements the sweetness of the chocolate chips, resulting in a delightful and indulgent treat.

Where are brown butter cookies from? ›

Brown Butter Cookie Company's sea salt-sprinkled shortbread cookies have remained a popular Central Coast treat for more than a decade. Beloved for their rich combination of sweet and salty flavors, the cookie craze first began in the coastal town of Cayucos before spreading across the world.

How many calories in a brown butter cookie? ›

1 ea of brown butter chocolate chunk cookie contains 400 Calories, 51 grams of carbs, 6 grams of protein, and 17 grams of fat.

Who owns the cookie company? ›

Cookie Co. was founded in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic by Elise and Matt Thomas. Working behind the scenes to open the first Cookie Co.

Why did my brown butter cookies get hard? ›

Too much flour in your brown butter chocolate chip cookies can make them dry, tough, crumbly, or too thick, none of which are good.

Why are my brown butter cookies greasy? ›

Let the brown butter cool sufficiently.

Using hot, melted butter will yield greasy dough and cause the cookies to spread too much when baked. By allowing the butter to solidify before adding it to the dough, you're able to bake the cookies immediately—no chill time required.

Why are my brown butter cookies flat? ›

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure.

Who makes Starbucks cookies? ›

Since January 2016, Starbucks has been featuring cookies from Michel et Augustin in all of their US stores. How did a baked-goods company that started out of a Paris apartment land a deal with one of the largest coffee chains in the world?

Why are cowboy cookies named that? ›

Some claim cowboy cookies hail from Texas, a state many cowboys call home. Others say the treats were named for their ability to withstand long days in saddlebag. Whatever its origin, the combination of oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut is undeniably delicious.

Does browning butter dry out cookies? ›

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.”

What is butter bleed in cookies? ›

Butter bleed is when your cookie looks great decorated and then you come back hours later (or the next day) and notice what looks like grease stains seeping in. It stinks. The easiest way to avoid these icing pitfalls is to use color sparingly AND use Americolor gels.

What does adding extra butter to cookies do? ›

An excessive amount of butter makes it where the flour is unable to absorb the combined fat, which causes the cookie to spread too widely and the sugar to carbonize more easily because it's surrounded by too buttery a dough.

Who is the CEO of Jimmy's cookies? ›

Howard Hirsch Jimmy's CEO said, “The addition of the Ecce Panis brand is consistent with our strategy to drive growth through expanding and diversifying our product line.

Who owns KC cookie company? ›

Christina Jokerst - Business Owner - KCookie Company | LinkedIn.

What company owns GrandMa's cookies? ›

Consequently, Frito-Lay purchase the baking goods company from the Wittenburg family May 20, 1980. Following the successful test marketing in Kansas City, Missouri, Frit-Lay began distributing GrandMa's Cookies nationally in 1983. GrandMa's Cookies are made in a variety of flavors.

What company owns Maryland cookies? ›

Maryland Cookies are a brand name of cookie produced by Burton's Biscuit Company in the United Kingdom.

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