There’s nothing quite like biting into a soft, chewy sugar cookie. One of the best things about these easy-to-make treats (besides how they taste) is that they’re super simple to jazz up. Whether it’s a sprinkle of cinnamon or a grating of citrus zest, there are loads of twists on the classic sugar cookie. But for the most irresistible treats ever, you’ll want to add brown butter.
How to Make Brown Butter
Brown butter (or beurre noisette if you’re feeling fancy) is the secret to baking some seriously next-level cookies. If you ask any baker or chef, they’ll go on and on about brown butter’s near magical ability to turn a good recipe into something great with its rich, nutty flavor. We love swapping regular butter for brown butter in our sweet treats but it works wonders in savory dishes as well (hello, brown butter roasted cauliflower).
Making brown butter is easy. All you’ll need to do is pop your butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Stir gently but continuously as it melts. Once the butter shifts from yellow to a rich golden brown and takes on that classic toasty, nutty aroma, you’re good to go! From here, you’ll want to transfer your fresh batch of brown butter to a heatproof bowl and let it cool. For the purposes of our brown butter sugar cookies, you’ll want to put your brown butter in the fridge for about 20 minutes or until it’s firm enough to work with. Don’t skip this step. If you don’t chill your butter, you’ll wind up with hard-to-work dough and cookies that spread across your baking tray and wind up hard and crispy instead of chewy and soft.
How to Add Brown Butter to Your Sugar Cookie Recipe
Evaporation takes place when you brown butter, so you’ll need to replace the lost liquid if you want your cookies to stay chewy once they come out of the oven. It works out to about 15% more liquid than is stated in the recipe. We recommend adding a bigger splash of vanilla extract or an extra squeeze of lemon juice, depending on your recipe.
For ¼ cup butter add 1.8 tsp of extra liquid.
For ½ cup butter add 3.6 tsp of extra liquid.
For 1 cup butter add 2.4 tbsp of extra liquid.
Here Are Our Favorite Sugar Cookies for a Little Inspiration
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Taste of Home
Amish Sugar Cookies
These easy-to-make, old-fashioned Amish sugar cookies simply melt in your mouth! I've passed this recipe around to many friends. After I gave it to my sister, she entered the cookies in a local fair and won best of show. —Sylvia Ford, Kennett, Missouri
Go to Recipe
Vanilla-Butter Sugar CookiesThese butter sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookies to bake for Christmas. The dough recipe is versatile, so you can use it for other holidays, too. Children like to help with the cookie decorating. —Cynthia Ettel, Glencoe, Minnesota
Sugar CookiesThis sugar cookie dates back to a Swedish woman born in 1877! Her daughter, Esther Davis, shared the recipe with me and she came up with all the exact measurements, since the original cookies were mixed by feel and taste. These are my favorite cookies and I hope they'll become yours as well. —Helen Wallis, Vancouver, Washington
Nice 'n' Soft Sugar CookiesMy family’s all-time favorite Christmas cookie has had a million shapes over the years. Little ones have fun making their own icing designs. — Cathy Hall, Lyndhurst, Virginia
Cinnamon Sugar CookiesMy mom always had these cookies on hand. They're so good with a cup of hot chocolate, coffee or milk. —Leah Costigan, Otto, North Carolina
Angel Sugar CrispsWhenever I've taken this sugar crisp recipe to church coffees, I've had women come into the kitchen and request the recipe. You'll enjoy this sugar cookie's secret ingredient—brown sugar! —Annabel Cox, Olivet, South Dakota
Best-Ever Sugar CookiesWhat makes these cookies the best ever? A delicious cream cheese dough flavored with vanilla, almond and a hint of nutmeg that's wonderfully easy to work with. The adorable decorations don't hurt, either! —Christy Hinrichs, Parkville, Missouri
Lemon Sugar CookiesThese are my favorite sugar cookies. The lemon adds a unique flavor. They sure are good with coffee when company comes. —Eula Forbes, Wagoner, Oklahoma
Deluxe Sugar CookiesChristmas cutouts signal the holiday season. For variety, sprinkle half of the cookies with colored sugar before baking and frost the remaining ones after they're cooled.—Dawn Fagerstrom, Warren, Minnesota
Giant Lemon Sugar CookiesThese wonderfully chewy cookies have a light lemon flavor from both the juice and zest. The sanding sugar on top adds sparkle and a bit of crunch. —Michael Vyskocil, Glen Rock, Pennsylvania
Soft Sugar Cookie PuffsMy husband's Aunt Laurel always made these cake-like cookies with her own farm-fresh eggs, cream and butter. Now I prepare batches for Christmas each year. We like them because they're not overly sweet. —D. Elaine Rutschke, Spruce View, Alberta
Crisp Sugar CookiesMy grandmother always had sugar cookies in her pantry, and we grandchildren would empty that big jar quickly because they were the best! I now regularly bake these wonderful cookies to share with friends. —Evelyn Poteet, Hancock, Maryland
Thick Sugar CookiesThis thick and cakelike sugar cookie is similar to those sold at bakeries. My children often request these for their birthdays and are always happy to help decorate them. —Heather Biedler, Martinsburg, West Virginia
Walnut Sugar CookiesWhen we were growing up, my mother made sugar cookies dotted with ground walnuts as a special treat to welcome us home from school. —Debbie Miller, La Verne, California
Soft Sugar CookiesThese soft cookies are always a hit, so I often stir up a big batch. I usually add food coloring to the frosting to coordinate with the current holiday. —Coleen Walter, Bancroft, Michigan
Part of the third generation in a family of restaurateurs, Camille was born with a passion for cooking and food. She embarked on a career in hospitality where she excelled as a sommelier and wine director. This hospitality experience has given her a wealth of first-hand knowledge about how to pair all manner of drinks with food—plus some serious kitchen skills. These days, she's hung up her wine key in favor of a pen and covers all aspects of food and drink.
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Updated: Sep. 05, 2019
