Ooey Gooey Browned Butter Cookies are soft, chewy treats made with browned butter for a nutty flavor, coated with confectioners’ sugar, and baked. It’s a delicious cookie based on my Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies, which you will want to try, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Butter: It’s all about butter in butter cookies (no kidding!), and for these cookies, it’s about the browned butter! Browning the butter intensifies its flavor, adding a rich, nutty, and caramelized note to the cookies. Use unsalted butter, which is recommended for browning.
Sugar: You will need both granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar for these cookies. The granulated sugar will be mixed with the browned butter. Half of the confectioners’ sugar will be added to the dough while the other half will be used for rolling the dough.
Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh (not expired). You will need a tablespoon to help the cookies have a soft, fluffy texture.
Cream Cheese: Softened, or room-temperature cream cheese gives the cookies a bit of tanginess. It also helps bind the ingredients together for better structure.
Can I Make The Browned Butter Cookie Dough Ahead Of Time?
Absolutely! To get a head start on these ooey gooey browned butter cookies, prepare the dough and freeze it for when you are ready for freshly baked cookies. To freeze the cookie dough, first, place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the dough balls are completely frozen. Once frozen, transfer the dough to freezer-safe zipper bags. When ready to bake, simply bake as many of the cookies as you need from frozen. You may need to increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. You could also refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours, up to overnight.
Can I Make The Cookies Without Browning The Butter?
Yes, you could make the cookies without browning the butter, but you will miss out on the flavor it adds! Yes, my ooey gooey butter cookies are fantastic (and you should make those, too), but browning the butter takes the flavor of the cookies to the next level! And, you can brown butter up to 5 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use! If you are skipping the browning, simply cream the butter with the sugar before continuing with the recipe.
How To Store Ooey Gooey Browned Butter Cookies
To store ooey gooey browned butter cookies, first, let them cool completely. Then, the cookies can be stored at room temperature or in the freezer. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. To freeze, place the cooled cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Remove from the freezer and transfer them to a freezer-safe container to store for up to 3-4 weeks. Check out my Guide to Freezing, Baking, and Storing Cookies for more information.
Ooey Gooey Browned Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- â…› teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a stainless steel skillet (or another light-bottomed pan) over medium-high heat, melt butter, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter will begin to foam, which signals the water in the butter is boiling off. (Watch closely at this stage.) Tiny brown specks of milk solids will begin to appear at the bottom of the pan; constantly stir and scrape these off using a spatula so they don’t stick.
- As soon as the butter turns chestnut brown and smells nutty, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the browned butter into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- To the hot browned butter, add granulated sugar, mixing on low to combine. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
- To a medium bowl, add flour, ½ cup confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
- After 15 minutes, to the browned butter mixture, add cream cheese, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low until no lumps remain.
- Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the lined baking sheets.
- Pour the remaining ½ cup confectioners' sugar onto a small plate or bowl.
- Roll the dough balls in confectioners' sugar until completely covered and place back onto the lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. (I placed approximately 8 dough balls onto each baking sheet.)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they no longer look wet on top.
- After about 5 minutes, place on wire racks to cool.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These certainly live up to their name! The browned butter adds a subtly nutty taste that will keep you coming back for more!
Elizabeth
I love the softness of butter cookies, and the taste of these (with the browned butter) is elevated a bit!
Rachael
Perfect name for these ooey gooey cookies! The texture is amazing on these and they just melt in your mouth they are so delicious.
Bella
I simply cannot stop eating these cookies! The name fits these cookies nicely! They have a really soft and tender texture.
Annabelle
These cookies are definitely ooey gooey! They're soft, sweet, and have that bit of browned butter flavor that you know and love!
Selena
Melt in your mouth deliciousness! I love anything with browned butter and these do not disappoint!
Cookies are delicious, but 9-10 mins was not a long enough bake time. Even after resting on the hot cookie sheets for 5 mins, they were still raw in the center.
I suggest 12-15 mins bake time and then rest on the hot cookie sheets for 3-5 mins to set up properly.
Can I do these GF?
I made these cookies over the weekend, and they are so fantastic! Brought them to my niece and nephews house to share with their family. My nephew said they are his new favorite cookie! I make new cookies every year to try to see what would be the best cookie for my Christmas cookie tray, and this one definitely will be on it!