Brown Butter Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Brown Butter Makes Everything Better

There are regular cookies, and then there are brown butter cookies. If you've never browned butter before, let me just say this: it is absolutely worth the extra few minutes.

As the butter cooks, it develops this warm, nutty, almost caramel-like flavor that makes the entire kitchen smell incredible. And once that brown butter gets mixed into a chewy cookie dough and topped with cream cheese frosting?

Well, things get a little dangerous.

These cookies are soft, thick, and chewy with those little brown butter specks throughout. Then you add a layer of sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting, and suddenly you're wondering why you didn't make a double batch.

Why You'll Love These Cookies

• Soft and chewy with slightly golden edges

• Rich, nutty brown butter flavor

• Thick bakery-style cookies

• Creamy homemade cream cheese frosting

• Sweet without being overwhelmingly sweet

• Perfect for holidays, parties, or just because

• A little more special than your everyday chocolate chip cookie

These are the kind of cookies that look simple but have that little something extra.

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Ingredients You'll Need

Brown Butter Cookies

• Salted butter

• Brown sugar

• Granulated sugar

• Eggs

• Vanilla extract

• Cake flour

• All-purpose flour

• Cornstarch

• Baking soda

• Salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Unsalted butter

• Cream cheese

• Vanilla bean paste

• Powdered sugar

• Salt

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.

The Star of the Show: Brown Butter

If you're new to browning butter, don't let it intimidate you.

You're essentially taking regular butter and cooking it until the milk solids turn golden brown and develop that amazing nutty aroma.

The important part is to keep an eye on it.

Butter can go from beautifully golden to "well, I guess we're starting over" surprisingly quickly.

Once you see those little brown specks forming and smell that nutty aroma, take it off the heat.

And don't forget to scrape those browned bits into your bowl. That's where the good stuff lives.

One Important Brown Butter Tip

Brown butter loses some moisture as it cooks, which is why this recipe starts with a little extra butter. Different butter brands can also have slightly different amounts of butterfat and water, so don't be surprised if your browned butter looks a little different from batch to batch.

I recommend using a good-quality butter for the best flavor.

A Few Tips for Perfect Cookies

Don't Overmix

Once you add the dry ingredients, mix only until everything comes together.

Overmixing can make your cookies tougher instead of soft and chewy.

Chill the Dough

Don't skip the refrigeration step. It helps keep these cookies thick and gives them a better texture.

Don't Flatten Them Too Much

After scooping, gently press the dough into a thick puck shape.

You don't want to flatten them into thin discs.

We're looking for chunky, soft-centered cookies.

Let Them Cool Completely

I know this is another annoying one. But do not frost warm cookies.

The frosting will melt, slide around, and generally refuse to cooperate.

Let the cookies cool completely first. Then frost away.

Storage

Store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting.

They should keep for about 4–5 days.

For the best texture, let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

You can also freeze the unfrosted cookies and frost them once you're ready to serve.

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Baker's Confession

I feel like browning butter makes me look much more impressive in the kitchen than I actually am.

It sounds fancy.

It smells fancy.

There are brown specks involved. But really, you're just standing over a saucepan stirring butter and trying very hard not to burn it. And somehow, the result tastes like you put way more effort into the cookies than you actually did.

I'll take that win.