Brown Butter Spice Cookies
Soft, spiced, and built on the same base as brown-butter chocolate chip cookies. This version keeps the chew, adds the gingerbread warmth, and finishes with a brown-butter cream cheese topping that melts into the cracks.
Prep
: 10
Total
: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 0.75 cup brown butter about 150 g, cooled to room temperature
- 0.75 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 0.25 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 large egg plus 2 yolks room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 0.25 teaspoon nutmeg
- 0.25 teaspoon cloves
- 1 pinch black pepper optional
- 1.75 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoon fine salt
Brown Butter Cream
- 4 tablespoon cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoon brown butter soft and cooled
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar
- 2 tablespoon buttercream OR 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Cook the butter until golden and aromatic. Let it cool until thickened and just warm.
- Whisk together the brown butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Add the egg, yolks, vanilla, and molasses; mix until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and all the spices.
- Add the dry mix to the wet mixture and fold until a soft dough forms. Don't overmix.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to help flavor and structure.
- Preheat the oven to 340°F. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look soft.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the brown butter and mix until creamy.
- Add the caster sugar and mix until dissolved.
- Add buttercream for a thick frosting or milk for a glaze consistency.
- Spoon or pipe over cooled or slightly warm cookies.
Notes
For best results, ensure your brown butter is properly cooled before mixing so it doesn't melt the sugars and make the dough greasy.