Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies

Brown butter gives a toasted, nutty flavor to a classic shortbread cookie. All you need are 3 ingredients to create these simple and delicious cookies that are perfect for the holidays.

These Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies combine a classic shortbread recipe with brown butter. Browned butter is made when butter is heated on the stove and the water evaporates, leaving the milk solids to become caramelized and brown. This one extra step gives these shortbread cookies a toasted and almost nutty flavor. They are delicious with a cup of coffee and are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Simple ingredients. Just 3, in fact! I bet you already have the ingredients in your kitchen, making these shortbread cookies easy to whip up.
• A family-favourite recipe. This recipe is based on my grandma's classic shortbread recipe that she makes every year for Christmas.
• Brown butter adds a caramel nutty flavor, so these cookies are not boring.
• Keep cookie dough in the freezer for emergencies.
• Or bake the cookies ahead of time and freeze for later occasions.
• It’s easily allergy friendly. This recipe can be made gluten-free and nut-free. Perfect to share with family and friends.

Love to bake cookies? You'll also like my chocolate chipless cookies, brown butter pecan cookies, gingerbread amaretti cookies, and amarena cherry ricotta cookies.

Ingredients Needed

Here is everything you'll need to make these brown butter shortbread cookies:

• Butter: As there are only 3 ingredients in this recipe, each one plays a big part in the flavour and texture of the shortbread cookies. The butter gives the cookies their distinct creamy flavour and texture, so use a high quality, European butter if you can. I use salted butter so no extra salt is required. If using unsalted butter, add a good pinch of salt to the dough.
• Brown sugar: The use of brown sugar over white sugar adds more moisture and a deeper flavour to the shortbread. While you can use white granulated sugar if that’s all you have, I definitely recommend dark brown sugar.
• All purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour so you don't add too much. Better yet, use a scale for accurate measuring.
• You may need a few tablespoons of water to bring the dough together. This is because some water from the butter will evaporate during the browning process.

What is Brown Butter?

Browning the butter adds a great depth of rich flavor to this recipe. Brown butter is a magical product that results when butter is heated in a saucepan. When exposed to prolonged heating, some water evaporates and the milk solids in the butter begin to caramelize and brown. Browned butter has a nutty aroma and caramel-like taste and adds a delicious note to baked goods like these shortbread cookies.

Substitutions

There are many ways to change up these cookies. Here are some substitution suggestions:

• Gluten-free flour. Make these cookies gluten-free by using a gluten-free all-purpose blend that contains xanthan gum. I typically use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag) or Robinhood gluten-free flour blend. Note that gluten free cookies may require a touch more flour, and will be softer in texture.
• Dairy-free? Dairy-free butter is made of oil and won't brown. If you want a dairy-free shortbread, try my regular shortbread recipe, which has been tested GF & DF.
• No brown sugar? You could also use coconut sugar or white granulated sugar.
• Add different extracts like almond extract, a touch of vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or even some espresso powder for a deeper flavor.
• Sprinkles: My grandma always adds sprinkles to the top of each cookie, so for the holidays I like to add some festive sprinkles too.
• Jazz up the baked cookies by dipping them in some melted chocolate.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions. 

Brown the Butter

Place the butter into a medium saucepan. Turn to medium heat and melt butter, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown. When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof medium-sized bowl, scraping all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with it. This whole process should take 5-10 minutes.

(1) Allow the butter to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes then place the butter bowl in the fridge, stirring every 15 minutes or so. It must become a softened butter texture before making the dough. This will take about 60 minutes.

Make the Dough

Preheat the oven to 325ºF and prepare 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Once a soft texture, add the brown butter to a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat for 1 minute until soft and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and beat together for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed.

(2) Slowly mix in the flour. The dough will appear crumbly. While mixing, add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add just enough until the dough sticks together and you can squish it in your hand.

Bake the Cookies

(3) Flour your counter and use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Use a floured rolling pin to roll it out into rectangle that is about ½" thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out the cookies.

(4) Place the cookies on the baking sheets. Re-roll the dough scraps and repeat rolling and cutting. Immediately bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, switching racks halfway through, until the edges are just set. When they come out of the oven, use a large cookie cutter or a glass to swirl them into perfect circles.

(5) Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!

How to Serve

These cookies are the best cookies for any occasion. Whether it's a birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, a bake sale, or you're just looking for a little treat—these cookies are easy to make and are always a crowd pleaser.

Here are some ways I like to serve them:

• With a hot tea or espresso. When dipped in a warm drink, these cookies soften into a delicious bite. Try a cappuccino, peppermint mocha, or a homemade gingerbread latte.
• Wrapped as a gift. Line a pretty box with some parchment paper, fill with cookies, wrap, and anyone is going to love to receive this!
• Enjoy with a holiday cookie spread. Pair with my brown butter pecan cookies, chocolate amaretti, slice and bake sugar cookies, gluten-free shortbread, oreo truffles and more desserts!

Storage & Freezing

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Freezing cookie dough: Cookie dough can be cut and placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet to flash freeze for 10 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from sticking to each other. Then place the cookies in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed, plus 1-2 minutes.

Freezing baked cookies: Baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours and enjoy. 

Expert Tips

Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful cookies:

• Be sure to watch the butter when browning! It can go from brown to burnt very quickly. Once it smells nutty and appears brown, remove to a heatproof bowl.
• Let the butter cool to a softened state before mixing the dough. If the butter is too hot, the dough will be oily. Melted butter will not work.
• If you're gluten-free, have your own gluten-free cookie cutters to avoid cross contamination. Cookie cutters can have lots of nooks and crannies for gluten to hide.
• Cut them thick! I like to slice or roll the dough to ½" thickness for a good, sturdy bite. The thickness also helps keep the cookies from spreading in the oven.
• Don't overbake! The cookies should not have colour when they are removed! They will not need more than 8-10 minutes in the oven.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. This will avoid condensation on the bottom of the cookies and ensure a delicious bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

These brown butter shortbread cookies are nutty, soft, buttery, and couldn't be easier to make! The extra step of browning the butter adds a unique depth of flavor to a classic shortbread recipe. A must make for the holidays!

More Cookie Recipes

• Gingerbread Amaretti Cookies
• Ricotta & Amarena Cherry Cookies
• Chocolate Chipless Cookies
• Brown Butter Pecan Cookies
• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
• Italian Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
• Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
• White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
• Mini Skillet Cookie

More Desserts

Have you made these brown butter shortbread cookies? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!