Browned Butter Cookies with Caramel Frosting

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These browned butter cookies take a little time to make, since they require heating and cooling before they are even baked, but they are well worth the trouble.  My mom and I originally found this recipe in the December 2008 Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies publication.  They are super amazing, just make sure not to over-bake them, burnt butter is no where near as good as browned butter.

Cookie Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter (do NOT use margarine for this recipe)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar (I like dark brown, but you can use light)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped cashews (I always leave these out)

Cookie Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375F
  2. In heavy 2-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat.
  3. Cook stirring constantly until butter is light brown.
  4. Pour butter into large bowl.
  5. Cool 5 minutes.
  6. Add 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 egg, stirring with spoon.
  7. Add in flour, salt and cashew pieces (if desired), mixing well.
  8. Drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart.
  9. Bake 8-10 minutes or until almost no indention remains when touched in center.
  10. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on pan for 1-2 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
  11. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter (do NOT use margarine for this recipe)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar (I like dark, but you can use light)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cashew halves for decoration (if desired – again something I leave out – I don’t like cashews)

Frosting Instructions:

  1. In 2-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat.
  2. Stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar
  3. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
  4. Stir in 1/4 cup milk.
  5. Heat to boiling again before removing from heat.
  6. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
  7. Cool to luke-warm, about 30 minutes.
  8. Gradually stir in powdered sugar.
  9. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on each cookie and top with cashew half (if desired)

2 Comments

  1. Mitzi Curi on February 29, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    Andrea, those cookies look fantastic! I’m drinking coffee right now, and would love to have a few….

    • Andrea on February 29, 2012 at 10:40 pm

      I absolutely love them. I’ve gotten into a habit of making cookie dough, scooping it out and freezing the scoops. Once they’re frozen, you can take them off your sheet and store them in zip-loc bags. I can take whatever kind of cookie dough I want out of my freezer and have fresh cookies any time I want. Plus it keeps me from eating an entire batch at once.

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