Brown Butter Cardamom Cookies
These brown butter cardamom cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with warm aromatic spice and rich nutty flavor. Made with deeply toasted brown butter and fragrant ground cardamom, these bakery-style cookies have crisp edges, tender centers, and a cozy flavor that’s perfect for fall, winter, or anytime you want a unique spiced cookie. Easy to make and incredibly flavorful, these chewy cardamom cookies are perfect for holiday baking, cookie boxes, or everyday treats.
Servings 18 cookies
Calories 175kcal
Cost $6 for entire recipe
Equipment
- Medium saucepan (for browning butter)
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Cookie scoop (2-tablespoon size)
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment paper
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- ¾ cup 170g unsalted butter
Dry Ingredients
- 1¾ cups 225g all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cardamom
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup 150g brown sugar
- ½ cup 100g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional for rolling:
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- pinch cardamom
Instructions
Brown the Butter
- Add butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter foams, then turns golden brown with brown specks and a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Let cool for 15–20 minutes.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cardamom. Set aside.
Combine Sugars and Brown Butter
- Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled browned butter. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
Add Eggs and Vanilla
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
Form the Dough
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until just combined. Do not overmix.
Chill the Dough
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes to prevent spreading and improve flavor.
Preheat the Oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the Cookies
- Scoop 2 tablespoon portions of dough and roll into balls. Roll in granulated sugar with a pinch of cardamom if desired.
Bake the Cookies
- Place dough balls 2–3 inches apart and bake for 9–11 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and centers remain soft.
Cool
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Browning the butter gives these brown butter cardamom cookies a deep nutty flavor and helps create chewy centers with crisp edges.
- Use freshly ground cardamom for the strongest aromatic flavor and best overall taste.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading and improve texture.
- Slightly underbake the cookies for soft, chewy brown butter cardamom cookies. They will continue to set as they cool.
- Roll the dough in cardamom sugar before baking for extra spice flavor and lightly crisp edges.
- For thicker bakery-style cookies, chill the dough for 1 hour instead of 30 minutes.
- If the dough becomes too firm after chilling, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before scooping.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top after baking to enhance the brown butter flavor.
- These cookies taste even better the next day as the cardamom flavor develops.