Chewy Brown Butter Gingerbread Cookies
These chewy brown butter gingerbread cookies might just be your new favorite holiday cookie. Spiced, warm and chewy, they are perfect for cold winter days.
Gingerbread cookies are one of those things that are synonymous with the holidays. Even if you don’t love gingerbread, I’m sure you have probably decorated/built a gingerbread house or cookie before. Being honest, I think it’s fine but nothing I’m longing to have. I think they smell nice and look beautiful though.
I really wanted chewy gingerbread cookies that were a little thick and crackly on top. Sort of like my Big Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies. Both in appearance and texture so that gave me a great starting place. However, flavor wise these are quite different.
So what could get me to be reaching over others to grab one? Well, texture. Crispy cookies have their place but I’m a chewy cookie kinda gal. So a chewy cookie, and maybe add some browned butter? Exactly what I tried, and exactly what made them perfect. These are not the gingerbread you want for making houses or men, look elsewhere. These are chewy gingerbread cookies that will still have you feeling festive.
Baking Tips & Notes
Surprise, you don’t have to chill this cookie dough! Hooray! I did test this dough both straight away and chilling and the results were similar. I personally prefer to chill most cookie doughs as I think it gives the cookies a little bit better flavor and texture, but these are great baking right away.
The amount of ginger in these is a little bit subjective. I didn’t want a crazy amount of ginger, but if you love it feel free to add up to a teaspoon extra. As written, these have a nice balance of the ginger with the other flavors. When choosing a molasses, I use the most commonly found kind in the supermarket which is light molasses.
Despite it’s name it’s still a very dark color. If you love the flavor you could use a dark variety (which will be considerably less sweet) but I wouldn’t use blackstrap as it can be quite bitter. The molasses does add flavor but it also helps with the texture to create more of a chewy gingerbread.
Brown Butter Gingerbread Cookies Key Ingredients
- Molasses – Molasses is actually an important ingredient in gingerbread cookies despite being left out of the title. Additionally, molasses helps the cookies retain moisture which helps the texture, but also helps them stay fresh longer.
- Ginger – While the molasses adds richness and caramel notes, ginger adds warmth with spice and a sort of brightness that helps the cookies not feel too heavy.
- Browned Butter – So molasses adds a richness and ginger adds some spice, but browned butter adds nuttiness and depth to really pull these cookies together. Browned butter can have notes of caramel, which plays off the molasses
Ingredients
- 170 g (12 tbsp) Unsalted butter softened & divided
- 150 g (¾ cups) Dark brown sugar
- 50 g (¼ cups) Granulated sugar
- 1 large Egg room temperature
- 84 g (¼ cups) Molasses
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1½ tsp Ground ginger
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground cloves
- 300 g (2½ cups) AP flour
- 1½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Sea salt
Instructions
- In a stainless or light colored sauce pan over medium heat, add half of your butter to brown.170 g Unsalted butter
- Allow your butter to melt, then stir frequently. Butter will bubble for a while, then subside and you will be able to see the milk solids at the bottom. Butter will then begin to foam. Continue stirring until the milk solids are a rich brown color and have a nutty fragrance. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a bowl, remembering to scrape the toasted milk solids into the bowl as well.
- Allow your browned butter to cool and mostly resolidify. You can place it in a cool area or in the refrigerator. If chilling in the fridge, take it out and stir it every 15-20 minutes or so.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
- Once your brown butter is ready, add to your mixer with paddle attached or to a large bowl with a hand mixer. Add the rest of your non browned butter, as well as your sugar and brown sugar.150 g Dark brown sugar | 50 g Granulated sugar | 170 g Unsalted butter
- Cream together your butters and sugars on medium-med high until combined and the texture has slightly changed (2-4 minutes).
- Add your egg and beat on medium until combined.1 large Egg
- Add vanilla and molasses and mix on medium low until smooth.84 g Molasses | 1 tsp Vanilla
- Add your spices: ginger, cinnamon and cloves and mix in.1½ tsp Ground ginger | 1 tsp Cinnamon | ¼ tsp Ground cloves
- In a medium bowl, add flour, salt and baking soda and whisk together.300 g AP flour | 1½ tsp Baking soda | ½ tsp Sea salt
- Add your dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low until the dough just comes together.
- Scoop your dough onto your prepared cookie sheet, leaving 2-4 inches between cookies.
- Bake your cookies for 10-11 minutes on the center rack of your oven. Cookies will be lightly golden on the edges and set but soft. Remove tray from the oven and allow the cookies for cool for 3-5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cookie sheet.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days. Enjoy!
