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These brown butter sandwich cookies are soft, tender, melt in your mouth cookies that are nutty and buttery. Literally pure brown brown butter heaven in a cookie. Even better? They can be easily cut into any simple shape, for extra cute cookies.
They can be stuffed with any filling. I’ve included the recipe for a thick pineapple jam reminiscent of Chinese pineapple cake filling, as well as the recipe for a pear jam.
Why you’ll love these cookies
- Easy to customize with different flavours, shapes and sizes.
- The most magical delicate texture!
- Full of brown butter flavour.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: The butter is the star of this cookie, so please do not substitute it for any other fat.
- Icing sugar: The fine texture of icing sugar helps give these cookies a delicate texture.
- Table salt: A bit of salt helps to enhance the flavours of the cookie.
- Egg yolk: The egg yolk binds the ingredients and adds richness to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavour of the brown butter to create extra delicious cookies.
- All-purpose flour: Flour gives the cookies structure.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch gives the cookies their melt in your mouth texture.
Variations
I fill these cookies with pineapple jam, but you can fill these cookies with any filling you’d like. Here are some ideas for customizing the cookies to give you some inspiration.
- Pear jam cookies: Instead of pineapple jam, make pear jam. Blend 220 grams of canned pears (strained from juice) and 60 grams of granulated sugar until smooth in a food processor or blender. Then cook on medium heat until thickened to just under your desired thickness. The jam will thicken a bit as it cools.
- Matcha brown butter cookies: When making the cookies, omit the vanilla and mix in 1/4 tsp matcha powder instead.
Equipment
When baking the cookies, please note that baking sheet material can affect baking time. If you use a dark coloured baking sheet, the cookies will bake and brown faster than if using a lighter coloured baking sheet, so keep a close eye on the cookies.
Also, make sure you have a kitchen scale for this recipe since most of the measurements are in grams. Using a kitchen scale ensures you get the same results I have! Learn about why I use a kitchen scale here. If you’d like to use measuring spoons or cups, you can use an online recipe converter to change the units to whatever you’re using.
Storage
The brown butter sandwich cookies can be stored for 3-4 days if filled with a drier filling (thick pineapple jam, ganache, etc.) or 2 days if filled with a wetter filling (pear jam, lemon curd, etc.), since the cookies will soften faster. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature, separating each cookie with a small square of parchment paper to prevent any jam from touching the exterior of other cookies.
FAQ
The cookies will look matte and dry, and smell fragrant. They shouldn’t be very browned coming out of the oven.
You can freeze or refrigerate the cut out cookies, then bake for a couple extra minutes. You can also make your fillings ahead of time, but storage times will vary based on what filling you’re using. I recommend not assembling the cookies in advance, because some fillings can soften the cookies quickly.
The dough is naturally quite soft, so chilling the dough makes it easier to work with to cut out shapes. Chilling also prevents the cookie dough from spreading.
Let’s bake!
These brown butter cookies are the perfect midday snack and dessert for any time of year. They’re rich, yet not overly heavy. The cookies melt in your mouth and are full of nutty buttery flavour. Whether or not you’re a die-hard fan of brown butter, you’ll love these cookies.
When you make them, tag me on Instagram @bakewhenitrains so I can admire your cookies and see what cool fillings you used (though they don’t need a filling to taste exceptional). Also, don’t forget to leave a comment and rating below. I’d love to hear your feedback!
With love,
Your baking friend Sherene ❤️
Brown Butter Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cookies
- 130 grams unsalted butter
- 50 grams icing sugar
- 1/8 tsp table salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 grams all-purpose flour
- 10 grams cornstarch
Pineapple Jam
- 2 400ml cans crushed pineapple
- 60 grams granulated sugar
Instructions
- Brown the butter. In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The butter will melt, bubble loudly, then foam and go quiet. When the top is foamy, take the brown butter off the heat and transfer to a bowl. Cool in the fridge or freezer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally so it cools evenly, until solid and opaque.
- While the butter is cooling, prepare the pineapple jam. Strain the 2 cans of pineapple.
- Blend the strained pineapple and sugar until smooth.
- In a medium saucepan, cook the pineapple and sugar over medium heat until thick and darkened in colour. It should be around 140°F when done. Set aside.
- Once the butter is cool, in a large bowl, mix butter with sugar and salt until smooth.
- Mix in egg yolk and vanilla.
- Mix in flour and cornstarch until just combined.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the dough. Roll between 2 large rectangles of parchment paper to 1/8 inch or 3 cm.
- Cut out circles 2.75 inch (7 cm) in diameter. Cut a 1.5 inch (4 cm) circle inside each one to create a hole to expose the filling if desired. You can reroll the dough as needed, but cut the circles close together to avoid rerolling frequently.
- Transfer the cookies gently to the parchment lined baking sheet, leaving around 1 inch or 2.5 cm between each cookie.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies look matte and dry, and smell fragrant.
- Cool the cookies. Fill every 2 cookies with around 1 tbsp of jam.
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