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Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Chill Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

My Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookies recipe makes thick, soft, chewy cookies with rich butterscotch flavor, crisp edges, and no mixer needed.

Servings: 18 cookies
Author: Gemma Stafford
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (8 oz/225 g) butter , diced
  • 1 ½ cups (7 ½ oz/213 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs , at room temperature
  • 1¼ cups (7 ½ oz/213 g) dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (6 oz/170 g) rolled oats
Instructions
To Brown the Butter

  1. Add the butter to a light colored, uncoated, 8 inch (20 cm) frying pan over medium-low heat.

  2. Stir constantly until the butter turns deep golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes.

  3. Immediately pour into a large heatproof bowl to stop the cooking.

  4. Let cool completely to room temperature (about 15 minutes).

To Make the Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough

  1. In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

  2. Whisk the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract into the brown butter.
  3. Fold in the flour mixture, followed by the rolled oats, until fully incorporated.
  4. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  5. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) fan assist and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

  6. Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoon portions, roll into balls, flatten slightly, and place 3 inches (7 ½ cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
To Bake the Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies
  1. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are puffed.
  2. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Serve and Store the Oatmeal Cookies

  1. Serve warm or at room temperature with a glass of milk! Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes
  • Use an uncoated, light-colored pan for browning the butter. This makes it much easier to see the brown bits and determine when the butter is done.
  • Let the brown butter cool fully. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool before mixing it with the other ingredients. This will prevent greasy dough and excess spreading.
  • Want to speed up the cooling process? Place the bowl of browned butter over a larger bowl of ice and stir frequently until it reaches room temperature.
  • Use old-fashioned rolled oats. Using quick oats won't give the proper, hearty cookie texture.
  • Rest the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Chilling is important to solidify the browned butter, which helps the oatmeal cookies bake up thick and not spread too much.
  • Flatten the dough balls before baking. Flattening slightly ensures even spreading and consistent thickness.
  • Conventional oven instructions. If your oven does not have a convection setting, increase the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake one tray at a time.
    • A convection oven circulates the air for more even baking, so using a slightly higher temperature in a conventional oven and baking one tray at a time will help the cookies crisp up correctly.
  • Pull the cookies out of the oven when the centers are just barely set. They will continue to cook on the pan as they cool.
  • Note that these cookies are best the day they are baked. If you wish, you can just bake what you plan to eat that day and freeze the remaining scooped balls of dough on a parchment-lined tray.
    • Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container.
    • Defrost at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking.