Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookie Sandwiches

Soft and chewy brown butter-infused snickerdoodle cookies filled with an out-of-this-world creamy brown butter frosting!

Snickerdoodles might be considered more of a fall or winter holiday cookie, but to me, they’re good any day of the year. I guess it’s that cinnamon sugar combo that gets me hooked every time.

Seriously though, why does cinnamon and sugar make everything so addictive?? Not only is it a combo you see in Snickerdoodles, but at state fairs as well. Immediately when you pass through the fair gates, your nose is bombarded with that deep-fried cinnamon sugary aroma coming from the giant elephant ears, crisp funnel cakes, and foot-long churros. My mouth is watering just thinking about those sweet and cinnamony ears of deep-fried heaven…

While there’s definitely nothing wrong with your classic, standard snickerdoodle cookie, I’m all about exploring new possibilities. Thus, brings me to these Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookie Sandwiches.

Being the snickerdoodle-holic that I am, it would only make sense for me to create an excuse to eat TWO Snickerdoodles at once, right?

This isn’t the the first time I’ve experimented with snickerdoodles. In fact, my first ever snickerdoodle recipe were these heavenly Eggnog Snickerdoodles. And a couple of years ago, I made these droolworthy S’more Snickerdoodle Bars. So to say that I have a little bit of an obsession with snickerdoodles would be a major understatement.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a bit of a brown butter kick lately. Just a couple of weeks ago, I made these Brown Butter Lemon Bars (phenomenal, btw), but ya know, there’s really no such thing as too much brown butter. In fact, that pretty much describes this very recipe because not only is there brown butter in the cookie itself, but they’re also filled with a brown butter buttercream.

Yes, you read that right. BROWN BUTTER BUTTERCREAM. I nearly dropped to my knees when I dipped my finger in the mixing bowl for a little taste. It’s truly unbelievable how much the flavor of butter transforms from simply browning it. And this buttercream is proof of that. It’s EXPLODING with rich, warm nuttiness. I’d even venture to say that the buttercream outshines the cookies.

As I mentioned earlier, I also browned the butter in the cookies. However, the flavor wasn’t as robust as I had hoped for, probably because it’s competing with the cinnamon, which tends to be a more potent spice.

Don’t get me wrong though. These snickerdoodles are simply divine on their own–super soft, thick and chewy–everything a snickerdoodle ever dreams it could be. I was just looking for that brown butter, what’s the word……..

So in order to solve the issue of not tasting enough like brown butter, the only fix I could come up with was to FILL the snickerdoodles with brown butter buttercream.

Best. Idea. Ever. 

As an afterthought, I dipped the sides of the cookie sandwich in the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture to add a little bit of sparkle!

And because, you can NEVER have too much cinnamon sugar in your life.

Whether you’re a snickerdoodle fanatic, a brown butter believer, or even just someone who loves eating two cookies at once, this is one recipe that you definitely NEED to try.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookie Sandwiches

Soft and chewy brown butter-infused snickerdoodle cookies filled with an out-of-this-world creamy brown butter frosting!

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 9 minutes mins

Chilling Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 5 hours hrs 9 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 13 Cookie Sandwiches

Ingredients

  

Dough:

• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

For Rolling:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Buttercream:

• ½ cup salted butter
• 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

 

Make the Dough:

• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma. Once browned and nutty, remove from the heat and pour into a shallow dish. Chill in the freezer for about 45 minutes, or until solid.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the solidified browned butter until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add both sugars and continue beating on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and beat just until combined. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until combined. Dough will seem rather sticky, but that's normal. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days. Do not skip this step.
• Preheat oven to 375ºF degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
• Using your hands or a small cookie scoop, form dough into 1-inch balls, roll in the cinnamon sugar, then place on the lined baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until edges have set and the tops appear slightly undercooked. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the Buttercream:

• Brown the butter the same as you did with the cookie dough. Pour butter into a shallow dish and freeze until solid, about 45 minutes. Once solid, cream butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, beating until combined. Add the milk and vanilla and mix on high until light and fluffy.

To Assemble:

• Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (or a large zip-loc bag with the tip cut off), and pipe the buttercream onto the bottom side of a cookie. Gently press another cookie on top, forming a sandwich. Roll the sides of the cookie sandwich in the leftover cinnamon-sugar coating. Repeat with the remaining cookies.