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Brown Butter Gingerbread Snickerdoodles (Gingerdoodles) Recipe

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5 from 57 reviews

Delicious Brown Butter Gingerbread Snickerdoodles, also known as Gingerdoodles, combine the warm spices of gingerbread with the classic chewiness of snickerdoodles. Featuring two doughs—a spiced gingerbread cookie dough base and a rich browned butter dough—these cookies are topped with mini gingerbread men cookies and coated in a gingerbread spiced sugar for an extra festive touch. Perfect for holiday baking and sure to impress with their complex flavors and soft texture.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Gingerbread Cookie Dough

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon gingerbread spice
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsulphured molasses (Grandma’s molasses recommended)
  • 1/2 large egg, lightly beaten (about 25–28 grams)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Gingerdoodle Cookie Dough

  • 14 1/2 tablespoons unsalted European butter (about 202 g)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (275 g)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon light brown sugar packed (90 g)
  • 1/4 cup unsulphured Grandma’s molasses (70 g)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature (50 g)
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature (18 g)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract

For the Gingerbread Spiced Sugar

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
  • 1 teaspoon gingerbread spice

Instructions

  1. Make the Gingerbread Cookie Dough: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and gingerbread spice. In a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium speed for 2 minutes until fluffy. Add the beaten egg and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined; the batter may look curdled. Slowly mix in the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap, flatten into a disc with a rolling pin, and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
  2. Roll and Cut Gingerbread Cookies: After chilling, roll the gingerbread dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness. Use a ~2.2-inch gingerbread cookie cutter to cut shapes, rerolling dough up to two times with chilling in between. Place cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
  3. Brown the Butter for Gingerdoodle Dough: In a stainless steel pan over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally until foamy and aromatic with amber-brown milk solids forming on the bottom (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from heat and scrape all butter and browned bits into a large bowl. Stir in gingerbread spice and allow to cool to room temperature (about 45-60 minutes).
  4. Prepare the Dry Ingredients for Gingerdoodle Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Set aside.
  5. Mix the Wet Ingredients and Sugars: Whisk brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses into the browned butter mixture. Then whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla paste or extract until combined.
  6. Combine and Rest the Gingerdoodle Dough: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes to firm up. If too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons flour to reach a soft, scoopable consistency.
  7. Prepare the Gingerbread Spiced Sugar: In a small bowl, mix granulated sugar with gingerbread spice for rolling the cookies.
  8. Shape and Assemble Cookies: Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, form dough balls, then roll each in the gingerbread spiced sugar to coat. Place on parchment-lined baking trays. Lay one chilled gingerbread cookie from the gingerbread dough on top of each brown butter dough ball. Cover the trays and refrigerate for 3-4 hours to chill thoroughly.
  9. Bake the Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place cookies (6-7 per tray) spaced evenly and bake for 10-12 minutes. Once baked, sprinkle cookies with additional gingerbread spiced sugar. Transfer the baking tray to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Notes

  • Measure dry ingredients carefully using the spoon-level method or a kitchen scale for best results; avoid scooping flour directly with the measuring cup.
  • For the ½ egg measurement, whisk a whole egg in a small bowl and measure out 1½ tablespoons (25-28 grams).
  • This recipe makes enough gingerbread cookie dough for a double batch of gingerdoodles. If making only the gingerdoodles, you may substitute store-bought gingerbread cookies as toppings, though they will be less soft.
  • If using a gingerbread cutter smaller than 2 inches, the gingerbread men will not fully cover the gingerdoodles.
  • Gingerbread Spice Mix (makes extra): 2 tbsp ground allspice, 2 tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp ground cloves, 1 tbsp ground nutmeg.

Keywords: gingerdoodles, brown butter snickerdoodles, gingerbread cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas cookies, spiced cookies, molasses cookies, soft cookies

Find it online: https://mixitwitjoe.com/brown-butter-gingerbread-snickerdoodles-gingerdoodles-recipe/