These Brown Butter Churro Cookies have everything you love about a fresh churro in cookie form. They’re made with rich brown butter, plenty of brown sugar, vanilla, and rolled in a generous coating of cinnamon sugar before baking. The edges are perfectly crisp while the centers stay soft, chewy, and buttery. A final sprinkle of cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm gives them that perfect churro texture!
Why You’ll Love These Churro Cookies
There are a lot of cinnamon sugar cookies out there, but these stand out for a few reasons:
- Brown butter gives every bite a rich, nutty caramel flavor, mimicking the fried flavor of a traditional churro.
- Soft, chewy centers with lightly crisp edges, just like churros!
- Rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking for a classic churro finish.
- No mixer required if you don’t want to use one.
- The dough is made ahead, making it perfect for baking fresh the next day.
What Makes These Taste Like Churros?
While these cookies are similar to a Snickerdoodle cookie (my recipe is amazing), they are indeed different. Traditional churros are fried dough tossed in cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm. These cookies recreate those same flavors by using:
- Brown butter for depth of flavor.
- Using all brown sugar also gives them a well rounded flavor. The goal is trying to duplicate that “fried” flavor without actually frying them!
- Lots of cinnamon sugar coating before AND after baking!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredient list is super simple on this one and I’d bet you have everything in your kitchen right now to make these! Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom for all the measurements!
- Salted butter. You can also use unsalted butter if you prefer. You are going to brown this butter and the little bit of extra salt adds flavor.
- Light brown sugar. There are a few reasons we’re using all brown sugar in this recipe. It adds a deeper, richer flavor, but also aids in the chewy texture of the cookie!
- Large eggs. I always use large eggs in all my baking recipes unless otherwise stated.
- Vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract). I love using vanilla bean paste in this recipe, again to add extra flavor. Vanilla extract will work too, but paste just adds a little somehting extra!
- Dry Ingredients: Kosher salt, baking soda, and all purpose flour. These are all standard ingredients in a cookie. I use a little less baking soda in these, which adds to the chewy, dense texture.
How to Make Churro Cookies
The steps are super simple here with minimal ingredients. So what we’re doing is trying to get the ingredients to pack the most punch!
We Start With Browning the Butter
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Continue cooking while stirring or swirling the pan frequently.The butter will foam as the water cooks off.
- Watch carefully as the milk solids begin turning golden brown.
- Once the butter smells nutty and the solids are deep amber, remove it from the heat immediately.
- Cool for at least 30 minutes before making the dough.
Mix the cooled brown butter with the brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and flour until just combined.
Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the dough into balls and refrigerate overnight. This resting time is important because it:
- Allows the flour to fully hydrate
- Deepens the flavor
- Helps create thicker cookies
- Prevents excess spreading
Important!! Let the dough sit for about 10 minutes after removing it from the refrigerator so the cinnamon sugar sticks well. Roll each cookie generously in the cinnamon sugar mixture before baking.
Bake until the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underdone. The cookies will finish baking on the hot baking sheet, giving you perfectly soft centers every time.
Finish with another sprinkle of cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm.
Tips for the Best Churro Cookies
- Let the brown butter cool before mixing the dough. You can even make this hours ahead!
- Don’t skip the overnight chill. This allows the flavors to deepen and will contribute to how they bake!
- Use a cookie scoop so every cookie bakes evenly. Plus this makes them easy to roll.
- Don’t overbake. The centers should still look soft.
- Sprinkle extra cinnamon sugar on the warm cookies to really lean into the whole churro vibe.
- Vanilla bean paste gives these beautiful vanilla flecks, but vanilla extract works perfectly too.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze Baked Cookies
- Cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container or freezer bag.
- Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Churro Recipes You’ll Love
Description
These ultra chewy, cinnamon sugar cookies are inspired by the classic fried dessert. All the flavors of a traditional churro in a simple cookie recipe that will easily become one of your favorites!
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or extract if you don’t have paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Prep: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat add in the butter. Allow the butter to melt and then continue cooking, stirring frequently. The butter will begin to foam. Continue stirring, or swirling the pan until the milk solids begin to brown and turn an amber color. This will take 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- When the butter is cooled stir in the 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar until all the lumps are gone. You can do this all in the saucepan or you can transfer it to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment if you prefer. Add in the eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking soda until combined and smooth. Finally add in the flour and stir until just combined.
- Line a tray, plate, or cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a medium (2 1/2 tablespoon sized scoop) portion out the dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls on the prepared tray. Cover the tray with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow them to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to take the chill off so the sugar sticks.
- In a small bowl combine the 1/4 cup light brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Roll each cookie dough ball liberally in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Reserve the remaining mixture.
- Place the cookie dough in the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set. The centers might seem slightly underbaked. This is what you want.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. The cookies will continue to bake slightly on the warm cookie sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with a little extra cinnamon sugar.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days for best freshness.
Freeze baked cookies airtight for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
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