If you need a recipe to help you use up leftover apple butter from your apple orchard excursion, then you need to try out these Brown Butter Apple Butter Cookies with Pecans! These cookies have the perfect chewy texture that's full of delicious apple butter flavor!
These cookies were inspired by the amount of apple butter I have in my fridge! I used it in lattes, toast, oatmeal, but I wanted to try it with a few other flavor pairings!
The warmth of the browned butter enhances the cinnamon notes in the apple butter and creates a truly wonderful cookie!
If you need to fill up a cookie box this holiday season, be sure to add these for your family and friends to enjoy!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
You'll love the warm notes of browned butter and apple butter in these Brown Butter Apple Butter Cookies! They are soft and chewy with the perfect crunchy bite!
Apple Butter
For this recipe, I used apple butter that I got from my local apple orchard! You should be able to find it at speciality grocery stores or even farmer's markets near you!
I love the warm notes of cinnamon and apple that pair perfectly with the brown sugar and vanilla in these cookies! If you can't find apple butter, I would try to find pumpkin butter instead! Be careful about using applesauce, as that can be more liquidy than apple butter is!
Browned Butter
If you've never worked with browned butter, it's truly a magical ingredient! Browned butter is the process of melting down butter and cooking the milk solids in the butter. This turns them into a rich brown color full of warm caramel notes! It takes about 5-7 minutes to get the perfect color but it adds so much depth to your cookies!
This is perfect to add to banana bread, cookies, cakes, frostings, or even with savory dishes like soups, pastas, you name it! Once you get the process down, you'll want to add browned butter to everything!
If you want to test out your browned butter skills, try out this Browned Butter Banana Bread!
Ingredients
- Butter
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Egg
- Apple Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Pecans
See recipe below for all the details!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Add browned butter, sugar, and brown sugar to a bowl.
- Step 2: Then add in one egg, apple butter, and vanilla extract.
- Step 3: Add dry ingredients and chopped pecans.
- Step 4: Scoop onto a baking sheet.
Hint: Leave about 2-3 inches in between each cookie to allow them to spread in the oven!
Variations and Substitutions
These Brown Butter Apple Butter Cookies might just be my new favorite cookie! Here are a few ways to enhance these cookies:
- Chopped Walnuts - sub out pecans for walnuts or add both for extra nutty crunch!
- Grated Nutmeg - add a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg for more spicy warmth in these cookies!
- Espresso Powder - add some espresso powder to these cookies for a little extra caffeine in your day!
If you like pairing espresso with dessert, try out these Espresso Chip Cookies!
Equipment
Baking Sheet - I love using a large baking sheet when it comes to making cookies so I can give them plenty of space to bake in the oven! I linked my favorite ones here!
Cookie Scoop - For these cookies, I like to use my medium 2 ounce cookie scoop! This gives nice big cookies with the perfect chewy texture! If you want to make more cookies, I recommend using a smaller cookie scoop, but you'll have to adjust the cook time!
Parchment Paper - I use parchment paper every time I'm making cookies! This helps prevent any sticking and makes for easy clean up!
Top tip
Add a few more chopped pecans to the top of the cookie dough, then a few pinches of flakey salt when they're done baking! The sweet and salty effect with the extra crunch of the pecans is mouthwatering!
Storage
- Room Temperature - store room temperature in a airtight container for about 4-5 days!
- Freezer - store scooped cookie dough in an airtight bag for about 2-3 months. Then let thaw and bake according to recipe.
FAQ
Absolutely! Feel free to use walnuts, pecans, even pistachios if that's what you prefer!
I haven't tested that yet, but it should work the same!
I would say no; I haven't tested this yet, but applesauce can be thinner and more liquidy than apple butter! I would be worried it would throw off the ratios too much!
Cheers!
-Holly Michelle
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Brown Butter Apple Butter Cookies with Pecans
Equipment
- 2 oz Cookie Scoop
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons Butter
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Brown Sugar packed
- 1 Egg
- ⅓ cup Apple Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ¾ cups Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ cup Pecans chopped
Instructions
- Add butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.10 tablespoons Butter
- Then the butter will begin to foam, stir every 30 seconds. Make sure to break up the foam so you can see the butter changing colors. When the butter is a deep rich amber color, remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Let cool for about 5-7 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until everything is smooth and creamy.½ cup Sugar, ½ cup Brown Sugar packed
- Add in one egg, apple butter, and vanilla extract. Mix together.1 Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ⅓ cup Apple Butter
- Then, add in flour and baking powder. On a low speed, mix all the dry ingredients to the dough.1 ¾ cups Flour, ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- Chop pecans into small pieces, then add to the dough and stir together with a spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get everything mixed together.½ cup Pecans chopped
- Let dough chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 12-14 minutes, the centers will still be slightly gooey.
- Let cool slightly, and enjoy!
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