Brown Butter Sourdough Apple Cider Cookies
This Brown Butter Sourdough Apple Cider Cookie Recipe blends nutty browned butter, bright apple notes, and a tangy sourdough touch for chewy, cozy cookies perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Wet & Base
- 230 grams Butter, unsalted for browning
- 165 grams Cane Sugar
- 205 grams Brown Sugar
- 3 pieces Egg Yolks
- 200 grams Sourdough Starter active or discard
- 170 grams Apple Butter
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla
Dry
- 380 grams Unbleached All-Purpose Flour spooned/leveled
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp Ginger
- 0.25 tsp All-Spice
- 0.25 tsp Cardamom
- 0.25 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
Mix-ins & Toppers
- 150 grams Bittersweet or Dark Chocolate Chips
- 100 grams Pecans, chopped
- 70 grams Dried Apples, chopped
- Flaked sea salt for finishing
Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
- 2 cups Apple Cider unfiltered – to reduce first
- 1 cup Cane Sugar
- 4 Tbs Butter, salted
- 0.5 cup Heavy Cream
- 0.25 tsp Sea Salt
- 0.5 tsp Cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
Brown Butter
- Place butter in a small saucepan over medium-low; simmer 10–15 minutes until browned and nutty. Pour into a bowl to cool while you start the apple cider caramel.
Apple Cider Reduction
- In the same saucepan, bring 2 cups apple cider to a boil over medium-high and boil 15–20 minutes until reduced to about 1/3 cup.
Make the Caramel
- Lower heat to medium-low, add 1 cup sugar and whisk until dissolved, then stir in butter and heavy cream and simmer 3–5 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and vanilla; cool before storing in a jar.
Mix Dough
- In a stand mixer, combine cooled browned butter with cane and brown sugars on medium-high until combined. Add sourdough starter and egg yolks, then apple butter and vanilla; mix until even.
Add Dry Ingredients
- On low speed, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and spices until just combined, then fold in chocolate chips, pecans, and dried apples.
Chill Dough
- Cover dough and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or 24–72 hours for long fermentation and more complex flavor).
Bake Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Scoop dough (about 68 grams per cookie for 24 cookies or ~3 Tbs) onto lined sheets with 2 inches between. Bake 16–18 minutes; optionally drop the pan once on a towel immediately after removing to flatten slightly.
Finish Cookies
- Cool a few minutes on the sheet, transfer to a rack, drizzle apple cider caramel over cookies, and sprinkle flaked sea salt.
Notes
Brown butter carefully: watch closely near the end to avoid burning; smell is your guide. Chill dough long enough so cookies spread less and develop deeper flavor. Weigh dough for even cookies; about 68 grams makes 24 uniform cookies. Reduce cider fully to concentrate flavor and avoid a runny glaze. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze dough balls for later baking.