• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
Sugar Spun Run
  • All Recipes
  • Desserts
    • Cookies
    • Candy
    • Bars & Brownies
    • Cake
    • Pies
  • Breads
  • Savory
  • Breakfast
    • Muffins
    • Scones
  • Seasonal
    • Cozy Winter / Holiday Treats
    • Easter / Spring
    • Fall Recipes
    • Summer Recipes
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Me
  • All Recipes
  • Contact/Work with Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Desserts / Butter Crunch Cookies

    Butter Crunch Cookies

    November 28, 2022 By Sam 2 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    collage of butter crunch cookies, top image of multiple cookies stacked, bottom image of single cookie broken in half stacked

    Butter Crunch Cookies are thin, crispy cookies made with browned butter and toffee bits. My recipe is super easy (just 15 minutes of prep!) and incredibly flavorful. Recipe includes a how-to video!

    Butter crunch cookies stacked to show how thin and crisp they are.

    The BEST Butter Crunch Cookie Recipe

    We’ve sort of established ourselves here as a soft & chewy kind of blog. Most of the time, that’s my go-to. Give me gooey butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies that stay soft for days or snickerdoodles any day, and I’ll gladly gobble them up. Today, though, I’m flipping the script and sharing these snappy, crisp, butter crunch cookies. They are perfectly brittle (never thought I’d say that about a cookie) and snap satisfyingly in your teeth.

    These are thin, crunchy, super buttery cookies made with rich and cozy browned butter. Toffee bits complement the brown butter flavor beautifully, (those of you who have obsessed over my soft & chewy brown butter toffee cookies know this already). They’re packed with texture and flavor, and they’re so much better than store-bought.

    This recipe is super unique and fun! It’s also easy; the most involved step is browning the butter, and and even that isn’t difficult.

    Why you’ll love my recipe:

    • Simple–less than 10 ingredients.
    • Just 15 minutes of prep!
    • Incredible flavor and texture.
    • No chilling!

    What You Need

    Overhead view of ingredients including toffee bits, butter, brown sugar, baking soda, and more.

    Look at that–only 9 ingredients to make this recipe! Here are they key ingredients for butter crunch cookies:

    • Butter. I generally prefer to use unsalted butter and add salt myself (it’s just more precise!). I know many of you only buy salted butter though, so if that’s all you have, you can reduce the salt in the recipe to ½ teaspoon.
    • Sugar. We’ll use a combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Yes, it’s a lot of sugar, but this ratio is what gives these butter crunch cookies their crunch!
    • Toffee bits. Some toffee bits are sold without chocolate, and some are sold with chocolate on them; use whichever you prefer, as both are excellent here. Homemade toffee bits would also work!
    • Baking soda. Not to be confused with baking powder! Baking soda encourages the cookies to be crisp and crunchy–it’s a key ingredient here.
    • Vanilla. A full tablespoon of vanilla extract really complements the buttery, toffee flavor.

    SAM’S TIP: It’s very important that you measure your flour properly for this recipe (and most others). In this recipe, adding too much flour could prevent your cookies from spreading, and we want these nice and thin!

    Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

    How to Make Butter Crunch Cookies

    Collage of two photos showing butter being browned and cooled.
    1. Melt butter over medium-low heat, then increase the heat to medium and stir constantly as the butter pops and sizzles.
    2. Once brown flecks form and the popping slows, remove the butter from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl to cool completely.
    Collage of four photos showing cookie dough being prepared.
    1. Cream together the cooled, re-solidified butter and sugars.
    2. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract.
    3. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually stir them into the wet ingredients.
    4. Add the toffee bits and stir until combined.
    Collage of two photos showing cookie dough on a sheet before and after baking.
    1. Scoop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. they should be a nice golden brown color.
    2. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before enjoying.

    SAM’S TIP: While warm or straight off the baking sheet, the bottoms of your cookies will have a bit of brown butter grease on the bottom. You can just dab them on a paper towel if this bothers you; I just lick it off my fingers when I’m done eating 🙃

    Cookie broken in half to show a crisp texture.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What makes butter crunch cookies crunchy?

    This recipe has a high sugar content, which is critical to making a thin, crispy cookie (like my thin & crispy chocolate chip cookies). Cooking the water out of the butter when we brown it also lends itself to a crisp, delicate cookie. And finally, baking soda helps the cookies spread out and encourages a porous, brittle texture. In case you didn’t believe it before, baking truly is a science!

    Can butter crunch cookies be frozen?


    While my cookies never make it long enough in my house to consider freezing, I think these would freeze just fine. If freezing in layers, place sheets of wax paper between the cookies so they don’t stick together.

    Why did my cookies spread so much?

    These cookies are designed to spread a good bit, but if yours were a runny mess, then your butter may have been too warm when you added the sugars. You want to make sure you plan for at least an hour of cooling time for your butter so it can re-solidify after browning. Unfortunately if this happens, nothing will fix your dough (not even chilling!).

    Golden brown cookies stacked next to a bowl of toffee chips and a half eaten cookie.

    Whether you’re team thin & crispy or soft & chewy, these cookies are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth ❤️

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

    Butter crunch cookies stacked to show how thin and crisp they are.

    Butter Crunch Cookies

    Butter crunch cookies are thin, crispy cookies made with browned butter and toffee bits. My recipe is super easy (just 15 minutes of prep!) and incredibly flavorful.
    Recipe includes a how-to video!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: cookie, Cookies, Dessert, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 7 minutes
    Cooling Time (for butter): 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
    Servings: 44 cookies
    Calories: 112kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter (226g)
    • ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed (175g)
    • ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (187g)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup toffee bits

    Recommended Equipment

    • Saucepan or skillet
    • Baking sheet
    • Mixing bowls
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Brown the butter. Place butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat and cook until melted. Once melted, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly. Butter will sizzle and pop, scrape the bottom of the pan and swirl as it does. Once the sizzling and popping slows and brown flecks form, remove the butter from heat and pour into a large heatproof mixing bowl. Allow to cool until completely re-solidified before proceeding.
    • Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • Prepare the batter: Once butter has resolidified, add sugars and beat butter and sugar until creamy and well-combined (about 1 minute on high speed.)
    • Add egg and vanilla extract and beat again until combined.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture.
    • Stir in toffee bits until combined.
    • Scoop and bake: Scoop dough by a level Tablespoon and drop onto prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” apart. Transfer to center rack of 350F oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, cookies should be beginning to turn light golden brown.
    • Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet. While they’re still warm they’ll be a bit soft, but once cooled completely they should be crispy.

    Notes

    Brown Butter

    You can prepare the brown butter a day in advance, just store in an airtight container at room temperature.

    Storing

    Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    Related Recipes

    • Thin & Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle
    • Lace Cookies
    • Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
    « Turkey Chili (Great for leftover Turkey!)
    The Ultimate Gift Guide for the Baker in Your Life »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bruce

      December 07, 2022 at 5:00 pm

      5 stars
      I told you I’ve learned my lesson about weighing, but I went back to cups, and got less than ideal results. My cookies spread too much, so they are more like lace cookies. Fortunately, they are very crisp and delicious. I got 42 cookies, because I didn’t level off the bottom of the scoop each time. That definitely accounted for two more. I think you should scale up the recipe to use a whole 8-oz bag of toffee chips, so I don’t have to eat all of the leftovers.

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 08, 2022 at 9:34 pm

        O no! I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them! What’s wrong with eating a few leftover chips? 🤣

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

    Cozy Soup Recipes

    mason jar of chicken broth made from a homemade chicken stock recipe

    Instant Pot Chicken Stock Recipe

    White Chicken chili in a bowl with toppings

    White Chicken Chili

    white bowl of hearty homemade tomato soup garnished with parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and cracked black pepper

    Tomato Soup

    Bowl of turkey chili topped with sour cream, avocado, and shredded cheese.

    Turkey Chili (Great for leftover Turkey!)

    Blue bowl of beef stew with chunks of beef, carrots, and potatoes.

    Beef Stew Recipe

    Bowl of broccoli cheddar soup with a spoon scooping out a bite.

    Broccoli Cheddar Soup

    Most Popular

    flaky biscuit on white cloth

    Easy Homemade Biscuits

    Pizza dough in glass bowl, after rising

    The Best Pizza Dough Recipe

    one bite missing from a slice of vanilla cake with chocolate frosting

    The Best Vanilla Cake Recipe

    Slice of cheesecake

    The Best Cheesecake Recipe

    Stack of cookies made from this chocolate chip cookie recipe with melty chocolate chips and a bite missing from the top cookie

    The WORST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

    Potato soup in bowl, with toppings

    The Ultimate Creamy Potato Soup

    places sugar spun run has been featured (Women's Day, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Country Living, the huffington post, People, Delish, MSN, TLC, Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed)
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • Youtube

    Privacy Policy|Accessibility Statement

    Footer

    Subscribe To My Newsletter!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    ABOUT

    • About Me
    • Policies, Disclosure & Privacy
    • Terms of Use

    CONTACT

    • Contact
    • Work with Me!

    [widget id="simple-social-icons-3"]

    © 2020 Sugar Spun Run. All Rights Reserved