Hojicha Brown Butter Cookies (Printable)

Buttery cookies with roasted hojicha tea and caramelized brown butter flavors.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Brown Butter

01 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter

→ Dry Ingredients

02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 2 tablespoons hojicha powder

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
07 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 large egg yolk
10 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Optional Toppings

11 - Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

# How-To:

01 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking and swirling occasionally until butter foams, then darkens and develops a nutty aroma, approximately 5-7 minutes. Transfer immediately to a heatproof bowl to halt cooking. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and hojicha powder until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl, combine cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk until well blended.
04 - Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to butter mixture. Whisk until smooth and slightly thickened.
05 - Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined; avoid overmixing.
06 - Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes for thicker cookies, or proceed directly to baking if time is limited.
07 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
08 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto prepared sheets, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart.
09 - Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges turn golden and centers are just set.
10 - Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The brown butter brings a toasty depth that makes these cookies feel way more sophisticated than the effort required.
  • Hojicha powder is earthy and gentle, not overpowering, so even people who think they don't like tea flavors end up eating three in a row.
  • They come together in under an hour and impress everyone from casual friends to picky family members.
02 -
  • Brown butter can go from golden to burnt in 30 seconds, so watch it closely and don't let the heat get too high or you'll end up with cookies that taste bitter instead of nutty.
  • The dough is stickier than regular butter cookie dough because of the brown butter, but it bakes beautifully at 175°C, so resist the urge to crank the temperature higher.
03 -
  • If you can't find hojicha powder locally, order it online from a Japanese grocery store or tea supplier, and avoid flavored varieties on your first try so you taste the pure ingredient.
  • White chocolate chips or chopped pecans work beautifully folded into the dough, but add them after combining the wet and dry ingredients so they stay whole instead of melting everywhere.
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