Hojicha Brown Butter Cookies (Printable View)

Nutty roasted tea cookies with rich caramelized butter and earthy Japanese hojicha flavors.

# What You'll Need:

→ Brown Butter

01 - 170g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter

→ Dry Ingredients

02 - 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 2 tablespoons hojicha powder (roasted green tea)

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 150g (3/4 cup) packed light brown sugar
07 - 50g (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 Make It:

01 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking and swirling occasionally until butter foams, then browns and develops a nutty aroma, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately transfer to a heatproof bowl to stop 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 thoroughly combined.
04 - Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Whisk until smooth and slightly thickened.
05 - Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
06 - Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes for thicker cookies. This step is optional but recommended.
07 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
08 - Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them approximately 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
09 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and centers are just set.
10 - Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Cool on tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack for complete cooling.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The brown butter does all the heavy lifting—it's nutty and rich enough that you don't need chocolate or spices to feel luxurious.
  • Hojicha tastes nothing like what you think tea cookies should taste, in the most wonderful way possible.
  • These come together in under an hour, and your kitchen will smell like a cozy Japanese café the whole time.
02 -
  • Brown butter sounds intimidating but it's actually the most forgiving thing you can do—if you're nervous, just watch it the whole time and stop when it smells like toasted nuts, not burnt popcorn.
  • Don't skip the flaky sea salt on top unless you want to miss the real point of these cookies; it transforms them from good to unforgettable.
  • These cookies are done when they look slightly underdone in the center because they keep baking on the hot sheet for those crucial five minutes.
03 -
  • Brown butter can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a week, so you can prepare this ingredient when you have five minutes and bake the cookies whenever inspiration strikes.
  • If your brown butter solidifies in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for ten minutes before mixing; you want it soft enough to combine smoothly but still cool enough that it doesn't cook the eggs.
  • Use a kitchen scale for the flour and sugars if you have one—volume measurements can vary wildly, but weight is always honest.
Go Back