Horchata Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting (Snickerdoodles on Steroids)

As far as I’m concerned, horchata is one of the best drinks in the world, which is why I set out to develop this recipe. I wanted something sweet and scrumptious for those moments when the horchata’s rich flavors are calling my name but I don’t have access to it. Enter this horchata cookie recipe featuring brown rice flour and malted milk powder for extra horchata-inspired oomph, plenty of cinnamon, and a luscious brown butter frosting that doubles down on the cinnamon flavor. Oh, and these aren’t run-of-the-mill snickerdoodles. I made sure of it.

Yield: 16-18 cookies with frosting

Ingredients

Cookies:

2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter
3/4 c white sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar*
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. milk**
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. malted milk powder
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt

Frosting:

1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, browned
4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream the room-temperature butter with the white and brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then, add the vanilla extract, milk, and eggs, making sure to add the eggs one at a time for the best emulsion.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, brown rice flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Then, stir it into the wet mixture in two batches to prevent the dry ingredients from puffing out of your bowl. Stir until just combined — you don’t want to overmix this dough, as you’ll form too much gluten.

4. Using a 1.5-ounce cookie scoop, deposit the cookie dough onto your lined cookie sheet, leaving at least an inch of room between each scoop. I find that 6 scoops are perfect for my 17” x 11.5” pan.

5. Using your hands or the bottom of a glass lightly spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, press the scooped dough down to form even circles. This dough isn’t designed to spread a lot, so you’re helping shape them before they go in the oven. I aim for about half an inch in thickness, but a little more or less won’t hurt.

6. Once each dough scoop has been pressed down, it’s time to bake for 10-12 minutes until they’re just set. A finger pressed gently on the middle of the cookies should show that they’re soft but not doughy. These are cakier cookies, and you don’t want them to get too hard.

7. While your cookies bake, you can make the cinnamon brown butter frosting. To start, put your butter in a small sauce pot or pan over medium heat. Then, wait for it to melt, stirring occasionally to ensure the milk solids don’t settle on the bottom of the vessel and burn. After about 5 minutes, you should have delicious brown butter. When it’s done, pour it into a mixing bowl and set it aside to cool.

8. When your brown butter is completely cool (it should begin to turn solid again, like softened room-temperature butter), add half of the powdered sugar and whisk it together with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Once thick and combined, incorporate the vanilla, cinnamon, and milk. Finally, mix in the remaining powdered sugar, and you’ll be left with an incredibly luscious and silky frosting.

9. Once your cookies are completely cool, you can frost them however you’d like. Piped or spread with a butter knife, it will be a delightful treat that reminds you of warm summer days with refreshing horchata.

*I use homemade brown sugar, though store-bought works just as well. Full instructions for making homemade brown sugar here.

**I bake with oat milk, but other dairy and non-dairy milks work, too.