• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • New Magazine!
  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

December 27, 2014 by Joy the Baker 51 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

[W]ell, hello. Hi. How are you? Glad tidings. Happy Holidays. I like your hair.

Are you doing all of the lovely winter things? Hot chocolate? Mittens? Ski caps? Snow men?

I’d like to bring you stories of frolicking snowball fights and ski lift passes, but I’m terrified of both flying ice balls and ski lifts. Instead I could tell you about this tremendous head cold and how I’m trying to drown it in ginger tea and cookies.

White Chocolate and grapefruit. Let’s stay on our toes and in the game!

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

The thing is, we’ve got to get all the tasty goodness of juicy pink grapefruits into these cookies without the actual juice of the juicy pink grapefruit… you know what I mean?  

Zest is the answer. All the intense flavor, none of the juice to dilute our cookies.

To work this magic, we rub together grapefruit zest and granulated sugar.  Rub with either the back of a spoon or your fingers to release the oils (and thereby the flavor of grapefruit) into the sugar.  

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Grapefruit sugar is creamed with softened butter until fluffy.  As an added bonus, this also smells divine.  

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Brown sugar and cooled brown butter are added to the fluffy butter.  Combined.  Good and plenty.  

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Large eggs: one whole plus one yolk.  

Oh!  I used electric hand-beaters for this recipe which I just recently incorporated into my kitchen.  What took me so long?  They’re kinda the best! 

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Flour, baking soda, and salt.  The usual and essential suspects.  

I like to use a wooden spoon for this part of cookie making.  A wooden spoon usually prevents a flour explosion.  Usually. 

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

White chocolate chips.  An ample amount.  

The cookie dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for an hour.  This is a critical time in which the butter will chill, absorb the liquid from the eggs, generally relax, and we’ll have an hour to test our willpower and patience. 

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

Because I am so utterly predictable, I topped each cookie dough ball with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt before baking.  I love to balance the sweetness of the cookie and white chocolate with a pinch of salt.  

The grapefruit really shines through in these cookies.  Present, delicate, with unflinching eye contact… like quite the lady.  

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 80
  • Cook Time: 12
  • Total Time: 1 hour 32 minutes
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe

Description

Sweet cookies flavored with zippy grapefruit zest. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Exactly just right!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons grapefruit zest
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Place half the butter (8 tablespoons) in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling it in the pan occasionally. It’ll foam and froth as it cooks, and start to crackle and pop. Once the crackling stops, keep a close eye on the melted butter, continuing to swirl the pan often. The butter will start to smell nutty, and brown bits will form in the bottom. Once the bits are amber brown (about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or so after the sizzling stops), remove the butter from the burner and immediately pour it into a small bowl, bits and all. This will stop the butter from cooking and burning. Allow it to cool for 20 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, rub together the granulated sugar and grapefruit zest until the sugar is fragrant.
  3. Beat the remaining 8 tablespoons softened butter with the grapefruit granulated sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth.
  4. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  5. Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl, along with the brown sugar. Beat for 2 minutes, until smooth; the mixture will lighten in color and become fluffy.
  6. Add the egg and egg yolk, and beat for one minute more.
  7. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, beating on low speed just until everything is incorporated.
  8. Use a spatula to fold in the white chocolate chips and pecans and finish incorporating all of the dry flour bits into the dough.
  9. Scoop the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap. Flatten it slightly into a thick disk, and refrigerate for at leas t1 hour. About 15 minutes before you’re ready to begin baking, place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat your oven to 350°F.
  10. Scoop the dough in 2 tablespoon-sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2? between the cookies; they’ll spread as they bake.
  11. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt, to taste — as much or as little as you like.
  12. Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving them.
  13. Serve warm; or cool completely, and store airtight at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Chocolate, Cookies, Recipes, Vanilla

Previous Post: « Eggnog Rice Pudding
Next Post: »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patricia Gifford

    May 29, 2016 at 3:40 am

    no quantity listed for pecans. These sound unbelievable. Can’t wait to bake them

    Reply
  2. Mariah

    January 31, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    I made these for the second time. Really delicious!

    Reply
  3. Allison C.

    December 4, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    I found this recipe randomly and your blog and am so happy I did! I made these last night and they are AWESOME! I love the hint of grapefruit in each bite. I only refrigerated for 30 minutes (because I got too excited) and they still came out delicious. I had some dough left over and made them the following day and can say they are even MORE yummy… it definitely makes it worth it to chill for at least an hour. Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Kelsey

    August 2, 2015 at 8:23 am

    Does the recipe have pecans or not? The instructions mention them but they aren’t in the pictures or the recipe, would a cup be appropriate or are they not supposed to have pecans, is it a type for another recipe you copy and pasted? Thanks for your help!

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      September 14, 2015 at 1:05 pm

      No, they do not have pecans.

      Reply
  5. www.californiacocktailcampers.com

    March 22, 2015 at 6:14 pm

    OMG! we just made these cookies, with your brown butter recipe. Everyone in my house went mad for them!!!! Delicious recipe that was easy to make and well-written. Thank you, Joy!

    Reply
  6. Maïté Godin

    February 17, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    Hi! This look really good! How many cookies does this recipes make? thank you

    Reply
  7. bmorecupcake

    January 26, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    Thanks not only for posting an innovative recipe, but a timely one on the exact day I searched for recipes with grapefruit zest but not grapefruit juice. (I had overpaid for grapefruit and wanted to get my money’s worth.)

    The cookies are great. I’ve made two batches already. I had some comments, though, mostly for future readers. First, as Lucy mentioned above, the recipe instructions call for pecans, but pecans aren’t listed in the ingredients. My guess is the recipe was copy-pasted from a previous post and Joy forgot to omit the part about pecans.

    Second, if this is the first time you are browning butter, like it was for me, read about the process somewhere before starting. I had the butter explode on me once, even though I was swirling constantly. I read somewhere that if you put a spoon in the butter, it will break the surface tension and solve the problem. I don’t know what that means, but I do know that didn’t work for me either, and the butter exploded on me again. The third time, I kept agitating the butter with a spoon and that seemed to do the trick. Also, using a medium skillet as instructed seems key; I think the lesser surface area of a small skillet would not let water in the butter evaporate fast enough.

    Third, the cookies are on the sweet side, and I don’t think adding the extra salt balanced the sweetness. I’m of the opinion that salt is used as an enhancer in desserts, not to balance, if that makes sense. I wouldn’t recommend adding the extra sea salt at the end. In fact, I personally felt even 1 teaspoon of table salt in the batter was far too much. I suggest using 1 teaspoon of a coarse salt (I used Diamond Crystal kosher salt) in the batter and enjoying the cookies with black coffee or tea to “balance” the sweetness.

    Lastly, the amount of time I chilled the batter affected my final outcome. If I chilled two hours, I got a result like in the pictures on this post — tender looking with a dimple in the middle. If I chilled overnight, the cookies didn’t deflate in the middle as much after cooling and weren’t as soft in the middle. Both were great, although the latter are less visually appealing in the sense you can’t see the white chocolate chips as well.

    Hope this helps someone.

    Reply
  8. Sara

    January 14, 2015 at 8:59 am

    I made these and they came out perfectly. They were so delicious. I took them to Sunday Night Family Dinner and they were a HUGE hit. One kid exclaimed, “I ate three!!”

    Reply
  9. Peter

    January 11, 2015 at 1:35 pm

    made these with lemon zest instead of grapefruit – fantastic! the biscuits are crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy in the center. both the browned butter and the zest rubbed into the sugar give this such a beautiful and unique flavour, far above any other cookies I’ve made. Thanks Joy :)

    Reply
  10. sohojoe

    January 5, 2015 at 4:44 pm

    Grapefruit zest! File that firmly under “wish I had thought of that!” Thanks Joy! You’ve done it again. Also loving the ‘one bowl’ technique for this recipe. A great way to keep things in perspective as we head into a crazy new year! So simple and SO delicious. Can’t wait to give it a try!

    Reply
  11. andreaolufemi

    January 5, 2015 at 4:50 am

    This is incredible!! I am sooo making these, thanks for the wonderful recipe again!

    Drea xo
    Drea’s Junkyard

    Reply
  12. Betty

    January 4, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    These sound insanely delicious :) I need to bake them right away!
    I made some white choc & raspberry cheesecake cookies and I’ve got to say, cookie’s are just the queen of all deserts in my opinion! Have a look at my cookie posts if you’d like.
    Happy New Year!
    Betty x

    The Betty Stamp

    Reply
  13. Isabella Mozzarella

    January 2, 2015 at 11:51 am

    Grapefruit cookies… this could be the demise of my waistline!!
    And they look so chewy (in the best kind of cookie way)!
    Love Isabella
    http://www.isabellamozzarella.co.uk

    Reply
  14. Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures

    January 2, 2015 at 5:48 am

    Feel better soon!

    Reply
  15. Kate Ramos (@holajalapeno)

    January 1, 2015 at 1:26 pm

    Once again, wonderful! I never thought of using grapefruit in my cookies…..until now!!

    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »
Comments Page 3 of 4
« Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Chocolate

scoops of ice cream in loaf pan with cones around.
No-Churn Black and White Brownie Ice Cream

This post is sponsored by ALDI! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Joy the Baker possible!  It is ICE CREAM SEASON! (A statement worth shouting from the rooftops) and I have the best-kept secret to beat the heat.   I’ve never really been great with secrets anyway which is why we’re all making the…

Read More

Two huge small-batch chocolate chip cookies.
A Recipe For Just Two Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

I accidentally went down a rabbit hole a few weeks back.  One afternoon, in a sweet tooth induced mania, I made a small batch of truly giant chocolate chip cookies. The cookie dough came together in a small saucepan, the chocolate almost too melty, and the cookies about the size of my literal face. They…

Read More

sliced chocolate and peanut butter brownies
How To Make Box Brownies Better

I hope we’ve built enough trust between us for you to believe what I’m about to tell you. It’s a secret that professional bakers have been keeping from you for too long.  The truth is BOX BROWNIES ARE BETTER THAN BROWNIES MADE FROM SCRATCH.  I know… criminal, really but facts are facts.  I think it’s…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe

Joy the baker with dyed bandana around neck

HOW TO MAKE DYED BANDANAS

as seen in JtB Magazine!

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

FAVORITE FRUIT RECIPES

Baked peach scones stacked with butter.

Easy Peaches and Cream Scones

Gluten-Free Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

POPULAR CAKES

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

Slice of coconut cake on small white plate with coffee.

My favorite Coconut Cake is actually made with cake mix

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
I made @mississippivegan my favorite Paloma cockta I made @mississippivegan my favorite Paloma cocktail last night! Here’s how to make your own batch.

Palomas for Two 
1 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup tequila blanco
A splash of Campari
6-8 ounces Fever Tree Grapefruit Soda
Fresh herbs for serving 
 
Mix everything in a jar and refrigerate. Serve over ice with fresh herbs. #paloma #summercocktails #joythebaker
4️⃣ ways to make a better BLT and you don’t 4️⃣ ways to make a better BLT and you don’t even need to be wearing pant. 
1. Bake the bacon with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cracked black pepper until crisp and caramelized. 
2. Slice tomatoes on a paper towel to remove excess water and, for all that is holy, season the tomatoes with sea salt.
3. Use butter lettuce you can replant for future butter lettuce.
4. You don’t like mayonnaise? Yea you do. Lots of it.
If the question is, what am I baking this weekend? If the question is, what am I baking this weekend? The answer is: 🍋🫐 Gooey Butter Cake.
He has no idea how swoony I get when he saves me a He has no idea how swoony I get when he saves me a seat at breakfast or moves me to the inside of the sidewalk for safety. What a thrill to have absolutely no chill whatsoever. Happy August, friends. I hope you’re hydrated and in stupid love.
Your weekend baking sorted! 🫠 Just add peanut b Your weekend baking sorted! 🫠 Just add peanut butter and marshmallows to the grocery list. ⁣
⁣
Also, if you snuck some 🍫🍫 in with the marshmallow you’d have a lil peanut butter cookie s’more and no one would be mad. ⁣
⁣
Recipe linked in the profile! xo.
Our no-bake, 🍒🍋 dreams come true thanks to @ Our no-bake, 🍒🍋 dreams come true thanks to @theboywhobakes! ⁣
⁣
This perfect summer recipe is linked in the profile! xo
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up