If Mike From Stranger Things Was a Cookie… He’d Be This Brown-Butter Butter Cookie
A brown-butter butter cookie with crispy edges, a soft center, and balanced sweetness. Simple, comforting, and exactly the kind of cookie Mike Wheeler would be.
Mike isn’t the strongest or the bravest, but he’s loyal in a way that actually matters. He shows up even when he’s terrified. He’s steady, comforting, and always there in every situation. And that’s why he’s a butter cookie.
A butter cookie looks simple, but when it’s done right, it’s perfect. It doesn’t need chocolate chunks or fillings or drama. Just good butter, the right amount of sugar, and a soft center with crispy edges. Sweet, balanced, clean, pastry-level good. Exactly Mike.
This recipe is built for that: brown butter for depth, reduced sugar so it’s not cloying, and a little flaky salt on top because Mike always has that tiny spark that keeps everything together.
Ingredients
Wet
1 cup unsalted butter (225 g), browned
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp buttermilk or milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Dry
2¼ cups all-purpose flour (280 g)
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
Topping
Flaky salt (optional)
How To Make Mike’s Butter Cookie
1. Brown the butter
Cook until golden and nutty.
Let it cool 5 minutes.
2. Add the sugars
Mix the brown butter with the granulated sugar + powdered sugar.
3. Add yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla
Mix until glossy and smooth.
4. Add the dry mix
Fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Dough should be soft, not crumbly.
5. Chill
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Scoop
Scoop 1 tbsp balls of dough.
7. Freeze
Freeze the dough balls for 20 minutes so the edges crisp and the centers stay soft.
8. Bake
Bake straight from the freezer at:
350°F / 180°C
10–12 minutes
Edges golden, centers soft.
9. Cool
Let sit on the tray for 5 minutes.
Finish with flaky salt if you want.
Why This Cookie Is Mike
Mike is simple, steady, and always there when it counts. A butter cookie fits him perfectly—nothing over the top, nothing dramatic, just warm, reliable comfort. Brown butter gives it depth, the balanced sweetness keeps it clean, and that little sprinkle of flaky salt is his tiny spark. This cookie is exactly him.
Troubleshooting (Only If Something Goes Wrong)
Dough feels dry or crumbly
Add 1 teaspoon buttermilk.
If still dry: add one more teaspoon.
Stop there.
Cookies baked sandy or broke apart
Your dough didn’t have enough moisture.
Use the fix above (1–2 tsp buttermilk).
Cookies didn’t spread
Dough was too cold → let it sit 5 minutes before baking.
Cookies spread too much
Dough was too warm → freeze 20–30 minutes.
Too pale
Bake 1 more minute or at 355°F / 180°C.