Brown Butter Cookies
December 13, 2010 4:32PM
Brown butter Cookies first appeared in the June 1961 issue of Gourmet. (Courtesy "The Gourmet Cookie Book")
Updated: May 16, 2011 12:28PM
This recipe (excluding the notes) is written as it first appeared in the June 1961 issue of Gourmet.
MAKES ABOUT 7 DOZEN COOKIES
In a heavy saucepan, melt 1 cup butter over low heat until it browns. Add 2/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar and cool the mixture. Beat in 21/3 cups flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder to make a smooth dough.
Roll spoonfuls of the dough into marble-sized balls and put them 1-inch apart on a buttered baking sheet. Press each ball down slightly with the tines of a fork, and top with half a blanched almond.
Bake the cookies in a moderately slow oven (325 degrees) for 20 minutes. Remove them from the baking sheet and cool.
Serve half of the cookies. Freeze the remainder in a freezer container. To serve the frozen cookies, defrost them at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.
Notes: To make vanilla sugar, put a vanilla bean into a container of granulated sugar and let it stand for at least 2 days — the longer, the better.
The dough is very crumbly, like a shortbread dough, and it must be kneaded to make it come together in a smooth mass; do not be gentle.
From The Gourmet Cookie Book
Nutrition facts per cookie: 39 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugars, 0 g protein, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
