Young & Hungry

I first made these cookies at a baking class I attended early one Saturday morning, the recipe coming from The 150 Best American Recipes edited by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens. Of all 15 or so varieties of cookies that we make, these were by far my favorites. Buttery, sandy, and just a bit salty, I found them unique and surprisingly easy to make.

PS–this is a great low budget recipe, as well, something I’ve been taking note of per inspiration from The Broke Socialite!

Easy and ready to serve!

 

As Christine has mentioned many times, brown butter has a magical property, and this recipe is certainly no exception. Served at a recent party, they got many quizzical, albeit delighted, looks as party goers tried to decipher just what, exactly, that flavor was. Brown butter it is and it shines once again in this recipe.
 

Makes 5 dozen cookies
 
Ingredients:
• 1 cup unsalted butter (I like Land O Lakes….make sure you’re using a good butter in this recipe as it’s such a prominent ingredient)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 t pure vanilla extract
• 2 c unsifted all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp kosher salt

 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone mat.
 
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then let it brown, stirring constantly (watch carefully so that butter doesn’t burn,) about 8 minutes. Scrape out of pan into a bowl, making sure to get all of the bits on the bottom. Add sugar and vanilla, stirring well. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, and add to butter mixture in three additions.
 
Roll dough into 1.5 tsp balls and place on baking sheets 2 inches apart (cookies will spread.)
 
Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are golden and crack a bit on top. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then slide paper or mat with cookies onto rack and let cool completely. Store in a tin for up to 2 weeks.
 
*These are also delicious with 1 rounded tsp of lightly crushed cardamom seeds (or ground cardamom) added to the dough.
 

Fresh out of the oven