Busy Nothings

I have to admit that I really enjoy what America’s Test Kitchen does with recipes.  The focus is on results and nothing else.  As a consequence, their recipes are almost uniformly practical, interesting, and delicious.  This Brown Sugar Cookie recipe is no exception.  The usage of browned butter is a simply ingenious addition to this recipe that gives a deep, almost caramel flavor to the final product.  Here’s the recipe:

Brown Sugar Cookies, based on this America’s Test Kitchen recipe (free login required).

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

14 T unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks or 7 oz)

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups packed light brown sugar (dark brown sugar can also be used)

2 cups plus 2 T unbleached all-purpose flour (10 1/2 ounces)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp table salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 T vanilla extract

Heat 10 tablespoons (5 oz) butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes.  Continue to cook, swirling pan frequently until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl.  Stir remaining 4 tablespoons (2 oz) butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined.  Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in a small bowl.

Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds.  Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.  Then add  the egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.  Give the dough a final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  The easiest way to do this is to use a 2 tablespoon sized disher.  Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.  Do not overbake.

Cool cookies on baking sheet and then transfer the cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Here’s a picture:

The result is a caramelly, deeply flavored cookie with a crisp (and almost crackly) exterior and a just tender enough interior; a bold cookie with a strong vanilla flavor, a great “bite”, and a deep, rich butteriness.  They really are quite perfect cookies.  I can’t wait to make these again. 

Just a few notes:  1)  The original recipe calls for dark brown sugar but light brown sugar works just fine.  2)  Really be careful about overbaking in this recipe.  Because there’s quite a bit of sugar in these cookies, they will tend to get a bit hard if they are overcooked.  They will be quite tender to the touch when they should be removed from the oven.  3)  I’ve said it before on this blog but an accurate digital scale will help your baking-especially in terms of consistency.  It’s a small investment to make compared to the tremendous results you can achieve when measuring really accurately.  4)  I made these as my contribution to the Mother’s Day celebration at my parent’s place. 

Enjoy!