Brown-Butter Crinkle Cookies
These little cookies have a nutty undercurrent of brown butter. Their artfully crinkled surfaces are the result of rolling the dough in two kinds of sugar before baking. Granulated sugar helps the powdered sugar cling to the surface. As the cooking bake and spread, their surface cracks, creating a zigzag of sugar and dough.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon coarse saltTravel Solo, Make Friends Ad by The New York Times See More
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high. When it boils, reduce heat to medium; simmer until foamy. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pan, until foam subsides, butter turns golden brown with a nutty aroma, and milk solids separate into brown specks that sink to bottom, 2 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a large heatproof bowl and let cool 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar into brown butter until combined, then stir in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until a dough forms. Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place powdered sugar and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in 2 separate bowls. Scoop 1 tablespoon dough and roll into a ball; roll in granulated sugar, then coat with powdered sugar (do not shake off excess). Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough and sugars.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies spread slightly, crackle, and are set at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to racks; let cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature in a single layer up to 2 days.) Makes 3 dozen cookies
— From “Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection: 100+ Recipes to Take Your Sweet Treats to the Next Level: A Baking Book” by Editors of Martha Stewart Living
Coast Homes, LLC. 