I know it’s officially spring now, but is it cool if I squeeze in one more winter-like recipe?
Not that it feels like spring here anyway. We sort of skated by without a real winter, and yet now it’s getting all cold and rainy. On and off. With a tiny peek at sunshine and warmth here and there. I have no idea what’s going on.
Maybe this is normal spring behavior? I’m used to San Diego weather, so…
Hmm.
Either way, there’s more cold and rain on the horizon, so I’m having just a little trouble fully throwing myself into the new season. Don’t worry though – I’m working on a springtastic dish for you anyway.
In the meantime, let’s talk about butterscotch cookies.
Brown butter. Brown sugar. A tablespoon of vanilla extract. Fleur de sel.
Am I speaking your language?
If peanut butter didn’t exist… I might go as far as to say this is my favorite cookie. They’re so unbelievably addictive. I dare you to try stopping at one.
Go ahead. You’ll probably fail, but what a delicious defeat it will be.
These cookies are tight rope walkers -Â gliding along the line between sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy, “just eating two” and “…whoops.”
I can’t even tell you how many cookies I ate just typing this post. No idea. Don’t wanna know.
Butterscotch Cookies
Recipe from Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic, via Simply Recipes
I make these cookies on the large end of the suggested size – it creates the whole crispy outside, chewy inside kind of deal. And you know, a bigger cookie.
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized slices
- 1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Fleur de sel, Maldon, sea salt, or Kosher salt for sprinkling*
Sugar dredging mixture
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
*Do not use fine grain table salt (aka: iodized salt) as the flavor will be way off and unpleasant.
Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Vigorously whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside. Mix together the sugar dredging mixture in another bowl and set aside.
- Place 10 tablespoons of butter into a thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat; swirl the pan occasionally. The butter will foam a bit before subsiding. Once the butter takes on a tan color and begins to smell nutty take it off of the heat. Add the other two tablespoons of butter and mix it in until it melts.
- Pour the brown butter into a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the brown sugar and salt and mix. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix together, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once. Add the flour mixture in three increments being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom once or twice. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very thick.
- Take 1/2 to full tablespoon-sized pieces of dough (you can make them a bit bigger or smaller to your liking, just make sure the pieces of dough are all the same size) and gently roll them into ball shapes. Dredge them in the sugar dredging mixture until well-coated. Place on the baking sheet and sprinkle with a little bit of the sprinkling salt (be reserved with the salt as very little goes a long way).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes (13-15 if large) or until the edges have browned a bit. Be careful not to over-bake. Allow to cool on the sheet for one minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yields
30 large or 48 small cookies
