Accidental Brown Butter Cookies

Staying true to my goal to bake something once a week, I decided that I would whip up some brown butter chocolate chips cookies. I poked around the internet for awhile and decided to try this recipe. Excited to sink my teeth into some chocolate-y, buttery cookies, I got started pulling my ingredients together.

The recipe called for a cup of brown sugar, which I was excited about. I love the flavors brown sugar adds to a cookie. Once I had the sugar measured, I got to work browning some Kerrygold butter.

Mmmmm is there anything better than brown butter? I may have dipped a few crackers in it before I mixed it with the sugar. My great grandfather used to eat a bowl of browned butter and a half loaf of bread for breakfast. He was skinny and lived until 96, so butter must have magical healthy powers, right? Or maybe it’s the fact that he did hard, manual labor instead of sitting in front of a computer all day. I guess it’s all about balance.

The brown butter and brown sugar gave the cookie dough a lovely golden color, and despite the raw eggs, I had to give it a try. Cookie dough is just so good. Did you used to sample it when you were a kid? My favorite thing was licking the cake batter beaters.

When I got to the point where I had to add the chocolate chips, I realized that the dark chocolate chips I had saved for a delicious recipe had been a casualty of the massive mouse sighting cleaning spree. I threw away basically anything that was previously opened. No chocolate chips? Not really a problem. My chocolate chip cookies turned into regular old brown butter cookies.

The cookie dough needed to be chilled for at least an hour, so I got all of my cleanup done in that time. I used to be pretty good about cleaning up, but that was pre-mouse sighting. Post-mouse, I am a crazy lady, spraying disinfectant everywhere and blasting surfaces with boiling water. I want to send a message loud and clear that he is not welcome. I may end up poisoning us in the process, but something needs to be done.

Once the dough had chilled, I used a spoon to make uniform size cookies and was, for once, successful. Sometimes by the time the actual baking phase of baking happens, I just want to get it done, and don’t measure servings out very well. These cookies bake really quickly and would have been even faster if I made them smaller and flatter. I tend to make cake cookies, but these would be great flat and crispy. They came out delicious, very buttery, as expected, with a nice flavor from the vanilla. They were soft and cake-like, fairly plain, and kind of perfect for my not-too-sweet palate. I am sure they are amazing with the chocolate chips, and I will plan on adding them to my Christmas cookie baking. I’ll likely bake some with and without chips in case I encounter anyone who doesn’t like chocolate!

Have you had to unexpectedly change a recipe due to lack of ingredients or time?

I used the below recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Too bad the mouse fear ruined the chocolate chip part.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from About.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, browned and slightly cooled*
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons light cream, evaporated milk, or milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

*To brown butter, , heat in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter begins to simmer. Continue cooking, stirring, just until butter begins to turn golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour off into a measuring cup or bowl, leaving darkest sediment behind. Let the butter cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat the browned butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg and butter mixture, mixing on low speed, until a soft dough forms. Scrape the bowl a few times. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and chill for about an hour.

Heat the oven to 375°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat; spray paper with cooking spray. Using a cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto the silicone mat or greased parchment, allowing about 2 to 3 inches in between the cookies.

Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until browned around the edges. Cool completely and transfer to an airtight container for storage.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies, depending on size.