Brown Butter Babies

/ lisasalsworld

Every Christmas my Aunt Paul goes on a baking extravaganza! It starts around early October when she bakes her fruitcakes which will then be “watered” – more like boozed lol – regularly until it’s time to gift them to their new homes. And get the lucky person eating it completely snookered! lol

My Aunt also bakes about 12 dozen cookies…maybe more! My nurses love Christmas in my room because Aunt Paul always puts a big pretty box of about four different kinds of cookies for them and my visitors to enjoy! I can tell that some people come just for the cookies because they start looking for that pretty box when they’re in my room! heehee

This recipe is a favourite of my nurses and visitors. My Aunt Sue and my sister-in-law Alice LOVE these cookies! Maybe now they can make some themselves all year-round!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup of unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups of packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 1 1/4 tsp. of vanilla
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. of salt
  • 3 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
  • 30 walnuts or pecans – Aunt Paul usually uses pecans

Instructions

  1. In a small sauce pan cook butter over medium heat until brown and nutty…about five minutes, let cool
  2. In a large bowl , beat brown sugar with cooled butter until fluffy. Beat egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into butter mixture in 2 additions.
  4. Take 1 rounded tbsp. of cookie dough and roll into balls; roll balls into granulated sugar.
  5. Place balls about 3 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  6. With bottom of a glass press to scant 1/2 inch thickness. Press 1/2 a nut in the centre of each.
  7.  Bake in 350° F oven until golden ~12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on pans for ~3 minutes; transfer to racks and let cool completely before storing.

I hope you all enjoy these cookies and I can’t wait to hear about your adventures! Happy baking!

23 thoughts on “Brown Butter Babies”

  3. Of course this is the low-cal version. Judging from the measurements and the oven temperature you are somewhere in America, n’est pas? When I became an ex-pat, I did bring the old measuring cups with me and soon make the adjustment to the temperature for cooking/baking. Alas, I’m afraid I am one of those bakers that rarely measure anything but a heap of this and a pinch of that always seems to turn out fine. Working with yeast is one of my specialties but actually, if the truth were told, it is excellent aggression therapy! LOL

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      • Western Canada is for sure beautiful! The mountains are awe inspiring definitely. I’m in Ontario but spent my youth in Nova Scotia. If you have never been, you’ve missed out! I still miss the ocean and the people!

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      • No, I’m afraid I didn’t get that far. Grandma was based outside Vancouver but I worked for an aunt and uncle traveling about with the Royal Canadian Shows and we were in Calgary, Penticton for the Peach Festival, Squamish for the Loggers Convention and a host of other places that culminated back at the Pacific National Exhibition (P.N.E.). We went to Emerald Lake, Lake Louise, oh so many places. I’ll always have a place in my heart for Canada. I became an ex-pat nearly a decade ago and now live on The Mediterranean in the south of France. It takes about an hour to get to Spain. It is the home of my heart.

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      • BTW, I was being factious on the low cal quip. My grandmother would make her Welsh shortbread, there is enough butter in those to harden half the population of Canada’s arteries. Oh, but they were magnificent. I can still taste them.

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      • My Mom always made me her amazing shortbread every Christmas because I loved it so much! And she did NOT like being in the kitchen. Her shortbread also had enough butter that you definitely did not want to eat it close to bikini season! lol

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  7. Pingback: Mom’s Shortbread Cookies – Plus Some Holiday Baking! | Lisa's " I have too much time on my hands" Site

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