Sugar Cookies for Grown-Ups

I do not particularly care for sugar cookies.  They are bland, boring, and usually too crispy or even stale.  I didn't even like sugar cookies as a kid.  In fact, I remember my very first rejection of a sugar cookie at the age of four.  

My mother had taken me and my little brother along for grocery shopping at the supermarket where she worked.  The ladies in the bakery always gave us cookies (but the people in deli handed out cheese slices, which was only a billion times better).  I was acquainted with receiving chocolate-chip cookies, which I liked.  But on this day, I found something unfamiliar but covered in rainbow sprinkles laid before me.  You would think that the pretty colors would have been enough to persuade my four-year-old senses (since they usually persuade my twenty-four-year-old senses), but no.  Definitely no.  There was something wrong with the cookie.  When I asked where were the chocolate chips, a grown-up (my mom?  lady in the bakery?) explained it was a sugar cookie.  My young mind was blown.  A cookie without chocolate chips?  Who would do such a thing?  I cried out, "Blasphemy!" and thus rejected the bastardized cookie.

But lo and behold, I like these cookies I have for you here.  Probably because they are meant to be *butterscotch* cookies.

However, I feel uncomfortable calling them butterscotch cookies.  Maybe because I have eaten too many Tollhouse "butterscotch" morsels in my life.  Perhaps they embody what butterscotch is really all about-- brown butter, brown sugar, hint of vanilla, and yumminess.  Either way, I have dubbed them Sugar Cookies for Grown-Ups.  There are no chunks, and it's all sugar and butter, but with sophistication.  Really tasty sophistication.  The kind that goes well with a glass of milk and cartoons.

Sugar Cookies for Grown-Ups-- Modified a bit from Simply Recipes

Yield: ~30-36 cookies

12 tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter--cut into slices

1.75 cups dark brown sugar

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt-- depends on how you like the saltiness of your baked goods

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2.5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

+2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp granulated sugar for cookie coating

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Mix together the brown and granulated sugars for the cookie coating and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt 10 of the 12 tbsp of butter over medium heat.  Once melted, it should get nice and frothy as some of the water evaporates.  Continue to stir, making sure the butter doesn't burn.  Once the liquid is tan in color, remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, scraping up any brown bits that may have settled in the pan.  Tada!  You just made brown butter!

Pour the brown butter into a large mixing bowl.  Add the brown sugar and salt.  Using a hand-mixer on the lowest setting, beat until fully mixed.  Scrape the sides of the bowl 2-3 times.  Add the yolk, egg, and vanilla.  Beat to combine, pausing to scrape the bowl.

Add a portion (~1/3) of the flour mixture to the wet stuff and mix with a wooden spoon.  Once fully incorporated, add another portion of the flour mixture.  Repeat until all the dry stuff has been completely worked into the wet stuff.  At this point, my dough was crumbly and not really holding together.  This freaked me out, so I pressed it into one solid mass and flash-cooled it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using a tablespoon, scoop out pieces of dough and gently roll into balls.  Dip into the cookie coating and place on the baking sheet sugar-side-up (duh).  The balls of dough should be 1-2 inches apart.  I was able to fit about 20 cookies without any problems.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges have browned a bit.  Right out of the oven, the cookies will still be super soft, so be careful not to over-bake.  Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes (or else they will fall apart on you) before transferring to a wire wrack (or something). 

Work in batches if necessary.  Unless you happen to be so lucky as to have more than one baking sheet capable of fitting in the oven.  In that case, bake all at once.