This brown butter cookie recipe is all you’ll need for dessert tonight

Sometimes you just need a cookie (or three). And when the craving hits, you’ll appreciate having a batch of these brown butter cookies ready.

Brown butter cookies might sound overly simple, but browning the butter beforehand gives the cookies — along with sweet or savory sauces, icings, glazes and more — an incredible depth of flavor and rich, nutty notes. The finished cookies are dense and chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. You might just want to go ahead and plan to bake a double batch.

BROWN BUTTER COOKIES

Total time: 45 minutes | Serves 18 to 24
Note: Adapted from a recipe from the now-closed Bittersweet Treats Bakery in Pasadena. Vanilla bean can be found at select cooking and baking supply stores as well as online.

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter
1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and continue to cook until the solids have lightly browned and the butter has a nutty aroma, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool to room temperature.

3. In a large bowl, stir together the butter and sugar with a spatula. Mix in the salt, egg, yolk and vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.

5. Scoop the cookies using a 1-ounce scoop or rounded spoon onto a baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart, and bake until golden-brown and firm on top, about 15 minutes.

Each serving: Calories 148; Protein 2 grams; Carbohydrates 24 grams; Fiber 0 grams; Fat 5 grams; Saturated fat 3 grams; Cholesterol 28 mg; Sugar 16 grams; Sodium 63 mg

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