Brown butter cookies

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Cut 225 g unsalted butter into pieces, put it in a light-colored, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about six minutes. The water in the butter evaporates, and the milk solids sink to the bottom and toast golden, creating that nutty aroma. The butter is ready when the big bubbles subside, it turns amber and the bottom of the pan is speckled with brown bits.

   Suggested time: about 6 minutes. Medium heat.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Immediately pour the brown butter, along with all the fragrant bits, into a large bowl and let it cool for about fifteen minutes. Getting it out of the pan quickly keeps the residual heat from burning it, and cooling it prevents it from cooking the eggs. The butter is ready when it's just slightly warm and beginning to turn a little cloudy.

   Suggested time: about 15 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Add 200 g brown sugar and 50 g granulated sugar to the bowl of butter and whisk vigorously for about a minute. Melted butter can't be creamed, so vigorous whisking helps dissolve some of the sugar and gives the cookies a shiny top. The mixture is ready when it's thick, damp like wet sand and glossy brown.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Add 50 g eggs, 18 g egg yolks and 8 g vanilla extract and keep whisking for about a minute, until the mixture lightens in color. The extra yolk adds fat for a chewier center. The mixture is ready when it's smooth, thickened and glossy like runny caramel.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Mix 280 g all-purpose flour with 4 g baking soda and 4 g salt, add it to the bowl and stir with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain. Mixing just enough keeps the cookies chewy instead of tough. The dough is ready when it's soft and glossy with no white flour in sight.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least an hour; overnight is even better. Brown butter has lost its water, so the dough is soft and spreads easily, and chilling firms it up and deepens the flavor. The dough is ready when it's firm enough to scoop into balls without sticking much to the spoon.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Preheat the oven to 180°C and line baking sheets with parchment paper while the dough is still in the fridge. The oven has to be properly hot so the edges crisp up while the centers stay chewy. The oven is ready after heating for about fifteen minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Scoop the dough into balls of about two tablespoons each and place them about six centimeters apart on the sheets. The cookies spread quite a bit, so leave plenty of room. This step is done when the balls are all the same size and not touching.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Bake at 180°C for about 10 to 12 minutes, taking them out while the centers still look slightly underdone. The cookies keep cooking from the heat of the sheet, and pulling them early keeps the centers chewy. They're ready when the edges are golden brown, the tops are lightly cracked and the centers are still soft and shiny.

   Bake at 180°C for about 10 to 12 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Immediately sprinkle to taste flaky sea salt over the hot cookies, leave them on the sheet for about five minutes, then move them to a rack. Hot cookies hold on to the salt flakes. They're finished when they're firm enough to lift without breaking and the salt is stuck firmly on top.

    Suggested time: about 5 minutes.

    Mark step 10 as done