This week’s Culinary SOS: Brown butter cookies

This week’s Culinary SOS request comes from Halah Hassan in Pasadena:

“I was wondering if you would be able to get the recipe for the irresistible brown butter cookie at the newly opened and darling Bittersweet Treats on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. This cookie is chewy, dense and delicious, and I would very much like to re-create it at home.”

Browning butter will give any dish — from savory sauces to creamy icings and glazes — added depth with rich, nutty notes. These cookies are no exception. Crunchy on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, these cookies are wonderful. But taking the extra step to brown the butter makes them that much better. Make an extra batch, because they’ll go quickly.

Thanks, Halah! You can find the recipe below.

And check out more Culinary SOS recipes. If you have a favorite restaurant recipe you’d like to request, email me. I’ll do my best to track it down.

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Bittersweet Treat’s brown butter cookies

45 minutes. Serves 18 to 24

10 tablespoons (1¼ 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: 148 calories, 2 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 5 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 28 milligrams cholesterol, 16 grams sugar, 63 milligrams sodium.

NOTE: Adapted from Bittersweet Treats. Vanilla bean paste can be found at select cooking and baking supply stores, as well as online.