Photo courtesy of Gail Sweeney
I’m sharing with you a delicious recipe from an amazing cookbook Let’s Bake! Over 100 Dessert Recipes for Gifting & Giving by the wonderful home baker Gail Sweeney.
It is a cozy, accessible baking book celebrating time together in the kitchen. Ideal for Mother’s Day moments shared across generations.
Brown Butter Caramel Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter, browned
1 egg plus 1 yolk at room temperature
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup salted caramel Chipits
Two 100-gram 70% chocolate bars such as Lindt, chopped
Sea salt for sprinkling on finished cookies
To make the cookies
Place the butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter will froth up and you will see brown particles forming along the top of the butter. Stir the butter occasionally and when the butter turns into a dark amber color, remove from the heat. Set aside to cool in the fridge and continue with the rest of the recipe.
Chop the chocolate bars into small 1/4-inch size pieces. On a large piece of parchment paper, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Place the cooled brown butter into the bowl of the stand mixer. There will be browned bits at the bottom of the pan and add these as well as they will intensify the flavor.
Add the brown sugar to the butter and mix on medium high speed until light and creamy. Add the egg and yolk and continue beating until well incorporated. Tip in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. On low speed, add in the caramel Chipits and chopped chocolate.
Scoop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 360°F. Bake the cookies for approximately 15 minutes or until set and golden brown around the edges. Sprinkle the warm cookies with sea salt. Let cool on the trays.
Note: These cookies will keep in an airtight container for one week in the refrigerator or cupboard and can be frozen for up to 2 months.
About the Author
Gail Sweeney has been baking and tweaking her recipes for over 25 years, providing specialty markets, bistros and boutique stores with her renowned goods. Her love for baking stems from the happiness it brings to others. Also an aspiring food photographer, her recipes have been featured in local newspapers and television in Ontario, Canada.
LET’S BAKE
Written by Gail Sweeney
978-1-57826-960-0, $25.00 hardcover
978-1-57826-961-7, $12.99 ebook
Published by Hatherleigh Press.
Distributed through Penguin Random House.
Available wherever books are sold.
www.hatherleighpress.com