I love browning butter for baked goods, but find many recipes will call for that step and the results don’t truly highlight the nutty flavor that well. I find it best showcased in a shortbread cookie, where there are not a lot of competing ingredients, just a bit of vanilla to enhance the overall sweetness. This is a sandy, crisp shortbread, which gets a bit of crumbly texture from the added rice flour. I prefer this over using cornstarch which leans more chalky to me. Also note, the brown butter gives the cookies a darker appearance because of the caramelization. My sister said they look like Biscoff. 🙂
This post contains affiliate links.
I baked the cookies in a shortbread pan that creates a beautiful imprint, but you can also use a 9″ square pan lined with parchment for easy removal. Be sure to spray the shortbread pan well and use a pastry brush to ensure the coating is even and gets into all the nooks and crannies of the designs.
Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (173g) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (36g) white rice flour
Directions:
To make the browned butter: In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the stick of butter. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the milk solids don’t burn. Once it changes to a light caramel color, I lower to medium-low heat, because I find it gets dark fast. When it’s a deep golden color, immediately remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the salt and water. Place the bowl over an ice bath to firm up the butter until it’s the consistency of room temperature butter.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease the shortbread mold with a baking spray that contains flour. Use a pastry brush to get into the details of the pan to ensure they’re well coated. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the all purpose and rice flour, and add to the stand mixer. Beat until the dough begins to clump together.
Place the dough into the pan and spread it in an even layer, pressing firmly to imprint into the designs. With a bench scraper, drag across the dough and smooth out any bumps on top. Prick the surface of the dough all over with a fork.
Bake until the dough looks dry and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Lower the oven to 275°F and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Use a paring knife to loosen the edges of the cookie. Place a cutting board over the pan and invert onto the board. Immediately cut into squares along the designated lines. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Makes 9