Butterscotch Cookies

2013 Christmas Cookie Exchange

Makes 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized slices

1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Sugar Dredging Mixture

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

Fleur de sel, Maldon, sea salt, or Kosher salt for sprinkling*

*Do not use fine grain table salt or the flavor will be way off and unpleasant.

Directions

 Preheat oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.   Sift  together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside. Mix together the sugar dredging mixture in another bowl and set aside.

 Place 10 tablespoons of butter into a cast iron or thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat. The butter will foam a bit before subsiding. Once the butter takes on a tan color and begins to smell nutty take it off of the heat. Add the other two tablespoons of butter and mix it in until it melts.

 Pour the brown butter into a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the brown sugar and salt and mix. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix together, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once. Add the flour mixture in three increments being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom once or twice. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very thick.

 Take walnut sized pieces of dough (you can make them a bit bigger, just make sure the pieces of dough are all the same size) and gently roll them into ball shapes. Dredge them in the sugar dredging mixture until well-coated. Place on the baking sheet and sprinkle with a little bit of the sprinkling salt; be careful with the salt as very little goes a long way.

 Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges have browned a bit. Be careful not to over-bake. Allow to cool on the sheet for one minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

* What a find!  Found this online and used it for a cookie exchange- yummy!