Brown Butter Shortbread

By susanwadle

from Susan Wadle and Little Flower: Recipes From the Cafe by Christine Moore

Ingredients

• 1 cup Brown Butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t salt
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

Step 1

To make brown butter: Melt 2 cups of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. The melted butter will come to a foam. Start stirring frequently at this point until the butter foams a second time and the butter solids are a deep chocolate brown. Remove from heat. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of brown butter on hand. Set aside to cool before using.

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix together brown butter, both sugars, vanilla, and salt. Add both types of flour to form a soft dough. Remove from bowl and pat down into a 1/2" thick flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill thoroughly in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously greast the tins of two cupcake pans with butter or cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, cut the chilled dough into 2" circles with the rim of a glass or biscuit cutter. Place each circle in cupcake tin and bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. kSprinkle each shortbread with a generous pinch of the turbinado sugar. Bake for another 5 minutes. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Then run a small think knife all the way around the sides of each tin to remove each cookie. It is easier to remove the cookies from the pan when they're still warm but cool enough to handle.