This recipe is case in point for why I love old cookbooks and compilations from years gone by. I especially enjoyed this one, published after Conde Nast stopped publishing the magazine (so sad!) The Gourmet Cookie Book (The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009).
Other good compilations are:
The Essential NY Times Cookbook- Classic Recipes for a New Century
Baking Illustrated by Cooks Illustrated
Baking in America - Traditional and Contemporary Favorites from the Past 200 Years.
People sometimes tell me it's odd that I "read" cookbooks, but to me, they are like storybooks that I can incorporate into my own life and family memories.
Brown Butter Cookies
Makes 24 | adapted from Gourmet, June 1961
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Walnut halves, to decorate
1. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter on low heat, stirring occasionally, until browned. Stir in sugar and vanilla sugar and remove from heat. Let cool.
2. Combine flour and baking powder and beat in cooled butter mixture to form a smooth dough.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll small balls of dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place dough balls about an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each ball of dough down using the tines of a fork. Top with half of a blanched almond or an almond slice.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until edges just start to turn golden. Remove from baking sheet after 1 minutes and let cool on wire racks.
You can't go wrong with brown butter. So sad that Gourmet is gone, but that cookie cookbook looks intriguing. I always got the best and most surprising cookie ideas from that magazine.
ReplyDeleteI love reading old cookbooks. It's always interesting to see how things have changed and stayed the same. We all have to eat.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried anything "brown butter," but it seems to be a new fabulous trend going around the blogging world! Do you cool the butter until it is solid again before you use it?
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting that book! Do you think it's worth it? If these cookies are any indication, it almost certainly is. I really miss Gourmet.
ReplyDeleteCucnina - I think it is definitely a good compilation of recipes and a nice keepsake to have especially if you are an avid cookook collector like me!
ReplyDeleteI also read cookbooks! So fun! And brown butter is my current obsession! Must try these!
ReplyDeletegreat post and so good recipe
ReplyDeletethe transformation that butter takes upon browning is so amazing--the flavor rocks! great cookies, and the walnuts are a terrific touch. :)
ReplyDelete