Browned Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

How about opting for a little change this holiday season and  putting a new spin on a traditional cookie recipe?  I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.  I love the nutty taste of browned butter and couldn't help but think these cookies would be wonderful.  I was not disappointed.  Matter of fact, I think I'll pour myself a big glass of milk and have a cookie or two right now!

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

Cinnamon & Sugar Coating:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly.  The butter will begin to foam.  After a few minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the pan; continue to whisk and remove from the heat as soon as it begins to turn and give off a nutty aroma.  Immediately pour the butter into a bowl to prevent further browning or burning.  Set the bowl aside to cool for a few minutes.

With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.  Beat in the egg and egg yolk, the vanilla and yogurt until everything is well combined.  Add the dry ingredients slowly, beating on low speed, until just combined.

Chill the dough for 3 hours or as long as possible (I let mine chill for a couple of days).  This is important, so don't skip the chilling process.  The dough needs to be very cold.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the Cinnamon and Sugar Coating ingredients and mix well.

Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball.  I have a small ice cream scoop I use for this and it works great.  My cookies turn out relatively uniform.  Coat the ball and place it on a parchment lined cookie sheet allowing 2 inches of space between each ball.  They will flatten so you want to give them some room.  Repeat the rolling and coating process until you have the cookie sheet full.

Bake the cookies 8-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown.  They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but that's okay. If you want a crisper cookie, bake them a little longer, but keep an eye one them to avoid burning.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes.  Remove them from the baking sheet, transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Note:  I personally wanted more cinnamon sugar mixture on my cookies and gave each cookie a good sprinkle while they were still warm from the oven.

...and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!