Browned Butter Brown Sugar Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is another cookie jar favorite that I know our grandsons will enjoy. As a matter of fact, if I had to limit myself to a single kind of cookie for the for the remainder of my life, these brown sugar treasures would be my choice. I think they are fantastic. They are crispy, chewy, buttery, and delicious. Simply stated, they are everything I want a cookie to be. The brown butter gives them a rich, nutty taste without adding enormously to the complexity of the recipe. It has to be watched carefully, to be sure, but it is not a difficult task to accomplish. Your cookies will have better texture if you use a soft, fresh brown sugar that is easy to work. The only problem I've ever had with this recipe, is that the cookies tend to run together when they are baked twelve to a cookie sheet. I've solved that by only baking six per pan. Genius is like that. It takes a bit more time, but if appearances are important, it is worth the extra time. These cookies are good keepers when they are stored in an airtight container. I have also frozen baked cookies with some success. I hope you will try this recipe. It comes from Cook's Illustrated, so you know it has been thoroughly tested and is trouble free. I suspect that those of you who try it will be really pleased with the results. Here's the recipe.

Browned Butter Brown Sugar Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Cook's Illustrated, More Best Recipes

Ingredients:
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1-3/4 sticks)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1-3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces), divided*
2 cups + 2 tablespoons, unbleached all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Adjust oven racks to middle and lower middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, to combined. Cover with plastic wrap. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl. Set aside.
2) Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter it is golden brown (it should smell nutty), 1 to 3 minutes. Watch butter carefully as it can go from brown to burnt quickly. Remove from heat and pour browned butter to large heat-proof bowl. Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and mix until melted. Cool for 15 minutes.
3) Add remaining 1-3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter. Mix until no sugar lumps remain, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract, mixing well to incorporate. Batter should go from a dark brown color to light. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix to just combined. Give dough one final stir with spatula to distribute any remaining dry ingredients.
Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoon ice cream/cookie scoop works well here). Shape into balls. Working in batches, roll 12 balls in sugar/brown sugar mixture to coat. Distribute 6 dough balls per baking sheet.
4) Bake two sheets at a time, rotating half way though, until cookies are browned and puffy, about 12 to14 minutes. Edges of cookies should start to set and centers will look soft (cookies will look raw in cracks). It is important not over-bake.
5) Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely. Repeat above steps, starting with rolling remaining dough balls in sugar mixture. Baking pans can be re-used after baked cookies have been removed. Parchment can also be re-used for second batch. Cookies can be stored in an air tight container. Yield 24 cookies.

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