Brown Sugar Cookies (Beurre Noisette)

Chewy soft Brown Sugar (Beurre Noisette) Cookies: An intense extravanza of brown nuttiness.

14 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1¾ sticks or 7 oz)
¼ cup granulated sugar (~ 1¾ oz)
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed (14 oz)
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached, unbleached and 2 Tbsp. (~ 10½ oz)
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat 10 Tbsp. butter (5 oz) in 6" sauce pan over medium-high heat until melted, about two minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, two to four minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining four Tbsp. butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Line two large (18x12") baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick mat (e.g., Silpat).

In a bowl, shallow baking dish, or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and ¼ cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

Add remaining 1¾ cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds.

Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about one minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 Tbsp., rolling between hands into balls about 1½" in diameter. Better yet, use a 1½ Tbsp. ice cream scoop to create balls of dough.

Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about two" apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will
take 3 batches.)

Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 12-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Makes 2 dozen.

Cook's Notes:

• Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark colour of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned.
• Use fresh brown sugar, as older (that is, the solid as a rock clumpy stuff) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.
• Checking Doneness: Achieving the proper texture - crisp at the edges and chewy in the middle - is critical to this recipe. Because the cookies are so dark, it's hard to judge doneness by colour. Instead, gently press halfway between the edge and center of the cookie. When it's done, it will form an indent with slight resistance. Check early and err on the side of underdone. Really, it is better to be half-baked than over-baked, in this case.