My new favorite cooking hack is making browned butter in the microwave, so I always have little custard cups of browned butter in the refrigerator. This recipe for Browned Butter Macadamia Butterscotch Cookies is a great way to use it. I've re-worked it a little bit by adding gram amounts along with a variation.
Browned Butter Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies
You can make Browned Butter Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies. Just substitute the butterscotch chips with caramel flavored chips (morsels), omit the macadamia nuts and put a little sea salt on top of each cookie.
The cookies have a rich brown butter flavor and a texture similar to chocolate chip cookies. They’re tender and chewy on the outside and the edges are crispy. I think the cornstarch might play a part in that. And chocolate chips work too!
Brown Butter Weight Loss
The recipe calls for 4 ounces (114 grams) regular unsalted butter or 3 oz (84 grams) already browned butter. The reason is that when you brown a 4 oz stick of butter you lose almost an ounce of liquid. Also, generally when you use browned butter in a recipe you have to make up for some of the liquid lost. And in this case, the milk does the job.
Here's a picture of the new Browned Butter Salted Caramel Chip Cookies. I used Hershey's Sea Salt Caramel Chips.
Browned Butter Macadamia Butterscotch Cookies
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (115 grams ) OR use 84 grams of already-browned and set butter
½ cup lightly packed brown sugar (100 grams)
½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams) 1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk, whole milk
1 large egg
1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour (170 grams) 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch (20 grams) ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup roasted, salted coarse/roughty/BARELY chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup butterscotch morsels (or substitute sea salt caramel chips)
First, brown the butter. Place butter in a saucepan and heat over medium until the butter melts, smells good and turns brown around the edges. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Put the browned butter in a bowl, let cool slightly, then chill until it is somewhat firm. Alternatively, you can use butter that you've already browned.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add both sugars to mixing bowl with butter. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars very well. Add milk and continue beating until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture until incorporated. Stir in macadamia nuts and butterscotch chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined pan. Bake for 11-13 minutes.
Makes about 2 dozen
Paula says
I can't wait to try these cookies. I am tired of the oatmeal cookies with the butter scotch chips. I have only done brown butter one time years ago to make a cookie my grandma use to make with a burnt butter frosting as she called it. The cookie was a cake like cookie with chocolate chips with the burnt butter frosting on it. Very good they were called Jubilee Jumbo cookie. Oh such good memories of the 70's with my grandma.
Ai says
I know I'm commenting this really late (like, almost a year after the post) but I must say something.
I agree with post no. 8, that it's actually making ghee. And where I live, ghee is readily available in stores. It's simply a heated and strained version of butter. So i'm gonna try this awesome recipe with ghee instead of browned butter, as you call it ^^
Kevin says
These sound so good. Browning butter for a cookie is new to me but sounds tasty.
Paullett De Moura says
Browned Butter Solids can burn faster and can be bitterish to some.
Basically you are making gee. The people of India cook with butter and strain out the milk and milk solids and cook with this clarifed butter for the same reason. You can also cook at a higher heat without burning it as soon.
It can also be for appearances sake in the cookies.
Haven't read the article but would be interested to see if I was right according to the experts.
PS. I am a professional chef but not a baker or patissier.
Emiline says
These sound wonderful. I've been hungry for a macadamia cookie. I've never strained my butter either, but I guess I'll have to try that. It was a pretty interesting article in Bon Appetite.
Tracy says
Those sound really good. I'm curious about straining the browned butter, too. I know I got that issue. I'll have to hunt for it.
Amy says
Mmmmmm.. these sound (and look) delicious! I love the idea of butterscotch with macadamia nuts. Will definitely have to give these a try soon.
Therese says
I think Santa would love these on his plate!!
Yum!! Great combo with the browned butter and the macadamia nuts!! Can't wait to try them out!
Anna says
Patricia, I hope you enjoy your butterscotch chips. Maybe I could start a business exporting butterscotch chips to Brazil. I need to get a job.
Sarah, I know!
I mean, I never strained browned butter either. Then the other day I was reading Bon Appetit's article about how it was a "flavor of the year" and in all the recipes in the article, they strained it. So I strained i through a sieve today. Most all of the bits went right through and I wondered why I even bothered. I guess some of the bits, maybe the big ones, impart bitterness?? I don't know. It's an easy enough subject to research. But I even after sieving I had lots of brown flecks and they tasted really good.
I'm really happy with these cookies, btw.
Sarah says
Anna - I make browned butter for a few different cookies and have never strained it before. In fact, I always think the browned bits really give a lot of flavor. I wonder, does Bon Appetit give a reason for straining the butter? And, do the cookies still have that lovely nutty flavor that browned butter gives?
Patricia Scarpin says
yay!
We can't find butterscotch chips here in Brazil, Anna, but I have just bought some from King Arthur's flour. I can't wait for them to arrive - I'm bookmarking your recipe right now!