Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Yay!  My first post!  After finally finding the perfect template, logo, layout, colors, widgets, and every other little detail I am ready to post my first recipe :)

Why not start with a cookie recipe from my fave food blogger, The Pioneer Woman via two peas & their pod.  Seriously, I love this gal, anytime I make one of her recipes I get nonstop oooo's and ahhh's from my family, friends and boyfriend.  I don't mean to brag, but when I made her Potatoes Au Gratin, it was the only Thanksgiving dish with no leftovers (okay I'll stop bragging).

Let me follow this intro by saying I was never a fan of snickerdoodles.  I'd much rather have a chocolate chip cookie any day, but I decided to whip these up since they're my boyfriend's favorite.  I particularly chose this recipe because it has brown butter in it.   I have recently hopped on the brown butter train and I'm obsessed.  It makes any recipe truly 1,000 times better because it adds a nutty, full flavor that truly can't be matched.  Not to mention it makes your kitchen smell so amazingly delicious.

Now the first time I tried to brown butter, I burnt it.  I found these directions that have served me great!  Browned butter is something you can't multi-task with.  If you turn your head or stop swirling for a second, I swear it will burn on you (at least that's what happens to me!)  Just because it seems like a little much, don't let it stop you from trying it!  I promise, you will be just as obsessed with it as me.

Now let's get back to the Snickerdoodles,  mmm, they are so fantastically amazing.  Like I said, I was never a fan but these certainly changed me, in a good way.  Not only did my apartment smell delish, but I was making them during the first snow of Wisconsin, so that just made the whole baking process that much sweeter.

So let's get started.  This is what the dough looks like after you've browned the butter, mixed the ingredients and put it in the fridge for a little.  Confession, I left it in the fridge for 2 days and they turned out beyond perfect, so make the dough ahead of time and enjoy whenever!

Roll about two tablespoons of dough into a ball, get it nice and coated in that cinnamon sugar mixture and place on an ungreased baking sheet about two inches apart.

Bake in the oven for 8-11 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned (your kitchen will smell divine).  Cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes, this allows for the cookies to continue to bake all the way through without drying out, resulting in a delicious and chewy cookie.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool (I use aluminum foil, I have yet to get a proper cooling rack but it works just fine!).  Enjoy!

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies 
original recipe: tasty kitchen

INGREDIENTS
For the cookies:

• 2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Cream Of Tartar
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter
• 1-¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
• ½ cups Granulated Sugar
• 1  Egg
• 1  Egg Yolk
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Plain Greek Yogurt

For the rolling mixture:

• ¼ cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and set aside. NOTE: Make sure your baking soda and cream of tartar are fresh!

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

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

Chill your dough in the refrigerator (important!) until the dough is cold about 30-60 minutes, or place in freezer for about 20 minutes if you are super eager, although I cannot promise the same results if you do this. Fridge is always best! If you desire a puffier cookie, keep the dough in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Once dough is chilled, measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Meanwhile, mix the rolling mixture ingredients in a bowl. Roll balls in the cinnamon-sugar rolling mixture. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. If you desire a thinner cookie, flatten the tops of the cookies a tiny bit (very tiny) with your hand.

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 will continue to cook once out of the oven. Bake longer if you like crispier cookies. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.