Brown butter chocolate crinkle cookies

Photo: The Recipe Critic

Alyssa puts brown butter and cream cheese in a crinkle cookie, and it goes from dry little brownie to fudgy. Roll them in granulated sugar first, then powdered, and the cracks stay bright white.

From Alyssa Rivers at The Recipe Critic · @alyssa_therecipecritic

Brown butter and cream cheese make a fudgy cocoa dough, rolled in granulated then powdered sugar so it bakes up with bright white cracks.

You need

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
• 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (45 g) cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar, for rolling
• 1/3 cup (40 g) powdered sugar, sifted, for rolling

How to make it

1. Brown the butter: melt it in a light-colored pan over medium heat and keep going, swirling, until it smells nutty and turns caramel colored, 7 to 9 minutes. Pour it into a bowl, flecks included, and cool to room temperature.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet with parchment.
3. Beat the egg, both sugars and cream cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled brown butter and vanilla and beat 2 minutes more.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder, stir in the salt, and mix it into the wet bowl just until combined.
5. Scoop and roll the dough into balls. Roll each in granulated sugar first, then thickly in powdered sugar.
6. Bake 11 to 12 minutes, until the cracks open and the edges are set. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then on a rack.

For a swap: Sturdy. Pack them once they're cool so the sugar stays white.

Written in our own words from Alyssa Rivers's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Brown butter chocolate crinkle cookies, The Recipe Critic.

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