BROWN BUTTER PECAN COOKIES
Ek het gisteraand hierdie koekies gemaak. Die eerste baksel is in super rekord tyd op en ek is versoek om nog te maak.
Die bietjie tyd en moeite om die botter tot die punt net voor dit brand te neem is absoluut die moeite werd, dit gee ‘n besonderse aroma. Hou ook daarvan om die neute in bietjie groter stukke te hou. Die effek wat die Maldon sout gee is ‘n baie groot deel van die sukses van die koekies – die koekie weergawe van salted caramel sous.
160 g (1 ½ cup) shelled pecans – spread out on heavy baking sheet and toast in hot oven for about 6 to 8 minutes – DO NOT BURN THEM. Cool, chop coarsely
225 g butter
200 g (1 ½ cup) normal sugar
115 g (1/2 cup) dark brown sugar (treacle) (the one that crawls)
2 large eggs
10 ml vanilla extract
300 g (2 ½ cups) plain flour
10 ml baking powder
1 ½ t Maldon salt (or other flaky salt) If using normal table salt use maximum of 1 t – it will NOT have the same effect as flaky salt
Brown the butter in a thick bottomed pot over medium heat. Swirl the pot to keep it from browning unevenly. It will foam up and you will begin to see browning in the centre of the pot first. Keep on scraping the bottom so that the milk solids doesn’t burn. It should have a pleasant, nutty sort of aroma and the colour should be quite dark, but not blackened at all. Scrape the butter and brown bits into a mixing bowl and cool to room temperature.
Add the sugars to the cooled butter and blend with an electric blender for a couple of minutes. Because of the bigger sugar crystals, it will not become fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients, including the flaky salt crystals and mix until completely incorporated.
Mix in the pecans.
Make sausage like rolls of the dough wrapped in cling wrap. Refrigerate until firm (at least an hour, evidently better after 24 hours). The rolls can also be frozen to bake at later stage.
Remove cling wrap and slice into disks. I made mine about 5 mm thick, but it is your choice how thick you want to make it. Space some distance apart on baking sheets lined with baking paper or silicone sheets. Bake at 180 C until cooked through and edges starting to colour – time depending on thickness of your disks. 5 mm = about 9 – 10 minutes. Let cool on rack and pack in airtight container.
If frozen, let it defrost just enough to make slicing easy and bake from frozen.
Recipe posted and photo: Petro Borchard
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