Brown Butter Cinnamon Crinkles

Brown Butter Cinnamon Crinkles - made dough August 19, 2017, adapted from Cookies and Cups

Is there anything better than browned butter? Probably but I can’t think of what that would be right now. Butter itself is the nectar of the gods. It powers all baked goods worth eating. Browned butter? A whole ‘nother level.

So I was predisposed to like this recipe for Brown Butter Cinnamon Crinkles from Cookies and Cups. It’s a fairly simple vanilla-butter-cinnamon cookie. The added little something-something was to roll the dough balls in powdered sugar before baking. Think of them as the vanilla version of chocolate crinkles. Because you roll them in powdered sugar before baking, they don’t quite have the velvety, melt-in-your-mouth texture that marks the typical Mexican Wedding Cake or the Buttery Tea Balls I like to make.

They tasted good though so I’m not quibbling. I advocate baking these just long enough to let the “crinkles” appear, meaning the cookies are no longer the smooth dough balls they started out as but have spread (slightly) and show the cracks in the powdered sugar coating. You also don’t want to roll the dough balls into the powdered sugar until right before you put these into the oven. Otherwise, the powdered sugar will just melt into the moistness of the dough.

When just the slightest bit underbaked, these have a great texture. If it had been a chocolate crinkle, I would’ve called it fudgelike. Since they were vanilla, maybe vanilla-fudge-like? Either way, they were delicious. If you want to amp up the cinnamon flavor, add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the powdered sugar before you roll the cookie dough balls in it. And I will again put in a plug for Penzey’s Vietnamese Cinnamon. Not affiliated with them but they have the best cinnamon ever. It’s the only one I ever use now.

10 tablespoons butter, melted and browned

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
2. Mix together granulated and brown sugars in the bowl of a standing electric mixer. Pour in cooled melted butter and mix to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing briefly after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
3. On low speed, add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
4. Portion into dough balls, cover and chill or freeze overnight or several hours.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Place confectioners' sugar in small shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in confectioners' sugar and evenly space on lined baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set.