Restaurant Review: Beque Korean Grill

Beque Korean Grill - dinner on December 22, 2013

Still wrapping up posts from 2013. Right before Christmas, I met my cousin, her husband and their son Vanilla King for dinner at a new place for Korean Barbecue that we had been meaning to try. I first found out about the place by searching on yelp and was lured in by 2 things: the first being their All You Can Eat option (AYCE) and the second being their claim that although you cook at your table, you won't walk out of the restaurant smelling like BBQ.

Their special grill that ventilates the smoke away from the diners 

That seemed like a grandiose claim given my experience with other BBQ places but it was worth a shot. The AYCE option came with 4 meats: pork belly, spicy pork, bul go gi (marinated beef) and marinated chicken. Adults are $19.99 and kids under 12 are half price. If you wanted to order an entrée that wasn't one of the 4 included in the AYCE option, you're charged the cost of that entrée but whoever ordered it could also partake in the all you can eat without being charged for it. At first it seemed confusing but then it made sense when we realized the additional entrees all cost more than the $19.99 AYCE option. Vanilla King wanted the marinated short ribs so my cousin and I got the AYCE option for full price, Vanilla King got it for half price and my cousin's husband ordered the $29 short ribs but could also partake of AYCE.

The helpful waiter also explained that whatever we wanted after we finished what they brought out could easily be replenished, i.e. if we liked mostly the bul go gi, they'd bring out more of it rather than the other 3 items. The meal also included all you can eat rice and all the side dishes that accompany a typical Korean meal, most of which I don't recognize except for kim chee.

The marinated short ribs

The waitress cooked the short ribs for us but after that, armed with the tongs and scissors, we were on our own to cook the rest of the meal. They brought out pretty generous servings of the 4 meats included in the AYCE which was good because you felt like you were getting your money's worth but it also meant it took a little longer for everything to cook. But that also wasn't bad since it allowed us to pace ourselves better.

Bul Go Gi

I have to say the short ribs and the bul go gi were excellent. Whatever marinade they used was very tasty and I could probably have lived on those two dishes quite handily. I'm not sure I thought the short ribs were worth $29 and we were a little unclear if we could get more of it beyond what they initially brought out but we played it safe and didn't ask for more because we had plenty of other meats to cook. The marinated chicken was also good. The spicy pork was a little too spicy for me and we ended up not cooking all of it. The pork belly looked just like fatty bacon and we cooked a few pieces long enough for the fat to crisp up but that was the most disappointing of the 4 AYCE options and had no comparison to the short ribs. While everything else was marinated so spectacularly, the pork belly wasn't even seasoned with salt or pepper and was just chewy blandness. Not worth the calories.

Pork Belly to be cooked

Spicy Pork, Bul Go Gi, Chicken

True to their billing, the way the bbq grill was set up with the ventilation at the table meant we emerged not smelling like Korean BBQ, a first for me at any place where I've cooked at the table. So that was a nice perk. For $20, this was a much better value than Jang Su Jang and the bul go gi alone was worth it. I'd go again and would recommend this place easily. The wait staff was very nice and service was quick. Come hungry - this place is a good deal.

Spicy soup that comes with the meal

Salmon and Spinach (paleo, Whole 30)

Salmon and Spinach - made October 30, 2013

Happy New Year - welcome 2014!

After all the indulgence of the holidays, are you ready for healthier eating? I am or else I will be shortly. Here's a Whole 30 compliant dish I made back in late October when I was following the plan. It's so easy, I probably can't even qualify it as a recipe.  I lined a 9 x 13 pan with foil, put a layer of fresh organic spinach to cover the bottom, placed slabs of fresh salmon over it, sprinkled with salt and coarsely ground pepper, and laid slices of fresh organic lemons (plucked off my mom's lemon tree), covered with foil and baked at 350 degrees F until the salmon was done.

The key thing I discovered is that this method produces a lot of water, presumably from the spinach.  Yikes. I literally found the salmon in a water bath when I took the foil off.  Oops.  On the plus side, cooking it this way really brought out the salmon flavor and it was delicious.  And healthy. And it allowed me to painlessly eat spinach.

Bakery Review: Brown Butter Cookie Company

Brown Butter Cookie Company - tried September 5, 2013

2013 is almost over and I've been trying (and not succeeding) to get caught up on all my blog posts. Still not there yet but almost. I meant to get this post up months ago, literally, but it kept getting pushed down my draft list. Technically I've never even been to the Brown Butter Cookie Company on the Central CA coast or ordered from there. But one of my coworkers was visiting her family in Cayucos, CA and was nice enough to bring back an assortment of flavors from there for all of us to try.

She even had them nicely marked in the conference room where we gathered so as I took a half piece of each cookie, I made note of what I was sampling. I also had the foresight to jot down a few brief notes so I could remember my impressions (4 months) later. I tried 6 flavors: Espresso, Coconut Lime, Original, Cocoa, Cocoa Mint and Citrus.

The Brown Butter Cookies are essentially shortbread cookies in a variety of flavors. The flavored ones didn't taste as buttery as the original but they all had the shortbread texture. The Cocoa Mint tasted like Andes candy. I'm not fond of mint and chocolate combined so that was my least favorite. My favorite of all 6 flavors that I tried was surprisingly the Coconut Lime. I say surprisingly because I'm not normally a big fan of lime in sweets. Love it in savory dishes though like my uncle's lime-cilantro marinade for the fresh fish he catches. But the Coconut Lime cookie was really good. I not only liked the lime flavor but also the chewy bits of coconut in the cookie. They were really bitty coconut bits but added a nice chewiness to the cookie.

The Brown Butter Cookie Company does take online orders in case you're not lucky enough to know someone in Cayucos or in Paso Robles, CA where they've opened a new retail store who could bring you back some cookies. I just like their story of being a small family business that two sisters opened and have grown since 2008. Another good source for foodie gifts that can be shipped next time I need to send a present.

Caramel Apple Crisp

Caramel Apple Crisp - made December 21, 2013 from Hil's Blog

I bake so much during the holidays that you'd think I'm stuffed full of desserts at any given moment. Alas, all I make is usually for everyone else. It isn't uncommon for me to bake for hours on end and when my kitchen is full of the fruits of my labor, I wonder why I'm hungry. It's usually because I'm so focused on baking everything and getting it packaged up to give away that I don't take a break to eat. That may sound odd when I'm literally surrounded by baked goods but I don't lick the bowl or snitch cookie dough and if I'm making a recipe I've tried already, I don't bother to taste the finished product.  If I'm trying out a new recipe, I'll only cut myself a sliver to see how it turned out and if it's okay to give away. Otherwise, I need every piece of brownie, every slice of cake and every cookie for my gift packages so not much of it ends up in my stomach (this answers the question I always get during the holidays: "why don't you weigh 300 pounds?"). Because I don't eat much of what I make. Cue world's tiniest violin.

So it's nice to indulge in my own personal dessert for my consumption. Which is what this apple crisp was. The recipe makes 2 servings but I only needed one so I made half of it, using a small Granny Smith apple. I put it in a small ramekin so I ended up with a little too much topping. But this was still very good, especially on a cold winter night, still warm (but not hot) and topped with vanilla ice cream. Apple cobbler/crisp is one of my favorite winter desserts. The main difference between this one and my standard apple cobbler recipe is there are oats in the topping as well as caramel sauce over the apples, underneath the crumb topping. I don't think the caramel sauce added anything significantly different to the crisp so if you want it less sweet or are saving on calories, you can leave it out. Either way, this was a nice indulgence.

2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 heaping tablespoons Butterscotch Caramel Topping
Ice Cream (optional)

1. Place apple slices in two small, greased ramekins.  Spoon Butterscotch Caramel topping over the apples.  In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apple slices and caramel.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Serve with ice cream if desired.

Bakery Review: Suite Foods Liege Waffles

Suite Foods Liege Waffles - arrived December 11, 2013

Late last month, I bid in an online auction hosted by Tina, author of Pinay in Texas Cooking blog ("Pinay" is the term often used to refer to Filipino women or Filipinas, most commonly used by Filipino women referring to themselves or their fellow countrywomen). She was holding the online bake sale to donate the proceeds to the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan. Due to my schedule, I couldn't participate as a baker with goods to offer for the auction so the least I could do was participate as a bidder for one of the auction items up for sale.

I bid on and was fortunate enough to win 2 dozen Liege (Belgian) waffles from Suite Foods. I had never heard of Suite Foods but it turns out they're right here in the Bay Area so they're quite local-to-me in San Francisco. My waffles arrived in the mail as promised, each individually packaged. They're billed as sweet and flavorful with crunchy bits of pearled sugar and let me tell you, they don't lie. These waffles are delicious. I put them in the freezer when I got them and I've been having one almost every morning, warmed up in my toaster oven just until they're warm through and through and the outside had a slight crunch but the waffle is still soft. The bits of pearl sugar in the waffle itself add terrific crunch and sweetness. Also as billed, you don't even need syrup or butter on them. I prefer them plain, all the better to savor their goodness, without any distractions. I'm so glad I got a chance to taste these. I checked out their list of retail partners on their website and it looks like I can also find them at Whole Foods nearby once my stash runs out. Nevertheless, I've added their waffle shop on my list of "must visit" places the next time I'm in the city. Highly recommend if you're a waffle fan.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing - made December 18, 2013 from The Baker Chick

We had a holiday potluck at work last week and I signed up to bring dessert. How.....not shocking. I remember back in the day when potlucks meant everyone signed up for a dish and brought something homemade. It was always interesting to see what people made, who could cook and, er, who couldn't. Usually there were one or two outliers who couldn't or wouldn't cook or didn't have time and they would sheepishly bring in something storebought, earning some good-natured ribbing.

Nowadays, it seems like the reverse is true where storebought is the norm and homemade goods are less common and garner comment, "wow, you made that?" I think it's a sign of the shifting times where people work longer hours, have more commitments, less time, there's a greater abundance of (some) well-made storebought items and a potluck means picking something up from Costco, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods on your way to or from work right before you need it. When someone is in the office until 10 pm or has to run around picking up kids or taking care of pets or some combination of all three, whipping something up for the office potluck probably isn't high on their list of priorities. So I really can't judge. (Well, I can but in this case, I won't.)

And although I know what it's like to work long hours, especially during this time of the year, I'll sacrifice sleep and (sadly) some of my workout time to bake something to bring. It's not even a sacrifice (except for the lack of sleep part) since I love to bake. At first I was going to make the Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake again since that was a big hit when I first brought it into the office but I had just gotten a sampler pack from Spice Island which contained all the spices I needed for this Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe and it seemed like the perfect time to try them all.

Normally when I make spice cake or anything pumpkin and the recipe calls for a variety of spices, I usually opt out of all of them except for cinnamon and occasionally nutmeg simply because I don't like my baked goods to be overly spiced. But that would defeat the purpose of my spice sampler so I stuck to the recipe religiously. That was probably a good thing because this cake was delicious. You can't taste any individual spice (at least I couldn't) but they all blended well together to make a nice, fluffy pumpkin cake. I was really good about not underbaking it too much so the texture was moist but not mushy. And of course, as for the icing, brown butter, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake and Kahlua Fudge that I brought to the potluck

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs

Icing
1 stick butter, melted and browned
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray a 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour; set aside.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time until well combined.
5. Alternately add the  flour and pumpkin mixtures, mixing on low speed, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.
6. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula.  Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool 5-10 minutes before loosening cake with a small spatula and inverting. Let cool completely before icing.
7. Icing: Pour the browned butter into a bowl and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
8. Spoon or drizzle over the cake and serve.

Restaurant Review: Ramen Halu

Ramen Halu - dinner on December 16, 2013

It was still "hot soup weather" a couple of weeks ago, i.e. chilly, so I met my friend Cindy for a bowl of ramen at a new-to-me place called Ramen Halu. I'm not a ramen gourmand but enjoy a good bowl of ramen nonetheless so I was happy to try a new source for it.

Inside Ramen Halu

Ramen Halu is fairly small, maybe a little smaller than Kotetsu and on par with Orenchi (which I still haven't written up and at this point probably need to try again so I can have a more recent experience there) but it could still seat a fair number of people comfortably.

Cindy and I both got the Ramen Halu. Since it was my first visit, I always have to get whatever dish is named after the restaurant itself. The broth was thick and, as with other ramen bowls, the first few sips were very tasty. But also like at Kotetsu, by the time I had consumed half the broth, it was getting rather salty towards the end.

The noodles were good, not quite at chewy as at Kotetsu, and thinner than I expected. I was anticipating thicker noodles, partly because the menu describes them as thick noodles but they weren't quite that thick. The biggest thing I'd hold against them though is their standard ramen bowl didn't come with a soft-boiled whole egg like Kotetsu and Orench's ramen does. It was still good but if I had to compare with the other two ramen places, I like having the egg so its lack was a disappointment. On the plus side, the prices were on par with the other ramen places and we didn't have to wait for a table. The service was fairly prompt and it was still a good bowl of ramen noodles.

Sour Cream Fudge Cake

Sour Cream Fudge Cake - made December 15, 2013, adapted from Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yockelson

Merry Christmas!  I'm still putting up posts from stuff I made last week but my baking season is winding down. I probably have enough sugar running through my veins by now to rival a C&H factory. But I'm always a week or two behind in posting so the sugar will keep on coming on my blog for a little longer.

During high baking season, aka all the days leading up to today, I'm a time management fiend. Even when I'm not actually in the kitchen, I'm thinking about what I need, how much of it, when I can get it all done, and what needs to happen. It's all choreographed in my head before I even get up in the morning. So it's a good thing I love to bake or I'd be really stressed right about now, lol.

I hadn't planned to specifically make this cake a couple of weekends ago. Matter of fact, it's been in my files for awhile and I could've sworn I've made it already because it was so familiar. So either I have made it but don't remember it (and the search function on blogger wasn't working every time I tried to search my blog for it), Lisa Yockelson's recipes are so similar that I've made something like it but not this exact one, I've had this recipe so long and have become so familiar with it that I think I've made it but actually haven't or some combination of all three.

I decided to stop making myself crazy with "did I or didn't I" questioning and went ahead and made it. I did modify it slightly though as the original recipe got its chocolate flavoring just from the 4 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate. It didn't make for a very dark chocolate batter and was more milk chocolate in color. So I cut back on the cake flour and added a tablespoon of Pernigotti cocoa instead. It made it a little more chocolaty but not too much so I probably could've added a little more cocoa and been fine.

In any case, this still turned out pretty well.  The crumb was tender but not too light, just sturdy enough to hold up the weight of the frosting. The frosting was almost like a fudge layer as it did set once it had cooled. That could've been my fault though as, like I do with all the frostings I make, I didn't use all the powdered sugar the recipe called for and just kept alternately adding the sugar and the milk until it was the consistency I wanted. The butter did separate out a little once I spread it over the hot cake and that was partly due to not using all the sugar but also partly because of the heat from the cake causing it to melt. I blotted it with paper towels until it stopped glistening with melted butter while it was still warm then let it set as it cooled. This was a good chocolate cake although I admit, I'd done so much baking last weekend when I made this that I could only handle a sliver for the taste test. But this is a good crowd pleaser cake to make, especially if you're making up care packages and goodie bags for 23 people. I cut the pieces fairly small so it stretched to make it into most of the goodie bags.

1 ¾ cups unsifted bleached cake flour minus 1 tablespoon

¼ cup unsifted bleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons or 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream whisked with ½ cup buttermilk

Fudge Cake Frosting

6 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsifted confectioners’ sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ cup milk

1.       Preheat oven to 350⁰F.  Line a 9 x 13” baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.       Sift the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

3.       Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 2 minutes.  Add the granulated sugar in 3 additions, beating 1 minute after each addition.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition.  Blend in the melted unsweetened chocolate and vanilla extract, mixing until the batter is a uniform color.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to keep the batter even-textured.

4.       On low speed, add the sifted mixture in three additions with the sour cream-buttermilk blend in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

5.       Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

6.       Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

7.       Have the frosting ready 10 minutes before the cake is baked.  Place the confectioners’ sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.  In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, melted unsweetened chocolate and vanilla extract.  Blend the ingredients well to create a smooth mixture.

8.       Pour and scrape the chocolate mixture over the confectioners’ sugar.  Add the milk.  Using an electric mixer, combine the ingredients together on moderately low speed until thoroughly mixed and very smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to keep frosting even-textured.  The frosting should be smooth and creamy; if it’s too dense, add a tablespoon of milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency. 

9.       Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.  Carefully place generous spoonfuls of the frosting over the surface of the cake, and gently spread it over the top of the cake, using a flexible palette knife.  The frosting will smooth out as the heat of the cake softens it.  As the cake cools, the frosting will set. 

10.   Cool the cake completely before cutting into squares.

Bakery Review: Susie Cakes

Susie Cakes - visited December 7, 2013

The day I went to Penzey's, I parked my car further away and had to walk down the street to get there. I was innocently walking by looking for Penzey's storefront when I just happened to walk past this bakery named Susie Cakes. A bakery? Right in front of me? You can probably guess what happened next. Although I will say I did refrain from walking in right that minute and went to Penzey's first because I really was on a mission. But after I had my Penzey's experience, I did have to walk past Susie Cakes to get to my car so naturally I detoured inside.

My first reaction was, "OMG, why have I never heard of this bakery before and what took me so long to discover it?" Granted, it's not in my neighborhood and further away but it isn't like it's on Mars or anything. And we know I travel far and wide for baked goods. Susie Cakes is exactly the type of bakery I love. It's bright and spacious with lots of light, the better to see the baked goods on display.  Most stunning is the array of very tall, very mouthwatering layer cakes under high glass cake domes. Think 50s diner that screams homemade goodness. Sometimes you just know something is going to be good just by looking at it. Such is Susie Cakes.

It can probably go without saying that my biggest problem was choosing which form(s) of luscious, empty-but-I-don't-care calories I wanted to consume. Past experience says I shouldn't get more than 2 items. I can certainly eat more than 2 (oh boy, can I) but it would take me more than 2 days to consume a third item and that puts any baked goods past my freshness window. So I had to restrict myself to 2.  At least on that day. The red velvet cake looked amazing but I had just had red velvet so I told myself to get something else. There's only so much red dye #5 I should probably consume in a short timeframe. I almost got a slice of the towering coconut cake because of my love for coconut but the description by the cake stand said it had pineapple in it and that violated my coconut-only principles for coconut cake. Instead, I went with the German chocolate cake to provide both a coconut and chocolate fix and the 5" mini apple pie.

Slice of German Chocolate Cake - $5.50

I was quite impressed with the care that the nice man behind the counter took in packaging up my purchases. Each was individually boxed and the boxes were lined with parchment paper inside so you could easily lift out your item with damaging it or getting frosting or crumbs on yourself. It transferred easily to a plate, ready for that first forkful. Then I was even more impressed because the cake was freaking amazing. Four layers of chocolate goodness sandwiching coconut pecan frosting/filling. It was rich so I had to eat slowly but all the better to savor it, right? The cake was moist and had the perfect cakey but fudgy mouthfeel. It's the kind of cake you don't just eat but you experience. If you've ever had a stereotype of blue ribbon, prize-winning layer cakes in small town America at the country fair, that's the kind of homey goodness I would associate with Susie Cakes. Nothing fancy but just simple goodness. Truthfully, I prefer that over haute cuisine baked goods any day.

5" apple pie - $8.95

After a suitable period, i.e. enough time had passed to ingest a few bites of cake and let my blood sugar settle, I moved on to try the pie. I didn't think it could be better than the cake but I was wrong. First, it was just pure apples, something I had the bakery man confirm before I purchased it because apple pie should only contain apples. No nuts, no raisins, nothing but apples and pastry. Susie Cakes' pie exceeded all my expectations. The apples weren't too tart or too sweet, the crust was flaky and the top crumb topping was the best. Instead of just scattering crumbs on top, they squeezed them into streusel clumps which then baked with a nice crisp texture to contrast with the softness of the filling and flakiness of the crust. Genius.

The only drawback to Susie Cakes is they ain't cheap. Just those two items came to $14.45. For that amount I could've had lunch and a drink elsewhere instead of a mini pie and a cake slice. Or purchased a dozen items at Asian bakeries like Sheng Kee and Paris Baguette. But still, there's something to be said for the indulgence. I don't think I'd go that often, partly because of the distance and partly because even one cake slice is a big indulgence on the calorie meter as well as the wallet. But for an occasional treat, I'd definitely go back as well as recommend it to others. Just based on those two items I tried, this might even rival my favorite bakery, Icing on the Cake. And you know how I feel about them.

Browned Butter Crinkles

Browned Butter Crinkles - made December 15, 2013 from Mmm....Cafe

This is one of those recipes where it had me at "browned butter" in the title. The cookies were easy to make and I formed them into thick discs before freezing them.  When I had my marathon holiday baking session, I just popped them into the oven to bake while I made the frosting. I'm not a big fan of frosted cookies but since that's what earned them the right to use browned butter in the title, I had to make the frosting.

But my secret confession is I hardly ever follow the exact measurements when it comes to frosting. I know that goes against the "science" part of baking where everything is supposed to be exact but when it comes to frosting, I'm a rebel. Since I'm not a frosting person and find most frostings too sweet and applied too thickly on baked goods, I tend to do my own thing.  Meaning I started with half the amount of powdered sugar the recipe called for, added the browned butter and vanilla then alternately mixed in powdered sugar and heavy cream until the frosting was the taste and consistency I wanted. I know I didn't want it too sweet because I wanted the browned butter flavor to come out and not be overpowered by the sugar.

For the most part, I think the tactic worked.  The recipe made too much frosting for the 2 dozen or so cookies I ended up with but that's probably because I didn't pile the frosting onto each cookie.  It set like a royal icing which was good because I could wrap each cookie individually in plastic wrap and stack them gently on top of one another in the treat bags and boxes I made up and didn't have to worry about the frosting smearing anything. Although the frosting worked decently well with the cookies, I also thought the cookies were good without the frosting. It's just a basic sugar cookie when it's "naked" but still good. Although I guess then they would just be called "crinkles" without the sexy brown butter appellation.

Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened 
1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups flour

sugar for rolling cookie dough balls in  

1. Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the egg yolks and salt and mix well. Add the baking soda and vanilla extract then fold in the flour. Stir until combined.
2. Form balls the size of walnuts and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Roll each of the balls in sugar and press flat with the bottom of a glass and place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let the cookies stand for 1 minute on the cookie sheet. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely, then frost with browned butter frosting. 

Browned Butter Frosting 

1 stick butter (4 ounces or 1/2 cup) 
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream or more for desired consistency

1. In a small skillet, brown butter over medium heat until golden brown flecks appear. Butter will become a little foamy. Stir now and then to make the butter cooks evenly. Remove from heat and cool slightly. 
2. Add butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and cream to a large bowl. Beat on medium high until a creamy texture to your liking forms. Spread onto cooled butter crinkles.