Brown Butter Almond Shortbread Cookies

Brown Butter Almond Shortbread Cookies are perfect to make for the holidays. Drizzling or dipping the shortbread cookies in melted chocolate takes them over the top! Not to mention the sprinkle of flaky sea salt and chopped almonds to bring it all together and makes them presentation ready. The brown butter is the star of the show and adds a perfect rich, nutty flavor. These will become a new holiday cookie tradition!

Why I love these Almond Shortbread Cookies:

• Slice and Bake - Roll the cookie dough into a log, chill, and then just slice the log. Super quick and easy and you're left with uniform cookies.
• Brown Butter - Need I say more? Browning half of the butter adds a wonderful nuttiness and richness to these cookies. It's such a game changing ingredient in cookies.
• Chocolate Dipped - I love to either dip or drizzle the shortbread cookies with melted chocolate. It really takes them over the top. BUT, if you aren't a chocolate lover or need to save some time, you could skip. The cookies are fantastic as is.
• Raw Sugar Edges - After the cookie dough log is chilled, brush it with a beaten egg and roll in raw turbinado sugar. Doing this gives each cookie a slightly crispy sugary edge. It's such a nice touch.
• Make Ahead Friendly - The cookie dough needs to chill in the fridge before slicing. It requires a minimum chill time of 2 hours but can chill for up to 5 days. Making this a perfect option to prep in advance.

BROWN BUTTER TIPS!

• The #1 tip is to watch the butter closely! It can go from perfectly browned to burnt quickly.
• Use a light colored pan! This makes it easier to see the color.
• Chop your butter into chunks. This aids in even melting.
• If you think your butter is burnt (some of the specks will be black and it will have a slightly burnt smell), then start over. Seriously. It will give your cookies an off flavor.
• Finally, Keep extra butter on hand! (just in case your batch burns...

Want another cookie using brown butter? These Brown Butter Sugar Cookies are also a must make.
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Recipe

Brown Butter Almond Shortbread Cookies

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Brown Butter Almond Shortbread Cookies are perfect to make for the holidays. Drizzling or dipping the shortbread cookies in melted chocolate takes them over the top! Just slice the cookie dough log into cookies and bake. Recipe at KathleensCravings.com

• Author: Kathleen
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 195 minutes
• Yield: 24 cookies
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (Softened to room temperature. 2 sticks. Divided)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup light brown sugar (dark works too)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cup finely chopped sliced almonds (chop then measure)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• ½ cup course turbinado sugar
• 6-8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• flaky sea salt (optional, for sprinkling)
• extra almonds (optional, for sprinkling)

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Instructions

1. Brown the butter. First, set out a medium heatproof bowl. In a light colored skillet or saucepan, melt half the butter (1 stick) over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring, until butter begins to brown. This usually takes 3-5 minutes. Watch the butter closely so it doesn't burn. Immediately pour into bowl and chill back to room temperature - either in the freezer for 10ish minutes or in the fridge for longer.
2. In a large bowl with hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together the remaining room temperature butter, brown butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix until creamy and combined.
3. Add the flour and kosher salt and slowly mix until combined. Stir in the almonds. You should be able to squeeze the dough into a ball. If it seems too dry, you can add a teaspoon of water (see note).
4. Place the dough on a large pieces of plastic wrap. Shape into a log - about 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap dough tightly in the plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
5. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
6. Unwrap the dough and brush with the beaten egg. Roll in the course sugar, pressing to coat. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the log into ½ inch slices. The trick is to cut in one quick motion. Do not saw back and forth. If the cookie dough cracks, you can press back together with your fingers.
7. Place the dough slices on the baking sheet and bake for 13-15. The edges will be lightly golden brown. The cookies will be set and if you peak at the bottom of one, the bottoms will also be lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.
8. Melt the chocolate and either drizzle over the cookies or dip the cookies (carefully so they don't break). Sprinkle the chocolate with a little flaky sea salt and a few almond pieces.
9. Place baking sheets in the fridge (or outside if it's cold!) so the chocolate can harden. Store the cookies in an airtight container. I prefer to keep them in the fridge so that the chocolate doesn't get soft if the kitchen heats up, but they are best served at room temperature.

Notes

To Freeze: slice the chilled log into cookies, then rewrap the log and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, allow the cookies to thaw on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then bake as directed (they might need an extra minute or two).

For Dry Dough: if the dough feels at all dry or crumbly, add a teaspoon of water at a time until the dough can hold together when squeezed into a ball.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 195
• Sugar: 12.5 g
• Sodium: 18.5 mg
• Fat: 11.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 21.5 g
• Fiber: 1.1 g
• Protein: 2.5 g
• Cholesterol: 28.1 mg

Keywords: Almond Shortbread Cookies, Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies