Cool the browned butter: We want to freeze the butter until it’s solid, but trust me, this speeds it up: Freeze the butter in the bowl for 30 minutes, then stir it completely, scraping down the sides, mixing the still-melted parts in the center over the solidified bits. Return to the freezer for another 15-30 minutes – it should now be firm all over. Cut it into pieces, directly into the bowl. No need to equalize them.
To prepare the cookies in a food processor: Place the flour, 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your food processor and pulse to combine. Add your cold browned butter pieces and cream cheese, then mix until all visible pieces disappear and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until the mixture is completely combined, scraping down as necessary (the dough will look like rocks), then continue to run the machine for about a full minute, until the dough mixture is thick and smooth.
To make with an electric mixer: Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk together. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, chilled brown butter, and 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture and beat until the flour disappears. In some cases, dough made with this method will be too soft to roll into balls in your hands; if so, let it cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before using it.
Heat the oven: At 375°F (190°C)
Finish the cookies: Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons (40 grams) of granulated sugar and all of the cinnamon. Form 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough (I use a #40 scoop), roll them briefly in your hands to smooth them, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture before placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Use your fingers to slightly flatten (photo: 1/3 of the length) each ball of dough. Repeat with remaining cookies, spacing them two inches apart.
Bake cookies: For 10 to 11 minutes. They will still be very soft and undercooked on top, but they will set up as they cool, I promise. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Do it in advance: These cookies will keep for a week in an airtight container at room temperature.
Remarks :
- Basic butter: I’m calling for regular, non-European, basic, full-fat butter here – you know, the kind that comes in a 1-pound box with four “sticks” in most American grocery stores; store brands are fine. [If you’d like to use a fancier, higher butterfat butter, you’ll want to add back less water after browning the butter.]
- Why water: When you brown butter, the water content of the butter cooks out (that’s what causes all that spraying in the pan) and we want to add it back in to ensure the cookies have the perfect tender texture. I used to measure water loss by volume and would recommend adding a little less than 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of water per 1 cup of butter. But recently I started weighing my browned butter and was surprised to learn that what started as 227 grams of butter became 186 grams after browning (that’s minus 41 grams), which means you’d want to add 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of water (40 grams). However, I found these cookies to have the best texture, rounding that up to 3 heaping tablespoons (45 grams) of water, and I’m calling for them here. Was it super cheesy? Yes. But I know someone was going to ask!
