- prep: 2 hr
- cook: 3 hr
- total: 5 hr
Summary
Just reading the words "salted brown butter" is enough to tickle your taste buds. But making salted brown butter the flavor base of a cookie will turn your holiday cookie swap into the hottest, hippest party in town. Thankfully, the dough is a dream to roll out, and it's strong enough to keep the shape of the cookie-cutters you use, no matter how intricate. Want to hang them on the tree? Just cut a little hole before baking with the narrow end of a pastry bag tip. Keep this recipe handy for when you've got a houseful of kids on a school break and need a project to get them off their cell phones! Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Holiday Cookie Craze. Menu also includes Coconut Macaroon Sandwiches with Lime Curd and Pistachio Cranberry Oatmeal Icebox Cookies .
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
- 4 teaspoons powdered egg whites (not reconstituted), such as Just Whites, or meringue powder (see Cooks' notes)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Decorative sugars and or salts, if desired
- Wax paper and parchment paper; rolling pin rings (optional, but really helpful; see Cooks' notes:); 3- to 4-inch holiday cookie cutters; several small, heavy-duty sealable plastic bags (not pleated), if icing cookies
Instructions
Click Here For Step-By-Step Instructions
Tags
Nutrition

- Servings Per Recipe: 3
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 1578 % Daily Value *
- Total Fat: 47 g 72.08%
- Saturated Fat: 29 g 143.75%
- Trans Fat: 2 g %
- Cholesterol: 122 mg 40.7%
- Sodium: 542 mg 22.6%
- Calcium: 81 mg 8.11%
- Potassium: 258 mg 7.37%
- Magnesium: 0 mg 0%
- Iron: 4 mg 24.22%
- Zinc: 0 mg 0%
- Total Carbohydrate: 279 g %
- Dietary Fiber: 2 g 9.33%
- Sugar: 202 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Alcohol: 0 g
- Omega 3 Fatty Acid: 1 g
- Omega 6 Fatty Acid: 1 g
- Vitamin A 28.39%
- Vitamin C 0%
- Vitamin D 0%
- * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
- Exchange - Fat9
- Exchange - Fruit0
- Exchange - NonFat Milk0
- Exchange - Other Carbs13
- Exchange - Starch4
- Exchange - Vegetables0
- Exchange - Lean Meat1
- Exchange - Alcohol0
- MyPlate - Grain Total5 oz-eq
- MyPlate - Vegetable Total0 c
- MyPlate - Fruit0 c
- MyPlate - Dairy0 c
- MyPlate - Protein Total1 oz-eq