Cardamom Wedding Cookies

Before you start:

If you use a 1” ball, this recipe should yield about 3 ½ dozen.

Brown butter is delicious and useful, but there is a fine line between brown and burnt.  Soon after the foaming ends and the solid and much of the moisture burns off you are done.  Wait for the nutty aroma.  Be sure to stir constantly.

You may adjust the cardamom to your taste.  I enjoy it, so sometimes I add a little extra.

The dough is a bit crumbly.  If it starts to crack or fall apart when you press it down just reshape it with your fingers.

The ingredients: 

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• ¾ cup granulated sugar / 160g
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cardamom + ¼ teaspoon for dusting
• 2 cups all purpose flour / 260g
• 1 cup powdered sugar / 110g
• ¾ cup mini chocolate chips / 130g 

 
The method:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir constantly until the butter begins to smell nutty and turns an amber gold color (around 6-9 minutes).  Before this happens the butter will foam and bubble.  You may think it is out of control, but be patient.  Soon after the milk solids and moisture burn off it will reveal the desired results.
2. Pour the butter into a heat safe bowl and allow it to cool.  You can place it in the fridge to bring the temperature down.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Mix butter, sugar, and salt until combined.
5. Mix in yolk, vanilla, and cardamom until incorporated.
6. On lowest speed, gradually mix in flour until everything is moist and dough forms.
7. Place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets.  Smaller is better for this cookie.  I used the smallest cookie scoop I have.  The ball was about 1 inch.
8. Gently press the cookies down with the bottom of a glass.  They will end up ½ inch to ¾ inch high. 
9. Bake until cookies edges begin to turn a light golden brown (around 12 minutes).
10. In a separate bowl or plate sift together powdered sugar and ¼ teaspoon cardamom.
11. When the cookies are done remove them from the oven and immediately transfer them to a cooling rack.  Be careful here.  They will be fragile. 
12. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute and then, while still warm, coat them in sugar/cardamom mix.
13. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack and then coat them in sugar/cardamom mix again.