brown butter pumpkin seed cookies

makes 12

I brought a little bag of these to school pick up, and doled them out to a few mom friends. One commented that it was so nice to eat a “grown up” cookie, and I understood exactly what she meant. After making one too many batches of chocolate chip cookies lately, I was craving something with an adult twist. This cookie really strikes a balance, though, because my little taste testers loved it just as much too.

If you’re wondering what I think could turn these into the thin, crispy cookie I originally intended, my first hunch is to cut back some of the flour. Not much, but rest assured that even though I love the way these taste, I’ll probably continue to tinker with them in the future. After all, you can never have too many cookie recipes.

Music Pairing: ‘Deed I Do by Diana Krall

1 stick (4 ounces/112 grams) butter, browned & cooled

3/4 cup (115 grams) packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (161 grams) whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda

1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (74 grams) pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Add the butter to a small pot over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted, a deep golden color, and little browned bits begin to appear. Pour the butter into a heat-safe bowl and let it cool until barely warm, about 30 minutes. You can alternately leave it in the pot too, but it will take longer to cool down.

Meanwhile, add the flour, baking soda, salt and cloves to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.

Add the cooled butter and sugar to a deep mixing bowl. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl. On low speed, mix until the flour is completely mixed in, about 1 minute. Add the pumpkin seeds and beat on medium high speed 30 seconds to 1 minute, until well mixed.

Drop heaping rounds of dough (2 tablespoons worth), three inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (you should be able to fit six on each sheet). Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden and the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.