Bready or Not: Lemon Brown Butter Crinkle Cookies
Today’s recipe involves a bit of cookie alchemy: Lemon Brown Butter Crinkle Cookies.
They combine a lot of elements that you don’t normally see together, but the result is an amazing and unique lemon cookie that is spicy and fresh.
This is a nuanced cookie. You take a bite, and different levels of flavor evolve on your taste buds.
It’s also messy because the cookies are rolled in confectioners’ sugar, so this isn’t a cookie to eat before a fancy meeting or on the go.
Note that the sugar coating will be absorbed and/or fall off the cookie over time, so if you want them to look fully coated, eat them fresh. But the flavor is fine if you wait. The presentation changes, that’s all.
If you need tips on how to brown butter, there is a lot of advice to be found online, including videos! Browned butter really does make a different in a recipe, as it has a nutty new flavor going on. It’s well worth the effort for certain recipes.
Modified from Martha Stewart Living.
Bready or Not: Lemon Brown Butter Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lemon reserve 1 teaspoon zest and 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Brown butter in a saucepan, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't burn. Set aside to cool.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, place the two sugars. Stir in the browned butter, followed by the eggs, zest and juice, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mix. Dough will be loose and oozy. Wrap it up well in plastic wrap and set in fridge to chill for a day or two.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Place parchment paper on cookie sheet.
- Measure out confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Scoop a tablespoon of dough, roll it between palms to shape, then roll it in the powdered sugar. Set on parchment paper. Repeat process with other cookies, spacing them out, though expect minimal spreading.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until cookies spread a smidgen and crackle. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
- Store between strips of parchment or wax paper in a sealed container. Will keep up to two days, but note the confectioners' sugar will absorb more over time.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Lemon Shortbread Bites
If you love lemon, brace yourself. These Lemon Shortbread Bites are small, delicious, and poppable like potato chips.
This recipe would be perfect for a potluck or picnic or shower. Anywhere where you need small cookies that aren’t necessarily filling… if you manage to restrain yourself.
These things are sandy and light in texture, and the lemon glaze gives a refreshing, bright flavor that isn’t hardcore sweet.
That’s what makes these so dangerous. They are cookies you can easily grab by the handful.
If you have clear vanilla extract, that’s ideal for this recipe so that it doesn’t tint the glaze. But regular ol’ vanilla will certainly do.
I don’t know how long these cookies will keep. They tend to vanish rather quickly.
Modified from Pink Cake Plate.
Bready or Not: Lemon Shortbread Bites
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract clear, if available
- yellow or white sanding sugar optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add in the flour, lemon extract, and zest.
- Lay out plastic wrap. Dump dough onto the surface and form into a 6-inch square about 3/4 inch thick. Completely wrap dough and set in fridge for at least two hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Using a knife or bench knife, cut dough into small squares; note that they will spread in the oven. Set up on parchment-covered cookie sheet, with cookies spaced out.
- Bake 22 to 26 minutes, or until cookies are set and turning golden. Use parchment to slide them onto another surface to cool or let cool on cookies sheet.
- Mix confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, until it forms thick but oozy consistency. Drizzle glaze over cookies. If desired, immediately sprinkle sanding sugar on top to create a glittery shine.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Maple-Glazed Cinnamon Chip Bars
Most of the sweet treats I make go with my husband to his work. These Maple-Glazed Cinnamon Chip Bars left everyone there dazzled and amazed.
I confess, they turned out even better than I anticipated, too, though I knew from the start they combine many of my favorite things: soft and chewy blondie bars, cinnamon chips, more cinnamon and sugar on top, and a touch of maple glaze.
I actually debated whether or not the glaze was necessary. Would it be too sweet?
I soon found out that no, the glaze was not too sweet. It adds just a little extra oomph to complement the existing sweetness in the bars.
The bars travel keep and travel well, too. I kept them chilled in the fridge–I live near Phoenix, after all, my kitchen tends to be warm year-round–in sealed containers, with waxed paper between stacked layers. We found the bars were amazing after three days, but it’s kind of a miracle they lasted even that long.
These things are GOOD. Really good. Even by Bready or Not standards.
Modified from Taste of Home 13×9 Holiday Special Issue, 2015.
Bready or Not: Maple-Glazed Cinnamon Chip Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup cinnamon chips
Topping
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 baking pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Fold in the cinnamon chips.
- Spread batter in the pan. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle them all across the top of the batter.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- To make the glaze, combine all three ingredients in a small bowl until smooth in texture. Drizzle over top of bars and let set for fifteen minutes.
- Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board. Slice into bars. Store in an airtight container between layers of wax paper, either at room temperature or refrigerated.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Healthy Breakfast Cookies [Redux]
Cookies for breakfast. Healthy cookies. No refined sugars. Vegan. Also gluten-free, if you use GF oats.
Even better: they taste delicious.
This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes, one I’ve made at least once a month for the past five years. In fact, I posted it on Bready or Not back in 2014. Delicious as the cookies are, I couldn’t finagle the lighting then to do the recipe justice. Now, thanks to my Shotbox, I can.
I customize these cookies based on my mood and what I have on hand. I’ve used macadamia nut butter, cashew butter, and almond butter–and combinations thereof. I’ve used apple butter, pumpkin butter, and date butter–and in a pinch, I’ve used applesauce and doubled the cinnamon.
For the dried fruit, I often use a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries, but I’ve thrown in dried blueberries, too. If you don’t have pepitas, use sunflower kernels or other chopped nuts.
I usually whip up a batch and freeze 2/3 of it right away. The cookies keep perfectly fine in a room temperature sealed container for over a week. Two or three cookies make for a great breakfast prior to exercising!
Did I mention they are also delicious?
Bready or Not: Healthy Breakfast Cookies [Redux]
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick oats not whole or old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup nut butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 3/4 cup fruit butter apple butter, date butter, etc
- 1 cup dried fruit raisins, cranberries, etc
- 1/2 cup pepitas shelled pumpkin seeds or other seeds or nuts
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats, or use seasoned stoneware.
- Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl.
- Using a tablespoon or tablespoon scoop, drop dollops of dough onto cookie sheet. Note that it won't spread. Use fingers to gently tamp down top and press in stray oats on the sides; it will be a little sticky.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are just set. Cool for several minutes before transitioning them to a rack to finish cooling.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Lemony. Fresh. Perfection. Those words are the best way to describe these incredible bars.
Not only are these delicious, but they are easy to make. A food processor is especially handy as you can chop up the nuts and then add in the rest of the crust ingredients, too.
To soften the cream cheese for the filling, leave it at room temperature for a bit, or do what I usually do: place the cheese on a plate and microwave for like 5 seconds. Then flip it over and zap again, if needed. It just needs to be soft enough to blend, not cooked.
I confess, I sometimes get nervous when I do dessert bars with bottom crusts. Because sometimes, no matter how I compress them into the pan, they fall apart when the bars are cut apart. Not so here! They were surprisingly cohesive. (Here’s hoping you have the same experience.)
That cohesiveness makes these dangerously easy to eat. These bars have it all going on. Buttery crumb. Nutty crunches here and there. Vivid lemon flavor in the creamy filling.
I’d like to report how long these can last in the fridge, but I don’t know. I make these bars, and they are suddenly GONE. Poof.
Bready or Not Original: Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup pecans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks , softened
Filling
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 16 oz cream cheese 2 boxes, softened
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Prepare a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and nonstick spray. Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
- Use a food processor (or knife and cutting board) to chop up pecans to small pieces. Add flour, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter to bowl, and blend with pecans until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mix; press the rest into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until it's just turning golden.
- As the crust bakes, combine all of the filling ingredients until fairly smooth.
- Pull the crust out of the oven. Pour filling over the top and smooth to the edges. Crumble the reserved crust across the top.
- Bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are golden and the middle is set.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes to an hour, then place in the fridge to completely chill.
- Use the foil to lift the bars onto a cutting board for easy slicing. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Sugar Cookie Bars
Frosted sugar cookies are awesome, but let’s be honest–they are kind of a pain. Individual cookies that need to be frosted individually. It’s time-consuming and messy.
Simplify the process! Make sugar cookie bars. Bake up the whole pan in under 25 minutes. Let it cool. Frost. Slice. EAT.
The cookies are like shortbread in texture, buttery and firm. The frosting layer is just the right thickness and sweetness.
Color the frosting however you wish; I like to use Americolor dyes. And sprinkles. Sprinkles make everything better, right?
The end result is a basic and delicious frosted sugar cookie. They’re easy to pack for a party or potluck, too–stack them in a container with wax paper between the layers!
Modified from Lauren’s Latest.
Bready or Not: Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks , softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 - 4 Tablespoons milk or half & half
- food dye
- sprinkles if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and white sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and both extracts, then the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Evenly compress the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Completely cool.
- To make the frosting, beat together the butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, two tablespoons milk, and a few drops of food dye. Add more milk to reach a spreadable consistency. Lift the uncut cookie bar out by the foil, then spread frosting on top. Add sprinkles. Slice bars. Store in a sealed container, stacked between wax paper layers.
- OM NOM NOM!
