Butterscotch-Walnut Cookies…and What?

I promised Kyrie that we would have tea. I feel so frustrated sometimes because she is growing up so fast and I am so busy. I have never worked until the past two years so I have never had to turn down a tea party before. Anyway, we decided on Butterscotch Walnut cookies from an old Farm Journal Cookbook I have.

Once I had them mixed up the dough looked too gooey. I have had this problem with the Farm Journal cookie recipes before and I am not sure if it is a flaw in the cookbooks or the age of them. Flour and other ingredients are different now than they were fifty years ago. Anyway I adjusted the flour up a bit and ended up with cakey cookies. I prefer my cookies chewy so maybe that is why I was a little disappointed. The flavor was awesome but the texture was not my favorite.

The cookies were sweet but wanted something a little extra. I made a browned butter glaze to put on them and then they were just a bit too sweet. Sigh.

I sprinkled turbinado sugar lightly over the top and then added finishing salt. In the future I will add smoked finishing salt…but Eureka! I had it.

These are a lot more rich than you might think they are at first. Even my family, although they each have a sweet tooth of prehistoric proportions, was unable to finish off the batch. A miracle! The few that did survive until day 2 were not quite as good, but the weather has been very humid and things go stale/soggy fast.

Butterscotch Walnut Cookies with Salted Brown Butter Glaze

• 21/2 cups of flour (I used 3)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs vinegar
• Enough milk to make one cup when added to the vinegar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Place silpat over cookie sheets
2. Stir together dry ingredients
3. Add vinegar to 1 cup measure. Add enough milk to make one cup
4. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy
5. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition
6. Add vanilla
7. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour
8. Stir in walnuts
9. Drop by tablespoons onto prepare cookie sheets
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffy and golden
11. Cool

Browned Butter Glaze

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• Heavy cream as needed
• Turbinado sugar
• Smoked finishing salt

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and continue to cook, stirring, until it becomes golden brown
2. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter. This will immediately stop the browning process so it doesn’t continue to cook and end up scorched
3. Stir in the powdered sugar and mix until smooth
4. Add heavy cream as needed for a spreadable consistency
5. Spread on cooled cookies
6. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and salt

Makes 4 dozen or so

images:marye audet (c)2009