Cookies for breakfast? You brown butter believe it...

Okay.  What the hell is intermittent fasting? When I go to bed at night, I consider sleep the time when I think about what my next meal will be while my eyes are closed (as opposed to the other hours of the day when I am thinking about what my next meal will be while my eyes are open, or when I am devouring said meals but let's be honest I am still probably thinking about my next meal then too).  Chad for some reason has adopted this "do not eat til noon" thing, saying he has more energy and a faster metabolism, also that scientists say it reduces one's risk of type 2 diabetes.

Cool. So booze cookies rolled in more sugar for brunch? GREAT.
(I am bad at health)

RECIPE #5: Brown Butter Bourbon Cookies

Choice of libation: Gotta taste the bourbon to make sure it is good enough for the cookies. We had Benchmark Old No. 8 in the cupboard, which I think is from the Buffalo Trace distillery? It's not bad - caramely but not super complex.  Goes great with powdered sugar. 

Choice of music: The Mulan soundtrack.  Hear me out.  Actually, no one ever has to justify listening to the Mulan soundtrack but here are my reasons you didn't ask for: 1) Lea Salonga as Mulan. I preferred her singing of Reflection to Christina Aguilera's over-riffed differently lyric-ed version. Lea's voice is so pure and not pushed and she is such a good storyteller.  And, okay maybe I used to belt the song into the mirror and cry when I was younger.  OKAY MAYBE I DID THAT YESTERDAY. 2) The new movie looks amazing and I cannot WAIT when we can all be in a theater to watch in on the big screen with gorgeous fight sequences and a dreamy dreamy cast. 3)  The one song with Stevie Wonder and 98 Degrees is still a bop. 4) LEA FRIGGIN SALONGA.

This is another pantry staples recipe, thank goodness.  The original asked for vanilla extract, but we had bourbon and I also like to stay on brand. (Andie's judging me for using store-brand products - she is such a snob.)

Brown that butter!  Is something I actually exclaimed to my saucepan.  Did I mention I drank the bourbon on an empty stomach? INTERMITTENT FASTING! WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

It said to chop the nuts into the size of a lentil which obviously made me launch into a rousing rendition of Papa Can You Hear Me? Which, surprisingly, sang loudly with the background track of "Make a Man Out of You" doesn't work at all.  How has that not already been a double feature?! Would I enjoy a Yentl/Mulan mash up?  I feel like I walnut be disappointed.

OBLIGATORY PHOTO OF ME POURING BOOZE INTO A BOWL WITH OTHER STUFF.


However will I pass the time while the dough chills in the fridge for an hour?

Whoooo is that girl I seee, staring straight back at meee....?

So I made a bit of a mess rolling this in powdered sugar.  I'm sure lovely civilized bakers know how not to make a mess. I do not.

What's that? They still need to go through another round of rolling around in sugar?  WHAT A COINCIDENCE. ME TOO.

I would totally make these again, though maybe I wouldn't wear my GOOD pajamas while making them.

When will my reflection show who I am insiiiiiiiide?

I wouldn't say these cookies are messy. I'm just saying that I would recommend eating them over a sink, or wearing all white while also sitting on all white furniture. And maybe check your face before you get on that zoom for work.

stolen and heavily adapted from http://bonappetit.com/

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup walnuts
½ tsp. kosher salt
1½ cups powdered sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. bourbon

Melt 2 sticks butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula, until butter foams, starts to smell nutty, and the milk solids—the sandy bits at the bottom of the pan underneath the liquid butter—are turning golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Don’t walk away; the butter can go from perfectly golden to burnt very quickly! Once butter is golden, immediately pour it into a large heatproof bowl (it will keep cooking if you leave it in the pan) and chill until starting to solidify, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, very finely chop 1 cup walnuts (they should be about the size of a lentil)

Add ½ tsp. salt and ½ cup powdered sugar to bowl with butter.  Using an electric mixer (OR, HEAR ME OUT, A RICE SPOON) on high speed, beat until mixture is lightened in color and very fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Scrape down sides of the bowl with rubber spatula. Add 2 cups flour and beat on low speed until dough is thick and smooth.

Using rubber spatula (OR WHATEVER), fold chopped nuts and 1 tsp. vanilla or bourbon or rum or what have you into batter, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, until incorporated. (Swapping the vanilla extract for almond or orange extract would be fun, too.) Cover bowl with plastic and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. You can always grease your baking sheets well and bake directly on the metal; the cookies might brown a little more quickly, so keep an eye on them. Roll dough into 1" balls and arrange on prepared pan.

Bake cookies, rotating pan halfway through, until firm and beginning to look dry but haven’t taken on any color, 20–22 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet until they're just cool enough to handle but still warm.

Sift remaining 1 cup powdered sugar into a large bowl. Toss warm cookies in powdered sugar. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Toss one more time in powdered sugar.