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I have a bit of a hoarding issue when it comes to recipes. I have more cookbooks and recipe binders than I have space. And don’t even get me started on the number of recipes I have bookmarked online. One day I’ll get to the whole organizing/purging thing, but for now there are more important things to do like watching Revenge on Hulu and baking Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting. Seriously though – have you watched Revenge? I’m kind of obsessed – with the show and these cookies.
Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting were picked up on my radar a few weeks back and of course, they were immediately bookmarked. I’ve always been a big fan of cashews and coupling the salty, crunchy texture of the nuts with soft sour cream cookies and brown butter frosting sounded all kinds of amazing. And indeed they are.
The cookie itself is quite unassuming. They’re soft, slightly sweet with a hint of saltiness – but overall kind of average. However, the minute you slather on a dollop of brown butter frosting, they’re transformed from mundane to magnificent.
In case you were wondering, the nutty sweetness of brown butter frosting is like the perfect frosting match to cashews. I was blown away by the complexity this frosting adds to that unassuming cookie. Try ’em out, I’m sure you’ll agree with me!
[pinit]
Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup salted cashews, chopped
For the Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy; about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Reduce speed to low. Slowly add in flour mixture alternately with sour cream, until well mixed. Stir in cashews.
4. Using a medium cookie scoop, (1 ½ tablespoons) drop dough 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on pan for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack. Cool completely. Prepare the frosting.
5. Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until butter foams and just starts to turn golden brown (4 to 6 minutes). Keep your eye on the pan because the butter can go from brown to burnt in a matter of seconds. Immediately remove from heat. Remove pan from heat, and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind. Cool butter for 5 minutes.
6. Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Frost cooled cookies.
Notes:
Store cookies in an airtight container within the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remove to room temperature one hour before serving.
My Baking Addiction slightly adapted from Land O Lakes.
All images and text ©Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
Oh yum! Loved these cookies! I made them a few days ago and they are incredible, especially with the browned butter frosting. I made few changes but I did not change the cashews to peanuts because I didn’t have cashews on hand. The salty nuts complement the sweet cookie perfectly, I would also recommend chopping up the nuts with a meat mallet. I also tried this recipe using 1/2 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. Yummy!
Lauren-
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies, your adaptation sounds delicious! Have a great day.
-Jamie
Cashews are my favorite nut, these cookies sound incredible!
Never had cashews in a cookie, but they sound great and the frosting really sounds like it enhances the cookies. I too am a cookbook and online recipe hoarder. I have hundreds of Pins and huge bookcase filled with a variety of books.
Cashews are my favorite! These sound different so thanks for sharing..
I’m a huge fan of cashews too and these cookies with that brown butter frosting sound and look delicious.
I made these yesterday, and they were delish! They turned out perfectly, and the frosting is fab. I Wish I could say the same for the other cookie tried off another blog, but one out of 2 isn’t bad. Wanted to thank you for a recipe that works, and is great.
sooo, ill start my diet tomorrow… :P
I’m glad I’m not the only one that has a mahoosive book and recipe collection and growing too. My recipe binder has that many recipes in it I don’t even remember which are where and whether they’re actually in there or from a book and if so, which book… *pah*
The cashew cookies look awesome and that frosting looks to die for. I’m not sure if I made these whether the frosting would actually make it onto the cookies!
I really don’t get to bake with cashews enough so I will most definitely be trying these out. Oh and that brown butter frosting looks orgasmic!
Totally making these for my mom, she LOVES cashews!