Does anything smell better than browned butter?! No.
I’ve often used otherworldly comparisons when discussing what goes on in the W&B kitchen, likening what we do to magical acts of alchemy and such. An over exaggeration it may seem, but today we’ll be introducing you to one of our all time favorite recipes, whose key ingredient deserves a stage all its own. A fundamental, yet criminally underrated element known as: brown butter. This incredibly simple, yet habit-forming recipe comes to you direct from none other than our cult lea---errr...favorite baker, Stella Parks for Serious Eats. Originally born from an “accident” in her kitchen, Stella casually uploaded the steps for us to recreate this happy mistake on her Instagram stories a little over a year ago. We scrambled and screen-shot and scribbled all of the instructions onto a humble post-it note, that still proudly adorns Caitlin’s fridge to this day. If cookies were house sigils, Wake & Bake’s would undoubtedly be this Brown Butter Ricotta Cookie.
Just a day in the life at Spiderweb HQ.
This one-bowl formula is one of the easiest recipes we’ve ever written about and it also happens to be eggless so it’s safe for those dealing with egg allergies. The star of the show in this particular recipe is the brown butter, which is just regular, unsalted butter that’s been browned in a skillet beforehand. You can *and should* take the time to brown the butter pretty much every time any instructions call for “melted butter,” in my earnest opinion. When you cook the butter in a skillet over time, the fat in the butter starts to caramelize and brown, rendering a richer, nuttier flavor that is unparalleled. Additionally, it is my professional sentiment that brown butter is the best scent in the whole world. Just trust me on this.
Not only do these delicious cookies travel well, but they are always such a hit with everyone we’ve introduced them to that it made perfect sense to include them in our end of year thank-you care packages for Spiderweb Salon’s Patreons! Nestled in with our tasty contribution, courtney marie typed up letters and created our newest year-in-review zine, filling everyone in on the vast accomplishments spun in 2019 and what we hope to create together in the new year! We also included an invitation to our VIP holiday party as a thank you to everyone who’s supported us this year. If you feel like you’re missing out, fret not! Sign up ASAP to support your favorite local art collective on Patreon for 2020 (just $10+ a month!), and we’ll make sure you have the details to get in on all the magic!
Cookies! Baked with love! For some of our favorite people!!
With everyone’s bustling schedules these days, we haven’t been able to hold these W&B sessions as frequently, but as soon as we congregate in that kitchen, it’s like no time has passed. We go right back to pouring wine and coffee, twirling around the oven, obsessing over courtney’s cats, and eating a myriad of leftover thanksgiving pies for breakfast. There’s always a sense of home when we’re together, regardless of how many months go by between bakes. It always reminds me why we created this special little blog in the first place. And we hope you find a little piece of home in these cookies as well <3
A masterpiece in progress! Check out the recipe and make some for your friends here.