can't win them all

The downside of gluten free baking, is that unfortunately, not all regular recipes translate perfectly into gluten free. Because of the mixing of flours, the addition of xanthum gum, things can get tricky, and unfortunately, things don't always turn out the way you want them to. I was very excited to make these cookies- I've been wanting to make shortbread, and when I found a recipe for brown butter, brown sugar shortbread cookies, I was very excited to make them. Unfortunately, as with most recipes, it was not gluten free. Despite this, I was eager to make a few substitutions, a few additions, and make the recipe my own. The dough itself was outstanding, so delicious, so the flavors were all there. Upon baking however, these cookies did everything in their power to drive me insane, but specifically- they did not hold their consistency. They spread out when baking, and turned out to be thin, and not at all the way that I imagined. While my friends actually enjoyed the cookies a lot (and ate a ton of them), they simply were not the texture that I desired, and not at all "shortbready" like I had hoped. None the less, I definitely encourage my non-gluten free friends to bake this recipe using regular flour (and no xanthum gum). I dream of these cookies, and one day, when I am less frustrated with them, I will attempt them again and hopefully prevail (promise gluten free friends!)

Brown Sugar, Brown Butter Shortbread


1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (cubed)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups of gf flour mix
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1/4 tsp salt
Sugar in the raw


To make the brown butter, place butter into a small saucepan over medium heat and cook for around 6 minutes, stirring frequently (scraping down the sides and bottom as well). The butter should have a nutty smell to it. Pour the butter into a bowl and chill for an hour (should begin to firm up).

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar on high until it is light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla then the flour and salt at a lower speed until it has just combined (be careful to not over beat). Pour dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and form into a log, about 12 inches long and an inch a and a half wide. Chill dough in the fridge for about an hour.

scrumptious dough

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Once dough is firm and chilled, remove from wax paper and roll it in the coarse sugar. Pressing the dough into the sugar so that it sticks. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch thick and arrange 1 1/2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10-12 until edges of the cookies start to brown. Let sit on the sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

enjoy!

Disclaimer: these cookies did not turn out so well for me. I think that because of the flour substitution, the cookies were just not having it...so it goes in the land of gluten free baking.

round, yummy, and rolled in sugar...

thin and crumbly, ugh.

*My wonderful (and creative) roommate urged me to include that, despite their failure as true cookies, these yummy treats create a delicious crumble --which is specifically delicious atop vanilla ice cream!