If you’ve noticed your butter bill inching perilously close to your power bill, you’re not alone.
Butter in Aotearoa has become something of a luxury item - the edible equivalent of ... well, gold.
So, naturally, it needs to be the highlight of my most midwinter, cold-weather, snowed-in, comfort food-esque monthly column. I’m thinking: if you’re fortunate enough to have a block of butter in your fridge, you’ll want to use it for something special - something a little extra.
I love brown butter for this reason. It’s the hazelnut-scented, simmered, golden deliciousness that happens when butter is gently toasted in a pan. Technically speaking, brown butter is butter that’s been melted down and cooked until the milk solids toast and turn golden-brown, releasing a nutty, toffee-like aroma that fills the kitchen with the most comforting smells.
To make it, place your butter into a light-coloured saucepan (so you can see what’s going on) and melt it over medium-low heat. It will foam, sizzle, and eventually settle. Keep swirling or stirring gently the entire time - don’t walk away during this process. Watch as golden bits appear at the bottom of the pan.
Once it smells like hazelnuts and looks deep amber, take it off the heat immediately. Don’t let it go too far, you want to do this low and slow. Pour it into a metal bowl to cool (don’t use porcelain or ceramic - it may crack), making sure to scrape in all those toasty bits.
This month, I’m giving butter the main character treatment it deserves with two very indulgent recipes that you really should save for a (literal) rainy day - because if we’re going to spend $10 on a block of butter, we may as well go all in.
Brown butter tahini biscuits
These cookies are wonderfully salty and toffee-like, with a very pleasant bitterness from the tahini.
They’re like a grown-up café-style cookie, sandwiched together with dark chocolate. While they take a little time - mostly waiting for the brown butter to cool - they don’t require chilling before baking, so they come together reasonably quickly once you’ve made your brown butter.
Ingredients
220g butter, browned (follow instructions in the introduction)
200g brown sugar
75g white sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp tahini
210g flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
150g dark chocolate (70% or more), chopped
Method
Brown the butter as per the instructions above and allow it to cool and just solidify. Add both sugars and cream together with the butter. Add the egg and tahini and mix thoroughly. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir until evenly combined.
Roll teaspoon-sized balls of dough and place 5cm apart on a lined baking tray. Don’t overcrowd - it’s better to bake in batches than have your cookies spread too far and merge into each other.
Bake at 180°C for 9-12 minutes (keep an eye on them). Allow to cool, then sandwich together with melted dark chocolate. Let the chocolate set before enjoying these as an after-dinner treat.
Butterscotch hazelnut cake with beurre noisette buttercream
This cake was inspired by the French term for brown butter - beurre noisette - which, when translated, means "hazelnut butter". This is partly because, when you brown butter, it turns the most beautiful shade of hazelnut brown.
But also, if you give this a go yourself, you’ll notice that the whole room takes on the aroma of golden, toasted, buttery hazelnuts.
This recipe makes a small but very rich cake, heavy on the frosting to stay with the theme of being a little over the top.
You can top it with home-made or store-bought butterscotch or caramel sauce, white or milk chocolate shavings - or just enjoy it as-is with a strong coffee or a full pot of tea.
Ingredients
140g brown butter (see method in introduction)
150g brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
100g flour (can be gluten-free)
1 tsp baking powder
100g hazelnuts
½ tsp salt
Method
Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant and just golden. Let cool, then pulse in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs (like almond meal).
Prepare a large batch of brown butter for both the cake and the frosting (around 350g total) using the method above. Let it cool slightly, then carefully pour 140g of it into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Allow to solidify slightly but remain soft.
Add the brown sugar and beat for around 5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally. Add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Add the ground hazelnuts and salt, then fold through gently until just combined.
Pour into a buttered and lined 20cm springform tin and bake at 170°C for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Beurre noisette buttercream
210g brown butter (leftover from your batch)
100g softened cream cheese
250–300g icing sugar
Place the cool, solidified brown butter in a stand mixer with the cream cheese. Beat until smooth - this may take up to 5 minutes. Add the sifted icing sugar and whip until fluffy and light. Add more icing sugar if you prefer a firmer frosting or then with the tiniest drop of hot water if to dry.
Ice the cooled cake generously. Top with caramel sauce, chocolate shavings, and edible flowers - enjoy!
