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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!
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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 ©

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58 Comments

  1. marie johson says:

    Amazing as always! i’ll definitely give it a try for sure. thanks

    1. Jamie says:

      Thanks so much for stopping by, Marie! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
      -Jamie

  2. Aimee says:

    I love anything with brown butter frosting and always looking for new cookies/cakes.  Do you think these could be made with a different nut?  maybe pecans? 

    Thanks 
    Aimee,  W. Henrietta NY 

    1. Jamie says:

      Yes, Aimee! I think that would be delish!

  3. Judy Reiter says:

    Wow! This is totally, word for word, a recipe I got from my mother 60 years ago. It is a family favorite that has been made more times than I could even guess. They are wonderful cookies. They do need the brown butter frosting and I put a large cashew half on top right in the middle of the frosting blob. ps – we are fans of Revenge also.

    1. Jamie says:

      Judy-
      Wow, that’s crazy. I actually adapted the recipe from Land O’ Lakes. I’m so excited for Revenge to come back on! Have a great day.
      -Jamie