Brown Butter Brown Sugar Salted Shortbread

Adapted from Adam Liaw

Ingredients

175 grams unsalted butter

150 grams soft brown sugar

300 grams flour

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.

In a light coloured pan, (so you can see the colour change), melt the butter over a medium heat. Continue cooking until the butter foams up and starts to sizzle, and the milk solids separate. Stir with a heatproof spatula to prevent the milk solids sticking to the pan. Once the sizzling has subsided and the butter has turned from yellow to a medium brown colour, (and most importantly, smells amazing), take off the heat and stir in the brown sugar.

Stir in the flour to form a dough.

Line a 20 x 20cm square tin with baking paper, leaving some overhang to make it easier to lift out the finished shortbread. Press the dough into the tin, flattening it with the back of a wooden spoon or the base of a sturdy glass. Prick all over with a fork, and sprinkle with sea salt. Press the salt in with your fingers. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the tin from the oven and cut the dough into bars. (If your tin is non stick or you're worried about scratching it, you may like to use the paper to gently lift and slide the shortbread slab from the tin onto a chopping board, before cutting it into bars and then placing back in the tin).

Bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until dry on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin before serving. The shortbread will keep in an airtight container for weeks.

Makes 1 x 20cm square of shortbread

Ingredients

Burnt Butter

Burnt Butter Carrot Cakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Burnt Butter Carrot Cakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Burnt Butter Carrot Cakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Cake recipe adapted from Joy the Baker, Icing recipe by Sarah

Ingredients

For the cake

170 grams unsalted butter

2 cups plain flour (gluten free, if required - I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour)

3/4 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

For the Icing

250 grams cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4-1/2 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup salted roasted pistachios, roughly chopped

Method

To make the cakes, Preheat the oven to 175C. Butter an 8-loaf mini loaf tray.

Melt the butter in a light-coloured frying pan over a low heat. Continue cooking until the butter foams up and starts to sizzle, and the milk solids separate. Stir with a heatproof spatula to prevent the milk solids sticking to the pan. Once the sizzling has subsided and the butter had turned from yellow to a medium brown colour, (and most importantly, smells amazing), take off the heat and set aside to cool completely.

Whisk together the plain flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.

In a large measuring jug, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk and cooled melted butter. Stir in the grated carrots.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together gently until combined and no big pockets of flour remain.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla extract and icing sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Start with the smaller amount of sugar, then taste and add more sugar if you like.

When the loaves are completely cold, spread the icing on the loaves and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.

Makes 8 mini loaves

Brown butter

Egg and sugars lightly whisked

With all the dry ingredients, honey and burnt butter

Filled trays

Baked madeleines

Pretty shells!

Mini-madeleines

Burnt Butter Honey Madeleines

Recipe adapted from The Roux Brothers on Patisserie

Ingredients

90 grams unsalted butter

2 eggs

75 grams caster sugar

1 tablespoon soft brown sugar

Pinch of salt

90 grams plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

20 grams extra melted unsalted butter, for greasing

Method

In a light coloured pan, (so you can see the colour change), melt the 90 grams butter over a medium heat. Continue cooking until the butter foams up and starts to sizzle, and the milk solids separate. Stir with a heatproof spatula to prevent the milk solids sticking to the pan. Once the sizzling has subsided and the butter had turned from yellow to a medium brown colour, (and most importantly, smells amazing), take off the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Place the eggs, sugars and salt in a bowl, and work lightly with a whisk until the ingredients are combined and the mixture begins to turn light in colour. Sift the flour and baking powder, and fold them gently into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla, honey and melted butter, and mix gently until completely amalgamated. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for thirty minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Brush the inside of your madeleine tray with the extra melted butter. Spoon or pipe the madeleine mixture into the tray, filling the indentations about to just under the top. Bake for about 5 minutes (for small madeleines) and 10 minutes (for the larger ones). Be careful not to overcook them, or they will dry out.

As soon as they are baked, invert the madeleines onto a cake rack. Eat as soon as you possibly can.

Makes 24 - 36 madeleines, depending on tin size