Brown butter cookies dipped in chocolate, made for Christmas movie night: Love Hard edition
Brown butter cookies dipped in chocolate, made exactly for movie night. This is the cookie I believe fits Love Hard perfectly: soft, rich, simple.
I made these on a night when I knew I was going to watch Love Hard and wanted something actually worth baking.
That movie sets a mood: messy dating, forced holidays, fake identities, soft lights, and the kind of comfort only sugar can fix.
These cookies are simple and rich. Brown butter for depth. Soft centers. Crisp edges. Melted chocolate on top so you don’t have to choose between cookie or candy bar. I cut them into Christmas shapes because it felt right, not because it needed explaining.
This is the cookie I would always choose for this movie.
It’s familiar, indulgent, and exactly what you want in your hands while the plot gets worse and the sweaters get louder.
Ingredients
Wet
1 cup unsalted butter, browned
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp buttermilk or milk if you don’t have buttermilk.
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Dry
2¼ cups all-purpose flour (280 g)
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
Topping
Chocolate for covering
Instructions
1. Brown the butter
Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt, then keep cooking until it foams and smells nutty. Brown bits should form at the bottom.
Pour everything into a bowl immediately and scrape in all the brown bits.
Let it cool until just warm. If it feels hot, wait.
2. Make the dough
Add both sugars to the cooled butter and whisk until smooth.
Add the egg yolks and whisk well.
Add vanilla and the buttermilk or milk if you don’t have buttermilk. Whisk until the mixture looks creamy.
In another bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to wet. Stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
Wrap and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
3. Shape
Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a tray with baking paper.
Roll dough about 5 mm thick on a floured surface.
Cut shapes and place on the tray.
Chill the tray for 10 minutes before baking so the cookies hold shape.
4. Bake
Bake for 9 to 12 minutes.
Edges should look set. Centers should still look soft.
Cool on tray for 5 minutes, then move to a rack. Cookies must be cold before dipping.
5. Chocolate coating
Melt chocolate gently.
Dip cookies and place on parchment.
Let set at room temperature or chill briefly.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spread too much
The dough was too warm. Chill longer and chill the tray before baking.
Dough too sticky
Refrigerate another 30 minutes.
Cookies came out dry
They were overbaked. Pull them earlier next time.
Chocolate looks dull
Cookies were warm or chocolate was overheated. Let both cool.
Hard from the fridge
Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.