These brown butter stamp cookies are a simple, but delicious Christmas cookie! They're light, buttery and not overly sweet. Since they aren't too sweet, they're perfect with a big cup of coffee or hot chocolate!
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room temp brown butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Then add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until fully incorporated.
Fold in the flour, almond flour, and salt until just combined.
Press the dough into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm (2 hours minimum but ideally overnight).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Portion the dough into balls that are about 2 tablespoons and generously flour the top of the dough balls as well as your cookie stamps.
Press the stamp straight down in the center of the ball of dough and gently lift up. Carefully peel away the excess dough from the sides (you can re-roll the scraps into more dough balls).
Place stamped cookies 1-2 inches apart on your baking sheet (they won’t spread much). Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes (or the fridge for 40 minutes) before baking to allow the cookies to firm back up. This ensures the cookies won't spread during baking.
While the cookies are chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set and just starting to brown. Bake on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.
Optional Glaze
I love these cookies as is! On their own, they're very light, buttery, and subtlety sweet. But with the glaze, they're much sweeter! Both options are delicious in their own way so I like to do half and half!
To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup in a small bowl, until smooth. Then stir in the milk a little bit a time until your desired consistency is reached.
Dip the tops of the cooled cookies in the glaze and place back on the cooling rack. After about 20 minutes the glaze will harden.
Notes
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months. If frozen, allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling baking.
Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let cool to room temperature. I recommend making the brown butter the night before you make the cookies, so that it has time to fully cool to room temperature! Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.