Hojicha Brown Butter Cookies (Printable Version)

Rich, aromatic cookies featuring nutty brown butter and caramel-like roasted hojicha tea with crisp edges and chewy centers.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 tbsp hojicha powder (roasted green tea)
03 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter
06 - 1 cup brown sugar, packed
07 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1 large egg, at room temperature
09 - 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
10 - 2 tsp vanilla extract

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter foams and turns golden brown with a nutty aroma, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, hojicha powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
04 - In a large bowl, combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
05 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined—do not overmix.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers are still soft.
08 - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The brown butter adds a toffee like depth that makes people pause and ask what's different
  • Hojicha's naturally roasted notes mean these arent cloyingly sweet like typical cookies
02 -
  • If you take the butter too far and it smells burnt, start over—theres no saving scorched brown butter
  • Room temperature eggs incorporate much better into the warm butter, preventing that curdled look
03 -
  • Chilling the dough for 30 minutes helps prevent excessive spreading if your kitchen is warm
  • Flaky sea salt on top right after baking transforms these into something bakery worthy
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