Salt butter cookies are buttery, half cookie balls sandwiched together with a chocolate, or in this case, Nutella filling. They are the kind of cookie you’ll find yourself eating in your mom’s laundry room after stumbling upon a hidden batch all the while the family Christmas party is carrying on upstairs. Then your sister will barge in looking for that holiday tablecloth your mom asked her to find, and see that you’re eating most of the extra salt butter cookies. She promptly closes the door, and happily joins in on this impromptu eating fest. You hardly speak to each other, maybe giggle a little when you hear a guest upstairs ask “where did Liz and Amanda go?”. Finally, you’ll see that the plate is clean, so you find a good hiding place for it, grab the tablecloth before your sister does, and head back upstairs. You don’t eat much dinner that night because you’re “staying on your Weight Watchers points”. “Dieting is not allowed during the holidays, Liz!” I know, I know. But then dessert rolls around and hey! your mom takes out the other plate of salt butter cookies. “Diet starts tomorrow!” you exclaim as you grab a handful.
True story.
I got this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen and Sue Grapel. I don’t know who this Grandma Sylvia is, but she should be made queen for a day because these cookies are perfect. My mom informed me that the reason the cookies are so buttery is because they are like a French sable, which has a higher butter percentage than the average cookie ratio. There is also a dash of whiskey just to keep one on their toes.
I’m curious as to why these cookies do not spread, which is a good thing, but given the amount of butter one would think that spreading would be inevitable. The sugar in this recipe is a smaller percentage than a regular cookie, so maybe that is the reason. Sugar, after all, is considered a liquid in the baking science world which also would aid in spreading. Huh… If any baking nerds have the answer please let me know. And I use “nerd” in the most loving sense.
After they are baked and cooled open a jar of Nutella and spread it on the backs of half of the cookies. I used a piping bag for this task, but a butter knife works just as well.
I find the Nutella to get a bit runny if left out at room temperature, so I like to refrigerate the cookies in a air tight container until ready to serve. Just be sure to take them out 30 minutes prior. You could also freeze them for up to three months.
- 2 Large Egg Yolks
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp. Whiskey
- 2 sticks (227 g) Salted Butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133 g) Sugar
- 2 and ¼ cups (281 g) All-Purpose Flour
- Nutella for filling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, and whiskey. Set aside.
- In a bowl connected to a standing mixer and fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk mixture and mix until combined. Finally, add the flour, incorporating a little at a time.
- Using a 1 and ½ inch ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place them an inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the edges lightly brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Spread the bottoms of half of the cookies with Nutella, and then top with the remaining halves. Refrigerate in an airtight container and then take them out 30 minutes before serving, or freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment or hand-held mixer
- Disposable piping bags (optional)
