Brown Butter Apple Pie Cookies

Lower temperatures ignite a yearning to activate the oven and create something exquisite to commence the autumn season. These delightful pie cookies are ideal.

Photo by Melina Hammer

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1.5 cup (180 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1 cup (99 grams) spelt flour

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed, frozen for 15 minutes

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup ice water

Filling

• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 3 small crisp, tart apples (such as Braeburn, Stayman Winesap, or Granny Smith)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 1 pinch kosher salt

• 3 tablespoon tightly packed brown sugar

• Zest from 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 dash angostura bitters

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• Buttermilk (or milk or cream), for brushing

• 1/4 cup Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

• Prepare the dough: In a food processor, pulse the flours, sugar, salt, and cayenne until thoroughly combined. Incorporate the butter and pulse until the fragments resemble pea-sized portions. Mix the vinegar with ice water. Gradually include half while intermittently pulsing the food processor until a coarse dough materializes. Pause and evaluate by compressing a portion between your fingers—if it maintains its shape, the dough is prepared. If it remains crumbly, add a small amount of moisture while pulsing, then retest. Equally partition the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. Utilize the wrap to mold one section into a rectangle and securely seal it. Form the second one into a disk and reserve it for future use. Chill the dough for a minimum of 20 minutes or for a maximum of 3 days (the second disk may be frozen for up to 3 months).

• Prepare the filling by melting the butter in a large 9-inch skillet over medium heat. After the foaming diminishes, continue cooking until the butter attains a honey hue and emits a nutty aroma, approximately 5 minutes, while occasionally rotating the pan to avert burning.

• While the butter is browning, peel, half, core the apples, and slice them into ¼-inch-thick pieces.

• Incorporate the apple slices into the brown butter, ensuring they are evenly coated, and sauté for 2 minutes until they absorb some of the browned residue. Incorporate the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt, then whisk to ensure even coating. Incorporate the brown sugar and mix once more. Incorporate the lemon zest, then the juice, bitters, and cornstarch, and mix thoroughly. Firmly press the apples into a uniform layer and simmer for approximately 5 additional minutes, until the apples are tender yet remain whole. Detach the pan from the heat source. Sample one apple slice and modify the seasoning if necessary. Permit them to reach room temperature, thereafter transfer to an airtight container and chill. This step may be completed one day prior.

• Roll out the dough. Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring ⅛ inch in thickness, approximately 18 by 11 inches. I accomplish this by dusting a sheet of parchment with flour, unwrapping the dough, applying flour to it, positioning it on the parchment, and then covering it with a piece of plastic. Should the dough become sticky or pliable at any stage, refrigerate for 10 to 20 minutes.

• Utilize a 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to create 12 cutouts in the dough. Position them on a sheet pan coated with paper. Reform scraps into a 9x6-inch rectangle (or equivalent), then slice into ¼-inch-wide strips along the longer side. Place these on a parchment-lined dish or small tray and refrigerate.

• Equitably distribute the apple slices among the 12 circles.

• Segment the elongated strips into 3-inch sections. Position four lengths per cookie within a square frame. Moisten the overlapping ends slightly to secure them. While holding a cookie, roll the bottom pastry edge completely around to create a neat border and secure the lattice borders. Continue with the remaining cookies.

• Gently apply buttermilk to the surface of each pastry, then evenly distribute approximately ½ teaspoon of Demerara sugar onto each biscuit.

• Chill the cookies for a minimum of 30 minutes or a maximum of 4 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 400°F when prepared to bake. Prepare a second sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper. Distribute the cookies between the two sheets, ensuring ample distance between them. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust attains a golden hue. After 15 minutes, rotate the pans and inspect the pastry; cover any too dark areas with foil strips as necessary.

• Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack until they reach room temperature. Preserve any remaining cookies at ambient temperature, encased in foil, for a duration of up to 2 days.