Add This To Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cookies And They'll Be A Crowd Favorite

You've compiled pretzel pieces, chocolate chips, candies, and potato chips, and are ready to embark on a wild culinary journey. Although you might think a recipe for everything but the kitchen sink cookies — also known as compost cookies — has everything in them to be decadently delicious, there's one ingredient in particular that deserves special attention. Just as browning butter can help you add more flavor to your chocolate chip cookies, using brown butter to make these unhinged treats can take your kitchen sink cookies to the next level, maximizing the complexity and flavor of the ingredients you're tossing into the mixer.

Brown butter is the result of typical butter that has been carefully melted to a golden brown color. Including this extra step in your baking process means that your cookies will have a nuttier, caramel-tasting profile due to the Maillard reaction, which is what happens when proteins and sugars heat up together.

Using brown butter to make baked goods can help elevate the flavors that are already present in a recipe, as well as bring that wow factor that might be difficult to pinpoint but ultimately makes a noticeable appearance. That said, making brown butter can be tricky, and you'll need to pay close attention to its color and aroma once the slab of butter hits the pan. 

The most important thing to keep in mind when browning butter is that, when butter starts to melt in a pan, it can burn quickly. To avoid that, we recommend that you use unsalted butter over medium heat, which will give you more control over the process. Once it starts to heat up, the water will evaporate and the butter's three main components (butterfat, milk solids, and water) will separate. As the milk solids continue to heat up, they'll start to brown and develop that signature flavor.

For an even more flavorful addition to elevate your cookie recipe, you can even add powdered milk to the browned butter, or include a sprig of rosemary for an earthier whisper. Whatever you do, though, make sure that the brown butter is completely cool before you start adding it to your cookie dough.

Whether you've thrown Chex Mix or granola crumbles into your cookie recipe, the subtle addition of browned butter will have you struggling to back away from the cookies once they've been set on a plate. After the cookies have been plated — if you can refrain from eating the tasty creations in one go — you can use them to put together some epic ice cream sandwiches for a treat that will be difficult to overshadow. Just make sure to bake more than what you think you will need — these goodies go fast!