Making the World a Butter Place

 Once upon a time there was a girl who had a recipe for Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Sage and Eggs. This girl did not have much cash to spare, so when she invested in a $1 bunch of sage--which she purchased from the self-dubbed "Herb Man"--she knew she had to put it to good use. The Herb Man saw the worried look in her eyes and assured her she could use this sage for a variety of recipes. In baking, for instance. Thanking the man, the girl found her smile. She knew what she had to do.

SAGE BUTTER COOKIES

They taste and smell even butter than they look.

(This young girl couldn't have done it without the help of Ovenhaven.wordpress.com and his recipe for Ramadan Brown Butter Buttons, which she halved, for heaven's/her cholesterol's sake).


THE GOODS

1 stick of butter ($1.49 or less for 2 sticks)
1 cup all-purpose flour (Don't tell me you don't have sugar!)
1/4 tsp baking soda ($1.55)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence ($4.79 for a large bottle - could be free if you have it!)
1/2 cup sugar *I originally wrote 1 cup, and I'm so sorry to Patty and anyone else who tried it that way and got sandy results! It should be 1/2 cup of sugar, and I've noted the change here.
6 fresh sage leaves (already purchased for sweet potato... but $1 if you didn't)
Parchment paper ($3.59 - or a nonstick cookie sheet if you have one)

The Grand Total: $11.42

THE WAY

1. Chop up the sage leaves as finely as possible. Place the butter and the sage leaves in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Melt the butter, stirring carefully for about 8-10 minutes until the mixture begins to brow.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.

3. Sift (that means gently pouring dry ingredients together, for those less kitchen-savvy) flour and baking soda into a medium-sized bowl, set aside. 

4. In a large bowl, combine the browned butter and vanilla. Stir in half the sugar, blending well, then stir in the remaining sugar. Add the flour in two additions, stirring until just combined each time. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow flour to absorb moisture.

7. Form dough into small balls, about 1″ in diameter. Place about 1/2″ apart on baking sheet. Bake for 15 – 18mins, until cookies crack across the top and brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, before transferring onto wire rack (or mouth, in my case).

Your kitchen will smell buttery and divine. And your mouth will never be happier. If you're in a wild mood, crunch them up into vanilla ice cream. Feel butter now?

Before

After