Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies

Oh. My. Word.
These are by far the best cookies I have ever made.  And just because I generally don't make very good cookies--it's that whole having to measure properly thing----does not mean that you shouldn't take my recommendation seriously. I have been making them and immediately needing to give them away so I don't eat them all and have had several requests for the recipe since.

And why would you not want to try them?  I realize that I, as a girl who still likes to sneak lumps of brown sugar when my kids aren't looking might be a bit biased toward such a brown sugary cookie, but these really take the cake.  Er, cookie.  Browned butter combined with brown sugar makes for an incredible combination. The cookies are chewy and practically melt in your mouth with toast-butter toffee-caramel flavors.
You will have the most popular cookie at the exchange. Trust me.

Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies
Makes about 2 Dozen Cookies
from Cook's Illustrated

14 tablespoons butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Continue to cook the butter until it is browned a dark golden color and smells nutty, about 1 to 3 minutes (don't use a dark, non stick skillet because you won't be able to tell when the butter is browned). Transfer the browned butter to a bowl and stir the rest of the butter into the hot butter until it melts- let this rest for 15 min.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a baking dish, mix granulated sugar and a ¼ cup of the brown sugar until combined well; set this mixture aside to roll dough balls in. Mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. Add 1 ¾ cup brown sugar and salt to cooled butter and mix until there are no lumps. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla to butter mixture and mix well, then add flour and mix until just combined. Roll dough into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter, and roll balls in brown sugar and white sugar mixture. Place balls about 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake sheets one at a time until cookies are puffy and lightly browned, about 12- 14 minutes. (It says the cookies will look slightly raw between some of the cracks and seem underdone, but be careful not to overbake.  Also, my cookies turned out flat, flat, flat and not puffy at all--perhaps the Colorado altitude?) Cool on sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.

Source: Cooks Illustrated by way of South in Your Mouth