White chocolate pomegranate cookies are made with nutty browned butter and studded with white chocolate chips and pomegranate arils!
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Pretty much ever since I learned how to brown butter, I’ve been trying it here and there in recipes to see if it improves it. America’s test kitchen has a book, The Perfect Cookie where they add browned butter to an oatmeal cookie and it is incredible. So I figured the same technique could be used in these and I was right. The best part-you don’t need a mixer. Once you brown the butter, you simply stir the rest of the ingredients together.
What is browned butter?
Browned butter is when you cook butter over the stove and cook it until the milk solids turn brown. It gives off a nutty fragrance and adds depth to baked goods.
It’s super easy to make, pretty much as easy as melting butter. You melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the milk solids in the butter separate and turn brown. There will be a definite change in color and scent. The only tricky part is not waiting too long and burning the butter. Again, you will know if you burned the butter by its scent.
There’s a short video at the end of the post that shows you what making browned butter should look like and sound like (the sizzle goes away at the end). Unfortunately, video does not (yet?) capture smell which is really the key to making browned butter.
How to remove the arils on a pomegranate:
This, by far, is the trickiest part for me. My kitchen typically looks like I attacked someone, with red juice flying everywhere. Here is a good video about an easy way to open up a pomegranate.
- Cut off the top of the pomegranate. Which end am I talking about? The end with the nub where it was attached to the tree. Cut off the top 1″.
- Inside you’ll see white pith in sections (kinda like an orange). Cut the skin along those white pith lines.
- Gently pull apart the pomegranate in sections. Then either using a spoon or your hands, pull out the arils into a bowl.
- Rinse your arils under cold water to remove any pith that might be stuck to them and dry gently in a clean lint free towel.
Why is there sea salt on my cookies?
My 5 year old nephew echoes this sentiment. He was very skeptical of the salt on top. But you shouldn’t be. Salt is a major flavor enhancer for your baked goods and using it the right way will take your baked goods to the next level.
Humans need salt (sodium chloride) to survive, but our bodies can’t store it. Consequently, we are designed to crave it. Because of this, foods that are salted smell better and taste better to us. So using a little bit of salt on the top of your cookies deepens and enhances their flavor. Maldon is my personal favorite but any flaky sea salt will be fine here.
Browned Butter White Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper.
- On stove over medium heat, melt butter. Stir constantly until butter starts foaming and then smells nutty and turns brown.
- Pour browned butter into a large mixing bowl. Stir in brown sugar and white sugar.
- Add the egg and stir to combine.
- Add vanilla, baking powder, and soda.
- Add flour mix until combined
- Fold in in oats, chocolate, and pomegranate arils
- Scoop into 1 tablespoon balls onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15minutes.
- Sprinkle with flakey sea salt when they come out of the oven while they are cooling.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, these are very soft cookies and they will fall apart when warm.
Notes
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Happy Baking!
Other fun cookie recipes to try this winter: Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies, 5 Ingredient Red Velvet Cookies, or maybe my Soft Peppermint Chocolate Cookies -they taste like tiny brownies!
Happy Baking!
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