Kluten Inspired Cookies

My husband’s family is German. Both of his parents are German and his paternal Grandmother was born in Germany. His Grandmother shared her kluten (pronounced “klurten”) recipe with the whole family in a family cookbook that we have. Kluten is a German fritter. Basically it’s a yeast dough with raisins and spices in it, that’s fried, and then we dip it in sugar syrup, or strawberry syrup. Kluten is something that my mother-in-law makes every year for our Christmas Eve meal. I decided it might be fun to create a kluten inspired cookie. I don’t particularly like raisins or raisin cookies, but I knew my father-in-law and my father would love them. They both definitely loved these cookies. My father-in-law, who would probably be an expert on the taste of kluten, said that these kluten inspired cookies didn’t taste exactly like kluten, but that they were delicious.

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How do you get a fried taste in a cookie?

So, I thought for a long time about how I was going to make the cookie taste fried without actually frying it. Deep fried cookie dough actually does exist, mainly at state fairs, where everything is deep fried. I knew I didn’t really want to fry the cookie, I just wanted it to have a fried taste. I thought that browning my butter first might be just the trick. Having never browned butter before, I was actually a little nervous that I would burn it. Butter is expensive and that would have been such a waste. I got it right the first time. It probably took me longer than it should have because I was cooking it at a really low temperature to avoid burning it. Check out the website that helped me learn how to brown butter. The smell of browned butter is divine. After smelling it, my 5 year old said, “Mom, that makes me want to melt. It smells so good.”

I am definitely going to use browned butter in future cookie recipes. It is a little more work because after you brown it, you have to cool it so it’s solid again. I do think it’s totally worth it. If you have never tried browning butter, you should. Make sure that you accommodate for evaporation. This recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter. That will require you to brown 2.5 to 3 sticks, because you want it to equal 2 sticks (1 cup) after you have browned it.

How to get plump and juicy raisins

When it comes to raisins, I am not a fan, but I do like them in kluten. I am one of those people that gets so annoyed if I grab a cookie, thinking it’s chocolate chip, and it ends up being a raisin cookie. That being said, I even think these kluten inspired cookies are really good. I believe one of the keys to getting your raisins to be plump and juicy is to soak them in the egg and vanilla for at least an hour. The egg and vanilla you soak them in are the egg and vanilla that goes into the cookie dough, so when it’s time to add the raisins, you just dump the raisins, eggs and vanilla into your mixing bowl.

Kluten Inspired Cookies

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• Author: Lisa
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 1/2 dozen 1x

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Description

These kluten inspired cookies are delicious.  The brown butter gives the cookie so much flavor.  Letting the dough marinate in the refrigerator overnight also helps to add flavor.

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup brown butter
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

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Instructions

1.  First you need to make the brown the butter.  Put your butter in a skillet on the stove and heat it on medium heat.
2. It will melt and then start to bubble and foam.  Stir constantly and watch your butter closely so it doesn’t burn.  The time between brown butter and burnt butter is short.  The milk solids will separate from the butterfat and the milk solids will brown.  Once you see the butter turn golden (it takes about 8-10 minutes depending on how much butter you are browning), the foam subside slightly and the milk solids toast on the bottom of the pan remove immediately from the stove.  Pour into a liquid measuring cup, being sure to scrap off all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Those are the toasted milk solids and that’s what gives the brown butter it’s rich and nutty flavor.
3. Now place the butter in the fridge so that it can solidify again. If you want to speed up the process, you can put it in the freezer for a while.
4. In a container with a lid, mix together the eggs, raisins and vanilla.  Put the lid on the container and put it in the fridge to soak for 1 hour.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and cardamom.
6. Once your butter has solidified, put it in your mixing bowl.
7. Cream the butter and sugars together.
8. Add maple syrup.
9. Add the egg, raisin and vanilla mixture and stir until combined.
10. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
11. You can bake these cookies right away, but I would recommend chilling the dough overnight.  This will help to marinate the flavors.
12. Scoop dough onto a silpat lined baking sheet using a #24 scoop.
13. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 11 minutes

Notes

• You can just use butter if you don’t want to make the brown butter.  I know it’s a lot of work, but it’s totally worth it.
• These cookies are freezer friendly. 
  • Option 1: Freeze them before you bake them.  Scoop your dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Make sure the scoops don’t touch.  Put the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze them for a couple of hours.  Once they are frozen enough that they won’t stick together, you can place all the scoops into a gallon freezer bag or other freezer safe container. When you are ready to bake them, take out your desired amount of cookies, place them on a silpat lined cookies sheet, and let them thaw for 10 minutes.  Bake as directed adding a minute or two.
  • Option 2: Bake the cookies, let them cool completely, then place them in a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze them.  I prefer this option.  

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: dessert