So this recipe went through a couple different test phases. I was originally trying to make funfetti cookies, but it turns out the sprinkles I bought weren’t bake-proof, so those cookies ended up exploding from the excess sugar content. Life lesson – make sure that you’re buying bake-proof sprinkles before you buy a quart of those, because now I have a giant container of sprinkles I can’t even use. That being said, I at least created what I’m calling “snowprint” cookies from this experience. These are brown butter cookies that are baked in ring molds, pressed down in the middle, so that they’re almost like super shallow tart shells, filled with white chocolate ganache, and dusted with white chocolate snow to finish. I’m not mad at the end result, if I’m being honest. Are these basic betch funfetti cookies? Absolutely not. But are these really pretty, perfect for the winter, and still pretty darn good-tasting? Absolutely! If anything, I’ll take this as the universe’s way of saying that I should hold off on the funfetti-rainbow sprinkles for the time being, because eating desserts of that nature is a guilty pleasure of mine, maybe I should try making desserts that push me to be creative and different instead?

For the cookies, these are made from a brown butter cookie dough. The dough itself comes together pretty quickly, and they are tasty enough on their own, albeit a little plain. The filling is a bit more intriguing, because it is a white chocolate ganache, but cut with buttermilk. I use buttermilk in my ganache because it has a tangy flavor that cuts through the cloyingly sweet nature of white chocolate. The end result is a creamy ganache that has a pleasant tartness to it, which contrasts the sweet cookie and the white chocolate snow perfectly. While this dessert is pretty white chocolate-vanilla-forward, I did not want it to be sickly sweet. My parents raised me better than that. The white chocolate snow is mildly sweet, but the beautiful thing about making it with tapioca maltodextrin is that maltodextrin-based powders tend to have a muted flavor, so the white chocolate snow is already a lot less sweet than grated white chocolate as well. These cookies might seem boring in terms of flavor, but they’re actually fairly balanced, not being too sweet or rich, but still being a satisfying cookie-eating experience nonetheless!

Makes 6 cookies:
For the brown butter cookie dough:
1 stick unsalted butter, browned
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

In a bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract first. Then add in the egg. Fold into that the remaining ingredients to form your cookie dough. Scoop the cookie into 6 pieces and place into 4-inch crumpet molds on a lined sheet tray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Then press the cookies down while still warm to form an imprint in each one.

For the buttermilk-white chocolate ganache:
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbsp buttermilk

In a pot, heat up the cream, butter, and salt until the butter and salt are melted in. Pour the cream over the white chocolate and allow that to sit for 1-2 minutes before stirring until melted in. Then whisk into that the buttermilk. Pour the ganache into each cookie and refrigerate until set.

For the white chocolate “snow”:
.5oz white chocolate, melted
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup tapioca maltodextrin

Mix everything together in a bowl until a powder forms. Dust the tops of the cookies with the “snow” to finish.