This one's for all of you Harry Potter fans.  I am a huge book nerd, and I'm usually reading 2-3 books at any given time.  (These days most of them are audiobooks, because quiet time to sit and read is a luxury I just don't have right now with 3 littles!)  I love reading books that discuss food in passing - as in, it's not the main focus of the book.  I recently read a book where the main character attended a dinner party and the author shared the menu along with the conversation.  I immediately wanted to go and make all the different foods they were eating.

So when I came across this recipe for Butterbeer Thumbprint Cookies, I had to try them! I know Harry Potter doesn't actually ingest his butterbeer in the form of cookies, so if you're a die-hard fan, just humor me here!

According to the author, butterbeer is "a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch."  Well, this homemade "browned butterscotch" is amazing.  It's fast and easy to make, and is hands down, the best stuff you'll eat all day!  And it tastes nothing like those sickly "butterscotch" chips that get dusty on grocery store shelves.

Butterbeer Thumbprint Cookies
(adapted from Kara Canary)

• 1 c. salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp butter extract (I didn't have any when I made these in the middle of the night, and they were great.  I'll bet they're even more buttery with the extract though!)
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Browned Butterscotch sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and powdered sugar.  Mix in the extracts and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Sift in flour and salt.  Mix for another minute, until it is all combined.

Roll dough into Tablespoon sized balls, spacing about 2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Use your thumb or the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the cookie.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately press down the indentation again (use a spoon, not your thumb this time!) and return to the oven.  Bake another 5 minutes.  Allow to cool 3-5 minutes on the pan, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, make browned butterscotch sauce.  Fill cookies and allow to cool and set.  Enjoy!

Browned Butterscotch Sauce

• 1/2 c. salted butter
• 1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan set over medium heat.  Once melted, continue to cook, stirring and scraping the bottom continuously.  Butter will froth up and then begin to brown.

When butter smells nutty and is almost as dark as the sugar, remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, cream, and salt.  Return to heat, continuing to stir and scrape the bottom of the pan.

Bring butter to a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour into a jar for storage.  Butterscotch will continue to set as it cools.

Spoon into the indentations set in the cookies.  Drizzle more over the top.  Allow to cool and set before serving.

Store any remaining browned butterscotch in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.