Salted Brown Butter Shore-Teas - These Summer Storms

January 13, 2026•4 min read

These Summer Storms by Sara MacLean, does not spend much time on food, but it is full of quiet tension, private conversations, and moments that simmer just beneath the surface. I imagined something simple and buttery, meant to be set out and reached for as emotions run high. These cookies felt right for the world of the Storm family, something to snack on while waiting out the week.

Salted Brown Butter Shore-Teas

Ingredients

3/4 cups (172g) Brown Butter** (see note for how to make brown butter)
1 3/4 cups (275g) All Purpose Flour
3 Tablespoons (28g) Corn Starch
1/2 teaspoon (3g ) Salt
3/8 cups (85g) Granulated Sugar
For the tea sugar blend together in to a fine powder
1/4 cup (50g) Granulated Sugar
1 serving tea bag of your favorite tea
Extra Flavor to Set These Cookies Off
Maldon Salt for Sprinkling on Top

Method

In a stand mixer or in a medium sized bowl cream together room temperature Brown Butter, Flour, Corn Starch, Salt, and Sugar. Mix just until the dough forms a ball and feels smooth.*
Flatten dough onto parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the dough harden up a bit.*
When you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 fahrenheit
Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness or thicker if you like a thick cookie. You can cut out any shape you like or simply cut the dough into squares or rectangles.
Dust the cookies with the tea sugar and a little sprinkle of Maldon Salt*
Place the cookies on to baking trays lined with parchment paper or sprayed with a baking spray. Leave about 1/2-1 inch of space around the cookies.
Bake for 15 minutes until the edges just start to turn golden brown, and then remove them to cool
I like to leave the cookies on the baking tray for a few minutes and then I transfer them to a cooling rack.*
After about 10-15 minutes the cookies are ready to eat
Take a few minutes to enjoy your bake with your favorite cup of tea and good book!

Baking Notes

* Pictures below of these steps

**How to make Brown Butter- The easiest way to make brown butter is to take your butter and cook it on a medium low heat until it starts to turn golden brown and the golden buttery smell starts to fill up your kitchen ( I don't know exactly how to describe the smell but once you smell it you will know). Remove the butter from heat and let it cool and solidify before you use it for baking. You can do this way ahead of time and keep the brown butter in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Here is a good how to Brown Butter with pictures CLICK HERE

Book Notes

These Summer Storms is a family drama set on a billionaire’s private island in the Hamptons, where the Storm siblings reunite after the death of their father. They gather for what seems to be one final tradition, the Storm Olympic Games, a weeklong test designed to force them to be around eachother, confront long held truths, and ultimately determine if their inheritances will be distributed. As the week unfolds, family secrets start to spill, old resentments sharpen, and the carefully maintained image of the Storm family begins to crumble.

At the center of the story is Alice Storm, whos only task is to remain on the island for the week. Her stay is complicated by unresolved grief surrounding her relationship with her father, broken relationships with her siblings, and the presence of Jack, her father’s right hand man, whose responsibility for carrying out the games is repeatedly complicated by his growing connection with Alice.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is polished, and the story draws you in as you weigh each character’s flaws and motivations, never quite certain who, if anyone, is worth rooting for. It is tense, emotional, and quietly absorbing, the kind of story that lingers after you have closed the book.

Bake Pictures