Buckwheat Butter Cookies

Do you remember the “lipstick theory”?

It’s an idea that relies on lipstick sales as an economic barometer.

When times are tough, the theory goes that consumers will actualy indulge more in certain small luxuries, like lipstick, even as overall spending declines. Lipstick is seen as an affordable splurge, a more prudent pick-me-up than a designer bag or expensive pair of pumps.

I, for one, don’t think I’ve ever satisfied a shopping urge with lipstick.

It’s not that I never splurge. It’s just that I don’t do it with lipstick

I’m much more prone to the edible indulgence: a jar of jam I don’t really need, an obscure herb from the Asian market, a flamboyant tropical fruit.

I guess you could say that I feel about produce departments and baking aisles the way some people feel about makeup counters. And that’s how I recently came to possess a little sack of buckwheat flour for which I had no particular need.

I have always associated buckwheat primarily with pancakes and, more recently, as a gluten-free alternative to wheat. But I’m not avoiding gluten and neither are any of the people for whom I usually cook. Sadly, I’m also the only person in the household who likes pancakes.

So what to do with a hastily-acquired sack of buckwheat flour?

Buckwheat butter cookies.

These humble little dun-colored cookies are neither shamelessly rich, nor showy, nor even particularly seasonal.

But they are really, really good.

Imagine buttery, slice-and-bake cookies with an almost shortbread-like texture and, thanks to the buckwheat, an alluring flavor that is at once nutty and slightly grassy. I skipped the cacao nibs called for in the original recipe, but I can’t help thinking that a little ground cardamom might be a nice addition next time around.

Perched alongside a scoop of ice cream, they become a company-worthy dessert. Or snag a couple for an afternoon snack, paired with a mug of tea.

A perfect little luxury either way.