Is That You Santa Claus? : Thomas Kellers Shortbread

I love the holiday season. I believe my mom and grandma are responsible for this as they were always so good about making Christmas something extra special. For me, as a child, Christmas eve was particularly exciting in our little Norwegian household. We opened our gifts from each other on Christmas eve, the only ones under the tree in the morning were the ones that Santa had snuck in and left while we slept. Each christmas eve my mother and I would finish our day by preparing for Santa an assortment of freshly baked cookies, a tall cold glass of milk, a note from me to him, and a few carrot sticks for the reindeer. I remember waking up Christmas morning, and unlike most kids, I ran to the check the cookie plate before ripping open any presents. And year after year, without fail, only crumbs remained on the plate, half the milk was gone, the carrots had been nibbled, and Santa left me a thank you note in return. I remember marveling at the teeth marks in the carrots, wondering which reindeer had left them there. This remains one of my favorite memories. So each year when the holiday season rolls around I do my best, in my own way, to keep that memory alive. 

Cookies, no matter the variety, shape, color, or texture, seem to be the ultimate holiday symbol. In honor of that, this week I went cookie crazy. It was my attempt to make the most of this Christmas season. One of my favorite baking sessions came straight off the pages of Thomas Kellers Ad Hoc at Home - I made both his chocolate and vanilla shortbreads. 

Both recipes are oh so simple and quite tasty. I have to say I preferred the chocolate (even though it was so soft it fell to pieces, unlike most traditional shortbreads) it's perfectly rich and chocolatey. Before baking I topped my cookies with large chunks of sanding sugar mixed with a bit of fleur de sel, so that each soft cookie bite was followed by a serious sweet and salty crunch. Both shortbreads got a bit of fun garnish. The vanilla cookies took a little white chocolate dip, then a roll in crushed pistachio and dried cranberry, while the chocolate was dipped in melted semisweet and dusted with coconut or white snow-like sprinkles. Along with that delicious granola, a few of each shortbread will be finding their way into my families stockings. 

While I may not leave a plate out for Santa or his reindeer pals any longer, I know he would've enjoyed these immensely. 

What are you leaving out for Santa & his reindeer? 

Yo' Mama : Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

I can't believe I just titled this post 'yo mama'. I absolutely loathed when that phrase caught on like some sort of wild fire in high school. All of a sudden classmates were using it at the end of nearly every sentence or as the answer to every question. I just didn't get it. It was purely annoying to my ears. But, this post has nothing to do with that. I chose to use the phrase I loathed so completely only a few years ago to illustrate a point: These peanut butter cookies are not 'yo mama's' pb cookies. The addition of coconut adds a little something different, dare I say exotic (do I have the authority to dub coconut 'exotic'?) They're also not exactly what I had in mind when I began this kitchen endeavor.

mise en place, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Peanut butter cookies always seem to come out of the oven in two ways. Option one, they're thick and a bit dry, but crispy like a shortbread. Option two, completely cakey. These cookies are option two, cakey. What I was after was the chocolate chip cookie version of a peanut butter cookie. Crispy shell, gooey chewy innards. For this recipe I completely winged it. I just couldn't find a recipe that had all the qualities I was looking for. Plus, I knew I wanted to add coconut, and if I thought finding the right peanut butter cookie recipe was a challenge, try finding one with coconut. Nearly impossible. Is the combination that odd? I understand that adding ingredients to cookie dough isn't rocket science. If I didn't understand it before, the compost cookie taught me that all you really need is a good dough base. From there you can let your imagination and baking cupboard go wild. For some reason, peanut butter + coconut sounded like a heavenly combination to my taste buds. The dough I used is almost identical to a chocolate chip cookie, except for the peanut butter and coconut. Regardless of my efforts the end result was cake-city. Don't get me wrong, they're pretty darn delicious. Strong peanut butter flavor, a little twang of salt, plenty of sweet, and the chewy coconut lends a lovely texture to the whole shebang. The edges are crispy, and hold up well when dipped into cold milk, while the core of the cookie remain soft. That's really nothing to complain about. But, despite it's strengths it was not the perfection I sought out to create that afternoon. Cookies can be quite deceptive. For as simple as they may seem, finding sheer perfection is quite a process, if not impossible (much like the hunt for the perfect swimsuit-ha!). When it comes right down to it though, who in their right mind would complain about or turn down a delightfully delicious homemade cookie? Not this girl, that's for sure.

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups ap flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp sea salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 Tablespoons dark corn syrup (optional)

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F

Yield : Appx. 2 dozen good sized cookies (give or take a few)

1. Mix all dry ingredients in small/medium sized bowl.

2. Place butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and peanut butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to assure everything is incorporating well.

3. Now, one at a time, on a lower setting, add your eggs. Beat at least 3o seconds between each egg.

4. Next, add your vanilla and corn syrup (if you're choosing to use it).

5. Taking a cue from the compost cookies, I beat the dough at this stage on high for about 5-7 minutes to encourage some of the sugar to dissolve.

6. On a very low speed add your flour and mix 30 seconds or until just incorporated thoroughly. Do not overmix, this will give you a dense cakey cookie, not a tender one.

7. Finally, toss in your coconut and mix briefly so that the coconut incorporates.

8. Using an ice cream scoop, equally measure out mounds of cookie dough onto a prepared cookie sheet, or baking stone. Press each cookie down a bit with the back of a fork (also gives you that traditional peanut butter cookie pattern).

9. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

10. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes. Until just golden brown.

11. Remove from oven, transfer to wire cooling rack.

12. Pour a giant glass of cold milk and devour your work!

Happy Mothers Day!

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

It's official. My all time favorite dessert, the one sweet that will bring me to my knees time and time again, is hands down an incredible cookie (or two, or three). Stating that fact makes me feel a bit simple. What does that say about me? Of all the amazing desserts out there, out of all the combinations, techniques, flavors, and textures, my ultimate weakness lies in the hands of a good cookie? Really? Don't get me wrong, I love cake, I'm enamored with pie, I'm pretty fond of a good frozen dessert too, but none has won my heart like the cookie. Maybe this harkens back to my childhood. My earliest memories in the kitchen are of my grandmother and I, me on a little blue stool at her kitchen counter, big wooden spoon in hand stirring up a batch of nestle chocolate chip cookies. I remember begging her (nearly on a daily basis I believe) to make cookies with me. In complete honesty, I don't think it was all about getting to eat the cookies as they came out of the hot oven, I think I enjoyed being in the kitchen with her more than anything else. That smell, cookies baking in the oven, still reminds me of her and all the time we spent together in her kitchen.

Understandably, give me a reason to bake up a new cookie recipe, dominately of the chocolate chip variety, and I'll jump at it. And although I have yet to find the holy grail, the journey sure has been fun (and delicious). Momofuku Milk Bar's Compost Cookie could reign as my new favorite. I believe if I had allowed them to chill in the back of my fridge for 36+ hours (a la the NYT chocolate chip cookie) they would've been pure perfection. I stumbled upon them by chance over at 'the amateur gourmet' (damn fine food blog my friends). You see, I've started a new tradition here at 1313, 'Sunday Supper', every Sunday I cook up a meal for my closest friends and family, we sit, eat, drink, talk and enjoy. In my eyes, a meal simply wouldn't be complete without dessert, but, in an effort to keep my sanity and part of my Sunday free before supper, I seek out simple, no fuss desserts, this cookie being one of them. At the end of the night I baked up a fresh batch, served warm cookies and a tall glass of cold milk. So classic. Guests kind of went nuts. One tried to walk out the door with the rest of the cookies (even though I made care packages with cookies to go). I'm not kidding, he scooped up everyones package and away he went! (I caught him of course.) There are two things that really make this cookie different. 1. Whipping the butter/sugar/egg combo on high for 10 minutes. Essentially dissolving the granulated sugar and creating a light, shiny butter mixture to which you add the rest of your ingredients. This creates a light as air cookie dough that is hard to resist devouring straight out of the mixer bowl. 2. The 'throw-in's' or the 'compost' part. Another Sunday Supper guest had caught the particular Regis & Kelly that featured this cookie. She said they threw in all sorts of things from standard chocolate chips, to Rolos, to Goldfish crackers. Per Adams suggestion I kept it pretty standard, throwing in chocolate chips and a mixture of crushed pretzel and potato chip. But frankly, I don't think you can do any wrong throwing in whatever suits your fancy from candy to salty snacks. Although I mentioned it earlier, I don't think it's necessary to chill these for a day and a half. They're simply delicious the day of, right out of the oven, I sure didn't hear any complaints from any of the guests. . . So, if you're a cookie fiend like me, or simply on the same quest for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie, I implore you to try your hand at the compost cookie. And if you do, let me know what you throw in the mix! I have a sneaking suspicion these cookies will catch fire much like the NYT chocolate chip cookies did a few years ago, because they are that good.

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie

via Amateur Gourmet

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (two sticks)

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps Kosher salt

1 bag (I used one cup) chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups your favorite baking ingredients/junk food (ie pretzels, goldfish, twix, rolos, potato chips, you get the idea)

Directions:

(preheat oven to 400 F after cookies have chilled out in the fridge)

1. To the bowl of an electric mixer add butter, granulated & brown sugar as well as the corn syrup. With the paddle attachment beat on medium speed until well incorporated and creamed together. Appx. 3 minutes.

2. Reducing the speed a notch or two, add eggs (one a time, until incorporated about 30 seconds after each egg), and vanilla. Scrape down the sides to ensure everything is incorporating well.

3. Here comes the long haul! Increase speed to medium/high (I set my speed pretty high!), set your timer for 10 minutes, and walk away. At the end of this time the mixture should become a very pale yellow, nearly white, double in volume and will be quite shiny.

4. When your ten minutes are up, decrease speed to low and add in your flour/baking soda/powder/salt and mix until just combined (being careful not to over mix). Once the dry has mixed well with the wet, on the same low speed, add your 'junk food' or 'compost' (same thing here, until just incorporated, you don't want to over-mix the cookie dough).

5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop equal amounts of dough onto silpat-ed cookie sheet (or wax paper). I fit about eight cookies per sheet. Then refrigerate cookies for at least one hour (apparently, because of the light dough, skipping this step will result in a mess of cookie goo/soup on your baking sheet).

6. Once they've chilled, throw cookies in hot oven and bake for 9-11 minutes. They may look a little doughy in the middle, this is ok, once you take them out they will continue to cook to gooey perfection on the hot sheet.

7. Devour! (Cold milk highly recommended).

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Easy Street : Chocolate Capped Macaroons

Chocolate Capped Macaroons, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Macaroons are one of those things I used to make as a preteen/teenager. Why? Because they're ridiculously simple. Most recipes require you to crack a few eggs, separate the whites, pour them into a bowl with a bit of sugar, coconut, on occasion flour, mound them, then bake. Not many ingredients needed, not much time required, and in less than an hour, viola, a crispy, chewy, mountain of sugary heaven. A combination almost deadly for a young girl with the sweetest tooth this side of the Mississippi.

When I realized I was both hosting Easter dinner, and still wanting to whip up a few Easter baskets for my loved ones I knew almost immediately what needed to be the homemade treat packed into each green plastic basket, macaroons. Last year each basket was packed full of these adorable easter nests, but I didn't have the time for any muss or fuss. I knew that Easter dinner prep would keep me busy most of Saturday evening, and surely Sunday afternoon. I wanted something that both embodied the Easter holiday, and that was reminiscent of Spring. As many times as I may have made macaroons growing up, it had (honestly) been years since this little oven had seen the coconut mountains. No longer did I have my trusty, easy recipe either. I knew my pantry had everything I needed, and even a little something extra, a bit of luscious bittersweet chocolate leftover from the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie adventure. After a bit of food blog surfing I stumbled across one of the most revered and trusted food blogs out there, Orangette. Here it was, exactly what I needed, macaroons covered with a dollop of oozing chocolate. I was planning on drizzling, but once I stumbled upon this recipe decided against it. I wanted my Easter basket receivers to get both a serious dose of the quality chocolate along with coconut. The boys here with me that night will tell you I was none to pleased about the process this recipe puts you through. It's not hard by any means, it just wasn't what teenage me was used to (my fluctuating hormones played a major role in my frustration as well I suspect). It required me to do just a little more than crack, separate, mix, mound and bake. The end result was pretty close to macaroon heaven. Not sure if they were all that much better from the childhood recipe, the easy peasy recipe, but boy were they good, and I'm pretty sure each receiver of an Easter basket was pleasantly and deliciously delighted. I know Easter has come and gone, but these could be made for any occasion any time of the year, from summer picnics to your Christmas cookie platter. Macaroons are a classic kind of cookie, simple, but guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any sweet tooth.

Chocolate Capped Macaroons, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Chocolate-Covered Coconut Macaroons

Via Orangette Adapted from Bon Appétit (September 2002) and the Marigold Kitchen of Madison, Wisconsin

3 cups (lightly packed) sweetened shredded coconut

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup egg whites (about 5 or 6 large)

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

Place the first three ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan, and stir to combine well. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, about 10-12 minutes, until the mixture is pasty but not dry. (The uncooked mixture will look sort of granular at first, then creamy as it heats, and then it will slowly get drier and drier. You want to stop cooking when it no longer looks creamy but is still quite gluey and sticky, not dry.) Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts. Spread out the coconut mixture on a large baking sheet. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Using a ¼-cup measuring scoop, scoop and pack the coconut mixture into domes, and place them on the baking sheet. You should wind up with about a dozen. Bake the macaroons until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.

Set cookies on rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it is very hot and steamy (not boiling), remove from the heat, and pour it over the chocolate. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is thoroughly melted. Spoon the glaze over the macaroons, covering them almost completely and allowing the chocolate to drip down the sides. [You will have leftover glaze, which can be refrigerated or frozen.] Refrigerate the macaroons until the glaze sets, at least 2 hours. Transfer the macaroons to an airtight container, and refrigerate or freeze.

Yield: 12 macaroons

Chocolate Capped Macaroons, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Legendary : The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie

Infamous NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

I probably don't need to tell most of you about the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie. It's been floating around the internet, and the food blog-o-sphere since it's publication in the summer of 2008. For me, it doesn't really get much better than a really good (warm) chocolate chip cookie and a gold glass of milk. My love for these babies border on, actually on second thought probably is, an obsession. Don't set a plate of these fresh out of the oven in front me, I lose nearly all willpower. When it comes to dessert it doesn't get much better than this simple American staple.

Infamous NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

This recipe might test your patience, and your self control. You see, they're not a bake immediately recipe. Apparently, the original chocolate chip cookie recipe, created by a woman named Mrs. Ruth Wakefield, an owner of the Toll House Inn, were refrigerated overnight. The NYT recipe takes this a bit further, suggesting to refrigerate for at least 36 hours. I learned something about myself during this process. As previously mentioned, I don't have chocolate chip cookie self control. After about an hour in the fridge (and after a few half spoonfuls of cookie dough) I had to make a cookie. Just one. Afterall, in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie the author also tested his batter in intervals, immediate, 24, then finally 36 hours. 36 hours is the clear winner. Something about the dry ingredients slowly soaking up the egg, the butter, and the vanilla. It makes a cookie so caramel colored it may even cause you a bit of concern at first. I thought I was, for sure, close to burning tray after tray. I wasn't. They're just a gorgeous deep shade of cookie amber. The key is to cook them until they are just about done, not completely cooked (the middles will still look a bit gooey), then, let them cool for up to 10 minutes on the sheet. They will finish cooking, and once you peel them from their hot metal (or stone) bed, they'll be just about perfect. My dough, oddly enough, remained in the fridge for days. I took the advice of one of the bakers in the article, if you eat a cookie, you generally want a warm or freshly baked cookie, right? Not a day old. So, everyday (after 36 hours mind you) a tray was baked, each one quickly devoured by friends, family, the boyfriend and the roommate. Now, I used both bread and cake flour. Next time I may be inclined to use AP. Because of the cake (and likely bread flour) these had a bit of a thick 'cakey-ness' to them that I wasn't too fond of. Not enough for me to turn them away, by any means. But, based on some of the hype (not all, there are various opinions out there), I was expecting angels to sing out from the heavens when I ate these. They were not the holy grail of the chocolate chip cookie I was hoping for. Probably one of my favorite recipes so far, I'm just curious what difference AP flour (and perhaps, dare I say it, some shortening) might make. One thing is certain, the salt sprinkles are irreplaceable. Sea salt is this cookies bff. Don't be afraid of it.

Infamous NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.
All in all, if you are as much of a chocolate chip cookie fanatic as I am, and you haven't yet, I encourage you to give this famous little recipe a try. I know the recipe has been shared by many a blogger, and is floating all over the internet, but, I'm still a bit wary and unsure of posting the recipe in it's original form here. I didn't tweak it one bit, as many others did. So, I'm going to send you directly to it. Also, if you give it a shot, or already have, I would love to know what you think, and what alterations, if any, worked for you.