Cookie Quest: Recipes 4-6
Recipe 4, Sweet Corn Cookies, recipe from King Arthur Flour
Recipes 4-6 of Cookie Quest each use at least one ingredient typically found in savory dishes. As an enthusiastic fan of savory/sweet combinations in desserts, I was eager to taste how these flavors melded together. Recipe 4 embraces the versatility of masa harina to make an unique and unforgettable corn cookie, recipe 5 accents rich, chocolately cookies with notes of citrus and olive oil, and recipe 6 brings a deeper, more earthy flavor out of shortbread cookies with sage and brown butter. Recipes like these- ones that incorporate ingredients one might not initially think belong in desserts- are what make me so excited about baking and inspire me to experiment on my own.
Recipe 4: Sweet Corn Cookies- King Arthur Baking
I was really excited to make these cookies because I’d never made anything with masa before and I loved the idea of taking advantage of corn’s inherent sweetness for a dessert! I’ve had the Milk Bar Store corn cookie that inspired this recipe, and was blown away at the first bite. This version did not disappoint. My only note for slight improvement is that when baked right after mixing, the cookies spread quite a bit and came out very flat. I stuck the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking the second round, and that helped with the spreading and gave them more height, as well as cute cookie crinkles (pictured above). The corn is the most prominent flavor and the cornmeal creates a great chewy texture in the cookie, as well as golden freckles in the dough. These are some of the most unique cookies I’ve ever made, and I was really happy with how they turned out.
Recipe 5: Chewy Sumac Brownie Cookies- Jake Cohen
Right off the bat I want to say that this cookie is a crowd pleaser! If you like fudgy, not-too-sweet desserts, then I highly suggest you drop what you’re doing and start making these now. As someone who falls into the aforementioned category of dessert people, I am a big fan of this recipe, despite one or two difficulties I ran into along the way. This may just be my own personal experience, but I found these cookies very hard to “roll” in my hands after the suggested 45 minutes of chilling in the fridge. I threw the dough in the freezer for another 15 minutes and still found them challenging to roll without making a bit of a mess. They spread quite a bit on my initial bake, but I’ve kept some dough in the freezer and when I pop those in the oven, they don’t spread too much and resemble the photo that accompanies the recipe. These cookies really deliver on flavor. However, I wish I there was more sumac in each bite! I think next time, I may add a quarter of a teaspoon more. If you make these, pay close attention while baking; taking them out of the oven at just the right time ensures that the center is the gooiest, most perfect texture. And I can’t forget to mention the olive oil that enhances the savoriness of each bite (especially when you get a flake of sea salt). I will most definitely be making these again.
Recipe 6: Brown Butter and Sage Sablés- Claire Saffitz
Okay… the competition was close, but this one takes the award for favorite cookie this round. In fact, it might be my favorite cookie out of all six recipes I’ve baked thus far. When I say I like savory/sweet desserts, this cookie is exactly what I’m talking about. The nutty brown butter flavor with the earthiness of the sage, enhanced by the salty dough makes this cookie irresistible. Sablé cookies are pretty special to begin with- they are so buttery and tender, and the salt and sugar balance is just salty enough to keep you craving them. I also love how there is so much sage in each bite: not only is sage infused into the browned butter, but those leaves are then crumbled into the demerara sugar which creates a sweet, crunchy halo around each cookie. I want everyone to try this cookie. I’m glad I didn’t bake them all, as I look forward to baking and sharing them with folks in the future. My only note is that the next time I bake them, I will let the dough soften just a teensy bit before slicing to avoid crumbling.