Cookie Quest: Recipes 7-9
Recipe 9, Whole Grain and Rye Shortbread, recipe from Tartine
Recipes 7-9 were my favorite recipes so far because of one thing: flour! Baking these cookies aligned with my new year’s resolution of diversifying the flours I use in hopes of learning more about their properties. Across these three recipes, I used six different flours: buckwheat, spelt, einkorn, rye, brown rice, and all purpose. One of the coolest things that can happen in food is when you take a bite of something and that bite surprises you, making you take a second to think about the flavors contained in that bite. Each of these cookie recipes had its own complex flavors that made me pause after the first bite (and sometimes exclaim out of joy). Flour is very cool. I’m excited to keep learning.
Recipe 7: Salty Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Sarah Jampel
I had a hunch I’d like these solely based on the fact that “salty” is in the recipe’s name. I was right. These cookies are killer. The dough comes together super easily, but there is nothing simple about the flavor. The buckwheat flour brings a nuttiness to each bite that plays off the salt and chocolate so well. Plus, I have a huge soft spot for the way buckwheat flour adds little black freckles to dough. Further, I can’t help but be a little wowed every time I use buckwheat in a recipe because it is so fragrant! I have no notes or nits to pick with this recipe as it covers all my ideal cookie bases- chewy, salty, and not too sweet. Make this cookie, y’all.
Recipe 8: Thrice Baked Spelt Cookies, Claire Saffitz
Oh my, was this cookie delicious. This recipe has to be one of the most unique cookie recipes I’ve encountered- the flours are toasted in the oven prior to mixing, the egg component is two hard-boiled egg yolks passed through a sieve, and the end result is a tender, buttery diamond of cookie-caramel. I’m not sure if it was because this was my second time making these cookies, but I was more blown away by the first time I made them with rye flour. It needs to be said that the spelt variation is quite delicious too, I just found the rye cookies more interesting. I’d love to try the rye and the spelt versions side by side to notice the differences in flavor. I wonder what would happen if I replaced the AP flour in this recipe with more spelt or rye? How would that affect the general structure of the cookies? What would a combination of rye and spelt taste like? Flour musings aside, this recipe is one of my top cookie recipes I’ve made since I really got into baking, and clearly they inspire me to bake more! Isn’t that the most you could ask for from a cookie?
Recipe 9: Whole Grain Einkorn and Rye Shortbread, Tartine
I started Cookie Quest because I wanted to be intentional about trying new recipes and subsequently exposing myself to new flavors. This recipe is exactly what I had in mind. This cookie has three different flours- and not one of them is all purpose! The combination of einkorn, rye, and rice flour makes the most interesting cookie I think I’ve ever tried (edging out the corn cookie for the top spot). Each flour contributes to a unique layer of flavor and the low amount of sugar in the recipe adds to the nuance. Never have I eaten something that is so clearly a dessert, but toes the line between sweet and savory as much as this cookie. When you first take a bite, the nuttiness of the flours and the richness of the butter are the overwhelming flavors, but the cookie finishes slightly sweet thanks to a sprinkling of sugar on the top once they’re baked. My only complaint is that these cookies were very difficult to get out of the pan and I have trouble seeing how the recipe could be easily scaled up. I’d love to play around with it and see if I could make a dough that is sliceable or one that could be rolled out and cut without sacrificing the flavors.
If you’re cookie curious and want to nerd out on “cookie chemistry,” I recently read an interesting and informative piece from Bob’s Red Mill’s blog about how each variable in a cookie influences the final product (this one is specifically about chewy cookies). I’ve linked it here, hope y’all enjoy as much as I did!