chocolate chip sandwich cookie @ ‘wichcraft, nyc
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photo © anita aguilar
one of the birthday gifts i received from my sister is a slim, beautifully photographed guide to baking macarons. i am almost certain she meant this to be an “inspiration” for the picture taking–ideas for lighting and simple prop styling–rather than as a nudge toward the kitchen. but you know, the macarons have an allure that’s so irresistibly feminine–they are so pretty, delicate, sweet, challenging–and the variations in this book can sound innocently flirtatious: honey cream, sweet ganache... i’m tempted to make them at least once, just so i could say, oh my sweet, i made you some vanilla-honey cream …
ok. that’s a bit much.
still, it would be fun…
i read that the first step involves tracing 2.5 inch diameter circles on parchment paper to use as a guide for piping the batter (oh no, there’s drawing); next, i’d have to pulverize almond flour in a food processor (i don’t have one), and then there’s the matter of my gently sloping oven.
a perfect little meringue cookies, with” feet,” might be an impossible dream… something to be saved for trips to paris… or the upper east side (more on that later).
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rewind to may: i planned to make 2 stops for macarons and buy a dozen or so from each store to bring home for a little macaron face-off.
defending champ (by default) is ladurée –the brand that created the “double decker”/ sandwich macaron in the 1930s, and widely regarded as best in paris. i’ve had them before and i am guessing they are what every macaron aspires to.
the window display at laduree at 21 rue bonaparte...
the upstart challenger: pierre hermé. i’d never heard of him or his boutique until recently — some “foodies” were making noise about his macarons being the best in town (and naturally, then, the world). hermé was hailed “the picasso of pastry” by french vogue, is the youngest to be named pastry chef of the year and the only pastry chef to be honored as chevalier (knight) of arts and letters. he’s known for his inventiveness, his use of savory ingredients like olive oil and balsamic vinegar in his sweets. his concoctions do sound exotic. his most famous macaron variation, ispahan, is made with rose, lychee, and raspberry.
but for the purpose of this taste test i chose:
infiniment caramel — salted caramel;
mogador – chocolate and passion fruit–which is, as an fyi, a winning combination of berthilion ice cream flavors…
the ladurée selections were similar: chocolate, bitter chocolate, vanilla, salted caramel, pistachio and coconut.
for the tasting here at home, the hermés were first up. RAVES–almost everyone declared his macarons “better.” they thought they were fresher, sweeter, lighter. (but to be fair, this was before they even tried this year’s ladurée offerings. they were judging by “recall” from years earlier!)
i was the holdout– i thought the passion fruit was plain weird. i didn’t like the lingering sour notes. and i don’t like butter cream–i wish i’d known that all the hermés i chose had butter cream filling, it might have changed the selection process. the stuff was fresh, to be sure, but i love biting into a macaron and meeting a thick, sweet ganache in the middle. i missed that. the test also underscored that i am, for the most part, a traditionalist. not a foodie. i like to exercise the old adventurous spirit, but if you asked me to choose–and i’ve said this before– i would take an ice cream sundae over some mousse-y thing, a chocolate chip cookie over a fancy dacquoise, and so on. the same is true for macarons: i will probably only have them if i am in paris*– and i’ll have mine straight: caramel…chocolate…pistachio… no top notes or contrasting flavors required.
i think my fellow “tasters” came to appreciate the ladurée macs that i brought home this time– it really is high quality pastry–though perhaps they were on the fence about which one is “better.”
but i know what i like, i know what i want….
THESE
ladurée: pistachio, chocolate, caramel, vanilla
*there is a ladurée shop opening on the upper east side this summer, i’m sure i won’t stay away…
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links to ladurée and pierre hermé shops worldwide…
the best part about the holidays? the massive amounts of delicious desserts.
carrot cake mini cupcakes adapted from food & wine’s january 2010 issue
“honeymoon cake” with grand marnier (from my aunt maria)
my aunt alida’s famous annual cookie plate (including, but not limited to, cardamom crisps, chewy ginger cookies, linzer cookies, chocolate mint cookies and lemon cookies)
coconut sandwich cookies from martha stewart cookies
a festive pumpkin log
my personal (new) favorite cookie of the year: toffee millionaires from martha stewart
gooey chocolate butter cookies from paula deen (not a favorite – these tasted a little bit like cakey prepacked brownies)
my first time (with bacon): the cowboy cookie at cowboy ciao, in scottsdale…october 18, 2007
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while the origin of the cowboy cookie isn’t clear, if you’ve ever had one you’ll understand why its aptly named.
it’s hearty (enough to provide sustenance…during a long ride across…the great plains).
it’s sturdy (enough to survive…being tossed about in your pocket… during a rodeo).
coconut and pecans provide a boost of energy (for all that wrangling).
chocolate soothes the (lonely) soul.
bacon makes it…american?
oh, let’s just say bacon makes it.
i understand if you think the idea of bacon in a cookie sounds a bit gimmicky. but if you love the stuff and are intrigued by the idea of marrying it with something sweet, i’ve tested a recipe for chocolate chip-bacon-pecan cookies, courtesy of susan russo that will most assuredly win you over.
these share the vigorous flavor of cowboy cookies, but they’re crisp and slim. (the cowgirl cookie?)
the recipe requires only 5 slices of bacon; the effect is seductive, not overpowering.
semi-sweet chocolate chips, pecans, and finely chopped bacon
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susan russo’s chocolate chip bacon pecan cookies
yield: about 18 thin-and-chewy cookies
5 strips bacon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, turning several times, until browned and done, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Chop finely.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla extract, and beat until just blended. Add the dry ingredients; beat until just incorporated and the flour is dissolved. Stir in the chocolate chips, pecans and bacon.
Drop one large tablespoon cookie dough 2 to 3 inches apart (as they will spread) on baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until firm and golden brown around the edges, and still slightly soft in the center. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes.
Can be stored on countertop for one to two days, then refrigerated in an airtight container.
these are too rich to become a regular “after school” or midnight snack.
but they’re perfect for gifting (i presented some to my cousin at christmas) or your upcoming super bowl party.
let them be special.
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if you prefer a “cakier” cookie, ms. russo offers a variation in her npr piece “bacon gets its just desserts,” and recipes for other porky sweets: chocolate bacon-peanut-bark, peanut butter-maple-bacon fudge and maple-apple-bacon cake with maple glaze.
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all photos © anita aguilar
in celebration of national cookie day...
there was a time, years ago, when i had the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.
“perfect”? well, at least to my taste.
it had a buttery batter that spread out wide on the cookie sheet, rendered crisp edges and a thin soft middle. gobs of chocolate melted easily.
and then i lost it.
i began baking my way through my recipe tear sheets and cookbooks, each time thinking that recipe would be the one. oh, the ones i baked were fine enough, they were never as good as i remembered. too cake-y. too heavy. if i tried to get them crispy, they’d be overbaked.
i started to wonder if ever really baked that “perfect” cookie. (the imagination is strong…)
this summer, allison baked thomas keller’s chocolate chip cookies . i was comforted. if i never in fact had the recipe before, i did now. these cookies had all the qualities that i yearned for–plus a strong salt note. key to highlighting the chocolate.
hooray!
and then i made them myself, preparing them almost to the recipe specifications–i used 2 kinds of chocolate that i had at home, semi sweet chocolate chips, and bittersweet chunks–but baked only one third of the entire batch (i ran out of time to bake the rest. but figured i’d store them unbaked for the following week when company came. anyway, it’s always to have cookie dough in the freezer. “freshly baked” cookies, in minutes.)
i elected the minimum baking time (12 minutes).
i thought they were good–not as good as allison’s, but certainly better than any i’d made in years. i was, as they say, beyond excited to share them.
my sister and parents got the first taste. theirs was not the reaction i expected. an underwhelming good…you can really taste the butter. and then my sister said, you know? these would be really great as an ice cream sandwich.
thomas keller’s chocolate chip cookies–as a CHIPWICH?
yeah, that sounded like a big, fat, FAIL to me.
i wasn’t sure what i did wrong. i was mightily disappointed. and i had all this other dough to bake…
next batch, i extended the oven time, closer to 22 minutes, in part because i, um, accidentally had the oven temperature at 325 rather than 350. whoops.
tastes testers for this round: handsome writer friend, cousins jen and jason, and sister. and the reaction was good. solidly good. really good. it was as if i’d attempted an entirely different recipe. i was happy– and relieved.
i wasn’t sure how to account for it exactly, but as fate would have it, only days later the october issue of saveur magazine arrived in the mail and helped explain “cakey v. chewy“: a higher temperature will set the cookies, and the air pockets that build around chunks of chocolate will keep the cookies cakey. a lower temperature allows the dough to spread before setting. and the finer you process the chocolate, the easier it will melt, allowing the dough to spread even more. good to consider, for next time (and for other cookies recipes). but here’s keller’s (via thomas keller, and the amazing food gal):
chocolate chip cookies (makes about thirty 3-inch cookies)
2 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 ounces 55 percent chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces
5 ounces 70 to 72 percent chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup packed dark brown sugar, preferably molasses sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
–position racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
–sift flour and baking soda into a medium bowl. stir in the salt.
–put chips in a fine-mesh basket strainer and shake to remove any chocolate “dust” (small fragments).
–in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat half the butter on medium speed until fairly smooth. (aa: i used a handmixer). add both sugars and the remaining butter, and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes, until mixture is light and creamy. scrape down sides of the bowl. add eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next and scraping the bowl as necessary. add dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. mix in chocolate.
–remove bowl from mixer and fold dough with a spatula to be sure the chocolate is evenly incorporated.
–using about 2 level tablespoons per cookie, shape dough into balls. arrange 8 cookies on each pan, leaving about 2 inches between them, because the dough will spread. bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny, switching the position and rotating pans halfway through baking.
–cool cookies on the pans on cooling racks for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to the racks to cool completely. repeat with second batch of cookies.
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their additional notes:
the two different chocolates–bittersweet and sweet– are intended to give the cookies balance. after you chop the chocolate, sift it to remove any tiny fragments–it will give the cookies a “cleaner” look.
the dough or shaped cookies can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 weeks. freeze shaped cookies on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to freezer containers. (defrost frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator before baking.)
if you prefer a cookie that’s a bit softer, mist them with water prior to baking (as opposed to underbaking).
the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
enjoy…
and if you have tips or other cookie recipes to share, feel free to email, or just share them here…
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all photos © anita aguilar
i waited until the penultimate week to hit the brooklyn flea, but the weather was perfect, almost balmy–what’s the equivalent of an indian summer in november?
among the treats i enjoyed: the bonfire stroopwafel, courtesy of ms. anna gordon and “the good batch.”
this stopped me in my tracks–at first glance i thought it was a whoopie pie. i loved all that white filling, wildly smeared along the sides.
but this dutch “stroopwafel” is more streamlined than its american counterpart. it is wafer thin and made with cocoa–it’s not a deep, dark chocolatey knoll. there’s a slick of salted caramel (a bit more wouldn’t hurt the cause, in my opinion). and the roasted meringue? it was light, shimmery rather than blindingly sweet, and properly sticky. you should beware the meringue traces, but there will be no crumbs–this is a chewy sandwich cookie.
if you visit the flea next weekend, you can delight in special flavors, like pumpkin cream pie–pumpkin & spice waffle cookies, with a maker’s mark cream cheese frosting filling. it’s not my favorite variation (i will always prefer meringue to a cream cheese frosting) but it is like holding thanksgiving in your hands…
otherwise, you can find them at various outposts in brooklyn, a couple in manhattan, and two points north and south of the city…or you can order a batch or two online (if you ask me, 12 caramel or cocoa caramel stroopwafels for $12 dollars is an absolute steal. it could be a really special accompaniment with coffee or hot chocolate, especially when winter returns…
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photos © anita aguilar
