Sweet Treats: The Perfect Cookie - Nantucket Island Inquirer

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This story was first printed in the spring 2011 issue of Nantucket Today magazine

Who doesn’t love the aroma of cookies baking in the oven, or the taste of brown sugar and melting chocolate on your tongue as you bite into a fresh-from-the-oven homemade chocolate-chip cookie?

Those aromas and tastes that fill our senses take us back to the carefree days of childhood and send us back to the kitchen to recreate those moments. Whether your preference is to bake a pan of moist bar cookies, a sheet of crispy oatmeal cookies, or something more exotic and elaborate, utilizing the proper technique is key to turning out deliciously-memorable sweet treats.

Baking is all about patience. The chemical precision involved in this culinary art means that cutting corners by any means can lead to disaster, or anything less than perfection. Butter and shortening are two very different ingredients and egg whites must always be whipped to the exact stage that the recipe calls for – never settle for soft peaks when the recipe calls for hard, glossy peaks. These standards might seem a little unnecessary for your ordinary chocolate-chip cookie, but taking the time to employ proper technique will enable you to bake cookies that are on par with your local bakery’s finest confections.

Over the years, companies such as Betty Crocker and Nestlé Toll House have mastered the easy-bake chocolate-chip cookie. There are a variety of pre-made doughs and “just add eggs and butter” packaged mixes to choose from. These easy-bake cookies make baking convenient in conjunction with the demands of an on-the-go world, but without the time and patience that all good baking requires, such cookies lack real substance.

One trick that the kitchen staff at Provisions has been using for its cookies for a long time is chilling the dough overnight. A New York Times article on the perfect cookie that came out a little over two years ago recognizes this trick as an essential step in the cookie-baking process. Chilling the dough for at least 24 hours allows for the wet ingredients – such as the eggs and vanilla extract – to be absorbed into the flour in the dough. This results in a much richer flavor in the cookie. When the dough is cold and firm, it also makes scooping the dough onto the cookie sheet much easier. If you want your cookies to mimic the delicious giant disks of chocolate or oatmeal that you find at bakeries, slightly press down the balls of dough before popping them into the oven.

Of course, chilling is not applicable to all doughs. Bar cookies should always go right from the bowl to the pan, and because Madeleines are technically a cake, the batter should not sit much longer than the 30 minutes the recipe demands. Drop-cookies, the kind where the batter is simply dropped onto a cookie sheet after it’s made, are best after a 24-hour chill. The ginger snaps, oatmeal, cornmeal-lime and peanut-butter chocolate-chip cookies featured here should all sit in the refrigerator overnight for the best results.

A universal tip for doughs and batters alike is one that takes place in the creaming process. The color and texture of a dough when it is being creamed is key. Provisions’ famous doughnut muffins are a perfect example.

Upon my first attempt at making the batter, my boss, Amanda Lydon, told me to “cream the crap out of it.” It took me several attempts to beat the butter and sugar into submission, but once I learned to let the mixer run at medium-high speed for a good amount of time, I was able to make a proper batter. Time matters. If a recipe specifies the number of minutes to cream your dough, then you better take out your timer and start counting. If only a description of what the creamed mixture should look like is given in the recipe – usually something like “until it is light and fluffy” – then you need to mix until you see light and fluffy in that bowl.

The first time I made Joanne Chang’s cornmeal-lime cookies from her cookbook “Flour,” I ignored the recipe’s advice to cream the butter and sugar for 10 minutes if using a hand-held mixer, which I was. I simply didn’t have time to mix for 10 minutes, when the butter and sugar looked pretty well blended to me after about three minutes. My cookies ended up coming out much crunchier and far less satisfying than the one I had eaten at her bakery.

On my second attempt I decided to stay true to the recipe, putting in the extra time to fully cream the butter and sugar, and was pleased to find that my cookies didn’t resemble the texture of hard-tack when I took them out of the oven this time. Beating the dough for the full 10 minutes allowed it to aerate, resulting in a lighter dough and a tastier cookie.

Rosemary Shortbread

from the Straight Wharf Restaurant

These delightfully-fragrant, buttery cookies are served at the very end of the meal at Gabriel Frasca and Amanda Lydon’s Straight Wharf Restaurant.

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

4 sticks butter

1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 F. Blend dry ingredients and butter until pea sized. Add honey until it just comes together. Press mixture into a sheet pan and bake until golden brown.

Secret Agent Raspberry Bars

These scrumptious raspberry bars are from “It’s About Time,” by Michael Schlow, famous for his Boston restaurants Radius, Via Matta and now Tico. He is an occasional visitor to Nantucket.

1-1/2 sticks softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1-3/4 cups flour

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces seedless raspberry preserves

1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat together butter and sugar at medium speed. Add flour and mix well. Add chopped pecans, almond extract and salt, stirring until the flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the flour mixture and press the remainder into the bottom of an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread raspberry preserves evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved flour over the preserves. Sprinkle the coconut over the top. Bake until the crust and topping are golden, 25-30 minutes.

Ginger Snaps

Spicy, snappy and redolent of ginger. This is a grown-up cookie.

From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 sticks butter at room temperature

1-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

1-1/2 tablespoons finely-grated, peeled ginger

1 large egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar, molasses and ginger on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add flour mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 350 F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Put granulated sugar in a shallow bowl and roll balls of dough in the sugar before placing them on a baking sheet. Bake cookies for 15 to 18 minutes. Cookies should be deep golden all over with a firm center.

Cornmeal-Lime Cookies

These cake-like cookies with their tangy lime glaze are a staple at Flour Bakery and Café in Boston, owned by Joanne Chang, whose first cookbook “Flour” contains these and many other delectable treats served at her popular cafes in three locations.

Cookie dough

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons finely-grated lime zest

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup medium-coarse yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Lime glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1-1/2 teaspoons finely-grated lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add lime zest and beat on medium speed for about one minute to release lime flavor. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Drop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet and slightly flatten. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cookies are pale brown. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, water, lime juice and lime zest until smooth. After you take the cookies out of the oven and they are completely cooled, brush the cookies with a thin layer of lime glaze and let set for about 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Madeleines

(Martha Stewart)

I first made an iteration of these for French class in seventh grade and have been baking them ever since. They are perfect with a cup of tea.

1-1/2 sticks butter, melted, plus more for pans

1 -1/2 cups cake flour, sifted (not self-rising)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons finely-grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons total)

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter two madeleine pans; set aside. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside. Put eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix in butter. Using a spatula, fold flour mixture into egg mixture. Let rest 30 minutes. Pour batter into buttered pans, filling the molds 3/4 full. Bake cookies, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly in pans on wire racks. Invert, and unmold. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in air-tight containers at room temperature up to one day.

Lemon Cardamom Madeleines

(Martha Stewart)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

1 tablespoon good-quality honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon finely-grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons orange juice

Brush molds of a madeleine pan with butter; set aside. Make the batter: Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, and stir in honey and vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes. Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Preheat oven to 325 F, with rack in center. Stir together sugar and eggs in a medium bowl. Gently fold in flour mixture until combined. Add butter mixture, and fold until combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling each mold halfway. Tap pan on work surface to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool slightly. Unmold cookies onto rack, and let cool completely.

Make the orange glaze: Stir together sugar and orange zest and juice in a small bowl until glaze is smooth, thick and opaque. Using a small pastry brush, coat ridged side of each cookie with glaze. Let set 15 minutes before serving.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

Crispy, chocolatey and crunchy, these are everything you want in an after-school cookie with a old glass of milk. From “The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook.”

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted shelled peanuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and peanuts. Drop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Flatten the dough with a fork in a criss-crossed pattern. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.

Maple Syrup Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Cream Filling

These are a little more work, but well worth it. From “Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters” by Marilynn and Sheila Brass.

Cookies

2 cups flour

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup maple syrup

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 egg

2 teaspoons maple extract (optional)

Lemon cream filling

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, room temperature

3 teaspoons grated lemon zest

4 teaspoons lemon juice

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover a 14-by-16-inch baking sheet with foil, shiny-side up. Coat the foil with vegetable spray. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix maple syrup and butter. Add egg and mix to combine. Gradually beat in sifted dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Add maple extract. Chill batter in refrigerator until firm enough to pipe with a pastry bag. Pipe cookies onto baking sheet, making each cookie about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Bake for 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Lemon cream filling:

Sift confectioners’ sugar and salt into a small bowl. Add butter and combine. Whisk in lemon zest and juice. Fill a pastry bag with lemon cream and pipe a generous amount of filling onto half of the cookies. Place remaining cookies on top of filling and press together gently, sandwiching the cream in between.

Rosie’s Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

8-1/2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

7 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon molasses

2-1/4 teaspoons water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon rolled oats

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, cream butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, molasses, water and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix on medium-low speed until egg in incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed. Add the oats, coconut and raisins; mixing in between each addition. Bake cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are golden around the edges.

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The Link Lonk


January 25, 2021 at 08:42PM
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Sweet Treats: The Perfect Cookie - Nantucket Island Inquirer

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Butter Cookies