a bumper cookie extravaganza
hear me out on the last one...
What I’m reading: So Late in the Day, by Claire Keegan. I love everything Claire Keegan writes, and her character portrayal is brutal at times, but always entertaining. I loved these three short stories.
What I’m listening to: The State of the World, on Blindboy’s podcast
What I’m eating: Ashby pies (Auckland). Butter chicken, birria and beef w/corn chip, BBQ pork, plus a very excellent sausage roll. Lives up to the hype!!
Note: if you, too, have been a victim of the onslaught of pictures I posted on Instagram from my trip to Melbourne, I can only apologise. I’m in the process of doing up my list of recommendations (there are many), and that will be with you next week!
This week, I have three slightly controversial takes on cookies for you. The ideas for these arose during a particularly giddy moment in the house in Auckland, and let me tell you, the recipes you’ll find below aren’t even the weirdest of the lot. Do you think cheese belongs in a cookie? Some residents of the Shackleton house do (I’m not telling which ones). I used the base choc chip cookie recipe for these, with some alterations (for example, increasing the flour when I was adding more liquid (maple syrup)). In general, though, I was pleasantly surprised by how these came out, and the result has made me more likely to push the boat out even further next time. See below for some of Instagram’s recommendations - and feel free to comment your own below, if you have any particularly weird and whacky cookie ideas.
Sea salt crisps and milk choc cookies
I can’t believe I never thought to make these before. I already strongly advocate for a hefty sprinkle of flaky salt on top of my choc chip cookies, and am famously into crisps - so this was an obvious recipe to test out. The crisps add an extra crunch (and they hold their shape really well), which is always welcome in a cookie - plus the extra saltiness is wonderful, and slightly tempered by the vehicle of the potato (rather than just whacking even more salt on top). I do also whack some extra salt on top though.
Ingredients
125g butter, salted and soft
100g light brown sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
175g plain flour
160g milk chocolate
50g sea salt crisps
Method
Beat the butter and sugars with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer, or with a hand held mixer for around 2 minutes, until thoroughly combined but not light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and fold in, then fold in 130g of the choc and 35g of the crisps.
Portion into 65g pieces, roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place on a lined baking tray, and stick the remaining chocolate and crisps on top.
Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
To bake, preheat the oven to 170C. Space out evenly on a lined baking tray and bake for around 14 minutes, until golden brown.
Leftover cookies can be kept chilled for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Macadamia and caramelised white choc cookie
The inspiration for these cookies comes from the new Whittaker’s macadamia block chocolate bar. I am already a big fan of the coconut block, so I had a feeling I was going to like this one. For the cookie, I went for caramelised white choc instead, to add a further toasty, nutty flavour, and opted for the macadamias that had already been roasted and salted, though you can use raw ones too - just make sure to roast them first, and add a pinch extra salt.
Caramelised white choc is so easy to make, and for me (not really into white choc), it elevates it into something completely different - almost like what browning does to butter. I’ve included the method in a note in the recipe, but basically you just spread white chocolate out on a lined baking tray and roast at 100C, stirring every 10 minutes, until it has turned lovely and golden. You need to spread it out with a palette knife while it’s still melted, then just leave it to cool and break it into pieces.
Ingredients
125g butter (salted and soft)
100g light brown sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
175g plain flour
120g caramelised white chocolate (see note)
80g roasted and salted macadamia nuts
Method
Note: to caramelise the white chocolate, tip it onto a lined baking tray and roast at 100C, mixing thoroughly every 10 minutes. After about 40 minutes, it should be golden brown. Spread evenly on the baking sheet with a palette knife and allow to cool fully before breaking into chunks.
Beat the butter and sugars with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer, or with a hand held mixer for around 2 minutes, until thoroughly combined but not light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and fold in, then fold in 90g of the white choc and 60g of the macadamias.
Portion into 65g pieces, roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place on a lined baking tray, and stick the remaining chocolate and nuts on top.
Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
To bake, preheat the oven to 170C. Space out evenly on a lined baking tray and bake for around 14 minutes, until golden brown.
Leftover cookies can be kept chilled for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Bacon maple cookies
The inspiration for these cookies comes from many different places - after all, bacon and maple syrup is a classic combination, and one of my favourite things to have on pancakes. The main inspiration, however, is the bacon maple pastry at Pophams bakery, London. I made probably thousands of these when I worked at Pophams, but never got bored of eating them - especially straight out of the oven, while still warm, unravelled so I could get at the soft, maply bit in the very middle.
They work pretty well in these cookies too: I’ve swapped in some maple syrup for some of the sugar, and increased the flour slightly to account for the extra liquid. I used manuka smoked streaky bacon, which I grilled and cooled before cutting into little lardons. I feel like I should probably warn that these won’t be for everyone, but to be completely honest, I think they actually might be. Unless you have a dietary, moral or religious reason not to eat bacon, I think you should make these.
Ingredients
25g butter, salted and soft
70g light brown sugar
35g maple syrup
130g caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
120g bacon, grilled until cooked but not crispy and finely chopped
Method
Beat the butter, maple syrup and sugars with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer, or with a hand held mixer for around 2 minutes, until thoroughly combined but not light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and fold in, then fold in 100g of the bacon.
Portion into 65g pieces, roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place on a lined baking tray, and stick the remaining bacon on top.
Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
To bake, preheat the oven to 170C. Space out evenly on a lined baking tray and bake for around 14 minutes, until golden brown.
Leftover cookies can be kept chilled for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
also have you seen the tiktok series - 'can it sourdough'? you should do 'can it cookie'
love this so much