Cookies for my Cookie Monster
03 November 2009
Simon is definitely what you would call a cookie monster. When he is in search of a cookie (which happens reasonably often…), his longing eyes can get very round and big, just like cookies. This sparked off my idea to bake him birthday cookies this year instead of a cake.
I had never made cookies before. Christmas cookies yes, but those little crunchy delicacies are really totally different to the big, round, soft type I was aiming for. In order to realise my endevour I searched Amazon for appropriate instruction materials, and I discovered a book with the promising title "Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies" (by Jill Van Cleave), which sounded exactly like what I was looking for. The perfect cookies need to be crunchy outside but the dough should remain soft and juicy inside; and then they should contain as many nuts and seeds as they can possibly hold, maybe some thick and fruity raisins, and some white chocolate chips in between that melt and flow into the dough.
The book I bought offered recipes pretty close to this ideal. I wanted to try two different types of cookies and opted for a "classical" one and another one containing buttermilk and different spices. But while largely sticking to the basic dough as given in the recipes, I brought in my own ideas in terms of seasoning and extra ingredients, making the cookies even more decadent... For the classical cookies this mainly meant adding nuts, nuts and nuts (hazelnuts and cashews - toasted, which made them even tastier), as well as some white chocolate chips. (I added saffron, nutmeg, raisins and pistachios to the buttermilk version, but more about this next week.)
I have to say, the cookie book totally lived up to its promise. My toasted nut & white chocolate chip cookies came out extremely yummy, and (though a bit crumbly) heavenly soft inside, even after keeping them for 3 days (I indeed made so many that they actually remained for that long…). A basic recipe definitely worth trying out with different add-ons – I can just think of peacan nuts (as suggested in the original recipe), pine kernels, sesame seeds,… But for now here are the wonderfully decadent toasted nut & white chocolate chip cookies:
Toasted Nut & White Chocolate Chip Cookies
| yields 10-12 big cookies |
| 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| 120g brown sugar |
| 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (2 packs) |
| 2 large eggs |
| 300g flour |
| 1/2 teaspoon baking powder |
| a generous pinch of salt |
| 100g hazelnuts |
| 100g cashew nuts |
| 120g white chocolate chips |
Pre-heat the oven at 175°C. If very large, chop the cashew nuts in half. Together with the hazelnuts spread on a baking tray and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes; then let cool down.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the butter, the sugar and the vanilla sugar until fluffy and creamy. Add the eggs and blend again. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, the baking powder as well as the salt and add to the creamy mixture. Stir in the toasted nuts as well as the white chocolate chips.
Cover a baking tray with ungreased cookie paper. With the help of an ice cream scooper, drop equal portions of dough onto the tray, leaving reasonable space in between (I got 8 cookies onto my standard-sized tray). Bake until golden-brown, which should take some 15-17 minutes. Switch the ventilation on for the last two minutes for a nice and crunchy crust!
Using a spatula, transfer to a rack and let cool. You can store the cookies in an air-tight box for a few days (if you can resist eating them at once...).