Compost Cookies for a Cause
I have been reading about these Compost Cookies for months. I am hoping to go to Momofuku Milk Bar when I go to New York on a business trip the end of this month. One of my favorite cookies is the Special K cookies I used to make with my grandmother. So this cookie intrigued me.
I was providing snacks for the movie crew from the movie our church is making called Not Today. It is a movie that addresses the issue of human trafficking in India. They just returned from India and are now filming locally. On a whim I tried these and loved them. They are habit forming if you are not careful.
You beat the butter and sugar for 10 minutes which creates this almost buttercream like dough. You dump in items from your pantry – I used chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pretzels, potato chips and Special K cereal. They become thin and crisp cooked at a high temperature.
The Momofuku Milk Bar’s Compost Cookie
recipe by Christina Tosi
(Courtesy of Regis & Kelly’s website through the Amateur Gourmet’s site)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (that’s two sticks, unsalted)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups your favorite baking ingredients (options: chocolate chips, Raisenettes, Rollos, Cocoa Krispies)
1 1/2 cups your favorite snack foods (chips, pretzels, etc.)
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars and corn syrup on medium high for two to three minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides with a spatula.
On a lower speed, add eggs and vanilla to incorporate.
Increase mixing speed to medium-high and start a timer for 10 minutes. During this time the sugar granules will fully dissolve, the mixture will become an almost pale white color and your creamed mixture will double in size.
When time is up, on a lower speed, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Mix 45 – 60 seconds just until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Do not walk away from your mixer during this time or you will risk over mixing the dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
On the same low speed, add in the hodgepodge of your favorite baking ingredients and mix for 30 – 45 seconds until they evenly mix into the dough. Add in your favorite snack foods last, paddling again on low speed until they are just incorporated.
Using a 6 oz. ice cream scoop (I’m not sure how many ounces mine is, but it worked well), portion cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheet pan.
Wrap scooped cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour or up to 1 week.
DO NOT BAKE your cookies from room temperature or they will not hold their shape.
Heat the oven to 400 F. Take the plastic off your cookies and bake 9 to 11 minutes. While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle and spread.
At 9 minutes, the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown towards the center. Leave the cookies in the oven for the additional minutes if these colors don’t match up and your cookies still seem pale and doughy on the surface.
Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan (good luck!) before transferring to a plate or an airtight container or tin for storage. At room temp, they’ll keep five days.