Compost Cookies: Milk Bar Special

Happy New Year! My first post in 2013 and it goes against every resolution I made this year. I've been delaying on writing this entry for a while. And of course, now it comes at the worst of times, when most of us have sworn of sweets for 2013, singing this will be the year I give up sugar! File this one away - you'll want to save the Compost Cookie recipe for a rainy day when those sugar-free-carb-free-calorie-free-taste-free "treats" just won't do. Trust me. Every bite will be worth it.

I first made these cookies for Thanksgiving, when a  bunch of us NYers were getting together to celebrate the holiday. And nothing says New York like Momofuko Milk Bar, so I decided to test out these Compost Cookies.

These are no ordinary cookies (if you've eaten at Milk Bar you know nothing there is ordinary!). These cookies are the perfect combination of sweet and salty - chewy and gooey - chocolate and chips (potato!). Some of the ingredients were hard to track down in Hong Kong but generally these were pretty easy to make.

I got some weird looks while baking these. You're putting those pretzels where?! In The cookie batter?! Traditional cookies these are not. But you're guaranteed to love every bite. 

Milk Bar Compost Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

What You'll need:

chopped Almond Roca

2 C unsalted butter at room temperature 

• 1 C granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons glucose (available at Olivers)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• • 
    
  • GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
• 1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs 
• 1/4 C milk powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 1/4 C heavy cream
• What To Do:                             In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugars and glucose on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for an additional 7 to 8 minutes.  
• Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute, being careful not to overmix the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
                                                                  Still on low speed, add the chocolate and butterscotch chips, the graham crust, oats and coffee and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and pretzels and beat, still on low speed, just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix or break too many of the pretzels or potato chips. (You deserve a pat on the back if one of your cookies bakes with a whole pretzel standing up in the center.)
  Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop or a 1/3-cup measure, portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing each portion roughly 4 inches apart. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, up to one week. Do not bake the cookies while at room temperature — they will not bake up properly.
  Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the cookies, one tray at a time on the center rack, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the cookies halfway through baking for even cooking. The cookies will puff, crackle and spread while baking, and should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if needed.
  Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; frozen, they will keep for up to 1 month.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
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•   Indulge, enjoy and savor!
  

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  • 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
  • 3/4 C mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 C mini butterscotch chips (I used chopped Almond Roca, available in HK supermarkets)
  • 1/2 C graham cracker crumb (recipe below)
  • 1/3 C rolled oats
  • 2 1/2 tsp ground coffee (not instant)
  • 2 C potato chips (Milk Bar suggests Cape Cod)
  • 1 C mini pretzels

  • 

    graham cracker crumbs

  
  

  
  

  

  a little bit of love (and salt)
  
  
  

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