If I was just faster with my thumb on the “skip” button, I never would have gone down this road.
I saw an advertisement for “cookie chips” on TV, and (sucker that I am), I was intrigued enough to go out and buy a box. I mean, “Salted Caramel” – what’s not to like?
The first disappointment was that the box was only about 1/3 full — because of settling during transit I know, but I felt cheated. The second disappointment was that the cookies were typical of their kind – way too sweet. The third disappointment was that the cookies were not “chippy” at all – they were just small format cookies, thin by virtue of their shaping, hard and crunchy rather than crispy and chip-like. Oh well… fool me once…
Then, a recipe arrived in my in-box from a source I love (Tasting Table). Billed as “Crackle”, it looked like cookie brittle studded with salted pretzels. Wow! I gave it a test-drive, using some cereal I had on hand as a stand-in for the pretzels … and discovered that my oven is not level. Yours probably isn’t either. Why would it matter? Because the batter was so sugar-laden and melty that it all ran down to one side of my cookie sheet during baking, effectively super-gluing the Silpat to the metal. Hmph. My second batch was more successful, but the end-product itself was exceedingly sweet and very fragile – I certainly didn’t need the recommended rolling pin to render it into shards. Little tiny shards.
Once I start a project, it takes a lot to dissuade me. I looked up recipes for Florentines, lace cookies, brandy snaps, tuilles, vanilla wafers, even cannoli, looking for some clue to lead me toward the texture and flavor I was seeking, and hoping against hope that I wasn’t going to have to resort to sugared deep-fried spring roll wrappers (which are tasty, but save yourself the effort and just eat some Frosted Flakes).
After many batches (and some spectacular failures), and with the helpful tasting assistance of Book Club, I think I have found a winner. There is practically no limit to the interesting things you can suspend in this cookie batter. Let me know if you come up with something really unexpected.
Cookie Snax
These are similar to the lace cookies you (or your mom) used to make, but the inclusion of egg yolk gives them a slightly different texture.
The Batter:
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar (light or dark)
2 Tbsp flour (gluten-free works fine, no need for xanthan gum)
¼ tsp Kosher salt, or just a pinch of table salt
2 Tbsp whipping cream (2 coffee creamers, if you need to liberate some from Waves)
1 egg yolk from a large egg (no substitutions) (save the white for your next scramble or omelette)
¼ tsp flavoring extract of choice – vanilla, almond or anise extract, for example, or ½ tsp cinnamon, ginger, or orange zest, etc., etc.
2 Tbsp melted and cooled butter (that’s one ounce, if you’re weighing)
3/4 cup finely-chopped crispy or crunchy something (cereal, nuts, coconut)

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with a non-stick liner (like Silpat), parchment paper, or non-stick foil.
If you don’t line your cookie sheet, you will have to dissolve the cookies off it later, even if it’s a non-stick pan. I speak from experience.
Combine the sugars, flour and salt in a bowl.


Stir in the cream, egg yolk, and flavoring. Whipping cream works best, but I made batches with non-fat dairy creamer, and half-and-half with good success. I expect evaporated milk would be fine.


Stir in the melted butter.


Add in your crunchy bits. Make sure your crunchy bits are really crunchy, and finely chopped. Toast coconut, oatmeal and nuts for best texture and flavor. Chop nuts rather than processing or crushing them – finely ground or crushed “nut-flour” thickens the batter, so it doesn’t spread as well. Experience speaking again.


There are a few ways you can approach forming cookies. This batter spreads a bit, more if you are skimpy with your crunchy bits. The smaller the “drops”, the crisper the cookies. Half-teaspoonsful are quite chip-like, but rounded tablespoons also yield a nice cookie. Flatten them a little bit for best distribution of add-ins.



…way past “European Brown”.

Perfection…..
No matter how you form them, watch closely for doneness from the 5-minute mark on. These cookies can go from “perfectly golden edges” to “European brown”* to “overcarbonized” in a very short period of time. If you leave them to cool on the baking sheet, they will continue to cook a little. If you have already entered the realm of “European brown”, slide the pan liner off the cookie sheet to stop the browning process.
*The term “European brown” was coined by one of my baking instructors. It refers to the preference of European bakers to take their products past the “golden brown” point, usually with the use of an egg wash glaze. North American palates tend to view this flavor as “slightly burnt”. “Overcarbonized” is a term my son brought home from cooking camp when he was about 13, as a less judgmental way for the Chef to say, “It’s burned. Throw it out.”
Variations on the theme….
I started with Rice Krispies, and I think crushed cornflakes would also be very good. Any cereal you like will be fine, although a sweetened one will make a really sweet snack. This cookie had puffed millet and orange zest.

I used toasted coconut and pecans, and gilded them with a little milk chocolate for that German Chocolate Cake flavor.

We used to make a really tasty peanut brittle back in my Blue Flame Kitchen days that had chili powder in it (we called it “Beer Brittle” because we thought that would be the perfect accompaniment, but I don’t think that particular recipe name made it past the editors). I tried a batch of cookies without vanilla, using chopped dry-roasted peanuts and just a little powdered Chipotle pepper, which I spread it out in a single sheet, breaking it into shards when cool. I was pretty excited with the result. I’m going to call them “Nutty Hot’n’Sweets”.

Pretzels, potato chips, corn chips – any of these will give that sweet/salty flavor profile – leave out the vanilla for those.
Thesecookies are an example of what can happen if you add too much stuff — I used pretzels and bacon bits. The pretzels were too lumpy, and the bacon bits (from a bag) stole the crunch. This, however, is how we learn.

Healthy? Ok, use crushed bran flakes, chopped flaked almonds, or toasted oatmeal or sesame seeds. This could be another vehicle for slipping some chia into your kids (or yourself). Orange zest works well with the caramel flavor of the batter (lemon and lime not so much). You could add some chopped dried cranberries, or crystalized ginger, or other dried fruit as part of the mix – I think they do an oatmeal and raisin version commercially. Let your palate and your pantry be your guide – you may come up with something totally unexpected!
I tried to make chocolate cookies by swapping out some of the flour for cocoa, but the results were unsatisfactory – much more research will be required if “chocolate ‘snax’ perfection” is to be achieved.

Not quite perfect — flavor a bit bitter, texture a bit soft. More work required.
These cookies are great all by themselves, but are particularly tasty with ice cream, gelato or sorbet. They can be sandwiched with melted chocolate or ganache for an outstanding treat.
Be sure to share – it’s really easy to eat the whole batch all by yourself if you’re in the mood.

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