The Daily Grind, Chop and Fry

I don’t make a very strong case for my Not Baking when I post a cookie or cupcake recipe, but I have my reasons. Again.

First off, this cookie is called the Compost Cookie. Already, I’m intrigued. Add potato chips and I’m getting out the stand mixer. Next, this cookie is the brainchild of the mad genius who also invented something called Crack Pie, another dessert so good it has people lining up outside the Momofuku Milk Bar in New York’s East Village. Take a look at their menu – it says shipping is available. Holy cow.

BUT….I have good news for you. Next weekend, on Sunday, May 23rd only, you do not have to fly to New York or pay an arm and a leg for overnight shipping. If you live in the Seattle area, you can buy cookies made by me from this recipe. While I’m waiting for the little dough balls to set in the fridge, let me tell you how much fun you can have eating awesome cookies.

Whistle Pig is a fundraiser in support of a Sudbury model democratic school in Bothell, WA, just north of Seattle. I am an enthusiastic supporter of this model of education in particular, but also of wider and more freely available options in education for young people and their families. My family made the decision to relocate to the Seattle area in part because The Clearwater School was here.

The annual festival is very fun, and is especially fun for children. There will be many musicians playing lots of different kinds of music, a talented hula hoop troupe (seriously), a really excellent food concession, and of course a bake sale. The school is located on North Creek, with a nice beach for wading and playing. So be there this Sunday, between one and six p.m. Maybe you’ll snag a cookie before all of the little hedonists get them.

You can read more about the school on its web site and blog (where I occasionally post, but not so much this year).

The complete recipe, which is in the restaurant’s cook book, comes to us via the Regis and Kelly Show’s web site. It’s made the rounds. And my test batch is pretty darned good, but the next batch will not have tortilla chips in it – they were a little too crunchy. All in all, though, pretty fantastic. Not like anything else. The teenager was coming up with all sorts of suggestions for things to put in the next ones. I took the test batch to school and the Brain Trust there helped me figure out how to refine the next batch.

The Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie
recipe by Christina Tosi
(Courtesy of Regis & Kelly’s website)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (that’s two sticks, unsalted)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp corn syrup [Note: I left this out; not because I'm against corn syrup, I just didn't have it. The cookies came out fine, though may have had a nicer sheen with the syrup.]
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps 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, portion cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheetpan. (I just used a spoon and the old eyeballs.) 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