Oatmeal, Milk Chocolate, Raisin Cookies.

I wasn't expecting anything too special from the oatmeal cookie recipe in The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle. Lately I've been dissapointed by many cookie recipes.

This recipe was fantastic. I love a cookie that's pretty crispy on the edges, but not hard all the way through. These cookies have great texture: not too full of oatmeal, not too chewy from brown sugar.

The book also suggests using dark chocolate and dried cherries or pears rather than milk chocolate and raisins. I thought the original flavor combination was interesting, but the milk chocolate I used didn't have enough flavor. I think this recipe would be great with nuts, chocolate chips, or any sort of add-ins. I'd definitely make it again.

Oatmeal Cookies with Golden Raisins and Milk Chocolate Chips
adapted from The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
16 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg white, at room temp
3 cups raw oatmeal
8 oz milk chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silicone.

In a dry bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and oats.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar, and beat on med-high speed until fluffy and light in color, approximately 5 minutes. Add the dark brown sugar and continue creaming for 3-4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Add the eggs and white, one at a time, and continue to beat until they are fully incorporated and the batter looks smooth and glossy, 1-2 mins.

Add the dry mixture, all at once, to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold together for a few turns. With the mixer on slow speed, mix the dough until combined. Add the chopped milk chocolate and raisins. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds. The dough can be made up to this point and refrigerated for 3 days.

Using 2 teaspoons, scoop the dough into mounds and place 2 inches apart on your cookie sheets. Flatten each mound with the back of a spoon or two fingertips (*I didn't flatten them and they still turned out well.) Bake until the cookies spread and rise, 12-15 minutes until a light golden brown. If you continue to bake the cookies they will color more and result in a crunchy, caramelized cookie.

Ginger Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

When a batch of cookies goes awry, sometimes it's the recipe's fault. Other times, it's your fault. Well- at least your equipment's fault.

Once, I took a batch of these gingersnaps to my friend's office the same day one of his coworkers did. Even though we used the same recipe, our cookies looked and tasted nothing alike. It was clear we approached things very differently; he mentioned spending time in Whole Foods searching for "packed brown sugar."

There are so many variables involved in cookie baking: technique, baking time, temperature, equipment, ingredients, cooling methods...to understand them, you must bake lots of cookies.

I made a big bowl of Ginger Oatmeal Raisin Cookie dough and experimented with each dozen I baked. I baked some batches for 10 minutes, and others for 12-16. I used different types of cookie sheets. I left some cookies on the sheet to cool and moved others to racks individually. I flattened the cookies to different thicknesses. I put little squares of candied ginger on some and left others plain. I fiddled with the oven temperature and oven rack position.

Eventually, I found my favorite combination: one inch balls of dough, flattened and garnished with ginger, baked on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan in the upper middle rack of my oven for 10 minutes at 325 F and an extra 2-3 minutes at 330 F, and cooled completely on the cookie sheet.

There's no guarantee this method will work for you. You probably have a different oven, different cookie sheets, different weather, and a different taste in cookies. I like mine crunchy at the edges, chewy in the middle, nicely golden, and well spiced.

I like this recipe. The cayenne pepper and ginger add a nice bite to an otherwise traditional, satisfying oatmeal raisin cookie.

Ginger Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
adapted from Pichet Ong's The Sweet Spot
1 1/2 cups (223g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes and chilled
2/3 cup (114g) packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (114g) sugar
2 tbsp candied ginger, finely chopped, plus more for garnish if desired
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 large eggs
1 tbsp whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (170g) old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups (170g) raisins, preferably golden

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.

2. Put the butter, both sugars, the ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne, into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time, then add the milk and vanilla. As soon as the liquids are incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

3. Turn the mixer speed to low and add half the flour mixture. When it is incorporated, add the remaining flour and mix until no traces of flour remain. Stir in the oats and raisins. If you have time, cover the dough and let chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days, before baking.

4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Scoop the cookie dough into 1 inch balls and put 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Use your palm to slightly flatten each ball, then sprinkle the tops with chopped candied ginger, if desired.

6. Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes*. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*I pulled one batch of cookies at exactly 10 minutes and they were way under-baked. My baking time also varied depending on the type of cookie sheet I used. Wait until the cookies are no longer wet/shiny on top. They should be just golden at the edges. Bake them longer for a crispier cookie.

Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

Several people have asked for this recipe since I posted the photos in November, so I figured it was time to post it. It yields a thin, very crisp cookie that's good for snacking. Since the dough is heavy on sugar, it's important to wait until the cookies are fully cooled before eating them (unless you're a fan of that tough, stick-to-your teeth texture).

While the sea salt topping is optional, I think it's a great contrast to the sweet cookies. My cookies spread to 3.5-4 inches in diameter (too large for my tastes), so next time i'd divide the dough into smaller portions. I think smaller, uniformly shaped cookies would bake more evenly.

Do avoid overbaking the cookies- they quickly change from perfect to burnt. Golden brown and dark brown cookies have a marked difference in taste. I forgot a batch in the oven and when I finally pulled them out they were carbon...happens to the best of us!

Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from Cook's Illustrated
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, about 65 degrees
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

2. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium-low speed until just combined. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl again. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and smooth, 10 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oats and mix until well incorporated, 20 seconds. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons, then roll between palms into balls. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart, 8 dough balls per sheet. Using fingertips, gently press each dough ball to 3/4-inch thickness. Lightly sprinkle sea salt evenly over flattened dough balls before baking.

4. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are deep golden brown, 13 to 16 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely on sheet.

Kumquat Poundcakes, Revel Bars and More!

Kumquat Poundcake from Hidemi Sugino's Dessert Book.


Oatmeal cookie type bar with thick chocolate ganache in the middle.




Chocolate covered Ice Cream! Lemon/soft gingersnap, green tea, panforte, and turron.




Kumquat Compote in process.


Apple and almond pudding from Bill's Open Kitchen.


Orange and Buckwheat Crepes filled with nutella and oranges.


Pierre Herme's Lemon Tart.

Oat Crisps.

I'm not a huge fan of those placemats, but I suppose oatmeal cookies feel very all-american.

Anyway, Emily Luchetti has fantastic cookie recipes. The more I make them, the more I think we have the exact same taste in cookies. She really has a knack for texture. These oat crisps were wonderfully crispy and delicate. Emily Luchetti seems to appreciate crunch as much as I do.

This recipe came from Classic Stars Desserts. She serves them with creme fraiche and blueberries for desserts and with yogurt for breakfasts. They're simple, fast, and really delicious.

Oat Crisps
adapted from Classic Stars Desserts
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp dark corn syrup
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and corn syrup and stir until blended. Stir in the oats, mixing well.
To form the crisps, drop the oat mixture, one tbsp per cookie, onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2.5 inches apart. Bake, rotating the sheets at the midway point, until golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Then, using a metal spatula, transfer the crisps to a large flat plate to cool.

Ranger Cookies

Emily Luchetti never lets me down. When I crack open A Passion for Ice Cream it's usually to make cookies. I'm particularly fond of the pistacio and cocoa nib florentines, as well as the walnut cookies, oat crisps, and brandy snaps. The recipes are simple, straightforward, and consistent. I always get perfect results.

I love eating these. They have all the best qualities of chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, with a few twists. They're crispy and full of brown sugar flavor without that toothsome over-sugared texture. I used chopped premium organic flaked coconut that I bought from the East End Food Co-op. I liked the bigger pieces, and i'd suggest trying to find the big flakes of unsweetened coconut rather than the fine stuff.

In the book, these ranger cookies are sandwiched with peanut butter ice cream. I prefer them plain with milk or coffee. I'm really looking forward to trying the recipe again with cashews!

Ranger Cookies
adapted from Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream

4oz/8tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup (2 oz) unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I used walnuts, and I think cashews would be amazing)
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup chocolate chips

To make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the granulated and brown sugars until smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract and the egg. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Stir in the coconut, peanuts, oats, and chocolate chips.

Using about 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls for each cookie, place mounds of the cookie dough 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool to room temperature before removing them from the pans with a spatula.

Yields 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on size.

Oatmeal Coconut Raspberry Bars

Here's the recipe.

Today has been happy, and these seemed like a happy bar cookie to me when I noticed the link at the traveler's lunchbox.

Also, I've been offered an internship with Miette!