The hubster and I spent the last month or so in New York City. We have spent quite a bit of time there over the past couple of years, but this was the first time we have been there right before the holidays. It’s, to coin a phrase, “the most wonderful time of the year,” the caveat being, “hope you like crowds.” Oh, being from California…”Baby, it’s cold outside!”
NYT Cookie Week!
I love baking cookies during the holidays. Every year, I look forward to the NYT’s Cookie Week. Anywhere from 8-12 brand-spanking-new cookie recipes, just for the holidays, from the NYT food writers. To kick off Cookie Week, they host a “meet-and-greet in the street” which includes samples of their cookies. Being in NYC, we had to go. I freely admit to being a cookbook author groupie, plus who can resist free cookies?
I love Su Li’s Orange, Pistachio and Chocolate Shortbread, Vaughn’s Chewy Brownie Cookies & his Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie; and Melissa Clark’s Vietnamese Coffee Swirl Brownies. BUT, every year, I will bake whatever cookie Eric Kim creates. His cookies can usually be made with just a bowl, spoon, and whisk. My favorites include his Gochujang Caramel Cookie, Grocery Store Cookie (a perfected Sprinkle cookie), and White Chocolate Raspberry Cookie.
His Coolest Cookie Yet
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies that mimic the ice cream flavor with the same name, sans cookie. If you like Mint Chip, you are in for a treat. A peppermint and vanilla-infused shortbread base (yes, you get that minty cooling effect in your mouth) topped with melted white chocolate (also flavored with peppermint) and shards of dark chocolate. Another winner!
Helpful Hints
The crust is made with powdered sugar, butter, and flour, and baked at a low temperature, which creates a slightly dense and delicious shortbread base. Do not overmix, and DO cut off the very crispy edges.
Use your favorite white chocolate; either bar or chips will work. Following Eric’s directions, I nuked the chocolate in 10-15 second increments until melted. Stop before it is completely melted; stirring will help finish the process. The chocolate will seize if you overdo it. I used Lindt White Chocolate and Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips; both worked well.
Spread the chocolate on top, leaving about a 1/2-inch border on all sides. You’ll be cutting the edge off anyway. In a hurry, I placed the pan in the freezer to set the white chocolate, but I think the abrupt temperature change caused the topping to separate from the cookie base. The second time I made them, I left the pan at room temperature for about 30 minutes, added the chocolate shards, and then put it in the fridge to finish setting.
Pick a dark chocolate for the shards; TJ makes a nice dark chocolate that comes in small bars. Shave off the chocolate with a sharp knife.
Check out my IG reel on making these cookies!
Holiday Lights
Click for NYC Holiday Postcard!
The first days were spent adjusting to the cold (Cali-wimp) and taking in 5th Avenue. We marveled at the windows of YSL, Bergdorf, and Chanel. We stood in front of Saks Fifth Avenue, taking in their holiday music and light show, and sipping Hot Chocolate. The street is crowded but manageable; in the next few weeks, the crowds on 5th Avenue grew exponentially.
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
COOKIE BASE
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 grams) at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 1½ cups powdered sugar (180 grams)
- 1 large egg white at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (130 grams)
Topping
- 1 ounce bittersweet dark chocolate
- 4 ounces white chocolate 113 grams
- ½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 drops blue food coloring not gel
- 1 drop yellow food coloring not gel
Instructions
Prepare the cookie base:
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper so there’s overhang on two sides.
- In a medium bowl, using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, cream together the butter and the powdered sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg white, peppermint and vanilla extracts, and salt until smooth.
- Use the spatula or spoon to stir in the flour until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spread the dough as evenly as you can across the prepared pan. Best to use an offset spatula. Bake, rotating halfway through, until lightly golden on top with golden-brown edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Take care not to overbake. Let the cookie cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour. (It will harden as it cools.)
Prepare the topping:
- Using a sharp knife, finely chop the dark chocolate into thin chips, like wood shavings. Heat the white chocolate in 15-second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Stir in the olive oil, peppermint extract, and food colorings. You should have a minty blue-green color. Using a small offset spatula, spread this evenly across the top of the cooled cookie, leaving a ½-inch border. (You’ll slice them off later.)
- Top the cookie with the dark chocolate chips while the white chocolate is still wet. (Alternatively, you can grate the chocolate over using the largest holes of a box grater.) Refrigerate or freeze (NB I would not do this, see post) until the white chocolate is just set. (Cookies should not be super hard before cutting.)
- Remove the cookie from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Slice off the four naked edges to discard or to snack on. Cut the remainder into long, irregular shapes, starting at the corners. These cookies keep fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
