Strawberry & Cream Cookies Forever

I ventured up to Omnivore Cookbooks in San Francisco a while ago to see Stella Parks, author of Bravetart, a fabulous baking book that remakes  iconic American treats like Oreos and Mother’s Oatmeal Cookies.  Moderating her talk was local cookbook author and blogger Irvin Lin, who coincidentally, also has a book out, Marbled, Swirled and Layered. I couldn’t resist and picked up an autographed copy of his book too.  I am such a cookbook groupie.

Think of Irvin Lin as a food artist.  He layers flavors, colors, and textures in his desserts.  Absolutely gorgeous cakes, cookies and flavors I would never think of putting together.  We are talking big WOW factor, but this also makes his recipes a little daunting. Every recipe calls for 2 different doughs or batters and multiple steps in the process.  Luckily, if these cookies are any indication, it is well worth the trouble.  The book languished on my shelf until Jamie came home, got in one of her baking moods, cracked open the book, and found this recipe for Strawberries and Cream cookies. Thank goodness she did, they are DELICIOUS.

Chewy with a crispy edge and great fruit flavor, the fam gave them the BIG thumbs up.

Use a good quality white chocolate.  Jamie used white chocolate chips that in hindsight may have caused the dough to be a bit dry and a little difficult to work with.  I had inadvertently picked up dried raspberries instead of strawberries that actually worked out great. The slight purple tinge and tartness of the raspberries worked well in the cookie both visually and in taste.  Both freeze-dried berries are available at Whole Foods and Trader Joes.

The doughs are made separately and a pinch of each dough is squished together to create the yin and yang effect.  Pretty nifty eh?  The dough for the cream cookie was a bit dry so we added a tablespoon of water which I don’t think will be necessary if you use white chocolate.  (I love El Rey white chocolate, use your favorite).

When baking WATCH the cookies like a hawk.  They turn brown very quickly.  Jamie’s cookies were slightly smaller so her baking time was closer to 12-15 minutes. Check the cookies early to determine how long you will need to bake them.

For the strawberry version, Irvin adds 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and a couple of drops of red food coloring.  Since we used raspberries we decided to forego the vinegar since raspberries have a bit of natural tartness.

This is a showstopper cookie so pull it out when you want to impress or score big cookie points..  Irvin also includes a Corn and Lime version of this cookie that I can’t wait to try.

And now…Here’s Jamie!

Hey guys, it’s Jamie!  My mom wrote this blog post for me because I took too long to write my own.  I was busy lying around watching TV (shoutout to The Americans) and playing with Sammy all day.  Whenever I come home from school, I always get the baking bug. Who wouldn’t, though? My mom has 2 of every kitchen gadget you could ever possibly want AND she has all the ingredients (major game-changer right there ppl).  Seriously people, she has 2 ice cream makers and is currently shopping for a third she just has to have.  I will say that these cookies really cured the bug. THEY ARE SO MUCH WORK.  You have to make two different cookie doughs, roll them into balls (a lot harder than it looks because the dough kept crumbling), mush them together, roll them in sugar, and finally, flatten them out onto 4 cookie sheets. LABOR INTENSIVE. I worked harder making these cookies than I did all of last semester (shout out to being a part-time student due to AP credits, lol).

They’re pretty worth it, though. Everyone loved them! Just make sure to watch them while they’re baking because you REALLY don’t want to overbake these bad boys. The recipe also made like 100 dozen cookies, so I would half it or freeze some of the dough before baking off so they don’t get stale.

This concludes the blog post. Next time y’all hear from me, I’ll be blogging about how cold it is in Minneapolis!!!!

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Strawberry Cookies Forever

Ingredients

Cream Cookie Dough

• 1-1/4 cups of butter unsalted
• 1-1/4 cup 250gm granulated sugar
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 1-3/4 cup 245gm all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup 4 ounces or 115gm white chocolate, melted
• 3/4 cup 90gm powdered milk

Strawberry Cookie Dough

• 1 cup 34 gm freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries crushed into a powder (food processor or rolling pin-the old fashioned way
• 10 T unsalted butter at room temp
• 1-1/4 cup 250gm granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1-3/4 cup 245gm all purpose flour
• Additional granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. LIne baking sheets with parchment or Silpats
• Melt white chocolate in double boiler or carefully in microwave and set aside to cool.

Cream Dough

• Cut butter into 1/2 inch pieces and place in bowl of mixer with paddle attachment.
• Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat at medium speed until mixture is lighter in color approximately 1 minute.
• Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat for another 30 seconds.
• Add the egg, beat until incorporated and then add white chocolate. Beat until incorporated.
• Add flour and milk powder and mix on low until dough forms. Do not overbeat.
• Transfer to a clean bowl.

Strawberry Dough

• Break egg into a small bowl and add crushed strawberry powder to bowl. Blend mixture, set aside.
• Cut butter into 1/2 inch pieces and place in bowl of mixer with paddle attachment.
• Add sugar and beat at medium speed until mixture is lighter in color approximately 1 minute.
• Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat for another 30 seconds.
• Add the egg and strawberry mixture and beat until incorporated about 30 seconds.
• Add flour and mix on low until dough forms. Do not overbeat.

To form cookies:

• Pinch off a chunk of each dough roughly the size of a walnut of each (35gm) and roll each into a ball. Press the two doughs together and roll into a single ball
• Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart and flatten each ball, with the palm of your hand, into a disk approximately 2 inches in diameter. Leave room a they will spread when baked.
• Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
• Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

HeY cLaIrE aNd MrS. wEdDlE!!!!