cookie week Archives

Lemon-Turmeric Crinkle Cookies-Eric Does It Again

By threejamigos | December 14, 2024 | Comments 5 comments

After I recover from the Thanksgiving turkey-stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie extravaganza, I crank up the Christmas music, which I play until New Year’s Day (yes, I am that obnoxious person who LOVES Christmas music). I watch The Holiday, in place of Santa Clause (the kids are all grown up now), and patiently wait for…

COOKIE WEEK

Yep, a week’s worth of holiday cookies created by NYTcooking culinary stars like Melissa Clark, Sue Li, Yewande Komolafe, Claire Saffitz, Sue Li, Sohla El-Waylly, and my two favorites, Vaughn Vreeland and Eric Kim. I peruse the cookies quickly and note which ones I want to try. Top of the list is usually Eric’s holiday cookie. For a guy who did not start as a baker, he has a knack for creating the perfect holiday cookie every year. My favorites, which I have rave about all the time include:

Eric’s Grocery Store Cookie – The supermarket, sprinkle-laden, tooth-achingly sweet Lofthouse Cookie revamped. Imagine a tender, buttery, not-too-sweet cookie slathered with a buttercream frosting flavored with freeze-dried berries and sprinkles. The LOFTIER version of that supermarket cookie.

See that bad boi with the hot pink frosting? Yep, Eric’s Grocery Store Cookie

Gochujang Caramel Cookies – A crisp-edged, chewy-center sugar cookie swirled with sweet & spicy Gochujang (a Korean staple). So damn good.

Matcha Latte Cookie – Make a matcha latte, snap your fingers like Mary Poppins, and turn it into a cookie, that’s this delightful bite. The milk-based frosting is icing on the proverbial cookie, amazing.

And this year, he does it again with his

Lemon-Tumeric Crinkle Cookies

Are you scratching your head? Thinking what? The combination of lemon and turmeric works so well. Eric describes it as “it tastes kinda like Fruit Loops” and I would agree. The turmeric adds a floral twist to the lemon. It also adds a vibrant rosy orange hue to the cookie which is simply gorgeous. It is such a pretty cookie with the rosy orange cookie peeking out from under the coat of powdered sugar characteristic of crinkle cookies. Makes me happy.

Let’s Get to the Good Part: The Cookie

Ok, this is a cakey cookie. After letting the cookies cool on a rack, I took my first bite…yep, cakey cookie. In full transparency…not my favorite kind of cookie, give me a good shortbread cookie and I am a happy camper. But I brought the cookies to a holiday party and they were GOBBLED up. Folks loved the cookie’s festive color and nuanced flavor.

Meanwhile, a few days later, I grabbed one of the cookies to go with a cuppa tea and immediately remarked to the hubs, “This cookie is better today than the first day”. The cookies were less cakey, moister, and still very flavorful. The texture was much more to my liking. So, note to self. Make these cookies and squirrel away a couple to munch on a few days later. Genius.

Pro Tip for Eric’s Cookies

Optimally, make these cookies by hand. I’ve learned that my Kitchen Aide stand mixer can be a detriment. It’s much too easy to overbeat cookies and cakes when using one. At the same time, hand-whisking for one minute, isn’t all that easy, lol. SOLUTION: If you don’t want to mix by hand, get a hand mixer! I did, it’s a Christmas present from my kids and hubby (although they don’t know yet, shhh). Make sure to bring the cream cheese to room temp, much easier to beat by hand.

Turmeric

If you aren’t familiar with turmeric, it is a spice in the ginger family. It is widely used and can be found at most grocery stores, especially in Indian and Middle Eastern stores. Bonus, we are looking at a win-win, turmeric is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. It may help with arthritis and other joint disorders, colitis, allergies, and infections. So this is guilt-free cookie consumption if you ask me.

Word of warning, the downside of turmeric’s brilliant color is that it stains. Avoid getting it on your clothes or counters!

If you have NYTCooking, a video of Eric making these cookies is on their site on YouTube.

Instead of butter, the cookie is made with cream cheese and olive oil. I love the use of olive oil in baked goods which is saying a lot, I am a BUTTERvangelical, lol. I made the dough and refrigerated it overnight. It was still fairly soft and easy to scoop. Use a #40 or #50 scoop to portion out the dough. Roll dough balls in powdered sugar, you want a generous coat of sugar on each one. During the bake, start checking the cookies at 12 minutes, especially if using a #50 scoop (less dough). Allow cookies to cool on a rack, store in an airtight container, and place wax paper in between each layer of cookies.

If you are looking for something different but delicious, include the Lemon-Turmeric Crinkle Cookies on your holiday cookie list.

5 from 1 vote

Lemon-Turmeric Crinkle Cookie

Another winner from Eric Kim for this year's Cookie Week from NYTCooking. Lemon-Turmeric Crinkle Cookie. Made with cream cheese abd olive oil, spiced with turmeric and lemon, it's tender, cakey and delicious.

Course cookies, Dessert

Cuisine Asian-American

Keyword cookie week, cookies, ERic KIm, holiday baking, holiday cookies, lemon-turmeric crinkle cookie, NYT Cooking

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Ingredients

Creamed Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams
2 tablespoons lemon zest from about 2 lemons
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or fine salt

Dry Ingredient

1½ cups all-purpose flour 192 grams

Coating

¾ cup powdered sugar 92 grams

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together oil and turmeric until combined. Let sit for about 30 seconds to let turmeric dissolve. Add sugar, lemon zest, cream cheese, egg and vanilla. Vigorously whisk to combine and aerate the mixture, about 1 minute.
Whisk in baking soda and salt. Add flour, then switch to a rubber spatula and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate dough until hard enough to scoop, about 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Using a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop (or two spoons) and working one at a time, scoop out 1½-inch/29-gram rounds and coat them in powdered sugar. Place them a couple of inches apart on the baking sheets and bake until crinkled and no longer wet-looking on top, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely on the pan before eating.

Notes

To make ahead, prepare cookies then scoop out 1½-tablespoon rounds and set them in a single layer in a resealable container. Freeze the dough, covered, for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, coat frozen dough balls in powdered sugar and bake, adding 1 to 2 minutes as needed.
I prefer weights when baking but without a scale, I would use the scoop and sweep method. Don't pack down your flour.

Chewy Brownie Cookies CTT-Cookie Testing Time

By threejamigos | December 2, 2024 | Comments 0 Comment

The weather has taken a definite turn so I am pivoting from stress cooking to cookie baking. It’s windy, cold, and wet, it’s time to crank up the oven and test a few cookie recipes. Which new cookie will reign supreme and star in this year’s holiday cookie box? I usually don’t start this early, generally opting to wait for NYTcooking to publish their holiday cookie spread, but a couple of recipes caught my eye, a Chewy Brownie Cookie and a Soy Sauce Chocolate Chip Cookie. I thought to myself, I might as well start now.

Let the Cookie Games Begin

The first one that caught my eye is from New York Times Cooking, Vaughan Vreeland’s Chewy Brownie Cookies. Before I sing the praises of this cookie, have you all watched any of Vaughan’s videos? They’re not only instructive but entertaining and downright hilarious. Check out his wedding cake video, a classic.

The Cookie Lowdown

The cookie batter comes together quickly and is baked right after it is made to achieve the shiny tops. It’s best to have everything ready before you start combining and mixing the ingredients. Mise en place pays here.

Measure and pour flour into a small bowl. Set aside.

Chocolate: Use your favorite chocolate. I like Guittard’s Semi-sweet chocolate. For serious chocolate folks, bittersweet would give a more intense, less sweet cookie.

Cocoa Powder: I don’t think it matters what cocoa powder dutch-processed or natural will work. King Arthur’s Triple Cocoa Powder combines Dutch-process, natural, and black cocoa and can be used in recipes that call for either. My default.

Espresso Powder:

For the first batch, I used King Arthur’s espresso powder and you could taste the coffee. I used Medaglia d’Oro for a second batch and could not taste any coffee. Although the intent is for the espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor, I liked the flavor the King Arthur espresso powder added to the cookie.

Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate, espresso, and cocoa powder into the saucepan. Let it sit a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate then stir until smooth.

Eggs: Bring the eggs to room temperature to maximize the air bubbles. There aren’t any leavening agents so it’s the eggs that provide lift. Whisk the eggs and sugars together, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat for 3-5 minutes until light and ribbony. Whisk in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the chocolate mixture. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat until well blended. Add flour and mix until only a few streaks of flour are showing. Finish folding the flour into the batter by hand to avoid over beating.

Working quickly, plop batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using a #40 scoop. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees. At the 8-minute mark take the sheet out and rap on the counter to create the crackle pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle flaky salt, like Maldon, on each cookie and return the sheet to the oven for an additional 2- 3 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

With crisp edges, a gooey center, and chocolate flavor throughout, this Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookie is a winner and so deserves a spot on the holiday cookie list. 🎄🎄🎄

Chewy Brownie Cookies

Chewy Brownie CookiesBy Vaughn Vreeland, NYTCooking

Course cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword chewy, chocolate brownies, chocolate cookies, NYTcooking

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Ingredients

Chocolate MIxture

¾ cup finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (113 grams)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (42 grams)
1 teaspoon espresso powder
½ cup unsalted butter (113 grams)

Whisked Mixture

2 large eggs at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
½ cup packed dark brown sugar (107 grams)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

¾ cup all-purpose flour (90 grams)
Flaky sea salt for finishing

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt butter in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbly but not browned, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and add chopped chocolate, cocoa powder and espresso over the chocolate mixture. Without stirring, let the mixture sit so the residual heat can melt the chocolate thoroughly while you whip the eggs and sugar. Stir and set aside.
Put the eggs, both sugars and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (If using a hand mixer, a large bowl will do.) Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture is pillowy and the sugars have begun to dissolve, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir the chocolate mixture until glossy and smooth. (If any solid pieces of chocolate remain, you can microwave the mixture in 10-second bursts until everything is melted.)
With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla extract and then the chocolate mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed, then add the flour and mix on low speed until only a few streaks of flour remain. To avoid overmixing, use a spatula to finish folding in the flour. The dough should be glossy and resemble a very thick brownie batter.
Using a 2-tablespoon/1-ounce scoop, scoop a heaping amount of the dough into mounds directly onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, with each portion at least 2 inches apart, yielding about 18 cookies. Work quickly to ensure the cookies stay shiny once baked.
Bake for 8 minutes until the cookies have started to spread and take on a shiny outer surface, then remove the pans from the oven and whack them on the countertop a couple times to create a cragged top. (This also helps create a fudgier consistency.) Top with flaky sea salt and return to the oven to finish baking, for another 2 minutes until shiny and slightly puffed. Cool for a couple minutes directly on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.