Heath Bar Crunch Shortbread Cookies

My friend Mike, who is British, asked me to develop a product that represented him to give away during his student office campaign.  What is easy to make, delicious, and oh so-save-the-queen-william-and-kate British?

Shortbread, my lady!

To find the most delicious and buttery shortbread recipe, I looked no further than my personal, culinary bible: Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home.

From www.amazon.com





I love cookie dough, but preferably in chocolate-chip or peanut butter form... but this cookie dough is to die for.  A good sign that your future cookie will be delectable: the dough is delectable.  These cookies melt in your mouth and will make you feel like you are at a tea party with the queen... even if you are simply in your dorm room on a Monday night.

Heath Bar Crunch Shortbread Cookies

adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

•   1.75 sticks unsalted butter
•   0.5 cup granulated sugar + extra to sprinkle over cookies
•   1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
•   2 cups AP flour
•   1 Heath Bar crumbled into little pieces

1.  Mix butter and sugar for 3 minutes until creamy and fluffy with an electric mixer or dough paddle
2. Add vanilla paste and add flour in 1/2 cup increments, beating in between until a uniform dough has formed
3. Add the Heath Bar bits and fold into the dough with a spatula
4. Place the dough between parchment paper, rolling up the ends, and flatten four sides so you form a long rectangular brick of dough
5. Wrap the dough brick and refrigerate for 3-12 hours
6. After the dough has chilled slice the brick horizontally, forming about 20 rectangular cookies (ala slice'n'bake cookies before they sliced them for you)
7. Preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
8. Bake cookies for 11-14 minutes

  



Hurricane Cookies

Pretzel M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

It is my first weekend of freshman year and national panic has ensued over the approaching Hurricane Irene.  Rain is gushing from a gray Ithaca sky, leaving me stranded in my dorm room.  Although there is a pile of textbooks glaring at me, the only pages I can seem to turn are those of my cookbooks.

It is not as lonely as it seems though, as I am deserted in a building with 40 people I have just met, simply been introduced to.  It is a strange concept living with people you have never met before, it is hard enough living with those you do know.  However, making friends becomes that much easier when you have a plate of cookies.  This is not my incentive to bake and cook, but what’s wrong with making people happy? Is it 100% altruistic? Does it have to be?

Cookie dough is the best part. It looks rather cyclonic, no?

These are called hurricane cookies because there are all types of “debris” in them: pulverized pretzel M+Ms, smooth chocolate chips, chewy oats… I couldn’t just make a classic chocolate chip cookie!  This introductory batch called for something special and inspired by the day.  Luckily the hurricane was a tropical storm, or else these cookies could be viewed as politically incorrect.  But you can’t take baking too seriously, what fun would that be?

Pretzel M+M Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Yields 24 cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Cost: $$$$$

·      ¾ cup unsalted butter (1.5 sticks)

·      1 ¾ cups quick cooking oats

·      1 ¼ cup flour

·      1/3 cup sugar

·      1/3 cup dark brown sugar

·      1/3 cup light brown sugar

·      1/4 cup cream cheese (room temperature)

·      1 egg (room temperature)

·      ½ teaspoon salt

·      1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

·      3 small 1.1 oz. bags of Pretzel M+Ms

·      ½ cup chocolate chips

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a cookie sheet or use parchment paper depending on your personal preference.

2.    Pulverize the pretzel M+Ms until they are in pieces but still maintain their colorful shells (you do not want to create M+M dust). Set aside in a bowl

3.    In a saucepan heat the butter until it has browned, stirring it constantly over medium-high heat and gives off a toasty aroma.

4.    Whisk together in a large bowl: cream cheese, egg, and sugars until mixture contains a unified, smooth consistency.

5.    Mix flour, oats, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl.

6.    Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine until completely combines.

7.    Add the crushed Pretzel M+Ms and chocolate chips. Do not over mix!

8.    Use a small melon scooper to measure out 24 uniform dough balls.  Arrange on baking sheets and bake for approximately 12 minutes.