Meringue Cookies

Ok, perhaps not the prettiest meringues, but also not the least tasty.

I have been told on multiple occasions by a friend I trust that meringue cookies are some of the greatest culinary creations on the planet, as they combine the sugary goodness of pure sucrose with a pleasantly crisp texture that melts in your mouth upon hitting saliva. Combine these traits with the fact that they're actually not horrible for you (by cookie standards, anyway) since they contain mostly air and protein and you've got a recipe for a dessert that won't make you sick from overindulging.

That said, my previous experiments with meringues (which have thankfully not been documented) produced less-than-stellar (and in my opinion, less-than-edible) results, and the treats remain something that seems to stymie my culinary adventures. Many cooks have their various versions of kryptonite, be it cheesecake, soufflés, fried dishes, or edible brussels sprouts (admittedly, that last one is impossible), we all come across stubling blocks in our advancements in the kitchen. Of course, that's part of the appeal; what fun would it be if every dish came out perfect? ... Well, that'd probably be tasty, but then I would also know I'm in the wrong industry. Nonetheless, these little challenges can and must be attempted time and time again in order to produce the perfection that every chef strives for until they actually reach it.

This incarnation of my meringues actually didn't come out too poorly; my previous attempts were ruined by the fact that I generated cookies that were far too large for such a light texture and the flavor balance was off. In this attempt, I stuck to the recipe (which I heisted and adapted only slightly from The Kitchn) in hopes of finding a happy base camp from which to start in my next attempt.

Meringue Cookies
Ingredients:
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup fine white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 300F
1) Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl (ideally, the bowl of the stand mixer you will be using to whip the things into a froth) and mix them with a whisk for a few moments to get some starter bubbles going. I prefer starting out by hand as opposed to using the mixer at this point, but your mileage may vary.


2) Start beating the whites on medium speed and add in the cream of tartar. Continue mixing until something resembling sea foam starts to form.

I was actually rather proud of this image, as it was taken when the mixer was in motion. I was very surprised the beater came out clearly.

Note: The cream of tartar raises the acidity of the mixture, which helps sustain the bubbles produced. It's worth noting that other recipes similar to meringues (such as pavlova) call for vinegar instead, which has a similar effect.

3) When it reaches the "sea foam" stage, start slowly drizzling in the sugar. I used a 1/4c to scoop and then gradually poured it in; the idea is to ensure that the sugar dissolves gradually and completely, as if you dump it all in at once it can come out somewhat grainy.

Note that since the last image, the mixture has just about doubled in volume.

4) After adding the sugar, turn the mixer to high and whip away until the foam has a glossy finish. You'll know it is done when it reaches the "stiff peaks" stage, or when it will stand up on itself (see below).

The mixture should resemble very shiny whipped cream, depending on how you like your cream.

Note: The stiff peaks term refers to a common means of describing meringue structures. To determine the meringue's peak status, scoop the beater into it and pull away--a point will form on the end. Turn the beater upside-down to determine the level of the peaks: soft peaks means the foam bends to form almost a mound, medium peaks it bends but leaves a loop of air underneath, and stiff peaks means the peak remains a point (or slightly bent).

At this point, you can certainly scoop spoonfuls of the meringue onto a silicone mat (or very very well greased baking sheet--these things can stick!) using a spoon if desired. However, many recipes call for using a piping bag and making very pretty formations with the aid of a piping tip set. Now, I have neither of those, but the spoon method has never paid off for me either, so I had to get creative:

The ghetto-fabulous piping set, for cooks who don't want to spend money. I snipped off the corner to allow piping.

5) Use your newly-created piping bag to squeeze out small piles of meringue (imagery obviously very much intended, judging by my photo below). Make sure the piles don't get too large, as the bigger ones will simply crumble under their own weight during cooling.

Aww, aren't they cute? I added some mint leaves to a dozen or so simply out of curiosity.

6) Bake at 300F for approximately 2 hours; the idea is to bake all the moisture out of the cookies, as any remaining water can cause a cookie collapse during cooling.

Lessons Learned:
As an afterthought, I would recommend allowing the cookies to cool in the oven for at least an hour after baking; this will aid drying somewhat and allowing the steam inside to settle slowly (as opposed to cooling rapidly outside the oven) could help the cookies retain their structure. I haven't tested this, but I wish I had this time around, as some of the meringues still had moisture left and the ones with mint leaves collapsed a bit. That said, the mint lent an interesting flavor to the end result; I wouldn't try it again, but it was worth a shot.

A final note for the recipe: I don't think I like meringues. They tend to be a bit too sweet for my tastes, and to be honest, I like more substance from my cookies. But they're at least easy to make!

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (Experiment)

At the risk of making this appear a dessert-oriented blog, I am adding yet another incarnation of cookies to my archives. That said, I have a valid excuse this time! ... Well, an excuse. Besides, who needs to rationalize the production of cookies?

The inspiration for this experiment (the purpose of which will be explained shortly) stemmed from two major sources: The Kitchn, a delightful blog that I frequent daily, posted an article written about a column in the New York Times that claimed to have the secret to the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Now, aside from providing me a number of links to rattle off in a rapid-fire sequence to confuzzle my sparse readers, these sources pushed me to settle for my own satisfaction just what makes a great chocolate chip cookie. To summarize the experiment, the article in the Times claimed that the secret to making these cookies traverse the distance that separates "good" cookies from "better-than-sex" cookies (quotes added for dramatic effect) is the extra 24 hours of time spent chilling the dough after all the ingredients have been mixed. Upon reading this (and the subsequent rationale, which does indeed attempt to make decent sense), my patented bullshit alarm went off and demanded that I verify this claim for my own satisfaction.

For those too lazy to read the linked articles above, the recipe is rather complicated (at least as far as cookies go) and includes a variety of ingredients taht do not make common appearances in my kitchen (such as both bread and cake flours). Consequently, I made some substitutions. Now to those who have alarm bells going off after that remark, allow me to explain. The original recipe calls for a hefty helping of cake flour with an additional dose of bread flour to balance it out. Since the article doesn't explain the basis for this ratio, I'll fill in my own understanding: cake flour has less protein than other flours (e.g., bread, All-Purpose, etc.) and therefore contains less gluten, which will make for a lighter and "less-chewy" dough. Bread flour, conversely, generally contains what leading food experts refer to as a "crapload" of protein (and gluten), and thus produces the opposite effect. It can thus be assumed that the ratio of cake to bread flour called for in the recipe is carefully calculated to produce the desired texture and consistency in this cookie. However, I'm of the opinion that since the recipe is using both, substituting the All-Purpose ("AP", henceforth) flour that I currently have two 10-pound bags of in my kitchen will still produce a nice medium between the two flours. The difference in protein content should be rather negligible, and if nothing else, it's small enough that I don't want to go out and buy two bags of flour for a single experiment when I have tons of AP stuff at home. That said, those of you who feel this is an inappropriate substitution for this particular recipe can go run your own experiment and prove me wrong. My experiment (not to mention my money), my rules!

But back to the experiment itself. To explain my BS alarm mentioned previously, I don't disagree that resting the dough would produce a difference in the cookies. What I take umbrage at is the fact that if I want to make cookies, I'm not going to put things together and then wait until the following day to get my fix (a sentiment that seems to be reflected in the comments to The Kitchn's post), and I truly doubt that allowing "the flour to take time to absorb the liquid in the dough" (as is explained in the Times' article) will make any noticeable difference in texture, let alone flavor. But of course, that is the entire rationale behind this test. ... Which reminds me that I still haven't explained my experiment. I propose to make two batches of these heart-attacks-in-waiting: one batch will be made exactly as directed by the recipe (aside from the substitution described in the previous paragraph) while the other batch will simply use the same ingredients as the original recipe, thus eliminating the wait period and allowing me to get my cookie on quicker. Two doughs enter, 40-odd cookies leave, and whoever I can persuade to help me gets to be the judge.

"The perfect chocolate chip cookies"
Ingredients:
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips
Sea salt (for topping)

Procedure:
Since I'm making the same recipe twice, I'm not going to write out two different procedure sections with separate photos for each. Just trust me that the process looked the same both times.

Preheat oven to 350F.

1) Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and coarse salt in a bowl until well mixed and set aside. It should be noted that this process doesn't only mix the ingredients--it also aerates the dry ingredients, allowing for more "fluffage" of the mix. This results in a lighter cookie texture.

Yes, I used a fork instead of sifting. I hate sifting. I don't own a sifter. Fork it.

2) In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy.


3) Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing the first to fully incorporate before adding the second. Top off with the vanilla. The mixture will become creamier, in a sense.


4) Slowly incorporate the dry mix into the bowl, either by using a mixer on its lowest setting or by adding a little at a time and mixing by hand. It's important to do this slowly so that the dough doesn't develop too much gluten and become overly chewy.


5) Finally, add the chocolate chips and try to distribute them evenly throughout the dough. At this point, the dough will be frustrating and difficult to work with (by my standards, at least), and you'll probably be glad to set it aside to rest.


6) Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Note: From my experience, I'd recommend flattening the dough into a square before refrigeration. This way, upon removal from the fridge, you can easily slice it into individual cookies. Chilling it in a ball (as I show below) results in a hard block that must be attacked repeatedly in order to break it into chunks.

The labels, I trust, explain themselves.

7) After the dough has chilled, remove from the wrap and divide into balls about the size of an ice-cream scoop (with the chilled dough, the ice cream scoop itself doesn't work, as it's hard as a rock. The unchilled dough, however, scoops perfectly).

Note my highly sexy silicone baking mat. Ugly appearance, fantastic functionality.

8) Place 6 cookies on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle them with a little sea salt on top. Bake at 350F for 19-20 minutes. Note that the cookies will expand, so leave enough room for this. Remove them when they are slightly golden on top and just browning at the edges.


9) Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then move the cookies to a cooling rack to finish firming up. Place in the transport vehicle of your choice (mine shown below, violating company trademarks in the process) and consume as necessary. Makes somewhere around 20-25 cookies, depending on how exact you are.

Tell me that without the labels, you could tell which was which. I dare you.

Results:
As I mentioned before, I didn't expect any noteworthy differences in the flavor of the cookies, but did expect some differences in appearance. Since the refrigerated dough's butter had a chance to re-solidify after mixing, I expected the chilled cookies to be puffier, as they would have less time to spread in the oven. Much to my surprise, both batches came out looking virtually identical. Furthermore, they tasted the same! Texture, flavor, appearance, all identical! It would appear that my BS detector had indeed properly identified yet another pointless waste of time in the culinary world, but of course, I couldn't let myself be the only test subject. After soliciting opinions from roommate and coworkers alike, I received the following opinions:

• Can't tell the difference
• Unchilled is "buttery-er"
• Chilled is "saltier"
• You're lying; these are the same cookies
• Is this a social experiment to see who will attempt to find differences that aren't there?
• Are you sure you're not lying?
• You're a liar!

... So aside from continuing to develop my reputation as someone who cannot be trusted, it would appear that the overwhelming opinion sides with me, in this case. Now I realize that since I modified the recipe to a small extent, the whole process might be considered invalid. That said, it's valid enough for my tastes, as I simply wanted to find out if being lazy with my cookie process was really hurting my cookie flavor. Other blogs have done a much more in-depth analysis (from what I've seen, at least), but I figured this would be a fun way to prove my baking instincts correct as well as to fatten the wallets of my coworkers' doctors. As I'm currently working my way through my fifth cookie today, I can safely say that I can literally feel my arteries hardening up as I type.

Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Note: Since this recipe is basically the same as the previous glutenized incarnation, I didn't bother taking pictures. So there.

Due to the fact that my previous batch of peanut butter cookies had been a splendid success with the coworkers, I became curious about how easy it would be to convert the recipe for one of my fellow drones who could not process gluten. As it turns out, it's perfectly simple, so long as one has gluten-free flour and a modestly-priced supplement.

It should be noted that this recipe is virtually identical to its all-purpose flour brother, but if it works, why mess with success?

Recipe:

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1.5 cup brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

3 cups gluten-free flour*

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. Xanthan Gum

1 tsp. vanilla

* Although my batch was a premade mix, this can also be created by using one cup each of corn starch, tapioca flour, and rice flour

Simply follow the same steps as listed in my previous recipe and bake at 375 for 14 minutes or so. It's worth pointing out that these cookies did not come out *as* good as the originals, but that might be due to the peculiar blend of flours I had. My coworker mentioned that garbanzo flour (which made up a portion of my mix) adds something of a metallic aftertaste to baked goods, which I noted in these. This flavor came through much stronger in the raw dough, so on the bright side, you probably won't be tempted to eat all the dough before cooking!

All things considered, I might blend my own gluten-free mix next time instead of using the pre-bagged stuff, but as a proof of concept, this worked rather well indeed.

***
Update: After another recent attempt at this recipe, I've decided there are some things that could bear further modification to enhance this recipe. Two major notes: the flavor and the texture. For flavor, the cookies aren't "peanut-buttery" enough for my taste, so I'd increase the amount of peanut butter used and decrease one of the fats (probably shortening). For texture, I'm uncertain how to fix things; the gluten-free version feels grainer or crumblier than the regular variety. Perhaps using all brown sugar instead of a 3 to 1 ratio of brown to white would help.

Nanaimo Bars

Given that I apparently haven't experimented with any new creations lately, last weekend I had the urge to try something new. Something different. Something... Canadian. Yes, the same place that brought us the NHL and Celine Dion somehow managed to find the time between creating additional plagues on humanity to produce a dessert so wonderful it may almost make their previous crimes worth enduring. The slice of paradise pictured at the top of this post is by far one of the best baking experiments I have picked up, and while complicated and rather time-consuming, provides rewards that will have your palate begging--nay, demanding--that you deliver more.

Fine, so I'm indulging in a bit of hyperbole. I don't really hate Canadia (yes, I know how to spell it. But this is more fun!) and Celine Dion is not a plague so much as a punishment for some crime we can't recall. That said, I maintain that the Nanaimo bar is just as delicious as I described, although this statement is based partly on the potential I taste in the recipe. I don't consider this the best version that can be produced (indeed, next time we're going with peanut butter flavor!), but the very fact that it is so easy to tailor to a specific taste has planted this recipe firmly in my pile of "things I'll make more than once a year".

It is definitely worth noting that my idea (and the recipe for it) did not spawn from nothing; my inspiration was drawn largely from here and here. I used two references in order to determine the substitutions I could make in order to compensate for not caring enough to go out and find "European style cultured unsalted butter". While I'm sure the stuff is fantastic, I suspect I'll survive with just my run-of-the-mill Costco butter. However, from these two sources, I created my hybridized version thereof. Future attempts will include additional modifications. A lot of ingredients? Yes! Yes it is! For sanity's sake, I'd recommend breaking this recipe in three distinct segments. Thankfully, it does this for you anyway!

Nanaimo Bar Recipe (consists of three layers)
Preheat oven to 350F (only used for first layer)

Bottom:
1/2c Unsalted butter (melted)
1/3c Sugar*
1/3c Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Large egg
1.5c Cinnamon-sugar graham crackers*
1/2c Pecans (crushed)
1c Coconut (shredded)
1tsp Vanilla extract

*More observant readers will notice that I reduced the sugar from 1/2c. This is because I couldn't find your regular everyday graham crackers, and had to use the pre-sugar/cinnamoned variety. It should also be noted that my coworkers detected the note of cinnamon and deemed it a "very nice addition", however accidental it may have been.

Middle:
1/2c Unsalted butter
2tbsp + 2tsp Heavy whipping cream
2tbsp Vanilla pudding mix
2c Powdered sugar
1tsp Vanilla extract

Top:**
6 Squares bittersweet baker's chocolate
1.5tbsp Corn syrup
3oz Heavy whipping cream
1/2tsp Vanilla extract

**No, I didn't use the topping recipe from either source listed above. Instead, I took the advice of some of the recipe commenters and used a Ganache recipe from Good Eats as the topping. True to the reader's remarks, this made for a topping that wasn't so stiff that it shattered when consuming it and was overall what I felt to be a good substitution.

For the crusty base:
1) Mix the butter, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl until well combined. Use a bowl that seems far larger than necessary; you'll want the extra room.
2) Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix. Set the bowl aside.
3) In a gallon zip-top bag, crush the graham crackers and nuts (I did this by hand for fun, but those of you with food processors can use those, if you call that living).
4) Add the coconut to the bag and mix thoroughly (read: Zip up and shake!)


5) Add the contents of the bag to the bowl and mix with a spatula until combined.
6) Press the mixture into a well-greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

As seen above, my "well-greased" pan is actually lined with parchment. This made final dessert extraction significantly easier, and I highly recommend the practice.

For the custard center:
1) Cream the butter, pudding, and sugar until well-mixed and fluffy.
2) Add the cream and vanilla and continue mixing until it reaches the consistency of frosting.
3) Spread the mixture on top of the cooled bottom layer and refrigerate for at least an hour to let it set.

I had intended to take photos of the creaming process for examples, but forgot up until I started refrigerating it. But you know what frosting's texture is like, right?

For the ganache topping:
1) Simmer the syrup and cream in a medium saucepan.
2) While waiting for the mixture to reach a simmer, use a serrated knife to break up the chocolate chunks into more manageable pieces.
3) Once a simmer is reached, add the chocolate and remove from heat.
4) Stir until the chocolate is well melted and the mixture is smooth.
5) Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
6) Spread the ganache on top of the dessert.
7) Refrigerate for another hour to allow the chocolate to firm up. Note that while this step isn't necessarily required, omitting it will make for a very gooey top when cutting the bars.

Again, I forgot to take more pictures. Still, it's a simple process. Note how nicely the block came out of my pan. Thank you, parchment!

Future modifications:
As I said, this dessert turned out great and I'm hesitant to tweak with it much. ...Ok, I'm lying; it *was* great, but the "custard" center wasn't quite what I had hoped for (seeing as how it wasn't a custard at all). For my next attempt, I'll mix some peanut butter into this layer and increase the volume a bit so it makes a thicker and denser filling. The other problem was that the bottom layer turned out to be half the dessert! While it was tasty, I wanted more cream and chocolate top and less graham cracker. Consequently, I'll attempt to make more ganache and custard and reduce the amount of crust in my next try. Still, I heartily recommend trying this actual recipe out first before making your own tweaks. Seeing the final product gave me a much better idea of what I wanted to be different. Plus, more dessert is always a good idea!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Shown with chocolate chips. Although not technically necessary to peanut butter cookies, I'm not entirely sure why anyone would choose to omit them.

After the recent culmination of my brownie recipe (final draft not posted yet, as it currently resides on a hard drive without a home), I set my culinary sights onward and, in the opinion of some, upwards. Like many of my more successful attempts, this peanut butter cookie recipe is most heartily stolen from Shari's blog and modified for my own amusement. This is, of course, no slight on her original draft; I simply prefer the texture that my minor tweaks permit. On the downside, this recipe blows through brown sugar like nobody's business, so be prepared to run out in the middle of the baking process. ... Not that that happened to me. I ran out of peanut butter too.

As anyone who clicked on the link above can observe, Shari's recipe is a study in balance: equal parts shortening and butter as well as equal proportions of white and brown sugar. I never had a problem with this balance... until that fateful day.

Like anyone else, I am a creature driven by whims--perhaps more so than most, but that's not really the point--and as such, when I develop a craving for cookie with a peanut buttery core, I spring into action like a well-trained walrus rolling into the water. On this day, I splashed into my pantry only to discover that I had managed to let myself run out of sugar! (well, I had half a cup) ... Gasps are in order here, folks. Work with me!

My mind whirled as I dug through the cupboard with the desperation of an addict looking for that "one last hit". What could I possibly do without white sugar? My mind absently pondered the implications of comparing myself to an addict whilst lamenting the lack of a product termed "white sugar" when I stumbled across a hidden cache of potential culinary gold: powdered sugar (ah! The drug metaphor continues to work!)--which I decided not to mess with for the time being. However! Contained within that cheap faux-Tupperware powdered sugar compartment was a small bag of white sugar's more flavorful and complexificated cousin who is always seen lurking in big brother's shadow, all the while really carrying the weight on his own shoulders.
Emerging from the pantry with my score, I hoisted the entire bag off so we could get reacquainted. Having done cookie research prior to this situation, I knew that to a cookie, sugar was (mostly) sugar, and as such, my old-new friend would be more than happy to help me get my next fix. It is worth noting that the sugar substitution results in a "chewier" cookie, which was just fine with me. The result of my tweakage? A pile of crumbs, a newly-discovered favorite, and several extra pounds around my waistline. The recipe? Observe!

Preheat oven to 375F

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1.5 cup brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

It is worth noting that this recipe works great in a stand mixer, but can be done by hand as well.

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening together for a few minutes until you have a paste that resembles dense frosting. Add both types of sugar and continue creaming until the mixture resembles dense frosting with sand mixed in.

2. While the butter/shortening mixture is creaming, mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set this aside until step 6 below.

3. Add the peanut butter to the wet mixture and mix well, until the it is no longer readily apparent in the dough.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first completely incorporates before adding the second.

5. Top it off with the vanilla, and continue mixing until there remains no evidence of any of the individual ingredients.

If you decide to add anything (i.e., chocolate chips, nuts, etc.) to the final cookie, this is the time to do it.

6. Slowly add the dry mixture, mixing steadily to ensure that the dry ingredients incorporate properly without clumping up. Of course, this step is where the stand mixer shines; however, if working by hand, simply drop the dry stuff in about a cup to a cup and a half at a time and mix until it incorporates. After all the dry has been mixed in, you will have a very loose dough that will clump properly when compressed.


7. Scoop the dough with spoons (I like to use an ice cream scoop) into balls about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Try not to compress the dough too much in this process, as doing so can create a denser cookie. Of course, if that's what you're after, go to town.


8. Bake at 375F for about 14 minutes for a cookie portion the size of an ice cream scoop. Note that since this recipe makes a hell of a lot of small cookies, the exact time can be determined through trial and error with relatively little consequence (the "rejects" are always the best part anyway).

9. Allow the cookies to cool on a rack until they can be handled without burning your fingers. Stockpile or consume as desired!