9 minute read
Beloved cookie recipes
Five ardent cookie makers share the fusion of family and flavours that leads to unforgettable treats
By Colleen Thompson
Photography by Steve Smith/VisionFire
Head down, lost in their imaginations, a wooden spoon and a beat-up bowl in hand, ready for the magic to be made — that’s where the journey starts for many bakers. The humble cookie is often the path to more elaborate pâtissiere, chibousts, macarons, and mignardises. But cookies remain the unfailing, unsung hero of pastry and a tried-and-true treat for chefs and home bakers. We asked a chef, two bakers, a chocolatier, and a pâtissier to share their most beloved cookie recipes.
Laura’s PB &J Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches
Laura MacLeod, cookbook author, baker extraordinaire, and owner of Foraging for Carbs, Halifax, N.S.
“My love of peanut butter and jelly borders on obsessive,” she says. “My grandfather had the same affliction. It is rumoured he ate one daily for lunch during his long career at the shipyard. It is my comfort food. It is my ‘If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one meal for the rest of your life’ food. So, it only seemed right to come up with a sandwich cookie that paid homage to this magnificent flavour combination.”
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, soft
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 mL) light brown sugar
2 eggs (large)
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla essence
2 tbsp (30 mL) honey
3¼ cups (810 mL) all-purpose flour
3 cups (750 mL) quick oats
1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
1½ tsp (7.5 mL) baking soda
½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line a cookie tray with parchment paper. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together, then set aside. Add butter and both sugars to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Switch the mixer speed to low and add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and honey. Scrape the bowl to make sure the butter is all mixed in. Add the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Add the oats and mix until just combined.
Using the ice cream/portion scoop, tray up 22 cookies (cookies should be 2 inches (5 cm) apart, do in batches). Flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to the cooling rack to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
½ cup (125 mL)unsalted butter, soft
½ cup (125 mL) smooth peanut butter
2½ cups (375 mL) icing sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
Pinch fine kosher salt
strawberry jam
Cream butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Add icing sugar and mix until smooth, with no lumps (add more icing sugar if needed).
Fill pastry bag with the icing. Using your piping bag, and working in a circular motion, do a spiral of buttercream on half of the cookies. Spoon a layer of jam on top of the buttercream. Top with second cookie on and have the most amazing PB&J ever!
Shani’s Snickerdoodles
Yield: makes 24 cookies
Shani Beadle, interior designer, baker, and owner of Main & Mersey, Liverpool, N.S.
“I was introduced to these cookies as a kid, and when the little cookie shop closed in our mall, I never forgot about them. When my daughter was born, I wanted to find a recipe, which I did, but then I had to tweak it a bit to make it right,” says Shani.
2¾ cups (650 mL) all-purpose flour
½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (125 mL) shortening
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
1¾ cups (425mL) sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) cream of tartar
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
2 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 400F (205C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, shortening, and 1½ cups (375 mL) sugar. Beat thoroughly with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs and beat until creamy and well combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined. In a small bowl, stir the remaining ¼ cup (65 mL) of sugar with the cinnamon.
Shape the dough into 1½-inch balls (1 tablespoon/15 mL per ball) and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange the balls approximately 2 inches (5 cm) apart on baking sheets. Bake two sheets at a time until the edges of the cookies are set but the centres are still soft (they will not brown), eight to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Transfer the sheets to wire racks to cool for five minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Seadon’s Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Seadon Shouse, executive chef and cookbook author of the recently released “From the Hill by the Sea.”
Chef Seadon’s upbringing in Eagle Head, N.S. inspires his recipes. While he spends most of his time in Hoboken, N.J., at Halifax Restaurant, these cookies remind him of home and family. “I have been making this chocolate chip cookie recipe for years, and since my wife loves cherries, I once added cherries for her,” he says. “Now this is a staple in my household. I usually make a large batch and freeze the dough to easily make it whenever a craving occurs.”
4 cups (1000 mL) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp (7.5 mL) salt
1½ tsp (7.5 mL) baking soda
1½ cups (375 mL) softened butter, room temperature
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
¾ cup (177 ml) light brown sugar
2 eggs, large
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract or paste
2 cups (500 mL) bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chunks
1½ cups (375 mL) dried cherries, chopped
Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Sift flour, salt, and baking soda in a clean, dry bowl. Using a stand mixer, add the butter and sugars to the bowl and whip with the paddle attachment for two-three minutes until it looks creamy and smooth. While running on medium-low, add the vanilla and one egg at a time. Whip until completely incorporated.
Add the sifted dry ingredients, the chocolate, and the cherries and mix until just combined. Roll or scoop to the desired size and bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes. Cool on a wire baking rack and enjoy!
Kimberly’s Pumpkin, Spice & Pecan Cookies
Kimberly Davis, cookie artist and owner of At Your Service Creations, Charlottetown, P.E.I.
“Raising small children, I always looked for ways to incorporate vegetable fibre and nutrients into their diet. And now that my children are older, they still love the warm flavours of pumpkin, spice, and nuts combined with cranberry tang. I fondly remember my daughter, who was too little to stand beside me then. She would sit on the counter next to the bowl and mix while I added the ingredients. They are often requested in the bakery because of the chewy texture and warm spices. The versatile recipe can be made vegan by switching the butter for vegetable oil,” says Kimberly.
¼ cup (75 mL) toasted pecans
½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
¼ cup (75 mL) packed brown sugar
½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
6 tbsp (125 mL) pumpkin puree
1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) baking powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) baking soda
1½ tsp (7.5 mL) ground cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) pumpkin spice
¼ cup (75 mL) dried cranberries
Place pecans on a pan and bake at 350F (177C) until slightly browned and fragrant. Coarsely chop. Blot the pumpkin on a paper towel to remove extra moisture for a chewier cookie before adding to the recipe. Whisk butter and sugars, add vanilla and pumpkin, and continue whisking until smooth.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together, then add to wet ingredients, mix until well incorporated, and add the toasted chopped pecans and dried cranberries. Refrigerate for half an hour.
Preheat oven to 350F (177 C). Scoop cookies approximately two tablespoons (30 mL) in size, roll them into balls and slightly flatten them on a prepared sheet, and top with a few more pecans.
Bake for 10-12 min until lightly brown on the edges. These cookies taste best when thoroughly cooled, so be patient.
Rousseau’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Nathalie Morin and Julien Rousseau, co-owners Rousseau Chocolatier, Halifax, N.S.
Chocolate aficionados also need delicious cookies and not necessarily chocolate ones. “This was my grandmother’s recipe and would be served on a beautiful China platter every time we visited,” says Nathalie. “It reminds me of family gatherings, playing with cousins, and fond childhood memories. We live far away from everyone now, but Julien and I continue the tradition by making these with our children and sharing our memories with them.
½ cup (125 mL) butter
½ cup (125 mL) shortening
1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar
½ cup (125 mL) white sugar
2 eggs, large
2 cups (500 mL) rolled oats
¾ cup (177 mL) unsweetened coconut
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ tsp (2.5 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
½ cup (125 mL) raisins or substitute with premium chocolate chips
½ cup (125 mL) wheat germ
1½ cups (375 mL) flour
Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar. Use an electric mixer to cream the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix the rolled oats, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, salt (if desired), and vanilla in a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the raisins or chocolate chips and wheat germ until evenly distributed.
Slowly mix the flour, about 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) at a time, until the dough becomes cohesive. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about two inches (five cm) apart. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
