compost cookies

I'm totally aware that anything I say here will be completely ignored because of the insanely delicious photo above. But, if you can peel your eyes away from that goodness, let me just say that I'm so happy to have Jen from Milk and Honey in this space today. Not only is Jen a super talented cook, baker, and photographer, she's also just a gem of a person. Oh, and did I mention she's coming to you all the way from Australia? Oh, you want me to stop talking now so you can focus on cookies? Fine...

I’m stoked that Marie has asked me to guest post on her fabulous blog. When she kindly invited me, I immediately started to think about what I might cook for you.  My mind raced from something virtuous like a light salad or something elegant like a pastry treat. But my evil twin took over and found these Compost Cookies in Gourmet Traveller and MADE ME DO IT. 

Call them Compost Cookies, or Kitchen Sink Cookies, or Everything Goes Cookies, or Fairground Cookies, or What Dreams Are Made of Cookies, or I-Just-Worked-Out,-Don’t look-At-Me-Like-That Cookies, or I’m-Having-A-Bad-Day-And-I-NEED-A-Cookie Cookies. But, seeing as how they have oats and coffee in them, I actually like to call them Breakfast Cookies… *wink*.

Thanks Marie, for the chance to show-off in your blog-space and for the excuse to make these over-the-top cookies.

Compost Cookies (from Gourmet Traveller)

yields 20 cookies

225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

200g (1 cup) caster sugar (super fine sugar)

150g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar

50g (1/4 cup) liquid glucose

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

225g (1 cup) bread flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

150g (3/4 cup) mini chocolate chips

100g (1/2 cup) mini butterscotch chips

40g (1/4 cup) rolled oats

2½ teaspoons ground coffee

50g (1/4 cup) each potato chips and mini pretzels

Graham crust

80g (2/3 cup) crushed digestive biscuits (Graham cracker crumbs)

10g (5 teaspoons) milk powder

15g (2 tablespoons) caster sugar (super fine sugar)

15g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted

30ml (1 oz.) cream

For the graham crust, toss cracker crumbs, milk powder, sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt with your hands in a bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients. Whisk butter and cream in a small bowl to combine, add to dry ingredients, toss until small clusters form and set aside.

Beat butter, sugars and liquid glucose in an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, scrape down sides of bowl, add egg and vanilla and beat until very pale and fluffy (7-8 minutes). Reduce speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute (don’t overmix). Mixing on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, Graham crust, oats and coffee and mix just until incorporated (30 seconds). Add chips and pretzels and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or break too many of the pretzels or potato crisps. Don’t, whatever you do, at this stage, taste any of the batter. Because if you do, and happened to get a potato chip and a chocolate chip in the same sample batch, you will end up eating cookie dough for lunch (not that I know anything about that.)

Scoop portions of cookie dough with an ice-cream scoop onto trays lined with baking paper. Pat tops of cookie dough domes flat. Top each cookie with a piece of pretzel and chip and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to a week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature – they will not bake properly.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Arrange the portions of chilled dough on oven trays lined with baking paper and bake until faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center (18 minutes). The cookies will puff, crackle and spread. Cool completely on trays. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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