Blueberries and Cream Cookie and Ponderings

Ok, so it's been awhile since I've posted....I am really taking my summer off seriously. A vacation from everything? Including my lil blog?....apparently so. Don't worry, back to work on Monday and School after labor day and back to blogging.

So I get the new Bon Appetit magazine this month. I see that some of the most popular recipes from Momofuku Milk Bar are being included. I can't rip through the mag fast enough....is it in here?...really?....drat no. I was looking for the coveted Compost Cookies everyone tries to copycat but what I did find is Christina Tosi's of Milk Bar popular Blueberry and Cream Cookies. I am open to a fruit cookie now and then...it helps balance out all the chocolate ones I seem to make most often.

I'd also seen this recipe from on my 'cookie of the day' email from Martha Stewart and had contemplated it (K-man loves blueberries!). But here is the pondering...

Are you like me and when you see a recipe that has a lot of steps... OR seems too complicated OR takes too long (overnight) - you lose interest in it? I am not the total 'easy breezy' cook here now. "Gimme a can of soup and cook five minutes....Bang -I am there".....NO, not quite. I like the happy medium recipes. But if it doesn't have a final picture to suck my interest in....and a long list of ingredients, too many steps I find that I put it off 'for some day' and I never come back to it. Does that ring any bells for you too?

So, it's my last hurrah for the summer. My time will be tight again. The lady of leisure's last laborious recipe for the summer. Yes, I know baking cookies in the summer does not seem appealing but we've been blessed with my last week of leisure with days in the 80's so I jumped on the opportunity...(next week will be back in the 90's when I am in an overly a/c'ed school all day)

The low down here is; the creator Christina Tosi was an odd duck growing up. She ate lima beans with ranch dressing. Doritos with miracle whip. Kraft's Mac and Cheese mixed with spaghetti-O's. Yes, the very one who created the compost cookie with pretzels, potato chips, coffee grounds and a other wacky things. Although her taste as a child was somewhat gross she developed into an risk taking/avant garde type of baker, that clearly WORKS.

I've included the original recipe as supplied by Bon Appetit, followed by Martha's recipe although it is 'tweaked' it is HALF of the recipe shown here. After the recipes is my review and more pix.

Blueberry and Cream Cookies
from Bon Appetit Magazine by Christina Tosi/Momofuku Milk Bar/NYC

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 large eggs
5 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups Milk Crumbs (see below)
1 1/2 cups dried blueberries

Preparation

Combine butter, both sugars, and corn syrup in large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Add eggs; beat on medium-high speed until mixture is very pale and sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat on low speed just until blended, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add Milk Crumbs; mix on low speed just until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. Stir in blueberries just until evenly distributed (dough will be very sticky).

Using 1/4-cup ice cream scoop for each cookie, drop dough onto 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled until baking time.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large (18x12-inch) rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Transfer 6 chilled dough scoops to each sheet, spacing at least 4 inches apart (cookies will spread). Bake cookies, 2 sheets at a time, until golden, reversing sheets halfway through baking, 20 to 22 minutes total. Repeat with remaining chilled dough, cooling and relining sheets between batches. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Milk Crumbs

3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preparation of Crumbs

Preheat oven to 275°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Combine milk powder, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and coarse salt in medium bowl; toss to mix evenly. Add butter; stir with fork until clusters form. Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10 minutes. Cool Milk Crumbs completely on sheet. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

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Blueberry and Cream Cookies
inspired by Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk bar but recreated by MarthaStewart.com

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup (8 ounces) Plugra European-style unsalted butter (please! regular will work here....sheesh)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1/4 cup glucose (duh-corn syrup, why does MS gotta be all extra fancy?)
1 large egg
3/4 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup Milk Crumbs

Directions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together butter, sugars, and glucose until well combined. Add egg and mix until well combined.
3. Add flour mixture and mix until well combined. Add blueberries and milk crumbs and mix until well combined. Using an ice cream scoop about 2 1/8 inches in diameter, scoop dough into balls and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Transfer baking sheets to refrigerator until dough is chilled, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until cookies are golden brown and tops begin to crackle, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Milk Crumbs

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon nonfat milk powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup white chocolate, melted

Crummy (lol) Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons milk powder, flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter until well combined. Spread mixture on prepared baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake until dried and crumbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove milk crumble from oven and let cool completely.
3. Transfer milk crumble to a large bowl and fold in remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons milk powder and white chocolate. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.


Cook's Notes:
1. Very surprised and happy with the results. I am glad I exerted the effort.
2. Crunchy edge....soft and chewy center. Those dried berries were working hard in that fridge by soaking up some of the moisture and were plumper and juicier than the ones I was snacking on while making the dough!
3. Recipe says makes 35...I got 37. I am sure it's because I added more blueberries near the end when I noticed less blueberries in the dough.

4. Really watch when you are baking the crumbs...keep them light...keep mixing them to brown evenly. Stay by that OVEN!
5. If you don't have a oven thermometer, get one, you really need to make sure your oven is 375 degrees, no more, no less. Just two minutes extra (by accident) and I felt the cookies were overly brown.

6. As you can see, don't squeeze any more than six. The recipe says 1/4 cup ice cream scoop (your standard one probably in your drawer).
7. Bon Appetit says from Christina to sit in fridge for 24 hours yet Martha's says 15 minutes chilled. I made some later that evening and this morning. It rendered the same result. I am not sure if 15 minutes would be enough. But one trial cookie being baked wouldn't hurt.

8. I included Martha's recipe only because I thought her 'tweak' using white chocolate in the crumbs was worth trying the recipe again. Good that her recipe is HALF the amount. I baked half of these cookies and put the other half in the freezer. These are THICK, chewy and hearty cookies. One will suffice unless you are REALLY starving. I like cookies that satisfy with eating ONE.
9. Very milky, creamy, buttery really. With two sticks in the recipe of course it's buttery. A nice change from what we normally have for cookies here. I felt it was worth the effort and time. Yummy cookie, give it a try for yourself.

Enjoy!