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In the Oven: Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies

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Get out your sheet pans, bakers – we’re back to cookies! Posting date is June 18.

Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies
 
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Yield: About 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons
  • (145 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 5 ounces (1¼ sticks/140 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 5 ounces (140 g) smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (110 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 ounces (115 g) butterscotch chips
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and lump-free. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined.
  4. Add both sugars and continue beating on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat again until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the flour mixture all at once, and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir in the butterscotch chips.
  5. Scoop and roll the dough into balls about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Place them on the prepared
  6. baking sheets about 1½ inches (4 cm) apart. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the tops with the sea salt, if you like. Continue baking until the cookies just start to brown on the edges, another 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the sheets on cooling racks for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies from the sheets to wire racks and allow to cool completely.
Notes
How to store: The cookies can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for
up to 3 days.

 

In the Oven: Old-School Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Both National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (May 15) and Teacher Appreciation Day (May 9) will be over by the time we post our results for these throwback cookies, but every day is a good day for cookies. Posting day is May 21!

Old-School Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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Yield: 40 to 48 cookies
Ingredients
  • 3 cups (480 g) rolled oats
  • 3⁄4 cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3⁄4 cup (105 g) bread flour
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1⁄4 cup (50 g) vegetable shortening, cold
  • 6 ounces (1 1⁄2 sticks/170 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 1⁄2 cups (330 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1⁄2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) bourbon
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 12 ounces (340 g) semisweet chocolate chunks (about 2 cups)
  • Fleur de sel, for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a food processor, process 2 1⁄4 cups (360 g) of the oats until they are a mix of fine and coarsely ground pieces.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, bread flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir in the processed oats and the remaining 3⁄4 cup (120 g) whole oats.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the shortening and butter on medium speed until blended (do not worry about eliminating all the lumps at this point). Add both sugars, the bourbon, vanilla, and molasses, and beat again until the mixture is well combined, about 1 minute. Add the cream, egg, and egg yolk, beating until the mixture looks light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly stream in the oat mixture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until just combined (you might need to use your hands to fully incorporate). Using a wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chunks. Refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours or overnight. (Making the cookie dough 2 days in advance lets the flavors develop fully, but it’s not necessary.)
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. Using a small ice-cream scoop with a release mechanism (or a small spoon and your hands), form balls from heaping tablespoons of dough and place them about 1 1⁄2 inches (4 cm) apart on
  6. the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a little eur de sel.
  7. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until
  8. the edges of the cookies are golden brown or just start to darken, 11 to 13 minutes.
  9. Set the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack
  10. to cool completely.
Notes
How to store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

In the Oven: S Cookies

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Up next on the schedule: a cookie from Renato’s family that’s meant for dunking! Posting date is April 9.

S Cookies
 
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Yield: 50 to 60 cookies
Ingredients
  • 6 cups (770 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1⁄3 cup (75 ml) whole milk
  • 1 1⁄2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3⁄4 cup (180 ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and sugar. Stir gently until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs at medium-low speed for a few seconds. Keep the mixer on low and stream in the sugar mixture, followed by the oil and vanilla bean paste. Keep mixing until the liquid is completely incorporated. Stop the mixer and add the baking powder. Mix on low speed to incorporate. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the our mixture in four parts, mixing after each addition until just incorporated.
  4. Very lightly grease a kneading surface with the vegetable shortening. Turn the dough out (it will be crumbly) onto the surface. Rub the shortening into your hands and knead the dough until it is shiny and uniform, about 1 minute. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Cut o ff a handful of dough, rewrapping the remaining dough so it doesn’t dry out.
  7. Using your hands, roll the dough into one 15-inch- (38-cm-) long rope, then cut the rope into three 5-inch (12-cm) segments. Form each into a tight, compact S shape on the baking sheets. Space the cookies about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. (If the dough starts to tear while you are bending it, add a pea-size amount of the vegetable shortening to the dough and reknead.) Using a small, very sharp knife, make a small slash (no more than 1⁄4 inch/6 mm in length and depth) on the top of both ends of the S (in the same direction as the S; see page 241).
  8. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are puffed up and the edges are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the sheets to wire racks to cool for about 5 minutes, than transfer the cookies directly to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
How to Store: The cookies can be kept, tightly covered, at room temperature for about 1 week.