Browned Butter Malted Milk Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

"Are there any more cookies?" my sister asked.

"Nope, it's all gone already," I replied casually.

"Aw man, I was craving for some." There was a tinge of disappointment.

I think the conversation went something like that. This was a few days after the caramelised white chocolate double chocolate cookies in my last post had been all gobbled by me and my family. At around the same time, I also discovered that I had some Valrhona 36% Caramelia milk chocolate in my fridge that would spoil by the end of July (gasp!). So I decided that I would make cookies again, to use up the idle chocolate and to satisfy my and my family's cookie cravings.

I wanted flavours that would pair well with the nutty, caramel notes of the Valrhona Caramelia milk chocolate. I decided that browned butter was an obvious choice, since it typically lends a rich nutty flavour to baked goods. For those of you who may not know, browned butter is butter that is cooked over heat until it reaches a dark, golden brown and smells like caramel. It is one of the most delicious things ever, and I felt that using browned butter in place of regular butter in these cookies would up the flavour ante.

I was also toying with the idea of adding malted milk powder (such as Horlicks) to the cookies to make malted cookies. In my mind, the combination of flavours seemed to go well together – the nutty browned butter, the milk chocolate, the toasty earthy flavours of malted milk powder. And to finish things off, I added macadamia nuts to add more textural interest to the cookies. Needless to say, these cookies were deliciously moreish, the wonderful union of sweet, salty, nutty, toasty, with crispy edges and chewy middles.

These are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, while they're still warm, with a glass of cold milk.

Oh, yeah. Deliciousness.

---

Browned Butter Malted Milk Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

Roughly adapted from "BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts" cookbook

Yields approximately 39 cookies

Ingredients

• 285 g (1 1/4 cup) unsalted butter

• 250 g good quality milk chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used Valrhona 36% Caramelia)

• 150 g macadamia nuts, chopped into smaller pieces

• 360 g (approx. 3 cups) all-purpose flour

• 80 g malted milk powder, such as Horlicks

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 180 g (3/4 cup + 2 Tbs) light brown sugar

• 120 g (1/2 cup + 2 Tbs) granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

• 2 large eggs

• 1 Tbs vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)

Method

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Cook the butter over a medium heat until browned and caramelised, stirring all the time. Be careful not to burn the butter, or else you would have to start over.

3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda and baking powder together.

4. In a separate bowl, whip the butter, sugars, vanilla, salt and nutmeg together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Crack in the eggs one at a time and continue beating until smooth.

5. Fold in the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed. Then, fold in the chocolate chunks and chopped macadamia nuts.

6. Divide into approximately 39 cookies using an ice-cream scoop.

7. Line up the cookie dough balls on a tray lined with parchment paper and cover with cling wrap. Let the cookie dough balls chill in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight. This is an important step as the cookie dough needs to be cold to prevent them from spreading too much in the oven. Alternatively, at this stage, you could also place the cookie dough balls in the freezer and freeze until solid. Then, store them in labelled freezer bags or a freezer-safe container for up to two months (this way, you can bake cookies anytime you have a craving!). Bake the cookies straight from the freezer, adding one to two minutes to the total baking time.

8. To bake the cookies: Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking, leaving 2 inches in between them. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

9. Cool on baking sheets for at least 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

10. Preferably enjoyed warm with a glass of cold milk. Keeps well in an airtight container for up to a week.

#snack #cookies #baking #chocolate

Caramelised White Chocolate Double Chocolate Cookies

I'm finally back with another recipe! And it's another baked good that has chocolate in it! Can you tell that I really like chocolate?

Just look at that melted chocolate ooze! Mmm.

I've been meaning to write a post about these cookies ever since the idea came into my mind to make them (which was last month...), but I was away in June and so I could neither bake nor write in my blog. Happily, here I am at last! I am excited to share this recipe mainly because I love chocolate and these cookies pack a big chocolate PUNCH.

The first time I made these was last month. I wasn't fully satisfied with the texture, although the taste was awesome. The problem was that the cookie was too soft rather than chewy. I knew that it had something to do with a lack of gluten in the cookie dough, which meant that I had to increase the amount of flour in the recipe. However, doing so might compromise the chocolate flavour. So, when I made these cookies for the second time, apart from tweaking the amounts of flour and cocoa powder, I found more ways to incorporate as much chocolate into the cookie dough as possible, to produce cookies that are chewy and fudgy, and have an intense chocolate flavour. I am thrilled to report that I finally got it just perfect! It is the kind of double chocolate cookie that I've been searching for — the super chocolatey, fudgy and rich kind.

So what did I add to the cookie dough? On top of the usual step of adding cocoa powder into the dough, I also stirred in melted chocolate, folded in dark chocolate and caramelised white chocolate chunks, and sprinkled cocoa nibs on top of the shaped cookie dough before baking them off in the oven. The addition of melted dark chocolate into the batter really makes the final product very chocolatey and fudgy. I doubt you'd be able to eat more than two cookies without drinking some milk (I certainly couldn't!).

Having been searching for the perfect double chocolate cookies, I'm really happy with these. I think it's safe to say that the search is over (or at least until I manage to come up something even better).

---

Caramelised White Chocolate Double Chocolate Cookies with Cocoa Nibs and Sea Salt

Adapted from "BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts" cookbook and The Food Charlatan

Yields approximately 32 cookies

Ingredients

• 350 g roughly chopped chocolate (I used a mixture of Valrhona 32% Dulcey and Valrhona 70% Guanaja)

• 80 g dark chocolate, melted (use at least 60% dark chocolate)

• 270 g (2 cups + 1 Tbs) all-purpose flour

• 120 g (1 cup + 1 Tbs) cocoa powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened but cool

• 226 g (1 cup + 2 Tbs) light brown sugar

• 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

• 1 Tbs vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)

• 2 large eggs

Method

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Melt 80 g of dark chocolate over a bain marie or in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder together.

4. In a separate bowl, whip the butter, sugars, vanilla, salt and nutmeg together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Crack in the eggs one at a time and continue beating until smooth. Then, pour in the cooled melted chocolate and beat until smooth.

5. Fold in the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed. Then, fold in the chocolate chunks.

6. Divide into approximately 32 cookies using an ice-cream scoop.

7. Line up the cookie dough balls on a tray lined with parchment paper and cover with cling wrap. Let the cookie dough balls chill in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight. This is an important step as the cookie dough needs to be cold to prevent them from spreading too much in the oven. Alternatively, at this stage, you could also place the cookie dough balls in the freezer and freeze until solid. Then, store them in labelled freezer bags or a freezer-safe container for up to two months (this way, you can bake cookies anytime you have a craving!). Bake the cookies straight from the freezer, adding one to two minutes to the total baking time.

8. To bake the cookies: Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking, leaving 2 inches in between them. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs and a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

9. Cool on baking sheets for at least 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. Do not attempt to move the cookies straightaway as they would be too soft and hot.

10. Enjoy warm or cooled, preferably with a glass of milk to wash down all that chocolate. Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for one week.

#chocolate #cookies #snack #baking

Earl Grey Chocolate Banana Oat Muffins

Can you believe half a year has flown by already? It was just a few weeks ago, when the busyness, exhaustion and stress of the school term were at its peak, that I wondered if the holidays would ever come. And now, we have ushered in the June holidays! Finally! It really is a much-needed break for which I am deeply thankful. Don't get me wrong – I love my job (teaching), but it does drain a lot of my energy rather quickly, leaving me sapped and needing extended time to regain my strength.

One of the ways I recharge is by baking (obviously), which I have taken to doing last and this week. Initially, I wanted to write a post about (and recipe for) the chocolate espresso cookies that I was making, but they didn't turn out quite the way I wanted them to, although they were delicious. As such, I wanted to tweak the recipe a little before sharing it. However, I am, at the moment, tragically low on chocolate (gasp!). On top of that, I would be flying to China this very weekend, where my access to most social media would be restricted, so the post about the cookies would have to wait. Thankfully, I made Earl Grey banana oat muffins yesterday and they were a success! Hence, I am sharing these with you instead.

Banana muffins (or banana bread) are a bit of a comfort food for me. They are common and simple, yet delicious, warm and hearty. Throw in some dark chocolate chunks, Earl Grey tea steeped into the batter, and cocoa nibs for a nice crunch, and you have a winning breakfast or afternoon treat!

I also added rolled oats, because that makes these healthier (and more delicious, too!), right?

If you want a simple yet delicious treat and you have excess overripe bananas lying around the house, make these ASAP!

---

Earl Grey Chocolate Banana Oat Muffins

Inspired from various blogs, such as Half Baked Harvest

Yields 12 standard muffins

Ingredients

• 190 g (1 1/2 cup) flour

• 80 g (1 cup) rolled oats (not instant oats)

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ginger

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 70 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 150 g (3/4 cup) milk

• 3 Earl Grey tea bags

• 1 egg

• 75 g (1/3 cup) oil

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 medium over-ripe bananas, mashed

• 115 g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

• Cocoa nibs

Method

1. Add tea bags to the milk and heat over the stove top until almost boiling. Remove from heat and let the tea steep for at least 5 minutes.

2. Remove tea bags, taking care to press out as much liquid from the tea bags as possible. Set aside to cool completely.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F with the oven rack positioned in the middle.

4. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, spices, salt, brown sugar and leavening agents. Set aside.

5. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas. Whisk in egg, oil, vanilla and Earl Grey milk.

6. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture. Stir in chopped chocolate. Do not over-mix.

7. Divide the batter into twelve lined cupcake tins. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Do not over-bake or the muffins will be dry.

8. Set aside to cool on the wire rack for 5 minutes. Enjoy warm or store in airtight containers when completely cooled.

#earlgrey #muffins #breakfast #chocolate #baking