"These cookies had a lot of fruit flavour packed into them. I’m very interested in what other [flavour] combinations might be possible..."
As soon as I heard about the new Sarah Kieffer cookbook, I immediately preordered it. Sarah Kieffer is the food blogger that popularized the “pan banging” technique. This unique method relies on literally banging the sheet pan during baking. Banging the pan causes the cookies to collapse slightly and release some of the CO2 they have created as a result of the chemical reactions within. This technique yields rippled thumbprint-like cookies that have a crispy edge and a chewy centre. Beautifully photographed, the new cookbook “100 Cookies; The Baking Book for Every Kitchen” features a variety of classics, bars, and interesting flavour combinations. I guess my only hesitation was that lots of recipes featured peanut butter and that is literally the only ingredient I personally dislike, but I know most people think I am crazy when they hear I’ve never eaten a peanut butter sandwich... There were plenty of other recipes that did tempt me, and I first decided to try a rendition of her marbled fruit cookies. I was interested by the marbled technique, as well as the addition of freeze dried fruit powder. The recipe below is a slight modification of Sarah Kieffer’s “Half-and-Half Cookies”. If you are an avid baker, be sure to check out her cookbooks and her blog (http://www.thevanillabeanblog.com/).
These cookies had a lot of fruit flavour packed into them. I’m very interested in what other combinations might be possible given their versatility... blueberry lime? I am a huge fan of chewy cookies, so these were perfect for me. I still appreciated their ever so slightly crispy edge. I look forward to testing out more recipes from this new cookbook!