Rolo CCCs: a caramel twist on chocolate chip cookies!

Have you noticed the recent resurgence of Rolos? Of course, the classic commercial is still a favorite: “You can roll a Rolo to your pal. It’s chocolate-covered car-a-mel!” It brought me back to the chocolate Rolo cookies I’d tucked away in my recipe files ten years ago and never made. I grabbed a bag of super-cute Rolo minis at the supermarket and was looking forward to making these cookies finally.

Then my balloon landed. “I don’t like chocolate cookies,” said my #1 taster. Whattt? How is that even possible?!

Undaunted, I was determined to make those Rolo minis work. My chocolate chip cookies (CCCs for short) are a big hit around here. I thought I might bake some happiness by wrapping that dough around the Rolos for a caramel CCC twist. What say we let it roll?

ROLO CCCs

Start with your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. I originally left out the chocolate chunks, but learned along the way: the dough will be much tastier with finely chopped dark chocolate in it. So, please chop 1/4 cup of your favorite dark chocolate as finely as you can (to the point some of it will be almost powdery) and add it to your dough.

Now, if you’re a patient person, store the dough in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Or if your patience approaches sainthood, try holding out for 24-36 hours. Take a peek at the CCC recipe above for the backstory on why it’s worth the wait.

Of course, you can get rollin’ with the Rolos anytime. Take 1 tablespoon of cookie dough.

Smoosh a Rolo mini right in the middle.

Roll it nice-nice so the candy’s hidden and you have a perfect little ball. Repeat. About 30 times.

Now, you see these have no finely chopped chocolate on them. I quickly fixed that by rolling ‘em like truffles. Et voilà!

Perhaps you’ll have more dough than I had. Somehow, gobs of it mysteriously made their way to my mouth. MOO. You should have at least 30 cookies, maybe more if you’re less prone to quality control. It’s not easy being a perfectionist.

Space them out on your cookie sheet–they’ll spread as they bake. Three across worked out great for me. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-14 minutes (14 in my oven yields a crispy cookie, subtract a minute or two to keep ‘em chewy). Sprinkle with schmantzy finishing salt when you take them out of the oven if you’re so inclined.

 

Sweet Noodle Kugel – A Tale of Two Kugels, Part 2

As promised in part 1 of this tale, I riffed on Aunt Ellen’s recipe to come up with a sweet noodle kugel. If you roll on the sweet side of the street, you may be drawn to this version with brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, dried apricots and tart cherry preserves. I guess you could call it dessert, but I also called it breakfast for several days.

SWEET NOODLE KUGEL
1 pound full-fat cottage cheese, small curd
1 pound full-fat sour cream
(See a pattern emerging here?)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (Neufchâtel is fine and welcome at the otherwise full-fat party)
4 large eggs
12 oz. bag of egg noodles

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ cup golden raisins*
½ cup apricots, diced*
¼ cup tart cherry preserves
½ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

*Soak in hot water before you start combining everything.

Topping
½ stick salted butter for topping
crushed cornflakes on top
1 teaspoonful or more light brown sugar to sprinkle over the cornflakes

Butter a deep baking dish (my 10 x 13″ one does the trick nicely), preheat oven to 375 degrees F and set aside.

Using a stand mixer, whisk cream cheese with vanilla and almond extracts. Add eggs, whisk to combine. Add cottage cheese and sour cream.

Boil noodles according to package instructions, drain. Combine noodles with eggs, cottage cheese and sour cream mixture. Drain raisins and apricots, add to noodles with tart cherry preserves, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Fill baking dish with noodle kugel. Crush cornflakes over top. Dot with butter. Be generous–I use almost half a stick. Sprinkle a teaspoon or so of light brown sugar evenly over the cornflakes. Once again, you’ll want to be sure your oven rack is right in the middle. Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour. Take a peek around 50 minutes to make sure the top isn’t burning–just in case your oven runs any hotter than mine. If need be, cover top with foil. I didn’t have to do this–hopefully, you won’t either.

Ah, kugel, sweet kugel. How sweet it is! Na zdrowie! L’chaim!

 

Noodle Kugel – A Tale of Two Kugels, Part 1: The Savory

One of my favorite (non-Italian) comfort foods is noodle kugel. It’s a heavy hit of all things rich and delicious, and you’d best believe only full-fat dairy is invited to this particular party.

Though this is a minor adaptation of my Aunt Ellen’s recipe (I added cornflakes to top it, as many people do), I’m pretty sure this is everyone’s noodle kugel recipe. It’s super simple and so satisfying. You can eat it as a side dish, make it your main meal with a vegetable or even eat the leftovers for lunch or breakfast as I do! It heats up beautifully with a splash of milk in the microwave.

NOODLE KUGEL

1 pound full-fat cottage cheese, small curd
1 pound full-fat sour cream
4 large eggs
12 oz. bag of egg noodles

Topping
handfuls of crushed cornflakes
1/2 stick (or so) of butter

Whisk eggs, combine with cottage cheese and sour cream. Boil noodles according to package instructions, drain. Combine noodles with eggs, cottage cheese and sour cream mixture.

Butter a 10″ pie plate. Fill with noodle kugel. Crush cornflakes over top. Dot with butter. Be generous–I use almost half a stick. Sprinkle with salt. You’ll want to be sure your oven rack is right in the middle. Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour. Take a peek around 50 minutes to make sure the top isn’t burning–just in case your oven runs a bit hotter than mine. If need be, cover top with foil. I didn’t have to do this–hopefully, you won’t either.

Now that I’ve shared part 1, perhaps you’re wondering about part 2! It’s the same story with a sweet twist–brown sugar, cinnamon, dried fruit and tart cherry preserves. No one made it in my family, so I riffed on this base recipe and made my own. Share with you soon!

 

Bananas Foster Brownies

I went bananas this morning and couldn’t wait to tell you about it. Bananas Foster is so delicious…and here a Casa Katty, it’s always fun to riff on brownies. What if? Could it be? Oh, yes, it can!

I “fostered” one banana, blitzed it up with some Neufchatel and swirled it into my favorite brownie batter. I’m pretty sure you’ll go bananas over this recipe, too.

BANANAS FOSTER BROWNIES
adapted from my all-time favorite basic brownie recipe from Ghirardelli

For the brownies
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
3/4 cup Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate & Cocoa
2/3 cup unsifted flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks (I chopped up Valrhona feves)

To foster a banana
1 banana, sliced
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla rum
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 tablespoon golden rum

For the bananas foster layer
Process in mini food processor till smooth:
4 oz. cream cheese (I use Neufchatel, 1/3 less fat)
1 large egg
1 “fostered” banana

First, let’s foster the banana. In a pan, melt butter with brown sugar, vanilla rum and cinnamon. Once everything has melted together, add bananas.

Gettin’ the party started heah!

The bananas will begin to soften and the caramel color of the sauce will darken as it bubbles away. Carefully add the golden rum. I’ll be honest: I tried to light it up, but it wasn’t happening, so let’s skip the flambé portion of the program. Fact is, you’ll get lovely caramelized bananas regardless. See? Even the spatula is happy about it.

Set the bananas aside. Once they cool a bit, you can add them to a mini food processor with the cream cheese and one egg. Process till smooth and wait to put the brownies together.

Now, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a spoon, stir eggs with sugar and vanilla; add butter.

Sift dry ingredients together; stir dry ingredients into egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks. Spread half the batter in a buttered 8″ square pan.

Smooth the banana mixture over the bottom brownie batter layer. It vaguely resembles a cartoon balloon, no? What is it saying? EAT ME.

Spread the remaining brownie batter over that. And it doesn’t have to be perfect, ’cause we’re gonna swirl it with a knife to marble the pan. Look how nice.

Bake for 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting and enjoying.

And speaking of “fostering”–“Don’t Stop” thinking of ways to change it up–in the kitchen and elsewhere! Take the tried and true one step beyond with something new! The possibilities are endless. Have a great week!

♥,
Katty

P.S. Spring is coming! 16 days and counting, amici!

 

Almond Balls

I’ve been dying to bake these cookies since my friend Pat posted the recipe for me last fall. At first glance, I knew I’d love them: soft, almond-y cookies made in a bakery? Game on!

But the original recipe from Leite’s Culinaria calls for shaping the dough into little pyramids. I made six or seven pathetic pyramids and baked them. First, it’s a tough shape to master with this particular dough, since it’s not at all firm.

See how moist the dough is?

Second, though I measured with a tablespoon, I don’t think my pyramids baked all the way through. In fact, after that, I gave up on pyramids.

One of my sad pyramids before baking

Instead, I grabbed my smallest cookie scoop and began making balls! So much easier.

So, lesson learned:
Pyramids are a PITA.
Balls are the best. And that’s how we roll here in Katty’s Kitchen.

Oh, we also roll with a little salt in our sweets (added a pinch) and really, you only need 1 cup of slivered almonds to roll the balls. I also added several more minutes to the original baking time. Ready to roll?

ALMOND BALLS
adapted from Rosa’s Almond Biscotti, Leite’s Culinaria

2 1/3 cups almond meal
1 cup superfine sugar (if you don’t have superfine sugar, you can buzz up granulated sugar in a blender or food processor till extra-finely ground but not powdery)
3 large egg whites
grated zest of 1 orange, preferably organic
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
a good pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the almond flour, sugar, salt, egg whites, orange zest and almond extract in a bowl, stir well to combine.

Place the sliced almonds in a separate bowl or shallow dish.

Using a small cookie scoop (I used my pink Zeroll #60 Universal EZ Disher–.53 oz. capacity, or 1.06 tablespoons), roll the dough into ball, then roll the ball in the almonds. Since the almonds are sliced, they weren’t too conducive to just “rolling on,” so I wound up pressing  some of them into the exposed dough.

Balls are betta–here’s the before baking picture!

Bake for 16-18 minutes till lightly golden. Let cool.

And after! Mmmmm!

You can store the almond balls in an airtight container for several days. The original recipe calls for sprinkling confectioner’s sugar over the top, but guess what? These are perfect little sweet treats just the way they are–naked, as I intended them. HA HA!

 

Ma’s Apple Pie and Peggy’s Pie Dough: A Tutorial

My mom makes the best apple pie. Sure, you may think YOUR mom or your grandma does, but I’m fairly confident Janey’s pie beats ‘em all.

Up till now, I’ve never learned to make pie. Thus, I’m sharing my development opportunity with you here, so we can watch and learn–yes, with videos, even–and replicate the deliciousness that is my mom’s apple pie.

A quick note about apples–”Northern Spies for pies,” so says my farm stand friend at Berruti’s Harvest House in Glastonbury. But, as they were out of them, I picked up Macouns, our go-to apple for eating, baking and dipping in caramel. OK, off we go with the dough!

PEGGY’S OIL PIE DOUGH

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon corn oil

Grab a 9″ pie plate and cut wax paper to overhang the plate. You’ll use this as a template to roll the dough.

Whisk together flour and salt. Make a well at the bottom of the bowl. Pour water into oil, then pour both into flour mixture. Stir together with a fork until just combined and dough begins to pull away from the bowl. At this point, you may have a few bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl. You can gently, and briefly, knead the dough by hand to get it all combined. But once it is, stop–don’t overwork it! Divide the dough in two.

Now, it’s time to roll. This is the part where I really need to learn, so I documented with video. Here’s Janey to show us how–part one.

And if you’d like to decorate your pie with cut outs, check out Janey’s very cool apple pattern. Here’s how it all comes together, watch and learn in part two.

Of course, what would apple pie be without apples, so here’s the filling part. You can get the apples ready before you make the dough or vice versa. Me? I think it makes sense to get the apples ready before you start with the crust. That way, once the crust is ready, you just pour the apples right in and top it with the crust. Easy as pie. Or easy as my mom makes pie look, anyway!

MA’S APPLE PIE
adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

5-7 tart apples (we love Macouns), peeled and cut into chunks
3/4 cup sugar (half granulated sugar, half light brown sugar is nice–that’s what we did)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 a lemon, squeezed

Whisk together dry ingredients in large bowl, add apples, squeeze lemon; toss to coat and combine.

Place bottom crust in 9″ pie plate. Fill with apple mixture. Over the apples, dot with about 2-3 tablespoons of butter all around the filling. Top with top crust. Pinch to seal the two crusts– see video. Sprinkle top of crust with 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream, then dust with a teaspoon or so of granulated sugar.

Bake in the center of the oven at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F and bake an additional 30 minutes. The pie crust should be a light golden brown. If necessary, the pie may need to stay in the oven an additional 5 minutes or more.

 

Bourbon-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake

I was busy Sunday morning.

BAKING! BAKING! You thought I drank all that?!

Quite honestly, I’m not sure where all my bourbon went. I think little elves get into my supply when I’m not looking. A full cup went into this bourbon-licious cake I baked.

It sure did smell amazing here yesterday–a cross between Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and a bourbon distillery. THAT scent, amici, would be one helluva Yankee Candle! But let’s get back to the recipe.

If you’ve ever seen the Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe from the New York Times, this recipe is pretty much it. And I say “pretty much” because I’m guessing the original recipe, on which it must surely be based, is baking maven Maida Heatter’s 86-Proof Chocolate Cake. Maida’s instructions are both detailed and logical, so I’ve incorporated some of them here in this melding of the minds: Maida, Melissa and me!

I’ve also included a neato tip from Cook’s Illustrated–cake release for chocolate cakes. So, take your whiskey home and let’s get baking!

BOURBON-SOAKED DARK CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
adapted from Maida Heatter, Melissa Clark and Cook’s Illustrated

Chocolate cake release (for the pan):
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (have I told you lately I very much like Kate’s?)
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 ounces dark chocolate (I used Valrhona 70% Guanaja feves)
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup bourbon (you can use any other whiskey, but what is not to love about BOURBON?!)–more for sprinkling over the cake
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional). Whipped cream is a nice option, too.

First, combine 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon cocoa to make the cake release. Use a pastry brush to coat a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.

Adjust rack 1/3 up from bottom of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Sift together the flour and baking soda. Kosher salt, of course, won’t sift so just combine it with the flour and soda and set aside.

Melt chocolate (I use the defrost setting on the microwave; you can use a double-boiler); set aside.

Add espresso and cocoa powders to a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to reach the 1-cup measuring line. Mix until powders dissolve. Add whiskey; set aside.

Using a stand mixer, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth.

Then, on low speed, alternate adding the sifted dry ingredients (in three additions) with the whiskey mixture (in two additions). Add the whiskey mixture very slowly to avoid splashing; scrape the bowl with a spatula after each addition and beat until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for one hour and 10 to 15 minutes (1:10-1:15). Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry.

Cool cake in the pan for about 15 minutes.

Then cover with a rack and invert. Remove the pan, sprinkle the cake with more bourbon. Two tablespoons sounded like the right amount of MORE to me.

See that? Not just one heap of happiness, but two…TWO HEAPS because I want you to be TWICE AS HAPPY! Two heaps of happiness in the form of bourbon! WOOHOO!

Leave the cake on a rack to cool.

Before serving, you can sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top with a fine-mesh strainer. I skipped the confectioners’ sugar. Whipped cream, lightly sweetened with a touch of almond extract is even nicer, if you like. And I like A LOT!

Wishing you two heaps of happiness and a lasting supply of bourbon in your bottles!

CENT’ANNI! CLINQUE! CHEERS! ♥ you!
Katty
>>^..^<<

 

Katty Head (Cat Head) Biscuits

I’ve been loving cat head biscuits, as taught to me by Cook’s Country, since I first made them earlier this year. But biscuits big as a cat’s head are, well, BIG. Half a cup of dough BIG. That’s a lotta biscuit! I, for one, prefer something a bit smaller. Especially since I have a desk job and am not busily working on the railroad, as did those who ate real cat head biscuits back in the day!

The original recipe calls for unsalted butter, which, till now, I’ve dutifully purchased expressly for biscuit-making. When I do buy unsalted butter, by the way, I love Kate’s. But today, I’ve adapted these fine biscuits from cat head to katty head–just 1/3 cup of dough instead of 1/2–and adjusted the amount of salt so I can use salted butter, which I ALWAYS have in the fridge or freezer. HOORAY! Shall I show you the way?

KATTY HEAD (CAT HEAD) BISCUITS
adapted from Cook’s Country

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted* butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces
1¼ cups buttermilk (I’ve been buying Organic Valley lowfat cultured buttermilk)

*If you do use unsalted butter, use 1 teaspoon of salt instead of 3/8 teaspoon.

Adjust oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. Meantime, butter a 10-inch round baking dish or cake pan. I just happen to have a covered baking dish, perfect for both baking (uncovered, of course!) then storing the katty heads!

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Rub butter and shortening into flour mixture with your fingers until it’s the consistency of cornmeal or slightly wet sand. Give yourself a little time to do this; it’s a rather zen-like task. Stir in buttermilk just till combined.

Now, it just so happens my ice cream scoop is a 1/3 cup measure, but you could use a measuring cup if your ice cream scoop isn’t the same size. Scoop dough into prepared pan. In a 10″ dish, nine (9) scoops will go around the perimeter, with three (3) scoops in the middle. Like this!

Bake until puffed and golden brown. In my oven, that’s exactly 25 minutes, but check at 20 minutes in case it takes less time at your house.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Eat and enjoy!

“What kinda biscuits did you say these are, Mama?”

These biscuits are quite tasty with your favorite preserves. But my favorite, favorite way to enjoy them is as a sausage biscuit sandwich–with or without a slice of Land O’Lakes new 4 Cheese Italian Blend–Italian-American–just like me! HA HA HA!

Cook’s Country says the biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two days, but for sure, I’ve stored them that way for longer. And I wouldn’t even say my covered baking dish is entirely airtight. They heat up beautifully with a quick ride around the microwave, too.

We sure do love these biscuits a Casa Katty–hope you do, too!

 

Apple Cranberry Crisp with Almonds

Happy fall, amici! How ’bout a new twist on Nanny’s crisp? One you might even consider adding to your holiday dessert table, what with the pretty colors and all. Mind you, Nanny wouldn’t have sprinkled alcohol over crisp, but it’s a mighty fine idea. And I like to think she’s smilin’ down on me in my kitchen regardless.

When it comes to apples, I’m a Macoun girl all the way. They’re tart, sweet and easy to find in the fall here in the Land of Steady Habits. Though my favorite farmstand buddy at Berruti’s reminded me today with a rhyme, “Northern Spies for pies.” Support your local orchards and farmstands, find your favorite apples and follow me to the kitchen to make this crisp!

APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP WITH ALMONDS

For Fruit
5 cups Macouns, cored and cubed (4 BIG apples yielded 5 cups for me)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

For Crisp
1 stick (8 tablespoons salted butter)
1 cup quick oats (not instant oats, mind you, QUICK ones!)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Maker’s Mark* (I thought I was fancy and used cognac once–did my kitchen smell AMAZING, too! You can’t taste it, of course. This time, I used Maker’s Mark. You can also use water.)
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Butter an 8″ x 8″ baking dish. In a bowl, combine fruit with sugar and cornstarch to coat. Place fruit in dish.

Melt butter in skillet. Add quick oats and almonds and saute, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or a little more to get the oats ‘n almonds lightly browned. Don’t go too crazy because they’ll brown more in the oven.

Mix together sugars, flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir into oat/nut mixture.

Spread crisp mixture over fruit.

Sprinkle two tablespoons water (or booze if you are so inclined!) over the top. Bake at 400 degrees F 30 minutes or until fruit is tender.

 

Momofuku Corn Cookies

A few weeks back, after much waiting and anticipating, I finally baked the beloved Momofuku corn cookies. I was so high on these cookies, I devoured them with reckless abandon. I portioned out the dough in scoops and froze it to have “on demand” corn cookies, fresh from the oven WHENEVER I WANTED. And I didn’t even share very many of these, no, sirree. You might say I became a bit of a corn cookie cow. MOO.

So what on earth is a corn cookie? Besides delicious, I think of it as a delightfully corny sugar cookie: crispy outside, chewy inside, loaded with the sweet, sweet flavor of fresh corn.

Before I get on with the recipe, there are three key ingredients you’ll need to find. The first is easy: corn flour. Not to worry about this ingredient being a one-trick pony, it’s a brilliant addition to corn bread or corn muffins and keeps nicely in the fridge. Bob’s Red Mill is readily available in most supermarkets.

The second is fairly easy, too: EXCELLENT, high-butterfat content BUTTER. My specialty butter of choice is Vermont Creamery’s cultured butter, and as you may know, I prefer my butter salted. Around holiday time, you can sometimes find it at Stop & Shop (or they might order it for you if I ask). Year round, Whole Foods has it.

The third may prove more challenging, depending on where you live. In my neck of the woods, no local stores carry freeze-dried corn (brand name: Just Corn). I ordered mine on Amazon. If you’re lucky, you may be able to pick it up at Whole Foods (but NOT in Glastonbury!) or a health food store. You blend the corn in a food processor to form a powder.

Now that we’ve got the special ingredients out of the way, I must tell you how to bake these bad boys, so here we go!

Corn Cookies
adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar via Mac & Cheese

14 tablespoons Vermont Creamery cultured butter (salted), at room temperature (you will have a spare 2 tablespoons from the Vermont Creamery log to enjoy on bread!)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup corn flour
2/3 cup freeze-dried corn powder (Just Corn)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

schmantzy salt for the top of your cookies–I used Australian flake salt (hello, Whole Foods bulk section!), my addition

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat for 7-8 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Put the mixer on low, per Christina Tosi’s instruction, and add the dry ingredients in several waves just till combined.

Measure out uniform scoops of cookie dough. I measured 1/8 cup scoops (that’s two measuring tablespoons if you don’t have a scoop). But before you bake, you must chill the dough at least one hour (and up to a week!), so scoop, then place the dough balls in a container you can cover tightly and stick in the fridge. They freeze beautifully, too–and can go right into the oven after a brief thaw (20-30 minutes–just about the time it takes for your oven to come up to temp, how convenient!)…that’s 350 degrees F, by the way.

When it’s time to bake, place the chilled scoops on a parchment-lined baking sheet, three across.

In my oven, 14.5 minutes is the magic baking time if you can hit it–otherwise, try 15. The finished cookies should remain a bright, golden yellow with very little browning, except a slight bit at the edges. When you remove them from the oven, sprinkle the tops with Australian flake salt, crumbled between your fingers. Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans before transferring to racks to cool thoroughly.

A closer look at the ever-so-slightly more golden edges here, just so you can see what I mean:

Let your journey to Shangri-La via the corn cookie begin! That’s right! Don’t say I didn’t warn you: THEY’RE ADDICTIVE!