Blueberry and Cream Cookies

Before you pass these by as being a weird flavor of cookies, give me a second and take a look. I am going to tell you right up front that the worst part of these cookies is the wait time. The positive aspects of a relatively short preparation time is one of the things that I love about making cookies. You can get a craving and go from nothing to a batch of freshly baked cookies in a little more than an hour. These cookies definitely do not work that way, but coming from one inpatient cook to another, the wait is worth it.

The recipe for these babies comes from an article about the pastry chef Christina Tosi from the Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City in the September 2010 issue of Bon Appetit. I will admit that I, too, thought the idea of a blueberry and cream cookie was a little odd. However, I was intrigued by her recipe for a crumble-like ingredient that she calls "milk crumbs." The recipe uses powdered milk to make a crumb that is then incorporated into many of her recipes. I was hooked. I happened to have some powdered milk in the pantry from anther recipe, and I wanted to know how "milk crumbs" would taste.

So, how do they taste? Sweet and almost a little bit salty (in a good way).  In fact, if you cook like I do, make a little bit extra to assure you have enough to "sample." They really do give a "dairy" flavor to the cookies that is a little bit hard to put your finger on. My husband who turned his nose up at the name of the recipe has hinted that these may be his new favorite cookie. They really are delicious. The only complaint about these cookies is that they bake-up quite crispy. The recipe is written to bake the cookies at 375 degrees which is higher than where I always bake my cookies (at 350). It is nice to have a little bit of crunch around the edges, but I may try to bake these at a lower temperature next time to see if I can get a little more chewy texture in the center. I'm quite sure there will be a next time. 

To note, I halved both the milk crumb and cookie recipes and ended up with 18 large cookies.

(Printable Recipe)

Blueberry and Cream Cookies
From Momofuku Milk Bar as printed in Sept. 2010 issue of Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
Milk Crumbs (makes about 2 cups):
3/4 c. nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Cookies:
2 c. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 c. sugar
1-1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 large eggs
5-1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
1-1/2 c. (full recipe) milk crumbs
1-1/2 c. dried blueberries

For the milk crumbs, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the milk powder, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and coarse salt in a medium bowl; toss to mix evenly. Add butter; stir with fork until cluster form. Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly, but still pale, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on the sheet. Can be made about 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

For the cookies, combine butter, both sugars, and corn syrup in a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Add eggs; bet 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 until just blended, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl. Add milk crumbs; mix on low speed until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. Stir in blueberries just until evenly distributed (dough may be sticky).

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

Preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 (18x12-inch) rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Transfer 6-chilled dough scoops to each sheet, spacing at least 4 inches apart (cookies will spread). Bake cookies until golden, about 20-22 minutes. Repeat with remaining chilled dough, cooling and relining sheets between batches. Transfer cookies to racks. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

I'm linking these to Sweet Tooth Friday and Sweets for a Saturday!