Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookies
Ingredients
Makes 15 to 20 cookies
225 g butter, at room temperature 16 tablespoons (2 sticks)
200 g granulated sugar 1 cup
150 g light brown sugar 2/3 cup tightly packed
50 g glucose 2 tablespoons
1 egg
2 g vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon
225 g flour 1 1/3 cups
2 g baking powder 1/2 teaspoon
1.5 g baking soda 1/4 teaspoon
4 g kosher salt 1 teaspoon
150 g mini chocolate chips 3/4 cup
100 g mini butterscotch chips 1/2 cup
1/4 recipe Graham Crust (see below) 85 g (1/2 cup)
40 g old-fashioned rolled oats 1/3 cup
5 g ground coffee 2 1/2 teaspoons
50 g potato chips 2 cups
50 g mini pretzels 1 cup
GRAHAM CRUST
Makes about 340 g (2 Cups)
190 g graham cracker crumbs 1½ cups
20 g milk powder ¼ cup
25 g sugar 2 tablespoons
3 g kosher salt ¾ teaspoon
55 g butter, melted, or as needed 4 tablespoons (½ stick)
55 g heavy cream ¼ cup
Directions
1. Combine the butter, sugars, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted
with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to
3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and
beat for 7 to 8 minutes. (See page 27 for notes on this process.)
2. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda,
and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute.
(Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing
the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
3. Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham
crust, oats, and coffee and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add
the potato chips and pretzels and paddle, still on low speed, until just incorporated.
Be careful not to overmix or break too many of the pretzels or potato
chips. You deserve a pat on the back if one of your cookies bakes off with a
whole pretzel standing up in the center.
4. Using a 2.-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the
dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough
domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at
least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature—
they will not bake properly.
5. Heat the oven to 375°F.
6. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or
Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle,
and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the
edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if
that's not the case.
7. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a
plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, cookies will keep
fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
In a pinch, substitute 18 g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose. For the "coffee grounds" in this cookie, we tested the recipe with freshly roasted and ground artisanal coffee from Stumptown as well as with crap-tastic coffee grounds that you can find just about anywhere. We discovered that it doesn't make a difference what kind you use; the cookie is delicious every time. Just make sure you don't use instant coffee; it will dissolve in the baking process and ruin the cookies. And, above all else, never use wet, sogalicious grounds that have already brewed a pot of coffee. We use Cape Cod potato chips because they aren't paper-thin, and so they do not break down too much in the mixing process.
GRAHAM CRUST
1. Toss the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.
2. Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. Add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. The butter will act as glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 14 to 25 g (1 to 1½ table- spoons) butter and mix it in.