I hope you picked up some puff pasty while you were out, because that’s basically the only other thing we need. Have I mentioned that this was simple? It is.

I’ve made this will all kinda of fruits: blueberries, raspberries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and strawberries–no, not all at ones. Try to keep to to under 4 kinds of fruit. The less “juicy” ones tend to work a bit better because the crust doesn’t get as soggy. So if you want it have blueberries in there, I’d go light on them.

That's my piece in the background!

Who wouldn’t want a slice of this? I mean, really? It’s got some great fruit on there and that awesome flaky, buttery crust. All done with only a minimal amount of effort too. The crust is already made. Cut up some fruits, you don’t even need to peel them. And it goes right on a sheet pan with some foil or parchment paper. If you do it right, you don’t even have much to clean.

It looks good because it tastes good.

So thaw out that puff pastry and click through to get the details…

Easy summer tart
ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry
2-4 cups sliced fruit or berries (This time I had plums, peaches, and nectarines)
sugar

Directions
1. Roll out the puff pasty. Don’t be afraid to fold it over and generally manhandle it if you have to. Yes, I know, usually you want to avoid working puff pastry too much because it won’t puff as well (or it’ll get chewy), but that’s OK here. We don’t want this to puff up everywhere, we just wanted an easy way to get pie crust. So yeah, roll it out to at least a 12 inch circle. Or whatever shape you end up with (mine was most definitely not a circle).
2. Toss fruit into the center and spread it in mostly an even layer. Don’t mound it up and be sure to leave at least 2-4 inches of dough free on the sides.
3. Fold that loose dough over onto the edges of the fruit.
4. Brush the dough with water and sprinkle with sugar. (If you really want it to look nice, brush with a beaten egg then sprinkle on some sugar… but I was keeping things easy on purpose.)
5. Bake for one hour at 450F on a parchment lined sheet pan. If the crust starts turning too brown, toss a sheet of foil over the thing. If it doesn’t appear done or the fruit is too firm after one hour, continue baking for up to 30 minutes more.

Now that is a lot of chocolate.

This isn’t my first time trying to combine my love of cookies with my love of brownies. Last time it was much less subtle. I basically just made brownies and made cookies then baked them together in a brownie pan. They were pretty awesome though. This approach had a bit more finesse. The end result here was a cookie with the interior texture of a dark chocolate brownie.

See how the cookies are a bit glossy and have that crispy, cracked exterior? That’s because there is an unusual technique employed: The batter is beaten for about 15 minutes. I know, I know, that seems like a bit much, but that’s what gives the cookies their exterior texture. The low flour to moisture ratio keeps the cookies soft and chewier, allowing the interior to develop much in the same way a brownie does.

It's a brownie shaped like a cookie.

I’m going to go ahead and mention again that there is a lot of chocolate in here. It’s packed with unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and chocolate chips. The recipe comes from Epicurious.com. They call them “Chocolate Brownie Cookies“, but I don’t think that explains how much chocolate there really is here. Quite a bit.

Chocolate Overdose
From Epicurious.com.
Ingredients
1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp espresso (or strong coffee)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp unsalted butter
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate (around 70% dark)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 c chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt.
3. In a stand mixer, lightly beat eggs, then add the sugar, espresso, and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture on high for at least 15 minutes. It should look glossy. (You can use a hand mixer, but a stand mixer makes this much easier.)
4. In a double boiler (I just put a small non-stick skillet over a pot) melt the butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate. Stir everything until it combines smoothly.
5. Fold the melted chocolate into the beaten mixture. Don’t mix too much, streaks are fine. You’ll fold in other stuff in the next few steps. You don’t want to break up the eggs too much.
6. Pour the flour over the mixture and fold together until it is combined.
7. Fold in the chocolate chips.
8. Scoop out heaping teaspoons of batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets before moving them to (they stay chewier that way).

Like almost all cookies, these are best still slightly warm from the oven. But they hold up surprisingly well for a couple days in tupperware. Actually, that last statement is a lie. I have no idea how long they last: I ate them all in two days.

That's no moon... And by moon I mean cookie.

I’m usually a bit picky when it comes to cookies. I think I’ve established this in the past, but that doesn’t make me want to repeat it any less: Chocolate chip is the way to go. I don’t know what odd devil possessed me this time–maybe some kind of herbaceous, vegetable based, more health conscience devil. I had all this rhubarb that I had to use… but I wanted cookies. Clearly the only thing to do was to combine them. Hey, now, you promised not to get mad.

Fortunately, the chunks of nuts, dried cranberries, and bits of rhubarb came together surprisingly well. The nutmeg in the mixture was a pretty good call too, that added some depth that I wasn’t expecting. I’d definitely make these again, but perhaps with a bit of oatmeal. They didn’t quite satisfy my need for regular cookies though. Don’t expect them to replace a chocolate chip cookie in my book. It might be cool like to experiment with turning these into some kind of healthy breakfast cookie. Maybe cut down on the sugar, use whole wheat flour, add that oatmeal…

I sense something; a presence I've not felt since... since I had rhubarb and strawberry jam.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, sugar, eggs, milk, nutmeg, and vanilla until smooth.
3. In another mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt).
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in thirds and mix well. Stir in rhubarb, cranberries, and nuts.
5. Spoon out 2 tablespoons or less of dough per cookie onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes rather than moving them immediately to a cooling rack to encourage chewiness.

Browned Butter, Brown Sugar Cookies

I’ve been thinking about using browned butter in a cookie dough for some time now and thought that making the simpler sugar cookie would be a great way to allow the flavor of the butter to shine. Well, allow the flavor of butter and brown sugar to shine. We’ve used browned butter before as part of a sauce with gnocchi and it contributed a lovely slightly nutty flavor. So making it was nothing terribly new. It’s not difficult to make, but it does require your attention. If you leave the stove unattended for even a moment, it somehow knows and tries it’s hardest to burn, but stand there and baby it for a few minutes and you will succeed every time.

These cookies come out like perfect tender disks of sweet goodness. The browned butter flavor gives this cookies a depth that many other butter cookies lack. Make these and people will comment on how good and tasty they are, I guarantee it.

Fresh out of the oven

My intent was to use a standard sugar cookie recipe and simply brown the butter before using it. As I was looking up various recipes, I saw that Cooks Illustrated had a much better method. They thought this through and combined the browned butter with brown sugar to make their cookies. The recipe below uses their technique.

Ingredients
14 Tbsps unsalted butter
1 3/4 ounces (about 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
14 ounces (about 2 cups) packed dark brown sugar
10.5 ounces (about 2 cups plus 2 Tbsps) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
1. In a medium skillet, heat 10 tbsp butter over medium to med-high heat until melted. Once melted, continue to cool while whisking or swirling the pan for about 2 more minutes. You will know when you are done when the butter looks golden brown and smells nutty and fragrant. Transfer the butter to a large bowl and add the remaining 4 tbsp (cut up) to the liquefied butter. Stir once or twice and leave to melt into the butter about 15 minutes.

2. In a shallow bowl mix the granulated sugar (1/4 c) with an equal amount of the brown sugar (1/4 c or 1 3/4 oz). Rub together until it acquires the texture of wet sand. Set aside loosely covered.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

4. To the bowl with the cooling brown butter add the salt and the remaining brown sugar (about 1 3/4 cups). Mix with eggbeaters or in a stand mixer until until no sugar lumps remain. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until it all comes together (30-45 seconds). Scrape down bowl. Add the flour mixture from step 3 and mix until combined (about 1 minute). Scrape down and stir with spatula to make sure everything is mixed.

5. Make about 24 individual cookies (about 2 tbsps each). Roll each cookie into a ball with your hands and then toss them into the bowl of sugar to coat. Keeping the cookies lightly covered until you toss them will prevent them from drying out and help the sugar stick.

6. Place them onto parchment lined baking sheets, keeping about 2 inches between each cookie (they will spread). Bake until cookies are browned and slightly puffy, 12 to 14 minutes. Rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Be careful not to overbake, it is hard to judge doneness because the color change will be subtle. The best test is to press lightly about halfway between the edge and the center of the cookie. The outer crust will have just begun to set firmly, but you will still very easily be able to make an indentation. Allow the cookies to cool ON THE SHEET for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cooling on the sheet will keep the cookies slightly chewy, that’s as good thing.

Cookies: Chewy, Thin, and Puffy.

Changes in brief

The modifications were kicked off with a dangerously chewy chocolate chip cookie. The important changes to the recipe were to use bread flour, melted butter, one egg plus one yolk, more brown sugar than white, and to chill the dough before baking. These changes allowed the cookies to stay moist and chewy.

The super thin cookies (a favorite of mine) developed both a pleasing crunch and a slight chew. This was achieved by using all-purpose flour, softened butter, one egg plus milk, and more white sugar than brown. These cookies were not refrigerated, which meant that they spread and ‘melted’ as they baked.

The puffy cookies were last. The distinction here was to use cake flour, shortening (not butter), two eggs, baking powder (instead of baking soda), and chilled dough (like the chewy cookies). These tweaks allow the cookies to rise and puff as it baked.

But whyyyyy? Sure, you just read the differences in the recipes, but what actually happens? What is the difference between the three kinds of flour? Why change from butter to shortening?

Settle down, settle down, all will be revealed…

Let’s take it in order…

Chewy

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

• The most obvious change was to use bread flour. Bread flour is important because it has a higher protein content than other flours. The proteins, when mixed with water, form gluten. More gluten equals more chew. This is why bread is kneaded for before baking. It’s also why biscuits and muffins are generally just quickly combined instead of kneaded (ever seen a chewy biscuit? Neither have I).
• The butter is liquefied and milk is added. When the butter liquefies, the fat and water can easily separate. This means that the water in the butter (and the milk) bond with the proteins in the flour and form the gluten we just talked about.
• The recipe also called for a higher proportion of brown sugar to white sugar. The extra moisture and molasses in the brown sugar not only helps keep the cookies together as they bake, but also keeps the dough moist.
• Removing the egg white from one of the two eggs is important too. Have you ever seen a meringue? The main ingredient is, of course, egg whites. After it’s baked, the resulting dessert is dry and crispy. In the case of meringue, that’s a good thing; however, in chewy cookies-not so much. The removal of the egg white stops the cookie from drying out.
• The standard leavening of baking soda is unchanged in this recipe. The object is to provide the cookies with a little ‘give’, so when you bite into them they aren’t as hard as rocks. Baking soda is sufficient on it’s own to achieve this.
• Finally, the dough is chilled before baking. If you keep an eye on these cookies in the oven you notice minimal spreading. By the time the heat softens the chilled dough, the shape has already started to set.

Thin

Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

• All-purpose flour, which has a moderate amount of protein, was used in this recipe. AP flour is suitable for, well, all purposes. It can be kneaded into a bread dough, or it can be lightly stirred into a muffin mixture. When used in this recipe, the mixing incorporates the flour with the ingredients and forms some gluten, but not so much as to make it chewy. Even if gluten does form, there are a few more tricks to ensure it does not adversely affect the cookie.
• The butter is softened to room temperature, not turned it into a liquid. This means that the water in the butter doesn’t have as much time to bond with the proteins to form gluten.
• Only one egg was used, the second egg was replaced by a couple ounces of milk. Why remove an egg? Eggs set and puff when they are heated (soufflé, anyone?). Liquids… well… spread.
• Leavening is provided by the baking soda. This gives the cookies enough power to stay together and have a bit of chew, but not so much as to prevent them from spreading.
• In direct contrast to the chewy cookies, more white sugar is used than brown sugar. The lack of moisture and molasses normally found in brown sugar allows the cookies to spread as they bake, while the dry white sugar adds a crispier texture.
• Finally, this dough was scooped out and baked right after mixing. This room temperature, buttery dough beings to spread as soon as it is placed into the oven. By the time the dough sets, it has already spread into a thin (and might I add, delicious) cookie.

Puffy

Puffy chocolate chip cookies.

• Cake flour, not bread or AP, is used in this recipe. Cake flour has the lowest protein content of all the flours-meaning less gluten can develop-so these cookies have the least chew.
• Shortening is used instead of butter because it has a much higher melting point. This means that there is less spreading of the cookie as it bakes.
• Baking powder is used instead of baking soda. Baking powder has a more powerful leavening effect than baking soda due to the acids that react with liquids in the dough. The acidic baking powder releases carbon dioxide, which forces air into the dough. This is why these cookies develop that Chips Ahoy style crunch, and are so well suited for dunking.
• Lastly, the dough is chilled before baking. This same technique is used in the chewy cookies to help keep them mounded as they bake. If you watch the baking process, they spread out a bit first and, as the shortening starts to melt, the baking powder reacts, giving the cookies a lift half way through the baking process.

Now you know. Go forth and make chocolate chip cookies!

The Puffy.

Asking me to rank these cookies is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. Like the parent, I can’t say which cookie I love the most (but if I was the parent, I would secretly lead each child to think it’s the other, so they compete for my love! I’m going to be an awful dad).

These cookies represent the “puffy” variety. I’m going to go ahead and say that these are the perfect dunking cookie. The light, airy texture wicks in the liquid and the entire cookie becomes a transportation medium for your drink. Normally I’d say grab a glass of milk, but in this case, I went for chocolate milk. What? Too much chocolate? Nonsense!

Dunkage achieved. Chocolate chip cookie in chocolate milk, yeah, I'm kinda a rebel.

These cookies have the least chew of all three of Alton Brown’s cookies, so fans of chewy cookies are generally disappointed by these. But it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t get at least some joy dunking a cookie into a big glass of milk, so these still find a willing audience. Personally, I am not usually a dunker; I generally eat my chocolate chip cookies the way they come out of the oven; but I gladly make an exception for these delicious treats…

Ingredients
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Add the shortening and both sugars together and cream on medium-high until light and fluffy.
3. Meanwhile, sift the cake flour, salt and baking powder together into another bowl. (If you don’t have a sifter, just put everything in a bowl and run a whisk through it a few times to mix everything.)
4. To the creamed shortening and sugar, add the eggs and vanilla one at a time. Increase the speed until thoroughly incorporated.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough at least 2 hours.


Shaped dough.

6. Scoop the cookies into balls and place them onto parchment-lined baking sheets. AB suggests putting only 6 cookies per sheet and using a #20 disher (each cookie will weigh about 1.5 ounces). I don’t have a disher, but if you end up with about 30 balls of dough, then you have made them the right size.
7. Bake for about 14 minutes. Rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes, and check after 5 minutes more. Once they are just turning golden brown, remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
8. Cool and dunk in milk.

To get maximum puffiness, make the cookies smaller than the 1.5 ounce suggestion. If you like the cookies to be really crunchy, let them bake for the full time. If you only want a bit of crunch, take them out as soon as the edges take on a golden color.

Close-up of cookies.

Tarte aux Poires

This tart is a simpler version of those commonly found in French patisseries. The elaborate versions are sometimes made with almond paste, custards over a double boiler, tempered eggs, etc. Though very much worth the effort, sometimes simple is best. With family coming in town, organizing meals, and arranging visits with old friends, an easier, quicker version was very appreciated.

The tart was so good that I had to have a go at making one myself after Thanksgiving. This recipe is very appealing not only because of the ease it comes together, but also because of the great, satisfying taste. A touch of almond extract or orange extract lends a nice aroma to the dough and custard without having to make any major changes to the recipe. Using extracts is a great method for including subtle aromas without having to seek pastes or zesting fruits.

Even making the dough for the crust was fairly simple–almost less complicated than the crust for American pies. All in all, it was surprisingly easier than I expected.

If you have made American pie crusts before, you may notice a few differences in this dough recipe. The ingredients are very similar, but changes in technique result in a very differently textured dough. American pie crusts are generally crumbly and flaky (in a good way) whereas this dough is softer and much more tender. Personally, I find this version to be easier to make with more consistent results.

No pre-baking of the crust is required and the custard filling is simply whisked together before it is filled into the pan. Peeling and cutting the pears was the most time consuming part.

Dough
Makes enough for one 10-inch tart. Use a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. The lip should be about 1/2 to 1 inch tall.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut in to small pieces and allowed to soften
2 cups flour (250 grams)
2 Tbsps sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup cold water (replace about a tsp of the water with almond extract if desired)

Directions
1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg yolk, sugar, salt, and water. Quickly incorporate everything with a wooden or silicone spoon. Mix only enough to combine everything into a rough ball, try not to over-work the dough.
2. Form a ball and wrap with wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
3. On a lightly floured counter, or between two layers of plastic wrap/wax paper, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch and fold into thirds like a business letter, then fold that into thirds to form a small package. Repeat this two more times, with a light dusting of flour only if necessary.
4. Roll out one last time to 1/4 inch or slightly less and transfer to the tart pan. (Prepare the tart pan first by rubbing lightly with butter then dusting with flour, shaking the excess dust off afterward.) Press the dough into the pan, trimming off the excess, then prick the base several times with a fork.
5. Place in the freezer or fridge until you are ready to use. (Can be made ahead.)

Put the dough over the rolling pin to move it.	Place it over the prepared tart pan. Be careful not to tear the dough.
Press the base and edges of the dough into the pan.	Roll over the top to cut excess dough.

Filling
Makes enough for one tart. Creme fraiche will lend a richer flavor than cream alone, but cream can be used instead.
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream, crème fraîche , or a combination of the two
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
4 large ripe pears
2 tsp orange or almond extract (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a medium or large bowl, beat the eggs together. Then add the crème fraîche or cream, cornstarch, sugar, and extract.
3. Peel, quarter, and remove the cores from the pears then cut into thin slices. Arrange the sliced pears in the pastry pan in a spiral pattern, overlapping them slightly.

Layer the first spiral in one direction using the larger pieces.

Then add the second spiral facing the opposite direction.

4. Gently and evenly pour the egg mixture over the pears until it fills the tart. Depending on the pear placement you may have some batter left over, this is fine.

Tart ready to bake.

I only recommended allowing it to cool completely before serving because it gives the crust and filling a chance to set. If you manage to get a piece while it is still warm, it is delicious. As I was taught to let it cool completely before serving, I follow the advice of my maman and put a slice in the microwave for a few seconds just to warm it through.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Hybrid

When I look for a dessert or sweet snack, I tend to fixate on the chocolate chip cookie. When a cookie is not available (alas), I am generally quite content with a rich, chocolaty brownie. I go for the chewy edge pieces, especially the corner ones. Those just seem to have more concentrated flavors and there is something about the extra chew and crunchiness that heightens my enjoyment of the snack. But I digress–

This is about the combination of the cookie and the brownie. I always hesitate before doing something like this. Each is amazing separately, combined should be better, right? It turns out that you can’t apply that logic to everything. Fortunately, this dessert does come together perfectly (unlike garlic butter and first dates…).

It really was almost the best of both worlds. The intense chocolate flavor of the brownie was present throughout the dish. You even had the texture change lots of brownies exhibit where the center was softer and fudgier than the edges. I know that some people live for those dense, fudge-like center pieces. The parts of the cookies that were exposed on the surface browned nicely and cooked up like a chewy cookie. The cookie batter used was perfect as it was moist enough to withstand the longer cooking time needed for brownies, but still just dry enough to get the texture difference you would expect. The parts of the cookie that were buried in the center or under the brownie batter still cooked correctly, but the crispy exterior was obviously compromised.

Getting a piece of cookie hidden in the brownie was like finding a tiny buried treasure. I will absolutely make these again.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Hybrid

I prefer tall, dense brownies, so I used a 9×9 square baking pan. If you like shorter brownies, use a 9×13 pan.

Cookie Batter
2 1/8 cups bleached all-purpose flour (10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup light brown sugar (7 ounces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi or bittersweet)

Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350F with the rack on the lower-mid level.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown and granulated sugars together. Then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in chips and refrigerate dough while making the brownie batter.
Alternatively, you can bake cookie bars in a 9×9 pan for 25-30 minutes at 325F.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Hybrid

Fudgy Brownies
5 ounces semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions
1. In a double boiler (aka a small skillet on top of a small pot), melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula to combine. Whisk in the cocoa and remove from heat once combined.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
3. Whisk together the chocolate and egg mixtures. Add the four and stir with a mixing spoon until just combined. Do not overmix.
If you want to just make the brownies, you can bake this in a 9×9 pan for 35-40 minutes at 350F.

When your powers combine!
1. Pour the brownie mixture into a 9×9 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Using your hands, break the dough into chunks, balls, or logs (any shapes you want). Press the cookie dough into the brownie batter at various depths. Press some all the way to the bottom, leave others resting near the surface. I used only about 3/4 of the cookie dough. The rest of the dough can be refrigerated/frozen for making cookies another time. Since when is having ready-made cookie dough a bad thing?
3. Bake the combined doughs at 350F for about 40 minutes in a 9×9 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Tip: A plastic knife cuts through brownie batter without the brownies clinging to the knife.

Stack o cookies

Thin cookies are not normally a favorite. Most are dry and crumbly and lack consistency. It’s not surprising that most people gloss over thin cookies and move on to the chewy or cakey ones. Overlooking this recipe would be wrong, wrong, wrong. These are a surprise of goodness. This recipe produces one of my favorite cookies; they are crispy around the edges, and the thin dough is punctuated by bursts of chocolate. Don’t let the flatness fool you. They are definitely the types of cookies you can still sink your teeth into.

I must admit, I did something crazy with these cookies over the weekend. I was tired and craving cereal, but had none in the house. The cookie jar was on the counter freshly filled with these cookies, teasing me. Naturally, I made my own Cookie Crisp! Just break the cookie into bite sized pieces, put in a bowl, pour milk over it, eat, and repeat until you feel sick. (I recommend skipping the last part of the instructions there-everything up to my third bowl was going so well.)

Cookies, cooling.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 ounces milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter (Bring to room temperature, do not melt in the microwave.)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.


Dough, ready to bake.

2. In one mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda). In another mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients (egg, milk and vanilla) and let come to room temperature.
3. Cream the room temperature butter on low speed. Add the sugars, increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg mixture and mix on a low speed. Once it begins to be incorporated, increase the speed and mix until well combined.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture. Reduce the speed again so flour doesn’t get everywhere and scrape the edges of the bowl down every now and again to mix everything well.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Scoop the cookies in balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. AB suggests putting only 6 cookies per sheet and using a #20 disher (each cookie will weigh about 1.5 ounces). I don’t have a disher, but if you end up with about 30 balls of dough, then you have made them the right size.
8. Bake for about 14 minutes. Rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes, and check after 5 minutes more. Once they are just turning golden brown, remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. They may look puffy as you remove them from the oven, but they will thin out as they cool.

Chocolate filled crepe.

Outside of France, I often see the crepe batter used as a galette batter. This, while not strictly traditional, is not necessarily a bad thing. Making a crepe savory is as simple as stuffing them with what you would expect to find in a galette. I’ve done this myself a few times–it’s one less batter to make. Just remember that while a crepe can generally fill the role of a galette as a savory dish, the galette cannot normally make the leap to be a dessert. The buckwheat flour contributes earthy, wheat flavors that meld better with savory foods than with sweet ones.

As I mentioned before, the crepe is the refined version of the galette. The crepe uses much richer ingredients (milk/beer, eggs, white flour) and yields a much less dense dish.

My favorite fillings for crepes generally keep it simple. Lemon juice and sugar, butter and sugar, and dark chocolate are my top three favorite. And Nutella. Definitely Nutella. I eschew the many American recipes that adorn their crepes with whipped cream or ice-cream in favor of the simple, traditional application of flavors. I rarely get more complicated than pouring a bit of warmed Grand Marnier and lighting it on fire (which looks awesome, by the way).

I’ll repeat a few things from the galette recipe here as the preparation and cooking methods are very similar.

Using a non-stick skillet is key to good crêpes and galettes. If you try this in a regular skillet, your success rate will probably be very low.

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups unbleached flour
2 1/2 cups milk (or 1/2 beer, 1/2 milk)
2 tbsps oil
up to 3 tbsps Grand Marnier (or use a tiny bit of orange extract)
unsalted butter (for cooking)

Batter Directions

1. Make a well in the center of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and combine gradually with a whisk until it comes together. DO NOT just mix everything with a spoon. Gradual mixing is key to avoiding a lumpy batter.
2. Keep mixing until it nearly forms a dough. It should be thicker than brownie batter and most of the flour will still be on the edges of the bowl. Slowly add beer/milk to thin it and to work in the rest of the flour. Once as it comes together, add the salt, oil, and Grand Marnier. Whisk well.
3. Allow the dough to rest at least two hours in the fridge. Remove from fridge half an hour before use.

When you are ready to cook, the batter may need a little more liquid added to thin it, especially if allowed to sit in the fridge over night. It should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter (or like heavy cream).

Cooking Directions
Use the largest skillet you can get your hands on!
Tip: Put a pad of butter in a small plate and keep a paper towel folded to smear butter into the skillet between cooking. Keep using the same paper towel. You could use a non-stick spray, but any Frenchman worth his salt would insist on using real butter.

1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When hot (a drop of batter will sizzle), add butter to the skillet and wipe with the paper towel to coat the pan.
2. For a 12 inch skillet pour slightly under one half cup of liquid into the center of the skillet and swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly. I find it helps to shake the pan as you rotate. If you need to patch any holes, do it quickly so the crepe cooks evenly.
3. After 30-60 seconds, flip the crepe. If you aren’t afraid to drop one, go ahead and try to flip it in the pan. Otherwise just slip a spatula under and flip.
4. Cook for 30 seconds more, add whatever filling you need and cook for 30 more seconds. Some fillings, like syrups, are best to add once the crepe has been plated.
5. To plate, fold the crepe in half to make a semi-circle, again to make a quarter-circle, and one last time to make eighths.

Dark Chocolate Sauce
If you have a chocolate sauce you like, you can use that instead of making your own. I like a rich, dark chocolate flavor that is not too sweet. This simple recipe takes only moments to make and allows you to easily control the flavor.

Ingredients
2 parts cocoa powder
1 part sugar
2-3 parts hot water

Directions
Start with 2 parts cocoa powder and one part sugar in a bowl. Add just enough hot water to mix it in a thick paste. Starting out with a paste will make sure that all the chocolate and sugar dissolve without leaving lumps in the sauce. Once the chocolate and sugar are mixed in the paste, taste it. If you like a sweeter sauce, add more sugar, for a richer chocolate flavor, add more cocoa. Slowly incorporate more hot water until it reaches the consistency of a thick sauce.

Butter Sugar or Lemon Sugar
You could probably figure this out yourself. The ingredients are already listed for you…
For the butter-sugar crepe, while the open crepe is still in the hot pan, spread some butter over the crepe with a spatula. Then sprinkle on some sugar to your liking. Fold. Serve.
For the lemon-sugar crepe, replace the butter above with freshly squeezed lemon juice.