Recipe by Beth Altman: Aunt, Baker, Badass
@bethhasbaked
Full disclosure: Beth is my aunt. She has always been the "cool aunt" because she and my uncle live in Seattle and used curse words around the cousins when we were younger than the normal threshold for adult language. But even now that I'm all grown up and less impressed by the occasional f-bomb, she is still the cool aunt because she buys berries by the flat, shares my love of food, and let me take her to my favorite salon to get her nose pierced when she and my uncle visited me in Lyon – oh, and not to mention that she is a professionally trained pastry chef. She's a pretty cool lady, so we are thrilled and honored to have her as our first community submission! - Emma
For me, the desire to bake can pop-up anytime. It may be also at a time when it is not convenient to go to the grocery store or I’m still in my pajamas with no desire to get dressed. So, I go shopping in my pantry.
I usually have on hand the ingredients that I love in a cookie: dried fruit, chocolate, coconut, nuts, oatmeal and sea salt. I enhance the cookie dough base with a bit of molasses, giving it that extra depth of flavor while helping to maintain a chewiness. The result is a cookie that hits all the notes: the sweet and the salty, the chewy and the crunchy. It is easily adaptable, feel free to substitute in your favorite dried fruit or nuts.
Ingredients
Makes 25 cookies
1 cup/155g all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 ounces/115g (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
⅔ cup/130g dark brown sugar, packed
⅓/65g cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup/100g oatmeal (preferably not quick-cook oats)
1 cup/175g dark chocolate chips or chunks
½ cup/65g sweetened shredded coconut, packed
½ cup/60g sliced almonds
12/85g dried apricots, diced
Sea salt
Steps
Preheat oven to 350℉/170ºC. Line several baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer or in a large bowl with electric beaters until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add egg, vanilla and molasses and beat until well-combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate, coconut, almonds, and apricots. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl when mixing to evenly incorporate them into the cookie dough.
Form the dough into balls roughly the size of 2-3 tablespoons or use a #30 ice cream scoop. Place on prepared cookie sheets about 3” apart. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a little sea salt.
Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for 12-14 minutes or until they are a medium honey-brown color. The sides of the cookies should be firm to the touch. Turn the cookie sheets at the halfway mark to ensure even browning. Be careful not to overbake.
Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
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