Category — Savory Hack

Saltolate chip cookies

Salt. Everything tastes better with a little salt right? What about sweet chocolate chip cookies? I have been wondering why you put in 1tsp of salt in 5 cups of cookie dough. It doesn’t come through in the flavor, so what is the purpose? There may be a baking purpose, but one person’s answer to the question was - “salt makes it taste better.” So I began seeking out a recipe where salt would be a lead ingredient and came across this recipe on epicurious.
While making the cookies, I realized the recipe had a significantly lower amount of sugar and actually no brown sugar. I had assumed I would mix in a ton of salt with the dough, but that isn’t the case. The salt comes into play on top of the cookie. As with all my other cookies, I chilled the dough and then made small balls of dough on the cookie sheet. Lastly, I sprinkled flaky kosher salt over all the dough balls and baked.

The cookies came out almost white due to the lack of brown sugar. They are very fragile right out of the oven, so I let them cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before moving them to the cooling rack. My first taste was great. The salt is right there, yet then you taste the cookie and chocolate and boom, a flavor explosion. Well, not really, but it is pretty darn good. Another nugget of discovery - the cookies have a biscuit quality. Is that due to not having the brown sugar? I must learn more.

Saltolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
About 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
5 oz Tillamook unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar (the recipe called for vanilla sugar, I did not have it)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 bag Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips

Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add egg and whisk (I don’t have a blender.) Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill in fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up. Take the dough and roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Take kosher salt and sprinkle somewhat generously over dough balls. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on rack before storing.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Originally uploaded by dieselboi

You said it! Bacon! While I tell many I’m pretty darn sick of the whole bacon meme with the geeks, I do love me some bacon. Granted, most of the time, I lean vegetarian, but if you put 1/2 lb of pepper bacon in front of me, I may just eat it.

Why Bacon chocolate chip cookies? Why not? There’s bacon apple pie at a restaurant down the street - Lincoln. Why can’t there be bacon cookies. This recipe is my basic cookie recipe but I added about 2 cups of cooked chopped pepper bacon to the mix. I was low on chocolate chips, so added in white chips for the fun of it. Wow, what a flavor. You don’t get much mouthfeel of the bacon, but you do get the flavor. It isn’t overpowering, just there. A little like how the orange zest adds something light and fruity, the bacon adds savory. Mix that with the sugar and chocolate and…well….you got a cookie hack.

In the last 24 hours, I have made more cookies than I can eat, so I think I need to share. Want some? I plan on bringing some to the OurPDX meetup Tuesday night at Davis St. Tavern in NW Portland. Come enjoy.

Bacon White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Tillamook butter (unsalted)
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
3/4 cup organic sugar
2 large white eggs  (Stebbs Farms Cage Free veggie diet)

2 1/4 cups flour (I used normal unbleached flour from Gold brand)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/2 bag Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips
1/2 bag Ghirardelli Classic White Chips
2+ cups chopped cooked pepper bacon (about 1lb)

Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.  Add eggs and beat.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Chill in fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.   Drop onto cookie sheet the size of a spoonful.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.