Baking Secrets: Annie scares up a monster of a cookie
I love parties, and Halloween, more than any other holiday, provides a “sky's-the-limit” opportunity for me to showcase my creative talents. For me and other bakers the trick to success — and culinary acclaim among our friends — lies in knowing how to spin our favorite desserts into spooky treats.
Bakers often strive for perfection; however keeping things rustic in Halloween desserts allows for the seasonal spirit to set the stage. Unusual ingredients and techniques come together to create a visual cue that reaches back into our memories.
Ground-up chocolate cookies give the impression of dirt and when presented in a ghoulish backdrop easily morph into a spooky graveyard. A hint of Halloween orange and a few gummy candies complete the transformation.
This Halloween I pushed aside darling cupcakes; they just don't possess a spooky reputation. Monster cookies, however, sound gargantuan and scary. Crafting a Frankenstein of a cookie forced me to think differently about the usual cookie ingredients. Not wanting to rely solely upon decoration to impart a monster theme, I looked for a cookie base with substantial texture and intriguing flavors.
Oatmeal cookies fit the bill, but I would have to address the underdeveloped taste and texture.
Looking to my favorite chocolate chip recipe, I noticed that toasted nuts bump up the favor; for this cookie I decided to chop walnuts into smaller uniform size and toast them alongside rolled oats to enhanced the texture and taste. This monster began to take shape.
Infusing a chewy texture into a thick body called for the special characteristic of butter and dark brown sugar. Together in a cookie, butter melds with the molasses of dark brown sugar to provide palate-pleasing chewiness.
The toasted nuts and oatmeal along with the dark brown sugar developed the savory notes of the dough. To play up against the background caramel flavor, I increased the salt and baking soda. This boosted the salty/sweet flavor of the dough and leveled rising during baking.
Seeing the recipe as more about the monster theme than a cookie, it screamed for a boost of ingredient chaos. A small amount of chopped unsweetened coconut adds interest without dominating the flavor profile. Mini chocolate chips keep a low profile while stirring in dark sinister edginess to the creature's body.
The monster cookie comes to life with a splash of vanilla or orange extract, baker's choice. Today's recipe includes spirited ideas to complete the monster transformation from cookie to a hauntingly culinary experience. Happy Halloween!
• Annie Overboe, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, lives in Oakbrook Terrace. Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.