Momofuku Confetti Cookies

I have a strange fascination with Christina Tosi, creator of the Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC and all its delicious byproducts. I can't really explain it. Maybe it's wonder at how such a tiny person can survive solely on junk food. Perhaps I am awed by her genius in creating dessert flavor combinations that are totally innovative, such as cereal milk ice cream and corn cookies (made with freeze dried corn. They are the essence of corn. I love those cookies so much.) 

 I picked up the Milk Bar cookbook from the library and was totally enraptured. All the recipes are built of certain basic components, brought together to create very different products. For example, this recipe starts with a birthday cake milk crumb, an integral part of the finished cookie. I read the book cover to cover and then did it again. 

 

These cookies...are unlike any cookie I've ever had. Huge, pillowy, and with an incredible texture and flavor. Tosi claims it is the 10 minute creaming process, and I'd have to agree. I had no idea butter and eggs could get so fluffy by themselves. So, sorry guys, but these cookies just really can't be made without a stand mixer.  They're more work than the average cookie, but so worth it. The remind me a bit of my guiltyguilty pleasure...eating dry box cake mix. Have you ever tried it? Next time, sneak some. Omnomnom.

Oh, and if any of you come across freeze dried corn, please tell me. I'm desperate for a corn cookie. 

 

Confetti Cookies
from Christina Tosi

Makes 15 massive cookies!!!!

16 tablespoons (225 grams, 2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (50 grams) glucose or 1 tablespoon (25 grams) corn syrup
2 eggs
2 teaspoons (8 grams) clear vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (400 grams) flour  
2/3 cup (50 grams) milk powder
2 teaspoons (9 grams) cream of tartar
1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons (5 grams) kosher salt
1/4 cup (40 grams) rainbow sprinkles
1/2 recipe Birthday Cake Crumb (recipe follows)

Birthday Cake Crumb
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons (25 grams) light brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 cup (90 grams) cake flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
2 tablespoons (20 grams) rainbow sprinkles
1/4 cup (40 grams) grapeseed oil (or canola oil.)
1 tablespoon (12 grams) clear vanilla extract

Directions
1.For the Birthday Cake Crumb: Heat the oven to 300°F.



2.Combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until well combined.



3.Add the oil and vanilla and paddle again to distribute. The wet ingredients will act as glue to help the dry ingredients form small clusters; continue paddling until that happens.



4.Spread the clusters on a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally. The crumbs should still be slightly moist to the touch; they will dry and harden as they cool.


 (Mine didn't need 20 minutes, you don't want them to be very brown).

5.Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or scarfing by the handful. Stored in an airtight container, the crumbs will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.



6.For the Confetti Cookies Combine the butter, sugar, and glucose (corn syrup) 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 eggs and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.  
(Don't skip this 10 minute creaming step- it is what makes their cookies so good! You want the mixture to get really fluffy, pillowy and pale.)

7.Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and rainbow sprinkles. 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. 



8.Still on low speed, add the birthday cake crumbs and mix in for 30 seconds—just until they are incorporated. 



9.Using a 2 3/4-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. 



10. Heat the oven to 350°F.

11.Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. (I would try 15 and check them after that)  The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very lightly browned on the edges (golden brown on the bottom). The centers will show just the beginning signs of color. Leave the cookies in the oven for an additional minute or so if the colors don’t match and the cookies still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

 

12.Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.