Momofuku Compost Cookies

Sorry for the silence. I haven't been able to eat, or think about food, for a few days, but it's much better now.

To make up for it, I thought I'd let you in on the secret of cookie nirvana. It's simple.

See, it's all about the sweet and the salty. Together, the best of friends, at least to my palate. And while the idea of salting cookies is by no means new, I did feel quite adventurous adding actual salty potato chips to these cookies - and pretzel sticks, too! And... chocolate covered caramels, and peanut butter chips... (The name of these cookies will give you a hint - you can add anything you'd like!)

Definitely not my idea (though this particular combination might be) - I found the basic recipe at Amateur Gourmet, but the original is apparently served at Momofuku Milk Bar in New York, where I very much hope to go someday. You can add any candy or snack items you like - I had pretzel sticks sitting around, and peanut butter chips as well. I was planning to use dark chocolate, but didn't have any. I did pick up some chocolate covered caramels - they're rather firm and chewy, slightly larger than M&M:s and I'm sure you can find something similar if you want to - and my favorite potato chips which are thickly cut and unpeeled.

So, what makes these so good? Not only the unusual flavor combination. It'd still be a great, great cookie, with just chocolate chips. It's crunchy, but chewy too, and caramelly and just.. good. Great! What are you waiting for? Get baking!

Momofuku Compost Cookies
(printable recipe)
27 huge cookies

225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
250 ml sugar
180 ml brown sugar
1 tbsp white baking syrup (or golden syrup, or corn syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
415 ml flour
2 tsp flaky sea salt
1 tsk baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
200 ml peanut butter chips (or chopped dark chocolate)
200 ml chocolate covered caramels (cut in half)
200 ml crushed salted potato chips
200 ml crushed pretzel sticks

I'm using my Kitchen-Aid. I wouldn't attempt it by hand, but handheld beaters would work.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and syrup for three minutes until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat for ten minutes. It will be very thick, pale and fluffy.

Mix flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl, and add this to the cookie batter. Stir as little as possible to combine them. Add your candy and snacks to the batter and stir just to combine.

Shape large balls - about the size of ping pong balls - and place on lined baking sheets, leaving a lot of room in between. I could fit nine cookies per sheet. Place in the fridge for at least one hour.

Bake at 200°C for 9-10 minutes. This last step is hard but crucial: let them cool completely on the sheet before tasting. (Or they'll break up completely.)

Recipe in Swedish:
Kompostkakor