CTB 2014 - Momofuku Milk Corn Cookies

It's time to get started on this 2014 challenge of mine!  The first cookbook in line?  Milk by Christina Tosi.  Why did I decide to go with this recipe first?  I really wanted cookies.

Okay, I wanted cookies and I happened to have all the ingredients in my pantry.  Why did I have dehydrated corn powder and corn flour in my pantry?  A few months ago, the boyfriend and I headed to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and attended a baking class at Milk.

And then I went back for two more classes by myself...  They are so much fun!  You get to bake lots of goodies and then take them all home and eat them!  While I was visiting Milk, I picked up a few ingredients, including the dehydrated corn powder necessary for this recipe.  I also happened to have some European butter (the preferred butter in the Milk cookbook) in the fridge.

I was so excited with the outcome of these cookies.  First, the recipe is one of the easiest in the entire cookbook.  No need to prepare any crumbs or crunches.  Minimal specialty ingredients. Quick to come together.  I had cookies in just over an hour!  I decided to cut the original amount of kosher salt in the Milk recipe by half.  You still get that nice salty-sweet combination, but it isn't overwhelming.  I would liken these cookies to a cookie version of Captain Crunch cereal.

Warning - eat only one at a time.  These cookies pack more than a full tablespoon per cookie!

One Year Ago: No Bake Granola Bars
Two Years Ago: Light Shepard's Pie
Three Years Ago: Spicy Peanut Noodles

Corn Cookies

Adapted from Momofuku Milk

These are one of the easiest recipes I've made from this cookbook. No need to make anything ahead of time, no crumbs or crunches, just mix and bake!  Though, you do have to locate freeze-dried corn powder.  I bought mine at Milk, you can get it from their online store or Amazon ( grind with a food processor). The corn flour I got from my grocery store - Bob's Red Mill to the rescue once again!

225 g (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
1 egg
225 g (1 1/3 cups) flour
45 g (1/4 cup) corn flour
65 g (2/3 cup) freeze-dried corn powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Take the butter out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you want to make the cookie dough.  Chop it into 2 tablespoon pieces and place in your mixing bowl.

When it's cookie dough time, add sugar to the butter and beat on medium high for 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add egg.  Beat on medium-high for 3 minutes, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.  Continue mixing for another 3-4 minutes, or until you see no more sugar crystals and the mixture is fluffy and almost white.

While the butter is beating, whisk together flour, corn flour, corn powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Once the butter has reached the desired consistency, add flour mixture and turn the mixer on low.  Mix until the dough just comes together and the flour all looks moist.  This should take between 30-60 seconds.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silpat).  Using a 1/3-cup ice cream scoop (or a measuring cup), measure out cookie dough into rounded domes.  Gently pat the top to level off the round dome. Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 ºF.  Line a second baking sheet with parchment.  Place 6 cookie dough blobs on the baking sheet, about 4 inches apart.  Bake for 18 minutes.  The cookies will brown on the edges and be still puffy in the center.  Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.  The puffy centers will settle and still be doughy and delicious.  Try not to eat too many in a sitting, these bad boys have a lot of butter per cookie!