Saturday, February 8, 2014

Chewy Brown Sugar & Brown Ale Cookies

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I know what you’re thinking… Cookies in beer!? It’s an insane idea, I know. Something I never would have thought up on my own. When asked if I would be interested in participating in a bake sale to benefit the Tiny But Mighty Fund, a local organization that helps animals in need, I immediately said yes. Our own dog is a mutt, and while we didn’t get him from a shelter, it’s always possible if we hadn’t adopted him, he might have ended up at one. Back to the cookies, I knew I wanted something super special that would stand out at a bake sale, so I browsed cookie links I had bookmarked in the past. Instantly I saw this recipe I had bookmarked from the Beeroness last year.

I had no idea how these would turn out; if they would be as soft & chewy as expected, or if they would end up hard. I worried they might taste weird and overpowering, as I’d never had beer in a cookie. Well friends, let me tell you, these exceeded expectations! They were chewy, buttery, and almost caramely (thanks to all the brown sugar), with just the hint of beer. In fact, there’s only 1/3 of a cup in the whole recipe, which yields 12 cookies. (Note: I doubled the recipe, because I wanted plenty for the bake sale, which is why there are more than 12 cookies in this photo.) The brown ale added a savory undertone to these, which really made them stand out in flavor from any other cookie I’ve ever had. I used a local beer from Blackstone Brewery, a brewpub here in town. I like to support local when I can. I have a feeling these cookies might be in regular rotation around here, seeing as my husband is a craft beer nerd!

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Chewy Brown Sugar & Brown Ale Cookies

Yield: 12 cookies

A few notes: In order to make these a bit more visual appealing, I rolled the cookie dough balls in raw turbinado sugar, hoping for a crystalized appearance. They weren't as "sparkly" as I hoped, but I think it helped. Also, the original recipe suggests two different cooking temperatures & times, 325 degrees for 12-14 min, or 350 degrees for 8-10 min. I tried it both ways, and found with my oven I preferred 335 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

Also, these cookies will flatten and spread a lot, so leave a LOT of room between cookies!

Ingredients:

¾ cups unsalted butter, softened (12 tbs)
1 ¼ cups golden brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp vanilla
1/3 cup American brown ale
1 ¼ cups All purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp cinnamon
raw turbinado sugar, for rolling *optional*

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar. Mix on high until very well combined. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla, beat until light and fluffy. Add the beer, beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, add both kinds of flour (bread flour is used to make chewier cookies), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cornstarch and cinnamon.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough slightly smaller than a golf ball. Roll into raw turbinado sugar to coat, then place on cookie sheets that have been covered with parchment paper or a silpat.

Place the cookies in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes (this prevents them from spreading too much during baking). Preheat oven to 325.

Bake at 325 for 12-14 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown (for a puffier cookie bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes). Immediately pull the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto the counter and allow the cookies to cool to room temperature.

slightly adapted from The Beeroness

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