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You’re only 12 minutes away from happiness…
Whenever my old roommate had a free Saturday afternoon, she would whip up a giant batch of cookie dough. She’d then scoop the batter into imperfect spoonfuls, and tuck them away in the freezer. I quickly realized her genius. For the next couple of months, she was only minutes away from a freshly baked heaven of a cookie. Food blogger Posie Harwood agrees: “It’s a good idea for so many reasons,” she told me. “You can bake just one or two cookies at a time, or you can eat them straight from the freezer, if you’re into that! But I especially like to bring a bag to party and stash it in the host’s freezer as a thank you.” And there you have it: the gift that keeps on giving.
Here’s Posie’s favorite recipe to scoop and freeze:
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Posie Harwood of 600 Acres, adapted from Joy The Baker
You’ll need:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, loosely packed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp molasses
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet 70% chocolate
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped (optional)
Flaky sea salt for topping (optional)
In a small saucepan (ideally with a light-colored interior), melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and is foaming, swirl it around pretty constantly. Continue to cook and swirl. The foaming will subside and the butter will start to brown, getting flecks throughout it. Cook for about 2 minutes, until it smells fragrant and nutty.
Pour the browned butter into a bowl and set it aside to cool.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the rest of the butter with the brown sugar until very light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the vanilla and molasses and mix. Pour in the granulated sugar and the cooled brown butter and beat until very light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, at least 3 minutes.
Add the egg and egg yolk and mix well.
Add the flour, salt and baking soda and beat on low speed until everything comes together, but don’t overmix. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate and nuts.
Scoop spoonfuls of dough (use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the dough generously with flaky sea salt.
Freeze until firm, then transfer to a plastic bag and freeze.
When you’re ready to bake, place a piece on a cookie sheet for about 12 minutes at 350F, or until golden brown on the edges.
Thank you so much, Posie!
P.S. A great baking tip, and two-ingredient chocolate bark.
(Recipe and photo by Posie Harwood.)
