What do you think about swapping tahini for the peanut butter? Despite being an American, I’m just not a fan of peanut butter cookies but I’ve had some awesome tahini chocolate chip ones before!
That’s so fair! What’s the fat percentage of your tahini? I bet it would work well. I’m moving house this week but I’ll check it out once I’m all set up!
I tried it, using the same weight of tahini as the peanut butter, and they were great! I rolled some in sesame seeds before baking and would recommend that.
As a Minnesotan living in Sweden for the past few years I am so so thrilled you featured the Twin Cities and especially the MN State Fair! It's such a unique experience and one I miss very much
This is the post about baking that I've been searching for my entire baking life! At the age of 45 I've NEVER baked a cookie I was 100% happy with. Unfortunately, it looks like this is to be my legacy as I've stopped even attempting any expectations of baking success since going vegan. If you ever consider turning your talents to explore vegan baking in this level of detail I will make it my personal mission to ensure it goes viral.
What a comment! Thank you so much. I'm always interested in vegan baking solutions - my columnist brian levy has done some fantastic work on my newsletter (search his name for an amazing vegan whipped cream!) so maybe I shall set him to cookies!
I also suggest looking up Philip Khoury - he is a superstar!
Thanks so much for the recommendations. I've just reserved Philip Khoury's book, A New Way to Bake, at the library and I'm heartened to see that it's in high demand and not available until the end of May.
This is a little off topic but you mentioned that baking soda increased the Maillard reaction. For cookies using browned butter which have already undergone one Maillard reaction, would this be an instance where it would be worth using 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 baking powder to prevent the cookie from getting too brown?
Not off topic at all! Great question. It’s true, with brown butter cookies the milk solids will have already undergone the Maillard reaction, but as you point out, the flour will have not! I think the amount of desired browning is totally up to you - the use of baking powder would definitely reduce the browning slightly, as would not resting the cookies! Do you find yours are coming out darker than you’d like?
Not necessarily. After reading your post, I realized that most of the brown butter recipes I use include both baking powder and baking soda. However, I recently struggled with a recipe for brown butter oatmeal cookies from a very reliable cookbook author that only included baking soda. Reading your post helped me make the connection that the baking soda could be the culprit since the cookie is high in toasted oats, contains brown butter and has minimal flour. I think I’ll try and reformulate with 1/2 and 1/2 to see if I can get a better result.
It’s SUCH an experience. Honestly Minneapolis is a fun weekend city too so you could have a lil midwestern weekend of joy. Where are you based actually? Perhaps a weekend isn’t feasible haha
A weekend trip might be out of the question then hahaha. But still, if you can make it there I 100000% recommend it and will see you at the fried pickle stand.
You did the Midwest proud! I live in Chicago, and was born and raised in Ohio - where we have the excellent chocolate and peanut butter Buckeyes as our state candy. There's a wonderful world of highly regional foods all over the US, as I'm sure there is everywhere in the world. I'm hoping to make my first trip overseas to do some food tourism in the Mediterranean next fall.
Dear Nicola, as a cookie fanatic, this deep dive into all things cookies is the best I’ve read. Thank you for featuring the PB CCC and the MN State Fair! 💕
Did you notice taste difference between the natural and processed PB and/or with the baking soda, BP/BS, and baking powder only ones? I like the look of the BP only but noticed your recipe ended up being baking soda only? Also, did resting the BS only recipe result in flat cookies? New to this Substack and LOVE it!
The deep dive into raising agents was so captivating i genuinely stopped eating my dinner to finish!! I couldn’t find the link for the inventor of baking powder, is it still linked in there? X
What do you think about swapping tahini for the peanut butter? Despite being an American, I’m just not a fan of peanut butter cookies but I’ve had some awesome tahini chocolate chip ones before!
That’s so fair! What’s the fat percentage of your tahini? I bet it would work well. I’m moving house this week but I’ll check it out once I’m all set up!
By the way, so nice to see someone from out of the country reacting to US fair food with something other than total horror once in a while, lol
The brand is Tarazi, and it says 17g fat in a 28g serving, so 60%? I think? ☺️
I tried it, using the same weight of tahini as the peanut butter, and they were great! I rolled some in sesame seeds before baking and would recommend that.
As a Minnesotan living in Sweden for the past few years I am so so thrilled you featured the Twin Cities and especially the MN State Fair! It's such a unique experience and one I miss very much
Aww, it really is a unique experience I’m so grateful for. You should definitely carve some butter to help feel more at home!
This is the post about baking that I've been searching for my entire baking life! At the age of 45 I've NEVER baked a cookie I was 100% happy with. Unfortunately, it looks like this is to be my legacy as I've stopped even attempting any expectations of baking success since going vegan. If you ever consider turning your talents to explore vegan baking in this level of detail I will make it my personal mission to ensure it goes viral.
What a comment! Thank you so much. I'm always interested in vegan baking solutions - my columnist brian levy has done some fantastic work on my newsletter (search his name for an amazing vegan whipped cream!) so maybe I shall set him to cookies!
I also suggest looking up Philip Khoury - he is a superstar!
Nxx
Thanks so much for the recommendations. I've just reserved Philip Khoury's book, A New Way to Bake, at the library and I'm heartened to see that it's in high demand and not available until the end of May.
This is a little off topic but you mentioned that baking soda increased the Maillard reaction. For cookies using browned butter which have already undergone one Maillard reaction, would this be an instance where it would be worth using 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 baking powder to prevent the cookie from getting too brown?
Not off topic at all! Great question. It’s true, with brown butter cookies the milk solids will have already undergone the Maillard reaction, but as you point out, the flour will have not! I think the amount of desired browning is totally up to you - the use of baking powder would definitely reduce the browning slightly, as would not resting the cookies! Do you find yours are coming out darker than you’d like?
Not necessarily. After reading your post, I realized that most of the brown butter recipes I use include both baking powder and baking soda. However, I recently struggled with a recipe for brown butter oatmeal cookies from a very reliable cookbook author that only included baking soda. Reading your post helped me make the connection that the baking soda could be the culprit since the cookie is high in toasted oats, contains brown butter and has minimal flour. I think I’ll try and reformulate with 1/2 and 1/2 to see if I can get a better result.
Thank you for your service to cookies 🫡🫡🫡 and also...I *desperately* want to go to Minnesota State Fair one day now!
It’s SUCH an experience. Honestly Minneapolis is a fun weekend city too so you could have a lil midwestern weekend of joy. Where are you based actually? Perhaps a weekend isn’t feasible haha
Oh I'm based in London, as in the UK one hahaha...but the heart wants what the heart wants, Nicola, ya know?
A weekend trip might be out of the question then hahaha. But still, if you can make it there I 100000% recommend it and will see you at the fried pickle stand.
You did the Midwest proud! I live in Chicago, and was born and raised in Ohio - where we have the excellent chocolate and peanut butter Buckeyes as our state candy. There's a wonderful world of highly regional foods all over the US, as I'm sure there is everywhere in the world. I'm hoping to make my first trip overseas to do some food tourism in the Mediterranean next fall.
Pickle pizza next week, pls 😁😁
Dear Nicola, as a cookie fanatic, this deep dive into all things cookies is the best I’ve read. Thank you for featuring the PB CCC and the MN State Fair! 💕
sounds fun and yummy
These are delicious Nicola, made them today! Need to visit Minnesota...
This is amazing. I live north of Minnesota in Manitoba. Can’t wait for the bundts, that’s my speciality.
Love the post, love the explanation! Thank you for sharing your experience, grateful 🙏🏻
What brand milk chocolate did you use for these cookies? I am in the hunt for chocolate puddles/pools!
Did you notice taste difference between the natural and processed PB and/or with the baking soda, BP/BS, and baking powder only ones? I like the look of the BP only but noticed your recipe ended up being baking soda only? Also, did resting the BS only recipe result in flat cookies? New to this Substack and LOVE it!
The deep dive into raising agents was so captivating i genuinely stopped eating my dinner to finish!! I couldn’t find the link for the inventor of baking powder, is it still linked in there? X
wow! what an incredible post and deep dive into cookies, love the experimentation!!