And we’re back! Sorry for that little break there. I’ve been doing a hodge-podge of things over the past few weeks like spending an awesome weekend on the outskirts of Shenandoah National Park in an old farmhouse, eating Peking duck, seeing friends from college, and curling up on the couch with a book that was totally not worth it. In between, I had a few mediocre baking moments. The baking ideas were good, but the recipes just need some more work before they are worth sharing. The recipe for these cookies, however, did not require any tweaking. They are vanilla cookies at their finest.
I made them a few weeks ago for when a few friends came over before we went bowling. We ate them while they were still warm and the house smelled like vanilla. It was a good thing we had plans to go out; otherwise I might have sat there and ate the whole batch myself. If you’re looking for a simple, delicious, vanilla cookie, I promise this recipe won’t disappoint!
Notes:
This recipe uses both vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. Once you scrape the seeds out, you can reserve the vanilla bean pod for a different use. If you don’t have a vanilla bean, you can leave it out, but the cookies won’t be as vanilla-y. The dough will be crumbly/dry until you add the heavy whipping cream. If your dough is still too dry to shape into balls, you can add some additional heavy whipping cream, a half-teaspoon at a time. I used a cookie scoop to shape the dough and then dipped the ball in the sugar. If you use 2 spoons to portion out your dough, you may need to roll the dough between your palms to shape it into a nice ball. Dipping the tops of the dough balls in the coarse sugar ensures that the tops will be evenly coated, which is easier than sprinkling sugar over the top. If you want, you could coat the entire dough ball with sugar. If you like crispier cookies, leave the cookies in for about 10-12 minutes. If you like softer cookies, leave them in for about 8-10 minutes.
Inspired by Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share
Ingredients:
3 cups (422 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
¼ teaspoon (2 g) salt
1 cup (2 sticks; 226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups (313 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 g) packed light brown sugar
1 egg
seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons (51 g) heavy whipping cream
coarse or granulated sugar for dipping
Yields about 5-6-dozen cookies, depending on the size
Mix, Shape, and Bake:
Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats, and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the granulated and light brown sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean seeds, vanilla extract, and egg, and beat until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl and beater well, and add the flour mixture in halves. The dough will be a bit crumbly. Add the heavy whipping cream all at once, and beat until the dough comes together. If the dough is still too dry to shape into balls, you can add some additional heavy whipping cream, a half-teaspoon at a time, just until the dough comes together.
Pour some coarse sugar into a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop (or two spoons) to scoop out about a tablespoon-worth of dough (about 15-16 g). Dip the top of the dough ball into the coarse sugar, and place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 8-12 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden brown on the bottom, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container. Try not to eat them all at once.
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