Sugar Cube (10 page)

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I love the eggy decadence of brioche for this, so go hunt some down from your favorite bakery. If you have any left over, wrap it up well and freeze it for another use, like for the
Aric-A-Strata
. Any mild-tasting bread you have on hand will work, too. Challah is great, as are leftover slices from an artisan loaf, though the chocolate tends to melt through its larger holes.

I love old cookie recipes, with their deep histories and long traditions. Nostalgia, after all, is a big part of why I love to bake. Still, there’s no reason why we can’t take those old standbys and help them kick up their heels once in a while. I think our grandmothers would approve. In this chapter you’ll find a few fan favorites, like shortbread and spice cookies, that get a lift in texture and flavor through the use of different flours and less-traditional ingredients. They’re the new classics, with a thoroughly modern makeover.

Cooking with your Senses

Turning batter into cake or dough into cookies is almost like alchemy. There are a whole host of things that have to happen at the molecular level for the transformation to occur. That’s why successful baking requires precision, proper technique, and recipes.

And that’s why so many people are scared to do it. But even within the confines of a baking recipe there is wiggle room—room for you to express your style, taste, and good sense. Follow a recipe like a robot, and you’ll likely end up with cardboard results, but follow it while using all of your senses, and you’ll make magic.

So relax. Engage. Put some good music on, pour yourself a glass of wine or tea, light some candles—do whatever it takes to get yourself “in the mood.” Baking is a whole-body sensory experience.

It all starts with the ingredients you use. Get frisky with your fruit. Hold it, feel its weight in your hand. Look it over. Smell it. Ask for a taste. If it’s not up to snuff, don’t get it! Think about whether or not you can substitute a different fruit, or pick a different recipe. Let the quality of your ingredients guide you. There’s no sense cooking with half-assed food.

Sometimes you need to educate your palate first before you can choose the right ingredient. Do a taste test: Try several kinds of chocolate, for example. Compare how they look, taste, smell, and feel on your tongue. Now you can make an experienced, educated choice and not be swayed by packaging. Train your palate, so you can trust it.

Whatever you’re making, taste it at each stage, from the beginning to the end, so you’re in tune with the recipe. You might find yourself inspired to add a different spice before you pop that cake in the oven, or maybe you’ll want a different filling for that cookie.

And be sure to use the rest of your senses, too. Pay attention and watch as the cream whips. Does it look like it might be getting too stiff? Maybe it’s time to stop. Smell the nuts toasting. Did you take them too far? Taste. Do you need to make a new batch? Listen to the lemon curd bubbling on the stove. Are the bubbles popping too fast? Maybe you need to turn the heat down so it doesn’t burn. Touch the top of the cake. Does it feel springy, like cake should, or does it need more time?

Timing, temperature, the size or quality of ingredients—there are so many variables in baking that change from kitchen to kitchen and cook to cook. If you follow a recipe to the letter, without paying attention to your senses, you could end up burning, undercooking, or otherwise compromising the quality of the end product.

Be engaged from start to finish and trust yourself. Baking is a process that is technical as well as emotional; hence the term “taste the love.” Always put THE LOVE in your food. This is one thing that you can’t get from a box or buy from a store; it can only come from within.

Kir+Dorie
Pierre

I love cookbook author Dorie Greenspan, and I especially love her recipe for World Peace Cookies, which she got from Parisian chocolate genius Pierre Hermé. They’re intensely chocolate-y and buttery and salty, with an addictive melt-in-your-mouth texture. Although it’s hard to improve on the original, I couldn’t help tinkering with it a bit—but I think Dorie and Pierre would approve.
MAKES ABOUT 30 COOKIES

• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• ¹
  /
  ₃
  cup dutch-process cocoa powder
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoon baking soda
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  heaping teaspoon fleur de sel, plus more for sprinkling (see tip)
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup plus 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  
• ²
  /
  ₃
  cup packed dark brown sugar
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup granulated sugar, plus
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup granulated or vanilla sugar for coating (optional)
  
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• ³
  /
  ₄
  cup (about 4 ounces) finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup (1 ounce) cacao nibs
  

• SIFT TOGETHER THE FLOUR
  , cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
  
• IN THE BOWL OF A STAND MIXER
  fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the sifted dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate and nibs.
  
• TURN THE DOUGH OUT
  onto a sheet of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Form the dough into a loaf, cover with the waxed paper, and shape into a 12-inch log, pressing the sides against the work surface to flatten them, so the cookies will end up square. Refrigerate for several hours or until completely firm.
  
• PREHEAT THE OVEN
  to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Put the remaining
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using a sharp knife, cut the log crosswise into
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  - to
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  -inch-thick slices. (The dough is crumbly, so use a sharp knife and be patient. Thicker slices are easier to cut, but you don’t want them too thick.) Roll each slice in the sugar until coated or just dip the sides. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets and sprinkle each with fleur de sel.
  
• BAKE UNTIL THE EDGES ARE DONE
  , the tops are slightly crackled, and the centers still look slightly underdone, about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from front to back and between upper and lower racks halfway through.
  
• LET COOL
  on the baking sheets for a minute before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. They will keep in an airtight container for at least 1 week.
  

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When using salt to sprinkle on top of a baked treat like this, be sure to use a flaky variety, such as fleur de sel or Maldon. Finely ground sea salt won’t have the same impact, and coarse sea salt will be too much.