confetti cookies
Cookies meant to be reminiscent of funfetti cake mix? I’m sold. Everybody knows that if you’re going to go for a boxed cake mix, funfetti is where it’s at. The process of making these cookies is an involved one, particularly as you have to make a batch of crumb before you can make the cookie. What’s crumb? Well, you can see the crumb recipe below to get the gist of what it is, but what you should know outside of that is that crumb adds one more spectacular layer of flavor and texture to these cookies. Also, crumb is delicious eaten by the handful. I mean, you only use half of it in the cookie dough, you might as well eat the other half by itself. The outer layer of these confetti cookies is golden and crispy, while the inside is chewy and fudgy with a salty-sweet crunch, courtesy of our friend the crumb. You might feel like it goes against your better judgement to scoop the dough in 1/3 cup size portions…your better judgement is wrong. Big scoops = delicious cookies.
The Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook is one of my favorites. The recipes are challenging – some of the methods are tough to master the first or second (or maybe even third) time around and some of the ingredients aren’t easy to come by – but man, the stuff that comes out of your oven is nothing short of amazing. The textures and flavor combinations are crazy good. But most of all, Christina Tosi has a way of writing that makes you feel like you’re sitting in the Milk Bar kitchen, observing both the dynamic between chefs and the cooking process…and then afterward, you went and had drinks with her and became besties. It’s just a great balance between informative, open, and sarcastic. I love it.
You’ll notice the ingredients are listed in common measurements and by weight. Weigh if you can…you’ll have a more consistent cookie. Also, a few notes: I was out of grapeseed oil – canola/vegetable oil worked just fine; regular vanilla will work if you don’t have the artificial clear stuff; and glucose can be found on Amazon or at your local craft store with a baking section (Michael’s, for us). I use Wilton brand. Oh, and cake flour is easily found in your grocery store’s baking aisle. You just have to look a little harder for it. If you can’t find it, use this tutorial on how to substitute all purpose flour + cornstarch for cake flour.
Confetti Cookies
recipe by Christina Tosi/Momofuku Milk Bar
For the cookies:
16 TB (225 grams, 2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
2 TB (50 grams) glucose or 1 tablespoon (25 grams) corn syrup
2 eggs
2 tsp (8 grams) clear vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (400 grams) flour
2/3 cup (50 grams) milk powder
2 tsp (9 grams) cream of tartar
1 tsp (6 grams) baking soda
1 1/4 tsp (5 grams) kosher salt
1/4 cup (40 grams) rainbow sprinkles
1/2 recipe birthday cake crumbs (recipe follows)
Directions:
- Combine the butter, sugar, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and rainbow sprinkles. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Still on low speed, add the birthday cake crumbs and mix in for 30 seconds—just until they are incorporated.
- Using a digital scale or a 1/3-cup measure, portion out the dough into 2 3/4-ounce balls onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not bake properly.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans.
- Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 16 minutes, they should be very lightly browned on the edges (golden brown on the bottom). The centers will show just the beginning signs of color. Leave the cookies in the oven for an additional minute or so if the colors don’t match and the cookies still seem pale and doughy on the surface.
For the birthday cake crumb:
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/2 TB (25 grams) light brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 cup (90 grams) cake flour
1/2 tsp (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 tsp(2 grams) kosher salt
2 TB (20 grams) rainbow sprinkles
1/4 cup (40 grams) grapeseed oil
1 TB (12 grams) clear vanilla extract
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 300°F.
- Combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add the oil and vanilla and paddle again to distribute. The wet ingredients will act as glue to help the dry ingredients form small clusters; continue paddling until that happens.
- Spread the clusters on a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally. The crumbs should still be slightly moist to the touch; they will dry and harden as they cool.
- Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe. Stored in an airtight container, the crumbs will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.
happiness is a warm bun 