Cookie Bake-Off [Pistachio + White Chocolate Chip Cookies]
Midweek quarantine party theme - cookie bake off. Also just our excuse to fill the house with the smell of sweet, fresh baked cookies, and load up on some freezer friendly treats. I mean - frozen homemade cookies that you can pop out right after dinner and enjoy as a little late night treat. Um - heavenly. & so much better than the couple of Oreos I’ve been reaching for after dinner. Mistake: buying Oreos during quarantine when you have zero willpower & an unrelenting sweet tooth.
A cookie party is a perfect datenight in the comfort of your own kitchen - each person builds out their own general prep station with a mixing bowl, cutting board, and signature ingredients they need for making the cookie of their dreams, while things like measuring cups, flour, and sugar are set out as communal items, and you’re set. You’re able to take charge of mixing up the cookie of your dreams in your own area, do it your way, and get to baking. Putting your own cravings & cookie preferences at the forefront is highly encouraged. I mean there’s a pretty high likelihood you’re ultimately left with two cookies that are pretty damn delicious (that’s definitely the case in our house), and two is better than one, ya know? There is, however, something to be said about kitchen projects that result in creating something that’s just your own, & molding a bake after individual tastebuds. Jordan & I are the perfect example of this because we have pretty different sweet-tooth preferences. Jordan is the purest - enjoys a classic chocolate chip or peanut butter cookie. I am more on the wavelength of what other crazy shit can we add in to make it a loaded cookie - nuts, coconut, dried fruits, candy pieces, whatever. I’m eager to get outside the box and riddle my batter with what I consider the good stuff. So, a cookie party where we both get in there means we can both get exactly what we want, which in our case is something classic & something kinda off the wall, and we have fun sharing at the end. Again, we’re ultimately left with two delicious cookies that we both eat equal quantities of, so all works out.
This cookie party, Jordan made a peanut butter-oatmeal-dark chocolate fusion cookie (a little out of the box for him). Melted chocolate with peanut butter in any form - sign me up! In my cookie making corner, I wanted something different, so I experimented with two flavors I’ve never put in a cookie: pistachio + honey. & let me say - pistachio is my jaaaammmmmm. I LIVE for a scoop of sweet + nutty pistachio ice cream atop a crispy waffle cone, or a piece of sticky, sweet, pistachio ridden baklava from a mediterranean bakery. It’s that sweet + nutty combo that just gets me, and these Pistachio + White Chocolate Chip Cookies are definitely sweet + nutty + just pretty damn good. They’re buttery and sweet, and come out of the oven pillowy, soft, and with the same texture as a perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie. That soft, just baked center with crispy edge. So heavenly, and these bad boys hit the spot. These are for real so delish I have them on deck to remake for Mother’s Day baskets we’re putting together. Soft, gooey, chewy, & impossible to have only one, so I saw that makes these treats good enough to share.
White chocolate + honey + (of course) pistachios the your main three flavors.. That nutty, pistachio flavor comes through in every bite, because you don’t skimp on the pistachios. I keep the shelled pistachios pretty whole (no finely chopped action required), and I like the definite chunk of pistachio you bite into. When it comes to mixing in the pistachios (& the white chocolate, too) at the last step, this is when your batter becomes super chunky, just totally speckled with green & white pieces. When you look at the batter, there should be no question each scoop of batter will be loaded with these mix-ins.
The honey just adds sweetness, but also that distinct honey flavor for a little more depth to your flavor. There’s just a little extra something to its sweet undertone, and the white chocolate goes so well with the whole thing. I know - white chocolate. Some people just roll there eyes at the thought of white chocolate. Like it’s common to hear “I don’t really like white chocolate.” But here, it’s just a back-up dancer & not the forefront of flavor in this cookie. & it just works! It also plays the important role of protecting this creamy undertone to the whole thing. White chocolate just totally omits that bitterness you get from regular chocolate, and instead it’s a mix-in that’s purely creamy & sweet, & pretty dreamy when it’s slightly melted in buttery, sweet cookies. It just works.
The real x-factor - the combo of honey + salt that makes for that sought after sweet & salty taste. Think like “salted caramel” - this is like a “salted honey” equivalent, & just as enjoyable. & a little pinch of (preferrably flaked) salt atop each cookie is total perfection. It’s the kind of dessert that you eat, enjoy every bit, and you’re kind of sad when it’s gone, which, for me, usually just leads to snagging another one. Needless to say, it’s one sweet treat I’m thrilled to currently have stored in my freezer as we speak.
As always, perfection exists within the bake itself. Don’t over-bake. It’s the cardinal rule for every cookie making venture. A light golden brown hue that develops on top & around the edges of each cookie signifies they’ve been baked long enough to justify taking them out of the oven. Let them continue cooking outside of the oven on the hot baking sheet for another 2-3 minutes, & they’ll be perfect. Even if they look under-done, just trust the golden brown top. They’ll continue to cook on a hot cookie sheet, and firm up nicely when they’re totally cooled. That ever so light golden brown hue is what equals gooey and chewy cookies, even when they’re totally cooled, and those are our favorite at home.
PS - I also always hand mix my cookies. It’s a major arm workout because you’ve got to really work the batter to make it as light and fluffy as it would be if using the trusty ol’ KitchenAid. Hard work? Definitely. But there’s something about some old school elbow grease that makes me feel like I’m really working, & I’ve become convinced a hand mix makes for a better bake.
Quarantine has been a journey - ups & downs, and moments of total bliss mixed with moments of worry about long term impacts. But as my husband says, “what’s the point of just worrying?” His way of reminding me that just worrying won’t really do much except get my blood pressure up. So I’m enjoying this abundant amount of time at home, something I sometimes miss so much it hurts. When our regular life is in full effect, I pray for moments of solitude & rejuvenation at home, and quarantine has revitalized my passion for finding activities that jazz up our time spent at the house. Not that it needs jazzing up, but I enjoy taking on tasks that involve us connecting by doing something & creating that datenight feel. Things that take us out of the plop down on the couch & put something on tube routine. I mean don’t get me wrong - it’s a routine I enjoy and one that usually relaxs me. It’s just shaking it up with other activities that involve us really doing something together, especially something like this where we put on aprons, make a mess, and just have a good time, make for some of my happiest at-home memories. & we have time for them right now, which is a gift I don’t want to pass up. As lame as it sounds, it’s just that piece of having an experience together at-home, even one as simple as baking cookies side-by side, that injects a little extra life into our home. It’s a simple memory - wearing aprons, listening to records, dogs lurking around hoping for a drop of a cookie & looking very eager every time the oven door opens - that I pray stays vivid for a lifetime because it’s one my happiest moments in my favorite place.
For the cookies
1 c. butter
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. honey
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaping c. pistachios, shelled
1 c. white chocolate
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter & sugars, stirring them vigorously once they’re combined to make sure you have a fluffy base. Stir in the egg. Stir in the honey & salt. Next add in the flour & baking soda, stirring in about half the flour first (simply to make mixing a little easier & less messy). Stir in the pistachios & white chocolate, mixing until these last ingredients have been absorbed into the batter. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Scoop 2 tbsp of the batter using your most reliable cookie scoop onto the parchment, making sure they’re about 4 inches apart. Sprinkle each with a small pinch of salt. Bake 8-10 minutes, checking them aftere 8 to make sure they don’t over bake. You want the cookies to be lightly golden brown. Remove and let them cook on the pan for 2-3 minutes. Place on a rack to cool. Have at least one while they’re still warm!