Cookie

Many allergic, health-conscious, and vegan bakers are quick to write off macaroons because two of the three ingredients are sugar and eggs. But with a versatile crumb mixture (pages 115–116) at your disposal, this isn’t a problem. Grab your preferred crumb (I like vanilla for this recipe) and get to it. Make sure that when spooned out, your mixture retains its shape on the baking sheet; if it falls apart, it’s too dry and you need to add a bit more agave. If it spreads, you’ve gone overboard with the agave and need to add more crumb. The baked macaroons will be the same size as the uncooked. Because of the intensity of the coconut, I prefer them the size of a melon-ball scoop or even a bit smaller.

I grew up in California just inches from the Mexican border, so I’ve always had an affinity for that country’s culture—in particular the lightly spiced cookies rolled in powdered sugar and served at weddings, ingeniously referred to stateside as Mexican Wedding Cookies. My homage to this perennial favorite has more crunch and some newfangled flavors, but I’m sure you’ll agree it, too, is piñata-worthy.

Have you been eating twice as much chocolate now that studies have shown conclusively that this miraculous bean is actually good for you? It’s certainly more appealing than gulping down a $7 wheatgrass shot with the rest of the aerobics squad at the health-food store. Here, then, is BabyCakes NYC’s ode to cocoa: A tried-and-true chocolate-worshiping recipe with crunchy edges and a soft, chewy center that will put you in antioxidant overdrive. Bonus tip: If you add minced fresh mint to the dough, the cookies taste just like Girl Scout Thin Mints! So here’s to putting those overachieving little nerdlettes out of business. (Oh, relax. Love, love you gals!)

I can’t claim to be the genius who developed the glorious spice combination that is a gingersnap, but I like to think I’ve put my chewy, health-minded signature on it. This recipe produces a fairly flat, crisp-edged cookie; if you like a cakier cookie, add an extra 1/4 cup flour.

Meringues are a staple in the pastry kitchen because they can carry so many different flavors. Here, cocoa powder and cacao nibs are combined to create tremendous chocolate flavor.

Try making this sweet, delicate cookie with any nut. It’s a terrific garnish for ice creams or chocolate desserts.

I love the flavor of graham crackers, but I have always thought the crackers are too thick. So I grind them, rebind them, and make them thin and very crisp.

One of the most important things I learned from Thomas Haas when I worked with him at Daniel was the significance of texture in desserts. I also learned this recipe from him. This tuile is super-crispy. The sesame seeds toast as the tuile bakes, which brings out their nuttiness, and the sugar caramelizes, bringing in a slightly bitter edge.

This is the most visual of all my tuiles, shimmering and translucent. The sugars lend texture as well as carry the delicate flavor of the flax seeds.

This crisp, sweet almond cookie looks beautiful and has tremendous flavor and a perfect layering texture. What’s great about the batter is that you can freeze it or keep it in the refrigerator and just pull it out when you’re ready to bake.

The high fat content in this dough makes for very rich cookies. It’s great when you want to add crunch to a creamy dessert like panna cotta. Or you might break the cookies into pieces and make a parfait with fruit and whipped cream. I make these as round cookies, too, brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with sugar and coarse salt before baking. Follow the method below, using a round cutter; don’t weight round cookies with a Silpat.

Graham cracker crusts are never crispy enough for me, and I’m not a fan of soggy crusts. I developed this crunchy cookie to serve as a bed for my Key Lime Parfait (page 26). It will garnish any ice cream, and it could be the start of a terrific s’more. Because it’s not overly sweet, you could also serve it with cheese.

This cookie, called sablé Breton, is a classic French recipe from Brittany. I’ve learned many versions, and this is my favorite. I love the sandy texture, something between a crisp cookie and a sponge. The dough is also a great foil for different spices and salts.

I love this cookie for its buttery, fragile tenderness, but I also like to make crumbs from it because they’re such a great texture in a layered dessert (like the Rose Oeufs à la Neige on page 134). The cookies are best served the day they’re baked. I’ve written the recipe so you freeze half the dough and have it waiting for another day.

The shortbread in this dessert provides the texture as well as the base for the tender apricots and delicate almond cream.

I started making vacherins when I was in the south of France, at Pâtisserie Chéreau in Nice, and fell in love with this combination of meringue, creamy ice cream, fruit, sorbet, and whipped cream. We made big ones in France, but I like individual vacherins best. I use a stencil when I make these meringues in the restaurant, but I’ve adapted the recipe for a pastry bag here. The recipe makes more than you will need for the dessert, but it’s nearly impossible to whip any less egg white successfully. The meringues will keep for several days if you store them airtight, and they’re a great snack. Make as many of the composed desserts as you like. You will have enough sorbet and ice cream for up to 24.

Biscotti means “twice baked,” a cooking method that results in the firm, crunchy cookies that have recently become wildly popular here in America. These cookies were eaten by sailors back in Columbus’s day because they last for a long time without going bad. They’re great for dunking in coffee or tea, which is how my mom, nonna, and I would eat them when I was growing up. The citrus zests provide an extra little zing, and really evoke the tastes of Italy. If you want, you could use just orange or lemon; it doesn’t have to be both.

Pine nuts and fennel seed aren’t necessarily ingredients you expect to find in cookies—really, they sound much more like they’re going into a pesto—but they’re the secret flavors in this buttery, flaky shortbread dough that will melt in your mouth. Ground fennel seed isn’t as easy to find as the whole seeds, so buy them whole and grind them at home in a mortar and pestle or coffee/spice grinder. I like to make this dough ahead of time and freeze it, then bake it off as needed.

Anytime I can find a way to incorporate Nutella into a recipe, I will. These treats are what my grandmother used to make and referred to as “biscotti.” So in keeping with her tradition, I’ll do the same, even though these are more like a drop cookie, more buttery and moist than the usual biscotti, which are generally quite hard and dry.

More cakey than crispy, these ladylike little tea cakes puff up as they bake, almost like little muffin tops. The lemon glaze on top adds a tart, crunchy layer.