Cookie Pie

In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown, my family has been inhaling desserts at an alarming rate. I have a simple, scalable cookie dough that has been the basis for many forms of cookies:

• 112 g (one stick) unsalted butter, slightly cooler than room temperature
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 60 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 175 g bread flour (all-purpose is fine also)
• 100 g chocolate chips, M&Ms, or other add-ins

The butter and sugars are creamed together until fluffy, followed by the egg, vanilla extract, and a mixture of the flour, salt, and baking soda. Just as the flour mix is almost incorporated, the add-ins are mixed in until evenly distributed. The dough does well if rested in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. It can keep for several days if needed, and can be scooped into balls and frozen as well.

To make cookies, you simply scoop out your desired size onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and bake at 350 ºF for 10-15 minutes depending on how cold the batter is and how you like your cookies. They do best when taken out of the oven as they just starting to brown on the edges, but not quite finished cooking (they can finish with a 3-5 minute rest on the hot baking sheet prior to being moved to a cooling rack.

Sometimes, cookies get a bit old, and an alternative is to just pack the dough into a pie plate and cook at 350 ºF until it’s set around the edges and not totally unbaked in the middle, about 25-30 minutes. This “cookie pie” has a unique texture and is a big hit most. The texture is best when you give it a chance to full cool and set.