AfraTIS THE SEASON: FESTIVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Updated: Mar 30, 2020
STRAWBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
Meet my festive twist on the good old chocolate chip cookie. I was trying to think of a homemade treat that would travel well to Singapore as a Christmas gift for the work folk. Inspiration finally came when I spied the packets of Fresh As NZ strawberries in my cupboard!
My former flatmate and I used to make these cookies regularly to satisfy the cookie monsters that live within us. I always think of her when I whip up a batch.
She opts for stealing recipes that are no fuss and full of chocolatey goodness to get her through the long hours as a doctor. This cookie recipe ticks all her boxes, and true to form, I got a request for this strawberry variation the moment she saw the photos on Instagram. I figured that her endorsement was good enough to share!
I dressed the cookies in white chocolate drizzle and a sprinkle of crushed freeze dried strawberries - just to add some festive cheer. They looked like beautiful brown paper packages tied up in string when wrapped up and ready for departure!
I am happy to report that cookies made it from Sydney to Singapore in perfect form and were demolished by the happy recipients.
I CONFESS
I tend to play in the cookie space rather selectively so don't stray too far from recipes I like. I have been making the basic chocolate chip cookie forever. It's the first time I tried this variation for something a little more festive and fun. I have shared both versions for you to choose from.
Freeze Dried Fruit powder packs a punch in flavour, so a little goes a long way. I simply replaced a small portion of flour in the basic recipe with freeze-dried fruit powder. I also chopped up some whole, freeze-dried strawberries and mixed it into the cookie dough to off-set the sweetness of white chocolate. I learnt a long time ago that whole, freeze-dried berries can burn during baking when placed directly on top of batter (whoops!). To avoid a repetition of that mistake, I rehydrated the berries with a sprinkle of water just before folding it in.
If you are up for some DIY giving this season, grab your baking gear, pop on that Michael Bublé Christmas playlist, and spread some joy with these beauties!
Ingredients
Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies
150g soft unsalted butter
125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg (fridge - cold)
1 egg yolk (fridge - cold)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300g flour
225g-300g chocolate chips (Dark, milk or white. Recipe can take a healthy dose of chocolate chips, you can vary the ratio depending on how chocolatey you want it to be).
Strawberry White Chocolate Variation - change only the following in above recipe:
290g flour
15g Fresh As NZ Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder
225g White Chocolate Chips
Optional: 5 fresh strawberries chopped up, or 5g of freeze dried strawberry pieces rehydrated with a light sprinkle of water.
Method
Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl, pour the slightly cooled, melted butter over them and beat together until just combined.
Add in the vanilla, cold egg and cold egg yolk and beat the mixture until light and creamy.
Sieve the flour, bicarb and freeze dried fruit powder. Slowly mix spoonfuls of this dry mix into the wet ingredients until just blended.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips and strawberry pieces until just combined. Note: if using freeze dried fruit pieces, remember to rehydrate them before folding in.
Scoop the cookie dough and drop it on to the prepared baking sheet. Use a tablespoon or ice cream scoop for small cookies or quarter cup measure for large. Make sure you place the cookies about 5cm/2inches apart to give them room to rise as they bake.
You will need to make these cookies in 2-3 batches, keep the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge between batches.
Bake for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Leave to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack. Note: The earlier you take the cookies out, the softer and chewier they will be. The 5 minutes rest once outside the oven allows the cookies to harden as they cool on the baking tray. Taking them out when the middle is still soft and the edges are just beginning to toast (after about 10 minutes of baking) gives you cookies that are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. For cookies with more crunch, leave them in the oven for the full 15 minutes before taking them out to cool.
Hero Products
Fresh As NZ - Freeze Dried Strawberries