22 Jun Garlic Brittle Cookies
A favorite of almost every American, chocolate chip cookies are the basis for many cookie adaptations. Among them are these delectable garlic brittle cookies. But garlic in a cookie? Garlic is a mysterious flavor, especially when paired with sugar, and its sweet bite is a perfect complement to chocolate. We bet no one will be able to guess the secret flavor in these cookies!
Yields 3-4 dozen, depending on size of scoop
Ingredients
For the brittle:
8-10 garlic cloves, depending on size
1 cup sugar
¼ cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
For the cookies:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
1¼ cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
Equipment
Silpat
Parchment or wax paper
Baking sheet
1 ½ or 2 inch cookie or ice cream scoop
Preparation
For the brittle:
Blanch the garlic in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain, peel, and mince the garlic. Allow to cool completely.
[Chef’s Note: Blanching the garlic will reduce its bite and mellow the intense taste of raw garlic, yielding a less pronounced and sweeter flavor in the cookies.]
Line a baking sheet with a nonstick silpat, parchment or wax paper. Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 300 F (hard crack stage) on a candy thermometer and is a rich golden brown.
Immediately remove from the heat and add butter, vanilla and salt, stirring until the butter melts and is completely emulsified into the sugar. Add the garlic and walnuts and stir to coat completely.
Very carefully, pour the hot mixture onto the prepared baking sheets and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula. Cool completely, about 1 hour, and then break into small chunks.
For the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
Combine the butter and the sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer, and cream with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the chopped brittle and chocolate chips.
Using a 1½ or 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie. Place the baking sheet (unbaked) in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to chill before baking. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned at the edges.
[Chef’s Note: You can also freeze the dough for later baking. Just place the balls of dough into a plastic bag or container, seal and freeze after the chilling step in the recipe. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.]
Variations
If you don’t have the time or patience to make garlic brittle, another idea is to soak the garlic cloves in ½ cup of honey for about 10-20 minutes, drain and use in the cookies. The resulting flavor is just as delicious, but not as crunchy or surprising. However, using the garlic this way will also impart a more powerful punch.
Feel free to use the garlic brittle with our Gilded Fork garlic ice cream recipe for a delicious crunch!
Recipe by Monica Glass