At any given time, there are so many recipes that I want to try that sometimes it's difficult for me to keep them straight. And that's why there was a bag of spelt flour in my freezer (purchased pre-pandemic) that I knew I had purchased for a particular baking project -- but I just couldn't remember what the heck it was. So I decided to use it to make Erin Clarkson's recipe for Brown Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies. The recipe uses both all-purpose flour and spelt flour and calls for three different types of sugar.
This dough comes together quickly, although you do have to take time to brown some butter, and plan for a brief chill in the fridge. You mix brown butter with muscovado sugar (I used light brown sugar instead), dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar; add eggs and vanilla and beat until light; mix in the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt); and fold in chopped chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger 62% petite squares that I pulsed in the food processor a few times). I chilled the dough before using a #40 scoop to portion it out; I got 34 cookies from a batch of dough.
When the cookies were still hot from the oven, I smoothed out any irregular edges by nudging them into place with a large cookie cutter, and I sprinkled on some Maldon salt. These cookies were very good. They were substantial, chocolate-y, and had a touch of earthy flavor that added some nice complexity. I don't always like the results I get from using alternative flours. The few times that I've baked with rye flour, I've found find the rye flavor distracting -- but here the spelt just added a little something that made the cookies more interesting.
However, these cookies did not hold up very well. After a couple of days, the texture became slightly dry and more crumbly. For that reason alone, I probably wouldn't make these again -- because even though I give away the vast majority of what I bake, Tom and I like to enjoy a cookie after dinner and we tend to stretch out whatever desserts we've kept for ourselves over a few days. I appreciate a cookie with staying power!
Recipe: "Brown Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies" by Erin Clarkson of Cloudy Kitchen.
This dough comes together quickly, although you do have to take time to brown some butter, and plan for a brief chill in the fridge. You mix brown butter with muscovado sugar (I used light brown sugar instead), dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar; add eggs and vanilla and beat until light; mix in the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt); and fold in chopped chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger 62% petite squares that I pulsed in the food processor a few times). I chilled the dough before using a #40 scoop to portion it out; I got 34 cookies from a batch of dough.
However, these cookies did not hold up very well. After a couple of days, the texture became slightly dry and more crumbly. For that reason alone, I probably wouldn't make these again -- because even though I give away the vast majority of what I bake, Tom and I like to enjoy a cookie after dinner and we tend to stretch out whatever desserts we've kept for ourselves over a few days. I appreciate a cookie with staying power!
Recipe: "Brown Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies" by Erin Clarkson of Cloudy Kitchen.
Comments
From SP, I've made the salted maple pie (Thanksgiving 2019 - delicious), pie sandwich cookies, buckwheat chocolate chip cookies, fennel seed snickerdoodles, golden oaties, robert redford cookies, and rhubarb blondes. All have been outstanding - I've added in weights if you have any q's and made some mods, so if you're interested in any of those, let me know!