Indictment Cookies

A very special chocolatey cookie, replete with 7 different counts of chips. Feel free to add in 37.

This substack is so difficult to write, but only because I am listening to MSNBC in real time talking about the newly unsealed Trump indictment.

I must say I have a bit of a spring in my step today. And while I have created many cookie recipes over the past few years meant to help us all cope with news-induced stress, today’s cookies are to honor Jack Smith and the DOJ’s release of Trump’s indictment.

“One of the most detailed and devastating indictments I’ve seen.” —Ken Delanian, MSNBC White House correspondent.

My brother David gave me the idea for this and sevwen counts was what I was working off as I put together this recipe that has seven different chips in them including the ever-lust-inducing M&Ms. However, as I sit here, Joyce Vance just announced it’s actually 37 charges.

“When told of subpoena Trump told lawyer "I don't want anybody looking through my boxes." also, "Well what happens if we just don't respond at all or don't play ball with them" also "Wouldn't it be better if we just told them we don't have anything here?" He is so so guilty.” — Harry Litman on Twitter @harrylitman

These cookies celebrate justice. Bake some up, raise a glass in the direction of Jack Smith and his hard-working staff and let’s remember we have 2 more possible indictments ahead of us.

And now, The Recipe:

The recipe that follows makes a thick, soft cookie with a just-crunchy outside. I used whole wheat flour, oat flour and almond flour instead of the usual all-purpose white flour. It bumps the nutritional content up, and also adds to the cookies tenderness.

Things to know when making them:

• You can make these cookies large (3-ounce balls of dough…about 3 1/2-inches in diameter), or smaller 2-inch balls.

• Note I ask for cold eggs, because the recipe calls for a long creaming time. Cold eggs prevents the dough from turning into a melty pool of dough.

• I used a mixture of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour to help tone down the sweetness of the cookie. You can use just all-purpose flour, or make them gluten-free and use 4 ounces of oat flour and 4 ounces almond flour instead of the usual all-purpose white flour.

• You can, of course, attempt to have 37 different kinds of chips in your version, but 7 counts is what I based mine off of. It is so tempting to try to get 37 in there.

  

Indictment Cookies

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Indictment Cookies

What You’ll Need:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter, softened

1/2 cup (4 ounces) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) white sugar

2 large eggs, cold

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup (3 ounces) whole wheat flour

1/4 cup (2 ounces) Dutch process cocoa powder (not cocoa drink mix!)

1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 3/4 teaspoon baking power

1 teaspoon baking soda

A generous 16 to 18 ounces of mix-ins. I used a mix of white, semi-sweet, peanut butter, butterscotch, milk, bittersweet chocolate and only the sexiest M&Ms.

What You’ll Do:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In a stand- or with a hand-mixer, cream the butter, white sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides.

3. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the eggs look absorbed into the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowls and the paddle.

5. Add the flour-cocoa mixture and mix until the flour mixture is just moistened. Add in all those chips and mix on low speed until combined.

6. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours, or ideally, 8 hours to let the flours hydrate. If you are like me, however, you will bake some of the dough right away. Just promise me you’ll leave the rest to chill in the fridge, so you can see what a difference chilling the dough makes.

7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into balls about 3 1/2-inches in diameter for large cookies, 2 inches for smaller. Bake cookies for about 15 to 17 minutes for large balls, 12 to 15 for smaller ones. The exterior should look dry. Oven temperatures vary, so keep tweaking your timing until you are pleased.

8. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Curl up with a copy of the indictment and enjoy.

And, what are you thinking today? How are you feeling? Are there concerns you have about all this?

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