CHOCOLATE-TOFFEE COOKIES
Excerpt from The Ucross Cookbook: Cooking for Artists on a Wyoming Ranch, by Cindy Brooks with Cree LeFavour
Upon her departure from Ucross, the self-described artist/writer/adventurer Tessa Hulls wrote, “Thank you for the silence, support, and overabundance of cookies: being here let me sink fully into ideas without needing to combat the distractions of the outside world.”
Cookies occupy a surprisingly prominent place at Ucross. When I arrived in 2009, I inherited one non-negotiable item: the Cookie Jar. The big green-and-blue crock, made by a local potter, sits on a table in the School House and is, if not the focus of the space, very much central to it. At all times it contains free-range cookies—cookies there for the artists to take at whim. Who doesn’t need a cookie when you’re up against a tough paragraph, struggling with a line, a note, a color, or endeavoring to capture the perfect shot? What creative problem isn’t, if not resolved, at least put in perspective by a cookie?
From the evidence of cookie consumption at Ucross, I suspect it’s very few. The cookies disappear at a rate that boggles my baker sensibilities. I don’t mind—in fact, I’m flattered—but I can tell you it’s quite a job to keep that jar full. I will confess to wondering, from time to time, where the cookies really go. Are there great stashes of them under artists’ pillows? Are they used as a form of artists’ currency in the wee hours? Is there a sculpture project I’m not privy to? Because, at times, it does seem impossible that one relatively small group of astonishingly well-fed, relatively sedentary humans can really eat so many cookies in a single day.
But eat them they do! All of which is to say I make a lot of cookies at Ucross—snickerdoodles, chocolate-coffee, chocolate-hazelnut, gingersnaps, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, lemon sugar, and more. Here I offer just one of the most popular in the ever-expanding rotation of endless Ucross cookies.
Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Oven temperature 350 ̊F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place (or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating on medium until light, another 2 to 3 minutes. Again, scrape down the bowl and remix briefly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture at low speed, just mixing to combine before adding the almonds, toffee pieces, and chocolate chips. Mix at low speed just until blended. Don’t overmix the dough.
To bake, scoop golf-ball-sized rounds onto a greased or parchment-paper-covered baking sheet, allowing at least 2 inches of space around each one. Bake in the top third of the oven for 12 to 13 minutes or until just beginning to show a little color at the edges. The center should be soft when the cookies come out of the oven. After allowing the cookies to cool for a minute or two, use a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Repeat to bake the remaining dough in batches.
Upon her departure from Ucross, the self-described artist/writer/adventurer Tessa Hulls wrote, “Thank you for the silence, support, and overabundance of cookies: being here let me sink fully into ideas without needing to combat the distractions of the outside world.”
Cookies occupy a surprisingly prominent place at Ucross. When I arrived in 2009, I inherited one non-negotiable item: the Cookie Jar. The big green-and-blue crock, made by a local potter, sits on a table in the School House and is, if not the focus of the space, very much central to it. At all times it contains free-range cookies—cookies there for the artists to take at whim. Who doesn’t need a cookie when you’re up against a tough paragraph, struggling with a line, a note, a color, or endeavoring to capture the perfect shot? What creative problem isn’t, if not resolved, at least put in perspective by a cookie?
From the evidence of cookie consumption at Ucross, I suspect it’s very few. The cookies disappear at a rate that boggles my baker sensibilities. I don’t mind—in fact, I’m flattered—but I can tell you it’s quite a job to keep that jar full. I will confess to wondering, from time to time, where the cookies really go. Are there great stashes of them under artists’ pillows? Are they used as a form of artists’ currency in the wee hours? Is there a sculpture project I’m not privy to? Because, at times, it does seem impossible that one relatively small group of astonishingly well-fed, relatively sedentary humans can really eat so many cookies in a single day.
But eat them they do! All of which is to say I make a lot of cookies at Ucross—snickerdoodles, chocolate-coffee, chocolate-hazelnut, gingersnaps, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, lemon sugar, and more. Here I offer just one of the most popular in the ever-expanding rotation of endless Ucross cookies.
Chocolate Toffee Cookies
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2¼cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1⅓ cups (8 ounces) toffee pieces
- 2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Oven temperature 350 ̊F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place (or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating on medium until light, another 2 to 3 minutes. Again, scrape down the bowl and remix briefly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture at low speed, just mixing to combine before adding the almonds, toffee pieces, and chocolate chips. Mix at low speed just until blended. Don’t overmix the dough.
To bake, scoop golf-ball-sized rounds onto a greased or parchment-paper-covered baking sheet, allowing at least 2 inches of space around each one. Bake in the top third of the oven for 12 to 13 minutes or until just beginning to show a little color at the edges. The center should be soft when the cookies come out of the oven. After allowing the cookies to cool for a minute or two, use a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Repeat to bake the remaining dough in batches.
Did you enjoy this recipe?
Find more delicious dishes, along with artist essays, photographs of our Wyoming ranch, and stories from Chef Cindy Brooks, in The Ucross Cookbook, available for online purchase and at select bookstores, galleries, and boutiques. Proceeds directly benefit our nonprofit.
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