fruity pebble crunch cookies

Fruity pebbles? Check.
Mini marshmallows? Check.
Browned butter? Check.
Dark brown sugar? Check.
Vanilla extract? Check.
Oats? Check.
Flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, baking soda & kosher salt? Check, check, check, check, check, check!!!

This recipe for fruity pebble crunch cookies is the perfect combination from Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milkbar's Cornflake-Chocolate Chip-Marshmallow-Cookies and another all-time favorite The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie from Cook's Illustrated. Which I blogged about here.

These cookies take a lot longer than the average recipe for cookies, but it will be worth the wait. And you can trust me on this....

Fruity Pebble Crunch Cookies
original recipe courtesy of bon appétit via Two Bouroughs Larder
makes 15 - 24 cookies

Before you bust out your mixer and ingredients, the fruity pebble crunch needs to be made. And if you decide that the crunch is all you need and want then I suggest sprinkling it over vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt or eating it straight up. It's THAT good.

Fruity Pebble Crunch
makes one recipe for cookies

2-1/2 cups Fruity Pebble cereal
1 cup whole rolled oats
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300ºF.
Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix cereal, oats, dry milk powder, and kosher salt. Stir to combine. Pour melted unsalted butter over mixture and toss to thoroughly coat.

Spread out onto your prepared cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, the cereal should feel/look slightly toasted.

Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.

for the COOKIES!!!

16 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups bread flour ***The original recipe called for all-purpose flour, but Christina Tosi uses bread flour in her cookies so I thought I'd follow her lead.***
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 recipe of fruity pebble crunch
1-1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Combine bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.

In a bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, place 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt the rest of the butter. While swirling the pan constantly, little brown flecks will form at the bottom of your pan and  the butter will have a nutty aroma. Once butter has browned, pour this over the butter in the stand mixer and stir to melt.

Add both sugars to butter and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes. Turn on mixer again for 30 seconds and then let rest for 5 more minutes. Do this one more time for a total resting time of 15 minutes.

Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until all the flour is incorporated.

Add the Fruity Pebble Crunch and marshmallows, and mix on low until everything is evenly distributed.

Using a cookie scoop, portion your cookies and place on a parchment lined sheet and chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight, ideally. ***I must have a lot of patience because I chill mine overnight.*** Also tuck the mini marshmallows into the dough so that very little of them are exposed. This will prevent them from just melting all of the place in the oven while they bake. 

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place balls of cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 5 minutes. Check your cookies and if the marshmallows are peaking out, push them back in with a small wet offset spatula. Bake for another 5 minutes. With a wide spatula, gently press the cookies down so that they bake evenly. Bake for another 5 - 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and light golden brown. ***I baked my cookies for a total of 20 minutes.*** 

The cookies will still be gooey in the center. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

it's a girl & momofuku milk bar's birthday cake

I've made life-sized flag banners for a showroom installation but when I came across this mini version by Joy the Baker for a cake, I felt inspired all over again. 

Rachel's favorite color is purple. So it was her favorite shade all day long.

It's a girl!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Rachel & Keino!!!

momofuku milk bar's carrot layer cake

I've baked more than I have blogged this past week and I've got some sweet stuff lined up for future posts. But today's post I REALLY wanted to share (or should I say brag) because it was THAT good!!! 


If you live in New York City or Brooklyn, go to a Momofuku Milk Bar and try something!!! ANYTHING!!! My faves are any of the Cake Truffles, Birthday Cake, Corn Cookies, Cereal Milk, Cereal Milk Ice Cream, Blueberry & Cream Cookies, Chocolate-Chocolate Cookies, Cornflake-Chocolate-Chip-Marshmallow Cookies, and obviously Crack Pie which I blogged about here. And now I can add to my list...Carrot Layer Cake. I will not be attaching a recipe to this blog post mainly because the level of difficulty involved in making this cake. I'm always up for a challenge and frankly, a little obsessed. And if you are too, drop me a comment or go out and buy this cookbook!!!

Oh yes, I am completely obsessed!!! I'm currently making my way through this cookbook and if you plan on seeing me in the near future you will forced into eating a plethora of yummy goodness.

So let's just take a look at the Carrot Layer Cake recipe.....First component to the recipe is Carrot Cake. OK. That sounds reasonable. Next? Plain old milk. No problem.

Third component....Liquid Cheesecake????? What??? What??? What???

Next comes Milk Crumbs. I've made these before for the Blueberry & Cream Cookies, but that's a whole other post. 

And finally Graham Frosting!!! 




Can you see why I DIDN'T include the recipe????? This as well as the other cakes listed in the book are super special cakes. They are extremely time consuming but worth every delicious morsel. My husband and I met up with his cousin and his partner for dinner last night and of course I brought the dessert.....

crack pie

That's right....This pie is SO ADDICTING it's like crack!!! 
Well, so they say it is.....






Pastry chef, Christina Tosi, of David Chang's Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City is the mad genius behind this insanely tasty creation. I'm often asked, "What's your favorite bakery in the city?", and Momofuku Milk Bar is at the top of my list and hands down one of the best places to add to your waistline. I wanna give props to bon appétit magazine for featuring Tosi in their September 2010 issue. 
Because now I am totally addicted to crack.....pie.


Crack Pie
10 to 12 servings 


oat cookie crust
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt 


filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (for dusting)


OAT COOKIE CRUST
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13 x 9 x 2-inch metal baking pan ***I use a regular cookie sheet for this step*** with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. COmbine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. ***if you're using a regular cookie sheet press out to roughly a 13 x 9 inch rectangle*** Bake until light golden brown on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely. ***I get rather impatient at this stage and I transfer cookie to a cold cookie sheet and I place it in the freezer for 15 minutes***


Using hands, crumble oat cookie into a large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. ***But if you're like me and a little lazy, dump everything into a food processor and pulse until cookie resembles wet crumbs*** Transfer cookie crust crumbs to a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. ***Press crust about 1 1/2 inches high. It should look quite shallow*** Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.


FILLING
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie for 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around the edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.


Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold. Or if you live in my household....just eat with fork and crack on!!!!