The In-Flight Snack Cookie

Just in case you haven't noticed, I've been on a bit of a blog hiatus this summer. In my defense, I've been traveling all over the place (Italy, Greece, Turkey, Amsterdam, New York, Houston). Seriously, I just unpacked my suitcase for the first time since I packed it. ....in May. I'm not one for excuses, but at least I haven't been wasting my summer away laying in my bed for days. Actually scratch that, I've been doing that too. Oops? 

All that aside, I am so happy to finally share a new recipe with y'all! I really can't believe it's been a whole two months since my last dessert post. (Don't worry, that doesn't mean I wasn't eating dessert. I definitely did that.) After I came home from my amazing two weeks traveling throughout Europe, I was plagued with chronic baking fail syndrome. No really, it was tragic. I made about six different desserts in a two week span and EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. was an absolute fail. S'mores baklava — sounds great in theory, right? The oven disagreed on that one when it turned into a bubbly mess of burnt sugar and melted chocolate. Lemon Lavender Cake? Tasted great, but it slid right off the cake stand and crashed face-first into my stovetop. I felt hopeless. 

Ever since I was a child, I have had a strange fascination with airlines and air travel. I kid you not, it was my childhood dream to be a flight attendant. This was due mainly in part to my obsessive viewing of View From the Top, that really terrible Gwenyth Paltrow movie that is definitely one of my guiltiest pleasures. While most kids my age collected Pokemon cards, I collected airline safety cards — yes, those safety information cards that you never look at in the back of the seatback pocket that your legs crammed next to. Why? I have no idea, but I still have over 100 from dozens of airlines from around the world. Disclaimer: I was a really weird child. 

Right about when I memorized the IATA codes for just about every airport worldwide (surely a normal goal for any fourth grader), I discovered AirlineMeals.net, a website devoted to nothing but — you guessed it — airline meals. Seriously, this website is one of the most oddly fascinating things ever. I have spent countless hours going up and down the airline index and looking at the variations between the meals that they serve. Confession: 12 year old Graham submitted quite a few photos himself. 

It should come as no surprise that I love flying. Considering all of the traveling I have been doing this summer, I've had my fare share of interesting flight experiences. My Air France flight from New York to Paris was marked by me eating everything in sight, like neverending warm baguettes and a small mountain of Valrhona chocolate. Amsterdam to Paris had a mid-flight macaron service, despite only being 50 minutes long. Paris to Chicago? Totally wasted my lie flat bed to read all of The Fault In Our Stars in 4 hours. Luckily, I had a blanket to sop up the tears that were violently streaming down my face throughout the book's entirety. (Okay?) 

On my final flight of the summer, a late-night jetBlue flight from New York to New Orleans, I came up with the concept for these cookies. As the flight attendant approached me with a huge basket of snack options, I was left dumbfounded. Seriously, how was I supposed to choose between blue potato chips, pretzels, or animal crackers? (Hint: I didn't.) 

After tearing through the three bags of pressurized snacks, I suddenly came up with the genius idea to bake a cookie inspired by traditional airplane snacks: peanuts, pretzels, potato chips, and biscoff cookies. Think Momofuku Compost Cookie at 38,000 feet. 

Once I got home from my trip, I baked these immediately. One bite in and I knew they were an instant hit. The combination of sweet and salty, crispy edges and gooey middles, little bites of crunchy Biscoff crust, the faint tastes of coffee and butterscotch — definitely better than anything I've ever had on an airplane. 

The In-Flight Snack Cookie 

makes about 20 cookies

adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar.

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 2 tablespoons glucose
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts 
• 1/2 recipe (about 1 cup) Biscoff crust (recipe below)
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp ground coffee
• 2 cups potato chips (if you can find Terra Blues, snatch 'em immediately)
• 1 cup mini pretzels

1. Combine the butter, sugars, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. 

2. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl.

3. Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch, peanuts, Biscoff crust, oats, and ground coffee and mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and pretzels and paddle, still on low speed, until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix or break too many of the pretzels or potato chips. (You deserve a pat on your back if one of your cookies bakes off with a whole pretzel standing up in the center.)

4. Using a 2-3/4 oz. ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measure, portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookies flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies at room temperature. 

5. Heat the oven to 375 F.

6. Bake the dough for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. 

7. Cool the cookies and enjoy.

Biscoff Cookie Crust

makes about 2 cups

• 1 1/2 cups Biscoff cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup milk powder
• 2 tbs sugar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 4 tbs butter, melted, or as needed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Toss the Biscoff cookie crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.

2. Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. the butter will act as glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. the mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. if it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 1 to 1½ tablespoons butter and mix it in.

3. Eat immediately, or deploy as directed in a recipe. the crust is easiest to mold just after mixing. stored in an airtight container, graham crust will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or for 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

The Half-Baked Cake: a Cookie Dough explosion

So I find myself repeatedly doing this thing where I announce that I am "back to blogging" on a more scheduled and regular basis. A week later, and poof! I'm gone. Vanished. To give myself some credit, I've been going from place to place to place every day of my life since this semester started. I've been so disoriented that I literally forgot my calculator for my math final... yeah. 

Well, that stops here. Shit is about to get real crazy around here because IT'S FINALLY SUMMER! (Picture me screaming and dancing right now, because I am.) I cannot even believe it. No really, it hasn't hit me yet. On Wednesday, I took my very last final and could immediately feel my breath returning to normal for the first time since January. This semester was insane. Like... bat shit crazy insane. But hard work pays off. 

After a semester from hell, I am determined to make this summer amazing. I mean, having no school until the very last week of August is a reward in itself, but I've got even bigger things planned. On Monday, I start my internship with the Besh Restaurant Group. (Yep. THE John Besh) Being that I essentially go out to eat for a living, I couldn't be more excited to start working in the food industry. At the end of the month, I'm heading off to Europe for a big, much-needed two week vacation throughout Italy, Greece, Turkey, and a stop in Amsterdam. After that, I've got plenty of special projects, photography gigs, concerts (hello Beyonce and Jay Z), pool parties, and hopefully one too many mojitos. It shall be great. 

But in the meantime, it's time to celebrate! And what's a celebration without cake? (Don't answer that. Actually, don't even imagine that tragic.) I figured that the best way to welcome in summer was by putting a giant dent in my diet with something absurdly decadent and over-the-top. I think I succeeded. Drumroll please.... welcome the Half Baked Cake. 

My inspiration for this cake came as I was ordering my weekly Pinkberry fix. There's an art to creating the perfect combination of yogurt and topping. After getting my yogurt, my eyes darted back and forth and back and forth through the spread of sugary accoutrements I could add on top. Inside my head, there was an intense discourse:

I probably should just be good and get fruit today.

Wait but those chocolate wafer rolls...

One of everything can't hurt right? Wait no, I can't do that.

Oh my god are those cookie dough bites?

*Cue scene* 

 Like many of you, I'm a cookie dough addict — I probably eat about two or three cookies in just dough alone whenever I whip up a batch. This is coming from the hypochondriac child who steadfastly swore against the consumption of raw eggs due to his debilitating fear of contracting salmonella. The boy who still refuses to touch raw chicken, even if it's wrapped in another bag inside of a grocery bag. (I know, I'm dramatic.) But hey, at least I got over the raw egg thing. 

This cake is absurd. No really. It's just so.... extra. This cake does the most. Let me explain why:

1) There's brown sugar in every single element of this cake. Brown sugar cake, brown sugar icing, brown sugar crumb. 

2) The icing tastes like straight up cookie dough.

3) There is cookie dough in between the layers. 

4) There are chunks of gooey-cookie dough baked in the actual cake. 

5) I made the decision to assemble the cake Momofuku Milk Bar style.

Absolutely perfect. Brb, going to the gym. 

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Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter 
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1 cup miniature chocolate chips

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,  cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually add in the flour and salt. Fold in chocolate chips. Form the dough into a thin rectangle, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer until solid, 30+ minutes. 

Cookie Dough Cake 

• 2 2/3 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 2 tsp. baking powder 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed 
• 3 eggs 
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one 9x13 cake pan or two 9-inch cake pans. In a mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda, powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one by one. Mix in the vegetable oil and vanilla. Gradually add in the dry ingredients in three parts alternately with the milk. (A third of the dry ingredients, half of the milk, another third of the dry ingredients, the rest of the milk, the rest of the dry ingredients.) Remove two-thirds of the cookie dough from the freezer and cut into small 1/4-inch cubes, gently fold them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). For a 9x13, bake for 30 minutes. For two 9-inch rounds, bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove pans from oven and cool. 

Cookie Dough Buttercream 

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tablespoons milk 

In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla. Mix in flour and salt. Add in milk until desired consistency is reached. 

Assembly 

(If you're making this in two 9-inch rounds, you can ice the cake as you would normally. If you want to make this Milk Bar-style like me, continue on) 

1. Invert the cake onto a sheet of parchment paper or silpat, and peel off the parchment paper backing. Using the 6-inch cake ring, stamp out two circles from the cake. These will be the top and middle layers. The remaining cake "scrap' will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
2. Clean the cake ring and place it on a sheet of parchment paper or silpat atop a baking sheet. Use one strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Put the cake scraps in the ring and use the back of your hand to press the scraps together into a flat even later.
3. Mix the vanilla cake soak. (1/4 cup milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla). Dunk the pastry brush in the cake soak and give the layer of scraps a good, healthy bath of half of the soak.
4. Spread one fifth of the brown sugar frosting over the base layer. Then sprinkle with one-third of the cookie dough evenly over the top of the frosting. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place. Top with another fifth of the frosting, carefully spreading it so that it is even, but without disturbing the cookie dough.
5. With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5-6 inches tall- high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Top with a full circle of cake (save the nicest one for the top layer), brush the rest of the cake soak over this layer, top with another one fifth of the frosting, one third of the cookie dough, and another one fifth of the frosting.
6. Nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the last fifth of the frosting. Give it volume and swirls, or opt for the perfectly flat top. Garnish the frosting with the remaining cookie dough.
7. Freeze the cake for at least 12 hours to set the cake and filling. (And to make the unmolding much easier.)
8. Three hours before serving, pull the pan from the freezer, and using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. (wrapped well in plastic, it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)

Momofuku Birthday Layer Cake

Happy Monday! This amazing cake comes from Christina Tosi's New York City sugar mecca, Momofuku Milk Bar. When I was depressed and alone (lol) when I initially moved to the city for college, I walked over to Milk Bar, bought a handful of birthday cake truffles, cornflake cookies, and crack pie, and sat in my dorm room and stuffed my face to alleviate some of the sadness. 

Ever since I visited the tiny East Village bakery, I have been eternally craving Milk Bar's ultrasweet creations. This past Christmas, I finally received the famed Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook and I've been itching to create something from it. This weekend, I did just that to celebrate my bestest friend Ashley's 18th birthday. 

Milk Bar's Birthday Layer Cake takes the traditional boxed funfetti cake and transforms it into a pastry masterpiece. Seriously, who doesn't like funfetti cake? Nobody. How about a funfetti cake made from scratch, soaked in milk and vanilla, covered in birthday cake crumbs (oh my god the crumbs), and all topped with vanilla icing? Next level.

It may have taken me 3 hours on a Friday afternoon to bake and assemble this amazing cake, but it was SO worth it. For real, you HAVE to make this. 

Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Layer Cake 

1. Invert the birthday cake onto a sheet of parchment paper or silpat, and peel off the parchment paper backing. Using the 6-inch cake ring, stamp out two circles from the cake. These will be the top and middle layers. The remaining cake "scrap' will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
2. Clean the cake ring and place it on a sheet of parchment paper or silpat atop a baking sheet. Use one strop of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Put the cake scraps in the ring and use the back of your hand to press the scraps together into a flat even later.
3. Dunk the pastry brush in the birthday cake soak and give the layer of scraps a good, healthy bath of half of the soak.
4. Spread one fifth of the birthday cake frosting over the base layer. Then sprinkle with one-third of the birthday cake crumbs evenly over the top of the frosting. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place. Top with another fifth of the birthday cake frosting, carefully spreading it so that it is even, but without disturbing the crumbs.
5. With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5-6 inches tall- high enough to support the height of th finished cake. Top with a full circle of cake (save the nicest one for the top layer), brush the rest of the cake soak over this layer, top with another one fifth of the frosting, one third of the cake crumbs, and another one fifth of the frosting.
6. Nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the last fifth of the frosting. Give it volume and swirls, or opt for the perfectly flat top. Garnish the frosting with the remaining birthday crumbs.
7. Freeze the cake for at least 12 hours to set the cake and filling. (And to make the unmolding much easier.)
8. Three hours before serving, pull the pan from the freezer, and using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. (wrapped well in plastic, it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)

Birthday Cake

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbl rainbow sprinkles
• 4 tbl (1/2 stick) salted butter, at room temp
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbl light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp McCormick brand clear imitation vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a rimmed quarter sheet pan by spraying with cooking spray and covering the base with a sheet of parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and 1/4 cup sprinkles in a small bowl. Set the dry ingredients aside for later.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
4. Add the eggs (all at once) and then beat again on medium-high for another 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, canola oil, and imitation vanilla) in a steady stream. Increase the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for another 4 to 6 minutes. The mixture should double in size and turn practically white. Don't stop mixing until the mixture is completely homogeneous, with no visible streaks of oil or fat.
6. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, and mix for another minute or so until the ingredients are just combined.
7. Pour out the batter into the prepared sheet pan, spreading it out into an even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbl of sprinkles.
8. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the cake bounces back slightly when gently pressed in the corner. The center of the cake should no longer jiggle when the pan is shook. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack.

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Birthday Cake Soak

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp McCormick brand clear imitation vanilla extract

1. Whisk together the milk and vanilla in a small cup or bowl. Set aside. 

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Birthday Cake Crumb

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tbl light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbl rainbow sprinkles
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tbl McCormick brand clear imitation vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 300 and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or piece of parchment.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles. Mix on low speed until combined.
3. Stream in the oil and the imitation vanilla on low speed and continue beating the mixture until the ingredients clump and form small clusters.
4. Carefully spread the clusters in a thin layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake them for about 20 minutes, breaking up occasionally. They will be slightly moist but will harden as they cool. Let them cool completely before using.

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Birthday Cake Frosting

• 8 tbl (1 stick) salted butter, at room temp
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temp
• 1 tablespoon glucose
• 2 tbl light corn syrup
• 1 tbl McCormick brand clear imitation vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• pinch baking powder
• pinch citric acid

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening, and the cream cheese for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
2. Add the glucose, corn syrup, and vanilla, and beat the mixture on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and glossy white.
3. Add the powdered sugar, baking powder, and citric acid on low speed until just combined. Crank the mixer to high speed and beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is stark white and fluffy.