Pichet Ong’s Snickers Cookies
The Brothers and Sisters/Spoken English pastry chef mixes Snickers bars and candy canes.
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 sticks butter, cut into ½ inch cubes and kept cold
3 cups flour
1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 and ½ teaspoons salt
⅔ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup sugar
1 cup chopped candy canes
1 and ¼ cups Snickers or chocolate bars, chopped
Combine the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer, paddle together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 30 seconds, until mixed. Add the butter and paddle until ¼-inch lumps form, about 1 minute. Add in both sugars, and mix until 1/8-inch lumps form, about 1 more minute. Add the egg mixture and beat until incorporated, 1 minute, scraping once midway through. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in candies and chocolate until just until combined, about 10 seconds.
Divide the dough into 12 balls. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Set the dough on a sheet tray and bake the cookies for 9 minutes, rotating half way through. The cookies should still be soft in the middle, with a slightly wet spot about the size of a dime. Let cool completely, at least 2 hours, then serve or store in a box for up to 2 days.
Paola Velez’s Guava and Reeses Pieces Cookies
The Kith and Kin pastry chef creates a salty/sweet, gluten-free confection.
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill brand 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup dry rolled oats
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup Reeses Pieces
½ cup cubed guava paste
Preheat the oven to 320 degrees.
In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale yellow, scraping the bowl as you go. Add the egg and mix on low speed until fully combined. Add the vanilla and continue to mix. Scrape the bowl down.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, oats, and salt. Add ½ of the dry mix to the butter/egg batter and slowly mix until combined. Add the guava pieces, Reeses Pieces, and the remaining dry ingredients and mix until no flour is left, taking care not to overmix. Scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes, rotating the pan midway through. Cool and serve.
Alex Levin’s Any-Candy-Bar Cookies
The Schlow Restaurant Group’s pastry chef adapts his famous chocolate chip cookie recipe for Halloween leftovers.
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
⅔ cup sugar
⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ pounds chopped candy or chocolate bars (freeze any candy bar that is not firm, then chop) or chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt (fleur de sel or Maldon), as needed for garnish (optional)
Combine the butter, sugars, and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Paddle on low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes more. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and mix on medium speed for 1 more minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the batter in the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed to form a soft dough. Add the chopped chocolate or candy-bar pieces. Mix on low speed until well incorporated.
Scoop 2 tablespoon portions of the dough onto a sheet tray. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or freeze (if you do freeze the dough for later use, let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour before this next step).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a baking sheet with Pam spray, then line with parchment paper. Arrange the scooped dough evenly on the baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten each portion of dough and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until golden brown, rotating the tray after 7 minutes. Let cool on the sheet completely, then serve.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
