Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Cherry Bakewell Cookies
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
50 mins
45 mins
2 hours
Serves:
30 large cookies (about 2 oz of dough each)
Gabe created this dish for Great British Bake Off ™ Series 17. Almond cookies packed with sour cherries and finished with dark chocolate and freeze-dried cherry turn the classic cherry Bakewell into a cookie. Baking on preheated pizza stones gave a crisp base and edge, and Nigella Lawson praised bot...
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Ingredients
FOR THE ALMOND COOKIE DOUGH: 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter 1½ cups packed light brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature 1½ tsp pure almond extract 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup almond flour (finely ground blanched almonds) 1½ tsp baking soda 1¼ tsp fine sea salt 2 cups (about 10 oz) dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
FOR THE DECORATION: 6 oz dark chocolate (60–70%), finely chopped 1 cup (about ¾ oz) freeze-dried cherries, lightly crushed
EQUIPMENT: 2 pizza stones (or 1, with more batches) Parchment paper Pizza peel or rimless baking sheet #20 cookie scoop (3 Tbsp) Kitchen scale Wire racks
Method
STEP 1: HEAT THE STONES
Set the pizza stones on the upper-middle and lower-middle racks of a cold oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and let the stones heat for at least 45 minutes. Cut six sheets of parchment to fit the stones. No stones? Heat a heavy upturned baking sheet for 20 minutes and bake on that instead.
STEP 2: MELT THE BUTTER
Melt the butter and let it cool for 10 minutes, until warm but not hot.
STEP 3: MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS
Whisk the melted butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1 minute. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, almond extract and vanilla extract until glossy. Measure the almond extract level; it is strong.
STEP 4: FINISH THE DOUGH
Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt together. Fold into the wet mixture until no dry streaks remain, then fold in the chopped dried sour cherries.
STEP 5: PORTION AND CHILL
Scoop 30 portions with the #20 cookie scoop, about 2 oz each. Weigh a few on a kitchen scale and adjust so all 30 match. Chill on a tray for 20 minutes.
STEP 6: LOAD THE STONES
Place five dough balls on each parchment sheet, spaced well apart. Slide the sheets onto the hot stones with a pizza peel or a rimless baking sheet.
STEP 7: BAKE
Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are golden and set and the centers are puffed and still soft. They firm up as they cool.
STEP 8: COOL
Slide the parchment off onto wire racks. Leave the cookies on the paper for 5 minutes, then move them to the racks to cool completely.
STEP 9: BAKE THE REMAINING BATCHES
Let the stones recover for 5 minutes between batches, then bake the remaining dough the same way, for three batches of ten in total.
STEP 10: MELT THE CHOCOLATE
Melt the dark chocolate gently in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each.
STEP 11: DECORATE
Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies. While it is still wet, scatter the crushed freeze-dried cherries over the top. Leave to set for 30 minutes. The cookies keep for three days in an airtight tin; if making ahead, add the freeze-dried cherries on the day.
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Instructions
FOR THE ALMOND COOKIE DOUGH:
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1½ cups packed light brown sugar
(/interesting-ingredients/light-brown-sugar)½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1½ tsp pure almond extract
(/interesting-ingredients/almond-)1 tsp vanilla extract
(/interesting-ingredients/vanilla-extract)3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour (/interesting-ingredients/almond-flour)(finely ground blanched almonds)
1½ tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp fine sea salt
2 cups (about 10 oz) dried sour cherries,(/interesting-ingredients/dried-tart-cherries) roughly chopped
FOR THE DECORATION:
6 oz dark chocolate (60–70%), finely chopped
1 cup (about ¾ oz) freeze-dried cherries, lightly crushed
EQUIPMENT:
2 pizza stones (or 1, with more batches)
Parchment paper
Pizza peel or rimless baking sheet
#20 cookie scoop (3 Tbsp)
Kitchen scale
Wire racks
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: HEAT THE STONES
Set the pizza stones on the upper-middle and lower-middle racks of a cold oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and let the stones heat for at least 45 minutes. Cut six sheets of parchment to fit the stones. No stones? Heat a heavy upturned baking sheet for 20 minutes and bake on that instead.
STEP 2: MELT THE BUTTER
Melt the butter and let it cool for 10 minutes, until warm but not hot.
STEP 3: MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS
Whisk the melted butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1 minute. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, almond extract and vanilla extract until glossy. Measure the almond extract level; it is strong.
STEP 4: FINISH THE DOUGH
Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt together. Fold into the wet mixture until no dry streaks remain, then fold in the chopped dried sour cherries.
STEP 5: PORTION AND CHILL
Scoop 30 portions with the #20 cookie scoop, about 2 oz each. Weigh a few on a kitchen scale and adjust so all 30 match. Chill on a tray for 20 minutes.
STEP 6: LOAD THE STONES
Place five dough balls on each parchment sheet, spaced well apart. Slide the sheets onto the hot stones with a pizza peel or a rimless baking sheet.
STEP 7: BAKE
Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are golden and set and the centers are puffed and still soft. They firm up as they cool.
STEP 8: COOL
Slide the parchment off onto wire racks. Leave the cookies on the paper for 5 minutes, then move them to the racks to cool completely.
STEP 9: BAKE THE REMAINING BATCHES
Let the stones recover for 5 minutes between batches, then bake the remaining dough the same way, for three batches of ten in total.
STEP 10: MELT THE CHOCOLATE
Melt the dark chocolate gently in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each.
STEP 11: DECORATE
Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies. While it is still wet, scatter the crushed freeze-dried cherries over the top. Leave to set for 30 minutes. The cookies keep for three days in an airtight tin; if making ahead, add the freeze-dried cherries on the day.
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