Rye-Cranberry-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Greetings, Dear Cook's Tour Readers.

Are you tired of the same old chocolate chip cookie? Do you want something with a little more texture? Would you like a cookie bursting with not-your-typical flavors? How about one that's also super easy to prep and bake? Well, if you answered "yes!" to at least one of these questions (and I'm pretty sure you did), step right up, 'cause I've got just the thing.


By way of one of my favorite bakers, Dorie Greenspan, who adapted it from Mokonuts bakery in Paris, comes this incredible cookie. These are not delicate cookies, by any means. These have a nice heft to them, and they are made with rye flour which gives them a nutty flavor and texture. They also use chocolate chunks instead of chips, which amps of the chocolate-y-ness. The cranberries give you a bit of tartness, which makes these not too sweet, and the sprinkle of sea salt atop each cookie just enhances all the flavors.


You do need to let the dough refrigerate overnight so plan ahead. They keep well at room temp for about three days, and freeze well up to 2 months (I've got a few in my freezer right now). They are perfect for a lunchbox or fall picnic basket, or nibbling with a cup of tea on a crisp fall afternoon.

Makes about 15 large cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (130 grams) medium rye flour
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter at cool room temperature
1⁄2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1⁄2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1⁄3 cup (50 grams) poppy seeds
2⁄3 cup (80 grams) moist, plump dried cranberries
4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
Flake salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Whisk together the rye flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. Working with a mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until blended; scrape thebowl as needed. Add the egg, and beat 2 minutes more. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once, then pulse the mixer a few times to begin blending the ingredients. Beat on low speed until the flour almost disappears, and then add the poppy seeds, cranberries and chocolate. Mix only until incorporated. Scrape the bowl to bring the dough together.
3. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment, foil or plastic wrap nearby. Divide the dough into 15 pieces, roll each piece into a ball between your palms and place on the baking sheet. Cover, and refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 3 days. (If you’d like, you can wrap the balls airtight and freeze them for up to 1 month. Defrost them overnight in the fridge before baking.)
4. When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the cookies on the sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie (work with half a batch at a time and keep the remaining balls of dough in the refrigerator until needed). Sprinkle each cookie with a little flake salt, crushing it between your fingers as you do.
5. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, pull the baking sheet from the oven and, using a metal spatula, a pancake turner or the bottom of a glass, tap each cookie lightly. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 3 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack. Repeat with the remaining dough, always using cold dough and a cool baking sheet.
6. Serve after the cookies have cooled for about 10 minutes, or wait until they reach room temperature.

Flourless (Sugar-free) Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Photo: King Arthur Flour

If you are a regular reader of The Cook’s Tour, you know that when it comes to desserts, I am a full-on butter, sugar, all-in kind of girl.  But recently the hubby’s doctor advised him to cut back (way back) on refined sugars. This forced me to rethink things a bit.  I could continue to bake fabulous sugar-y desserts, which would be all too convenient for him to reach in the kitchen. Or I could look for recipes that either reduce or omit sugar altogether, but are still delicious (this is paramount!). Obviously, I chose the latter. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t bake with sugars for parties, friends, etc., but when it’s just to have some goodies around the house, a new regime is in place.

All this leads me to telling you about the wonderful cookies I discovered at King Arthur Flour and a sugar substitute called “Whey-Low.” This all-natural product is perfect for low-cal, low-carb dieters, type-2 diabetics, or just plain health conscious folks (and who isn’t these days?). For baking purposes, it measures 1 for 1 like regular sugar, which makes recipe conversion (or non-conversion in this case) super easy.  Whey-Low comes in several varieties, including substitutes for brown sugar and confectioner’s sugar. And that brings us to these luscious cookies, brimming with fudge-y, espresso-y goodness.

I’m a huge KA fan (don’t tell anyone, but one of the items on my bucket list is to spend a week in bucolic Vermont attending a KAF baking workshop!) and visit their site regularly for inspiration. A few weeks ago, I came across their Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cookies. At first, I made them according to the recipe, which calls for two cups of confectioner’s sugar. They were outrageous! But given the husband’s new mandate for no sugar combined with his serious chocolate addiction, I knew I had to try the Whey-Low substitute. I’m happy to report that they were still just as fabulous with the Whey-Low confectioner’s sugar. I also tried them out on a friend at work who is a serious connoisseur of gluten-free baked goods, and she declared them a winner!  And even though I don’t have any gluten or sugar issues, it probably doesn’t hurt to cut back where I can.

They are ridiculously easy to make, but a couple of tips I want to pass along to you: in order to obtain the soft, batter-like dough called for in the recipe, I had to use four egg whites, instead of three. I also made these smaller than the original recipe just because I am not a fan of huge cookies, but don’t let that influence you one little bit. Read the original recipe here.

Hope you enjoy these wonderful little cookies!  Drop me a note to let me know if you try them and how they turned out.

Happy Baking!

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