Ever since I had my first Levain Bakery cookie in 2007, I've periodically been trying to replicate it. A quarter-pounder of a cookie, it is crispy crunchy on the outside, and richly soft and textured on the inside. In my quest, there was a point in 2008 when I would try to make 2-3 batches of big cookies per week. They were all failures. It is simply impossible for a cookie to stay that big and tall in a oven (they're almost an inch thick). The butter in cookies tends to push them out, or down, into silver dollar pancakes or tennis raquet heads, depending on the size. I tried everything in my attempt to copy their mojo, steam in the oven, baking soda changes, butter creaming techniques, virtually eggless doughs, bake time changes, you name it, I tried it. In failing over and over again, I think I understand cookies inside out now. But I always get mortified anew somehow. Recently, at the bakery I work for, I think I finally baked a pretty close cousin of the Levain mother cookie. We shall see.
No comments:
Post a Comment