Can a Cookie Be Green?: Compost Cookies

Perhaps I felt like I needed to compensate for the salad I made this weekend ... or perhaps it was just a response to the monsoon here in New Jersey, and an attempt to entertain Ian when it would not have been possible (never mind desirable) to go outside, even in full rain gear.  Whatever it was, the spirit was weak.  I needed to make cookies.


On my foodie tour of New York City back in January, I'd picked up a Compost Cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar.  For those of you not in the know, the Compost Cookie has been sweeping the nation; it's something along the lines of Halloween in cookie form.  While the thought of that cupcake from Butterlane still makes me swoon, I've also been thinking about that Momofuku cookie ever since, collecting ingredients (we don't generally have pretzels and chips around here), and waiting for the perfect moment to bake them.  Apparently Kelly Ripa (I had never heard of her before a visit to my dentist the other day, where I got to watch morning TV) recently got her hands on the "secret" recipe and published it on their website.  But there were no oats, and  I knew that I wanted something more like a traditional oatmeal cookie base.  Moreover, I did not want butterscotch chips (one of the few things I really don't like to bake with) polluting my cookies.  After some hunting around, a found a recipe I thought might be worth trying.


Ian helped by eating one of each of the mix-in ingredients before they went into the bowl, creaming butter and sugar, and licking the spoon at the end.  He wasn't very interested in compost or cookies this weekend.  That's OK, though, because it meant more for me.  Luckily, I had an office full of colleagues who were willing to eat the leftovers.

I know this: if these cookies are this good, I should probably not try to make Momfuku's "Crack Pie."  Oh, well; back to healthy eating tomorrow.



A Variation on the Momofuku Compost Cookie (Adapted from Oatmeal CookieBlog)

Creamables
1 1/2 sticks butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons dry, used coffee grounds

Wet Ingredients
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla

Dry Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
3/4 cup roughly crushed pretzels
3/4 cup roughly crushed potato chips
1/2 cup cocoa nibs
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.  In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth.  Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.

In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined. Chill dough for 2 hrs or overnight.

Shape dough into balls–about 2 tablespoons each.  Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Cool on wire racks.