I try to stay away from too much nostalgia because it doesn’t lead you anywhere. Not that there aren’t insights to be found when we moan about the past. The problem is I find it turns my head backwards instead of forward -- a really unproductive place to be if you’re trying to attack the future. But certain triggers make memories unavoidable and it can often be comforting to take a (very) short walk down memory lane. Just make sure your path is not a slippery slope into the quicksand of reminiscence.



Of course I had to buy some to see if they were still noteworthy and the fact is, they are really good. Dip one in milk and you’ll have lots of memories, I’m sure. But with high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors, they aren’t what I’m looking for in any cookie, even one that’s made it to 100. So I made a version myself from Joanne Chang’s Flour Bakery cookbook. They were great. The cookie itself has a really intense chocolate flavor and a gentle crumbly snap. The crème, which we can now call "cream," doesn’t leave a greasy film in your mouth because it’s made with butter and sugar, not an assortment of processed oils, and provides just the right amount of sweetness to counter the slightly bitter chocolate. But I needed my favorite six year-old to weigh in. Which version would she prefer, store-bought or home made? And what’s more fun than a blindfolded taste test?
First Number One, the home made:
Thankfully, this is a girl whose mother has exposed her to The Brady Bunch, Free to Be You and Me, the Muppets and other important touchstones from our youth. But will her generation ever have the kind of shared experience that comes with the sort of collective icons that mine had? Will a cookie created by a corporate food giant today last 100 years into the future? Somehow I don’t think so. So I’ll be sure to sing “Daydream Believer,” “The Last Train to Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer” and keep on baking her the "better" Oreo.
from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery & Cafe, Joanne Chang, 2010
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Ingredients-cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Ingredients-filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch kosher salt
Directions-cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate then add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. The dough will be quite stiff. Set aside the dough for about an hour to firm up.
Turn the dough out onto a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a log about 10 inches long and 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
Place the log at the edge of the paper and roll the paper around the log. With the log fully encased in paper, roll it into a smoother log no more than 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the butter on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until completely smooth.Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the milk and salt and beat until smooth. (The filling can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.)
Using a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the flat side of half of the cookies. Top with a second cookie, flat side down, then press the cookies together to spread the filling toward the edges.
Yield: 15 sandwich cookies
NOTE: Maybe I sliced my dough too thinly but I wound up with a lot more dough than expected. If you wind up with more than 30 or so cookies, you might want to double the frosting recipe. The frosting yields only enough for 16 sandwich cookies.
2 comments:
This was such a great post. This line: "Did Marcia Brady and Davy Jones make such a lasting impression because they were so special or because there wasn’t much competition? With so much more cultural clutter today how does anything or anyone have a chance to become an icon?" It says SO much. really so true. As hard as it can be to get older, I"m SO glad I lived in a time with the pop culture short hand that really is hard to find these days. And, the cookies look delicious.
Now I feel like baking and I have the old o-o-o ice cream and an Oreo cookie theme song stuck in my head!
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