momofuku milk bar confetti cookies
ever since i discovered this bakery, i've been obsessed with all things milk bar: their birthday cake, their compost cookie, their crack pie, you name it! since then, i've been scrolling through their website and watching "how to" videos nonstop. i just love how everything is so original and creative. i never would've thought of leaving the sides of a cake unfrosted if it weren't for milk bar's famous "naked layer cakes."
a lot of my friends are graduating from high school, and so i thought that this would be a perfect occasion to make milk bar's confetti cookies.
when i first looked at the ingredients list, i was a little intimidated. i didn't even know that grapeseed oil existed before looking at this cookie recipe. but after making the recipe, i can say that it's no big deal.
the actual process is very simple. the cookie is made of two main components: the cake crumb and the cookie dough. the cake crumb should be made and baked first because it will later be incorporated into the cookie dough. just a warning: the cake crumbs are very tasty, so try not eat all of them before you put them into your cookie dough.
so, enough talking, let's bake!
birthday cake crumb
recipe from serious eats
ingredients
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons (25 grams) light brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 cup (90 grams) cake flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
2 tablespoons (20 grams) rainbow sprinkles
1/4 cup (40 grams) grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon (12 grams) clear vanilla extract
directions
heat the oven to 300°F.
combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until well combined.
add the oil and vanilla and paddle again to distribute. the wet ingredients will act as glue to help the dry ingredients form small clusters; continue paddling until that happens.
spread the clusters on a parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pan. bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally. the crumbs should still be slightly moist to the touch; they will dry and harden as they cool.
let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or scarfing by the handful. stored in an airtight container, the crumbs will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.
*see my notes at bottom
ingredients
16 tablespoons (225 grams, 2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (50 grams) glucose or 1 tablespoon (25 grams) corn syrup
2 eggs
2 teaspoons (8 grams) clear vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (400 grams) flour
2/3 cup (50 grams) milk powder
2 teaspoons (9 grams) cream of tartar
1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons (5 grams) kosher salt
1/4 cup (40 grams) rainbow sprinkles
1/2 recipe birthday cake crumb
directions
combine the butter, sugar, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.
reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and rainbow sprinkles. mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
still on low speed, add the birthday cake crumbs and mix in for 30 seconds—just until they are incorporated.
using a 2 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. do not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not bake properly.
heat the oven to 350°F.
arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pans. bake for 18 minutes. the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. after 18 minutes, they should be very lightly browned on the edges (golden brown on the bottom). the centers will show just the beginning signs of color. leave the cookies in the oven for an additional minute or so if the colors don’t match and the cookies still seem pale and doughy on the surface.
cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. at room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
*see my notes at bottom
my notes
for the crumb
i didn't have clear vanilla extract so i ended up using normal vanilla extract, which ended up working fine. if you want a paler cookie, you should use clear vanilla extract.
when mixing the crumb after adding the liquid, the crumbs may get very tiny. if you want some bigger crumbs, take the bowl out of the mixer and swirl it around.
for the cookie
i ended up incorporating all of the cake crumbs into the dough, but add as much as you like. make sure to really pat the dough down so that it bakes correctly (see the picture above).
