Momofuko Confetti Cookies

I've now made three cookie recipes from the Momofuko Milk Bar cookbook and my conclusion is...they're good...but a bit irritating to make. Each one incorporates a separate "crumb" or "crisp" element that you have to make first. While they're always tasty, I'm not sure how much that element actually adds to the final product (or if, ultimately, it's just a gimmick). In addition, I was recently down in New York and did some "research" at an actual MMB to see how the authentic cookies compared to mine.

The first recipe I made was called Blueberry & Cream Cookies. I made these once before I had the cookbook (via Martha Stewart) and once after--and they turned out dramatically different the second time. (I made a half-recipe the first time and suspect that I messed up some of the measurements since the consistency was so different for each batch.) They were good enough to make a second time, but I'm not sure I need to make them a third time--maybe I'd try them with a different dried fruit or mix-in.  Anyway, these used Milk Crumbs that looked like this:

The cookie looked like this:

The authentic Momofuko version...not too different than mine, but chewier:

Next I made Cornflake-Chocolate Chip-Marshmallow Cookies, which used Cornflake Crunch. I didn't take any pictures of my cookies, but here is Momofuko's cookie. I liked these cookies a lot--the bits of marshmallow made them a little like a cookie version of a Rice Krispies bar. Once again though, mine were not as chewy as Momofuko's.  (Either their baking times are way off or my oven is too hot.)

Which brings me, finally, to Confetti Cookies, which use Birthday Cake Crumbs. They look like this:

I think these came out the best, perhaps because they include a bit of cream of tartar. I don't know if sprinkles really bring much to the party except some color. But they're fun. (These were not available at Momfuko on the day I visited.)

Birthday Cake Crumbs:
1/2 cup sugar
1 + 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cake flour (I used all-purpose flour with a bit of cornstarch)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
1/4 cup oil (book called for grapeseed, I used butter)
1 tablespoon (clear) vanilla extract*

Combine first six dry ingredients, then add oil & vanilla and mix until crumbly.  Place on a parchment-lined sheet and bake for 20 minutes, breaking up crumbs occasionally.  Let cool completely.

Confetti Cookies:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 + 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons glucose*
2 eggs
2 teaspoons (clear) vanilla extract
2 + 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup milk powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 + 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (less if table salt)
1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles

1/2 recipe Birthday Cake Crumbs

Cream butter, sugar & glucose. Add in vanilla & eggs and beat until smooth, about 7 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients (or mix on low speed if you're using a stand mixer).  Mix in crumbs last, until just incorporated.

Scoop out large spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined sheet. Flatten slightly. (The book calls for 1/3 cup scoopfuls, but that seems like a bit much to me.) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to onr week.

When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange dough balls so they're several inches apart--the larger the ball, the further it will spread (duh!).  Place in oven and check after 15 minutes--cookies should be slightly browned on the edges. (The book says to cook for 18 minutes, which may be necessary if you actually plop down a whole 1/3 cup!) The book also says to cool on the sheet, but I always remove them to a cooling rack after a minute.

*They recommend using clear vanilla extract to get a sort of fake vanilla flavor.  Whatever...I'm sure regular vanilla is fine too. Glucose is some very strange stuff! It's like corn syrup, but 10X denser and stickier, making it very hard to measure out. You can sub in corn syrup if you don't have this.