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Momofuku Compost Cookies

Has anyone had these?, either from the Milk Bar or from the mix, which I saw at Williams-Sonoma. I have found a copycat recipe but it sounds tricky, since you can't bake them until the 2nd day. I can't wait to make them, but will have to buy some pretzels and wavy potato chips first, also some pecans since we demolished that huge bag I bought Christmas.

Tags: Cookies, salty-sweet

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hacampbell
  • Reply by hacampbell on February 05, 2012 at 9:35 pm
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ooo!! thy sound yummy let us know how thy r and if its a good recepie!!!

ekailin
  • Reply by ekailin on February 06, 2012 at 12:57 am
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I had these when I went to New York over new years. THEY WERE BOMB. if this recipe is good can you post it on here? I would love to try and make them too!

dachshundlady

The title sounds like something from "The Ladies Number One Detective Agency" book series!

mrscindy
  • Reply by mrscindy on February 06, 2012 at 1:59 pm
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If you google Momofuku Compost Cookies Recipe, you will get lots of hits for the recipe. Once you get the basic recipe, you just add the sweet/salty component to your taste.

~Cindy

Mike Nolan
  • Reply by Mike Nolan on February 06, 2012 at 6:03 pm
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Somehow the name 'compost cookies' just doesn't sound appetizing to me.

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 06, 2012 at 7:16 pm
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The photo in a Wms-Sonoma catalog sold me, with bits of pretzels and potato chips sticking up. If they are anywhere near as good as Sand Tarts, they'll be a keeper. I can remember many years ago when we made Garbage Soup so Compost Cookies don't bother me as much as mushrooms. I can remember when Randy got all upset with anything that had blue cheese in it (alluding to the 'fungus') or with cream cheese frosting. I bet he (and you?) and almost anyone else loves them? And they GROW on compost.

Mike Nolan
  • Reply by Mike Nolan on February 06, 2012 at 7:19 pm
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I know a mushroom farmer in western Iowa, compost isn't what he grows them on, he grows them on manure. (Pasteurized manure, I believe.)

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 06, 2012 at 9:41 pm
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Oh, yum!

dachshundlady

Heck, our whole garden is filled with well rotted horse manure. Things like that don't bother me. Like I've said before, just keep oysters away from me. (I am a very visual person!)

mrscindy
  • Reply by mrscindy on February 07, 2012 at 9:21 am
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Isn't that the funniest thing about oysters! I know they are a delicacy and people love to eat raw oysters, BUT, I cannot begin to imagine swallowing that slimy glob. Call me crazy, but I can't even eat them fried! And if you fry something, ANYTHING, I'll eat it. But not an oyster!

But horse poop. Yeah, a garden full of horse poop is a beautiful thing. And my roses can attest to that!

~Cindy

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 07, 2012 at 5:23 pm
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Horse poop is preferable to oysters in my book. At least if you step on a raw oyster, chances are you'll be ok. But if you step on the sharp end of a cultivator while using manure, well, long story short, tetanus shot (and I have an allergy just to complicate things).

Somehow through 40+ years of being married to someone who grew up on oysters, I managed to not ever taste one until last year. The fabulous seafood stall at the Ferry Building farmers' market ran out of shrimp po'boys so I tried the fried oyster version. ACK, ACK, ACK! Give me horse poop any day, or better yet, a Compost Cookie.

As befits San Francisco, at least the po'boy was served on really excellent bread.

mrscindy
  • Reply by mrscindy on February 07, 2012 at 9:24 pm
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So tell me you managed to sneak the oysters on to your husband's plate and scarfed down the bread! I don't think I could have even ordered the oyster po'boy! I agree, ACK, ACK, ACK!

~Cindy

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 07, 2012 at 9:47 pm
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This was an outdoor stall, THE place to get po'boys, and too late for a big platter, so I decided I had to try them sometime . . . well, as you saw, I did. I ate the crunchy coating (I was starving) and he ate all the slimy, mostly raw sea critter.

dachshundlady

I sometimes try to create a less gross po'boy. Deep fried chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, mayo, hot sauce and fresh lemon juice. Not bad at all. Can even do it at some fast food places if they have lemon wedges for their iced tea.

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 08, 2012 at 4:31 pm
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Sounds good. One of my favorite 'cooked' lunches is a sort-of po'boy made with grilled catfish and really good tartar sauce (which destroys the healthy aspect of the fish).

I used to make tartar sauce with just mayo, relish, onion and a dash of Tabasco. Then I found this recipe, my all time favorite. Soooooo good.

Tartar Sauce, Silver Palate New Basics

1 cup mayo
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire
Dash Tabasco
1/4 cup minced dill pickle (I use Claussen's)
1/4 cup minced Italian parsley
2 tbsp. minced shallots
2 tbsp capers, chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper

mrscindy
  • Reply by mrscindy on February 08, 2012 at 5:10 pm
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Frick, I have been messing around with Tartar Sauce recipes for years and finally got something we really like. When I saw yours I almost burst out laughing. It is almost identical to my recipe. The only difference is that I use onions (because I don't always have shallots) and I add 2 tbsp of sweet pickle relish. Sometimes, depending on my mood, some celery salt.other than that, the same. Great minds and palates........

~Cindy

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 08, 2012 at 10:11 pm
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Well, we both ARE from Houston.

I used to use sweet pickle relish but when we began making this version, I found the dill amazingly perfect with fish. Did I mention that the recipe makes too much for one meal? So happily the next day I put it on hamburgers.

Try to find some shallots. Even if there were no wine and fashion, we could still thank the French for shallots. Buy them when the price is as low as possible, clean and freeze. They aren't crisp like onions so freezing doesn't hurt them.

mrscindy
  • Reply by mrscindy on February 08, 2012 at 10:31 pm
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Hadn't thought to freeze them. Great idea. On hamburgers, you say. Huuuummmm. What a thought. You might be on to something.

We were trying to duplicate the tartar sauce we used to get at Howard Johnson's when they had their all you can eat fish Friday! Of course, Howard Johnson's has been gone for years and I couldn't even find a copy-kat recipe.

I'll have to try it with the shallots. They will lend a milder taste to the sauce. Thanks, frick! Us Texas gals must stick together!

~Cindy

cwcdesign
  • Reply by cwcdesign on February 09, 2012 at 5:24 am
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If you can find a jar of Cain's tartar sauce - a NE brand, it's sort of close to Howard Johnson's tartar sauce, but still sweeter than it should be, but it could be a starting point. If we waited until Saturday mornings to drive to the Cape, my Dad would stop at HoJo's to get fried clams about 11:00am because he new the oil in the fryer was fresh and we would get the lightest clams of the day!

dachshundlady

frick, your tartar sauce recipe looks great. What I like is that it DOESN'T have sweet relish. I agree that dill is perfect for fish. If I don't put onions and peppers in my tuna salad, then I just add lots of dill relish and a little mayo.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 13, 2012 at 4:41 pm
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I'm with you, Dlady! No sweet pickle relish for me! OR bread and butter pickles: BRRLLECH! UGH! I'm not a picky eater, but sweet pickle relish is as horrid to me as sweet sandwich bread or what oysters are to you: Vile stuff.

Frick, I have never heard of a nearly raw, fried oyster before. I do like oysters and it's to my understanding that it's eaten raw or cooked, not par-cooked. I wouldn't like that, either!

Does anyone ever add a touch of fresh garlic to their tartar sauce? I don't make it, but if I did, I wouldn't follow a recipe because that isn't how I roll, but I'd definitely grace the concoction with just a touch. That and some chopped fresh parsley. Maybe it isn't tartar sauce after I'm done! LOL!

I'd like capers, pickle, lemon, onions or shallots, a bit of garlic, parsley and sriracha in lieu of the tobasco. That or chili paste.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 13, 2012 at 8:05 pm
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Frick,

This is the actual recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar,(Christine Tosi) complete with pictorials.

Wow, what a cookie!!! My mouth is watering! We had snow last night and a warm, buttery cookie and a glass of milk would do my heart good, alas, housework comes first.

Scroll down to find recipe from here:

http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2010/02/momofuku_milk_bars_compost_cookie_...

I hope this helps you,

Gina

ZenSojourner

Put me down for hating the fungus. Yes, that means mushrooms!

As for oysters, raw is the ONLY way I can stand to eat them - I can slather them in horseradish sauce, then swallow it fast before my mouth has a chance to realize what I just put in there.

Otherwise, if I have to chew even once - forget it, it's all over!

Not an oyster gal here ...

ZenSojourner

I'm sorry, I've been resisting this for over a week now - but I just have to point at the name of the cookie and laugh ... Seriously, a COMPOST COOKIE?

LOL!

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 13, 2012 at 9:40 pm
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I think it's ingenious:

Who can forget that name?

dachshundlady

Just read the recipe and MANY of the comments afterwards. Over and over people got flat cookies that often burned. I kept thinking that they needed to sub crisco for part of the fat. Also reduce oven temp. The creaming of butter and sugars goes on for 10 min in kitchen aid. I need to try these, using raisinettes and pretzels and maybe milk duds.

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 14, 2012 at 12:11 pm
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Gina, thanks. I had not found that exact site but have the recipe from a blog somewhere, except the one I have was half the recipe which makes a lot of sense. I hope to make these today since my other Valentine's Day plans didn't work out. I read all the comments from the blog about the cookies not holding their shape so I'm holding my breath.

So, if they don't, I'll bet it has something to do with the ingredients of the commercial recipe since they can buy shortening and flours that aren't available to the home cook. I suspect that's what is meant whenever a recipe in a newspaper, or even here at KA, says "recipe adapted from".

I read a lot of the comments on the Regis site and a few mentioned that the cookies bought at the actual Milk Bar contain coffee grounds, which makes the title make even more sense. What compost pile doesn't have coffee grounds in it? :)
I think I'll use nuts.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 14, 2012 at 1:16 pm
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Frick,
You are welcome.
Because the author didn't have an issue and this problem has come up so often on this forum, I suspect it may have something to do with how the recipe is handled. Kidpizza has often chimed in to tell posters they need to whir their sugar in the processor before creaming it into the butter.

Have fun and Happy Valentine's Day,
Gina

frick
  • Reply by frick on February 14, 2012 at 1:27 pm
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And a Happy Valentine's Day to you my dear.

Thanks for the reminder about whirling the sugar in the FP. That's something I never remember and this recipe seems to begging for just that.

However, I have a cannister of Baker's Sugar with a vanilla bean in it but in the back of my tallest cupboard. Time to get out the barstool again.

dachshundlady

OMG! These cookies are great. And here is the link to the recipe I used:

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/cook/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,COOK_41503_...

Changes: Used half butter, half butter flavor Crisco
Used 1/2 cup gran sugar and 1 cup brown
used no oatmeal but instead increased flour by 1/4 cup
For add ins: 2 cups containing a mixture of
Raisinettes, broken heath bars and Ghiradelli large
bittersweet choc chips.
1 cup broken pretzel sticks and 1 cup Munchos potato
chips Did not put in butterscotch chips or grahams.
I baked part in convection @ 350 and a pan of them regular at 375. The convection were MUCH better and I would decrease regular oven temp if were baking them that way. 375 just too high for such a thick cookie. Edges burn before middle cooks.
And note that the 2 Table glucose is light corn syrup which I did include.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 14, 2012 at 3:21 pm
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Wow. I vote for First in Show! Those really are gorgeous, Mary Ann.

Heath bars, I would love. Munchos? *amused smile* They still make those?! LOL! I loved those things.

Do I remember the author of the article saying that you can use your favorite choc chip cookie recipe as a base?

GinaG.

P.S. Are those my Calphalon baking sheets?

cwcdesign
  • Reply by cwcdesign on February 14, 2012 at 3:45 pm
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DLady,

You've been busy today! And, they look beautiful!!! Might have to try them. We're having a pizza party on Thursday. Would make a good choice for dessert.

dachshundlady

The cookie sheets I bought from KAF but don't know what they are. And yes you could use your favorite recipe but this beating of fats, sugars and eggs for 8-10 minutes seems to be a nice trick. I just subbed crisco for part to get less spread (maybe I should use it on my hips) and more brown sugar for chewiness and keeping them moist longer. Don't like oatmeal in my cc so subbed in that bit of AP. All and all was fun. Next time will use potato STICKS instead of potato chips(I LOVE Munchos) and maybe mini pretzels as recipe suggests.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 14, 2012 at 5:03 pm
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Ooooh! I vote for potato sticks! Does anyone remember those crunchy chow mein noodles you buy in a can? I haven't seen them anywhere and there's a candy recipe calling for them I'd like to try.

ZenSojourner

LaChoy was the brand. They sell the same thing in a cellophane wrapper now. Well probably a plastic bag actually, these days.

They're just called "Chow Mein Noodles"

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 14, 2012 at 5:52 pm
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Thank you, I'll keep looking.

dachshundlady

yes, chow mein noodles would be great. Also rolos, twix, pistachios, kit kats etc. The recipe calls for ground coffee and I mistakenly used instant. They mean actual coffee before it is brewed.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 14, 2012 at 8:05 pm
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I wonder if that has the same effect as using espresso beans as a garnish or crust? If one was wary, they could opt to sprinkle a bit on top of the cookie, I suppose.

What about biscotti or cantucchi bits? LOL! Look at us, inventing another cookie!

ZenSojourner

EWWWWWWW!

DEAL KILLER!

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 14, 2012 at 9:55 pm
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What is, pray tell the matter now, oh Mighty-Madame-Buzz-Kill? *impish grin & wink*

The masses hold their breath waiting for Ms. Mighty's declaration of detest...A hush blankets the audience...All are watching the delicate up-turned nose, sniffing the air to detect signs of ingredients most assaulting:

What's it NOW?! Did someone say the word "coconut" and now you smell it on your screen? Or do these cookies call for chicken leg bits with--your personal favorite--grizzle and sinew? Ohhh! IIII see, it was the raw oyster garnish sans tobasco to which you strongly object!

Don't say it was the biscotti pieces or I'll march right over to FL and spank your pint-sized white-girl-butt with my ethnic-mama's wooden spoon!!!
Security! Security! Better come get me! I'm turning myself in!...

;)

ZenSojourner

OH BE THAT WAY!

C'mon, seriously - COFFEE GROUNDS in your cookie?

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 15, 2012 at 12:04 am
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Zen,

Ohhh my, what a delicate palate you have...And you eat such adventurous things, Zen. Have you ever tried it? I think you'd be surprised.

No one proposes you eat a bowl of Folger's, but espresso beans have enhanced many a dessert and savory dish IF you know what you're doing! Personally, I'd rather not have coffee grounds IN the cookie because they'll absorb some moisture and the texture would be unpleasant to me.

But one of my favorite candies is chocolate covered espresso beans. I know you're incredulous, but look:

http://nuts.com/chocolatessweets/chocolate-covered-espresso-beans/?gclid...

I think these with a rough chop OR a light dusting of the powder on top of the cookie would be good. Not much different than using cocoa powder!

ZenSojourner

I have tried them. YEARS ago, before they were "trendy". They're nasty! LOL!

To each their own, but I draw the line at coffee grounds in my cookies.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 15, 2012 at 1:22 am
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LOL! YOu are so FUNNY! There's nothing trendy about espresso bean candy, in fact, its ancient.

I do agree with you: No coffee grounds in the cookie.

And when you come to CA, I promise not to serve you a coconut sandwich with grizzly, sinewy chicken legs and nude raw oysters.
You have my solemn word...

dachshundlady

We raised our kids in a town with 2 colleges and the town on the other side had two more colleges. We went to mass at one or the other's Newman Center (Catholic Campus Ministry). One year the priest wanted to make up baskets of goodies during study week; cookies, packets of hot cocoa etc. I went to our food co-op and bought a bunch of dark chocolate covered expresso beans. Then I packaged them in little baggies with ribbons, all ready to place in the study baskets. I figured the buzz would help keep the kids awake. They were quite popular.

dachshundlady

Oh, and in these cookies, I could not tell there was instant coffee. But my DH could smell it. I think that fresh ground coffee would hold up better in the cookies and I will try it next time. But again, NOT the wet, used grounds!
I also read that you should use half as much corn syrup as glucose in a recipe. So that would be 1 Table instead of 2.

dachshundlady

Bringing this back up for annee. It has link above as well as how I altered recipe.

dachshundlady

Made these again for agility classes today. This time I used Rolos, raisinettes, dark choc chips, pretzels and potato sticks. One of my friends said they should be called "MovieHouse Cookies" since they are filled with concession stand goodies. Needless to say, the cookies were a hit.

GinaG
  • Reply by GinaG on February 22, 2012 at 7:04 pm
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Your friend is right, Movie-house Cookies?...Aptly named!

How about the coffee? Did you go with instant again? Also, I'd love to hear how the potato sticks differed from the muncho's, what were your impressions?

Gina

dachshundlady

We're not big coffee drinkers so I opened an unused Decaff K cup from our Keurig. It's pretty fine but you could still see the bits of it in the cookies. It is one of the ingredients you add last. I didn't have a preference of sticks over chips. Next time I think I will use some sort of salted nuts like pistachios or pecans. I think I like rolos better than heath bars. Everyone who has tried really likes them, despite the weird ingredients.