Half-And-Half White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

 

These cookies are delicious and the concept to making these is similar to her Neapolitan cookies. Next time I make this, I want to add some vibrant pink dye. The color on the raspberry side was a little dull. I might also add some more raspberry powder to the batter. The cookie was still delicious though!

 

Half-And-Half White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies (~By Sarah Kieffer)

INGREDIENTS

·        2 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon [364 g] all-purpose flour

·        ¾ teaspoon baking soda

·        ¾ teaspoon salt

·        ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

·        1 cup [2 sticks or 227 g] unsalted butter at room temperature

·        1 ¾ cups [350 g] granulated sugar plus ½ cup [100 g] for rolling

·        1 large egg plus 1 large yolk

·        1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

·        1 oz [30 g] good white chocolate chopped into very small, fine shards *see note

·        2 tablespoons [8 g] freeze-dried raspberries

·        1 or 2 drops Pink food coloring (optional)

Equipment

·        Half Sheet Pan

·        Size 24 Cookie Scoop

INSTRUCTIONS

1.                Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.

2.                In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar.

3.                In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, pulverize the raspberries into a powder. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 ¾ cup [350 g] of the granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and mix again on low until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

4.                Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Place the remaining ½ cup [100 g] of sugar in a medium bowl.

5.                Dump the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into two equal pieces. Put half of the dough back into the mixer and add chopped white chocolate. Mix on low until totally combined. Remove the dough from the bowl. (Weighted the dough so I could equally divide it into half for the white chocolate and half for the raspberry dough)

6.                Put the other half of the dough to the bowl and then add the freeze-dried raspberry powder, and a drop or two of pink food coloring if desired. Mix on low until totally combined.

7.                Pinch a portion of each of the doughs, a heaping tablespoon each [25 g] (Used ½ tablespoon white chocolate and ½ tablespoon raspberry dough and rolled that together in a circle before rolling it in sugar. Could fit 16 cookies on a baking tray). You can keep the dough this size for a “half and half” cookie, or cut each tablespoon in half to make 4 pieces total. Press the dough pieces gently together, so they adhere to each other, but keep their unique colors (if using 4 pieces, alternate colors in the circle). Press the piece into a cookie scoop or roll it into a ball, then roll the ball into the granulated sugar.

8.                Place 6 or 7 cookies on each sheet pan (made smaller cookies so could fit 16 on a tray). Bake the cookies one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the cookies are puffed, 10 to 11 minutes (baked 5 min, rotated, and baked 5 more min). Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove them and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up 2 days.

Notes

*White chocolate doesn’t melt the same as regular chocolate; it tends to hold its shape longer. I like to cut it into fine shards so it melts faster as it bakes, and helps the cookie keep an even (un-lumpy) shape.