I blew through New York City a couple of weeks ago, rolling in on a Red Eye Tuesday morning, and jetting out on Wednesday evening. Road warriors, I do not envy you. The red eye is a killer. Even with my short legs and an open row –3 seats worth of luxurious space — the shuteye I got was somewhere just north of dozing. I checked into the hotel, flipped on the TV, and after a shower, I looked down onto the street below at what I can only describe as an oasis. Green letters emblazoned at street-level. In my best Homer Simpson voice, I said (it even may have been out loud), “Mmmmm. Coffeeeeee.”
I’ll be honest, I felt some coffee shame. But after that flight and knowing zombie wasn’t a look I could sport at a work event in just a couple of hours, I pulled on some yoga pants and went across the street. A triple grande latte and a ham and cheese breakfast sandwich never tasted so good.
Even with so short a trip, I squeezed in a froyo break at Momofuku Milk Bar in midtown, literally 2-3 blocks from the hotel. And of course, I couldn’t leave without cookies. I’ve had the compost cookie, the blueberry and cream, the corn cookies, so the ones that came home this time were the Perfect 10 and 5 Boro cookies.
Here’s the thing – the Perfect 10 uses almond flour, oats, olive oil and agave with some chocolate chips. What’s not there? Gluten. Dairy. Refined sugar. And, well, it’s Milk Bar, so it’s delicious. And it’s one recipe that’s not in the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook.
Luckily, it is on the Lucky Peach tumblr.
A few tips and tricks:
1. Halve the recipe. The idea of seven cups of almond flour was a little overwhelming, 3.5 felt doable.
2. Let the dough sit for at least 15-20 minutes to allow the olive oil to soak in and hydrate the oats and flour.
3. Really pack the dough into your cookie scoop or measuring cup — no really, pack it in there — before putting them onto the cookie sheet.
- 3 1/2c. almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill preferred – the almonds are blanched)
- 2 c. gluten-free oats
- 1/2 t. kosher salt
- 1/2 T. cornstarch
- 1/4 t. baking soda
- 3/4 t. baking powder
- 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
- 3/4 c. olive oil
- 1/2 c. agave syrup
- 2 T. vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together almond flour, oats, salt, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until thoroughly and evenly combined.
- Make a well in the center and add oil, agave and vanilla. Again, stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Let the dough sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the oil to hydrate the oats and flour. Using a 1/4c. measuring cup, scoop out dough balls and thoroughly pack them into the cup. Tap it out in your hand and arrange on the baking sheet. Press each cookie down with the palm of your hand to roughly 1/2 inch thickness.
- Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will still be fairly light in color on top, but the bottoms should be lightly browned. Let cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
