Rose Levy Beranbaum wants you to break the rules. Theexpert baker and author of 13 cookbooks (most recentlyThe Cookie Bible), is usually a stickler for following recipes to a T. But like any great cook, she knows exactly when to deviate from a recipe. Beranbaum’s Freedom Treasure Cookies are all about following your instinct and forgetting everything you know about precise measurements and step-by-step instructions. Instead, throw caution to the wind—and into thefood processor.
Beranbaum’s recipe template allows you to frankenstein together all the qualities ofyour favorite cookies with the odds and ends in your cabinet, like the shredded coconut, handful of nuts, or rogue chocolate chips leftover from a prior baking project. And since you mix the dough in the food processor, you can get all of your chopping and stirring done without dirtying too many bowls and cutting boards. These pantry treasures, Beranbaum writes inThe Cookie Bible, “will give you the freedom to make your own dream cookie.” Her handy base recipe is a road map for whipping up whatever cookie your heart desires, whether that involves white chocolate with dried cranberries, pecans and chocolate chips, or just some old-fashioned oatmeal and raisins.
“It’s not only a great way to use your leftovers, but it also frees you from all the dictates of having to weigh or measure correctly,” Beranbaum tells me. “You sort of do that up to a point, but you have the freedom to add whatever you want.” Add chew to your cookies with dried fruit, a bright pop of flavor with citrus zest, or crunch with toasted nuts. If you’re looking for melty pockets in every bite, consider some chocolate chunks or butterscotch chips.
While many cookie recipes are made by hand or in the bowl of a stand mixer, Beranbaum instructs bakers to whizz up the dough for this recipe—among several others in the book—in thefood processor. ThroughoutThe Cookie Bible, the food processor stars in recipes for tahini crisps, shortbread cookies, and biscotti. Beranbaum tells me that, in addition to being faster, this keeps the ingredients cool, which prevents the dough from becoming overworked or spreading too quickly in the oven.
Shortbread cookies can be made in the food processor too.
