Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Objectively, the standard chocolate chip drop cookie is pretty easy to make. The most annoying steps are softening the butter, bringing the eggs up to room temperature, and portioning out the cookies. Can you imagine if even those parts were easier? With cookie brittle, you can finally say “frig off!” to softening butter and scooping 48 stupid balls of dough. It’s the I-don’t-care-leave-me-alone dessert, and it’s dead simple to make.
You’ve probably heard of chocolate bark or peanut brittle, and cookie brittle is similarly snappy, but that’s about the only similarity. Cookie brittle has all of the quintessential cookie flavors you expect from your favorite drop cookie, with one non-negotiable texture: Crunchy. There’s no more parsing of texture preference, “I like slightly chewy.” “No, it should be soft.” Forget it, everyone’s getting crunchy.
The key to making cookie brittle perfectly crisp is eliminating the aerated butter and the eggs. In most many recipes, the fat is softened, then granulated sugar is added. The recipe instructions will usually say “cream the butter” or “blend until light and fluffy.” When stirring the two together, the sugar granules drive thousands of teeny tunnels through the softened fat, leaving behind air pockets. This makes the final texture of the cookie fluffier and softer.
Cookie brittle indulges your deepest desires to reject all that. Instead, you get to do the thing you always want to do: Melt the butter. The first step is to throw all the butter into the microwave and nuke it. Don’t care. Bye butter. Instead of adding air pockets, the sugar will partially dissolve in the butter’s now available water. When it eventually hits the heat, the sugar melts, then re-solidifies in closer bundles, making stronger, crunchier connections.
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Oh, and the, “start with room temperature eggs” thing. Don’t worry about that anymore either. Eggs are gone. They’re completely eliminated from this recipe since they only make cookies soft and flexible, and that is the antithesis of our unyielding, brittle goals. The final, truly magnificent part of cookie brittle that ultimately makes it the I-don’t-care-leave-me-alone dessert is the shaping.
You’ll end up with a moist crumbly dough, something of a shortbread in cosplay. The dough is simply smashed flat onto the cookie sheet. Any shape you like, just keep it flat for even baking. Make one rectangular plank or make two ovals. Amoeba shapes are welcome too. You’re eventually breaking it into shards so do what you want. My version of not-caring is to upend the bowl of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, evenly disperse the crumbles and use my knuckles or fingertips to smoosh and flatten the dough into one, thin sheet of whatever shape it becomes (usually a rounded rhombus). Once the plank cools completely, the melted sugars will have hardened, and you can crack and snap the giant cookie into a few big shards or many smaller fragments.
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
The following recipe is a crowd-pleasing chocolate chip brittle. It’s great as an after dinner nibble, and makes for a lovely gift. But there’s no reason to stop with chocolate chips. Brooklyn Brittle is my favorite packaged cookie brittle, and they explore many inspirational flavor combinations. Try your hand at oatmeal raisin brittle, or an orange cranberry cookie brittle. Stir in finely chopped pecans, or be a rebel and try something savory. This dough comes together in less than 10 minutes. Before breaking your brittle, be sure it’s completely cooled, or even cold. If not, the cookie will still be flexible. Pack leftover brittle in an airtight container for up to a week. For longer storage, pop the container into the freezer.
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, melted¼ cup brown sugar¼ cup white sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract½ teaspoon salt1 ¼ cup flour½ cup mini chocolate chipsPreheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Stir the first five ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the flour and chocolate chips, and stir until completely combined. The mixture will be crumbly and moist.
Dump the dough onto the sheet pan and smash it down until it’s about a ¼-inch thick. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
Cool on a sheet pan for five minutes. Slide the parchment onto a cooling rack and then slide the parchment out from under the cookie. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. Snap the cookie into small, jagged pieces before serving.
