In Progress - #69: Try 5 new recipes

This weekend I got the urge to bake. (To be honest, it struck around 3:30 p.m. on Friday - just in time for me to look up recipes and add a bunch of ingredients to the weekend grocery list.)

After a quick peek at my "starred" Google Reader items, I found mention of Momofuku's Milk Bar in NYC, which made me remember this post, which made me do some quick recipe-hunting for anything Momofuku-inspired. What I found was Compost Cookies.

Imagine a cookie that has everything in it. Salty, sweet, you name it. That is the compost cookie. My version included Lay's potato chips, oats, coffee grounds, chocolate chips, and three crunched-up Thin Mints. The verdict? Amazing.

Compost Cookies

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Large Eggs
• 1 heaping cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cups of your favorite baking ingredients
• 3/4 cups your favorite snack foods 

1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
2. On a lower speed, add eggs and vanilla to incorporate. Increase mixing speed to medium-high and start a timer for 10 minutes. During this time the sugar granules will fully dissolve, the mixture will become an almost pale white color and your creamed mixture will double in size. (Yes, it's a really long time - but trust me, it's worth it.)
3. When time is up, on a lower speed, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 45-60 sec just until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
4. On same low speed, add in the hodgepodge of your favorite baking ingredients and mix for 30-45 sec until they evenly mix into the dough. Add in your favorite snack foods last, paddling again on low speed until they are just incorporated.
5. Scoop out 6 oz. portions o cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheetpan. (I used a 1/3 measuring cup and it worked great!)
6. Wrap scooped cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 1 week. (Don't bake your cookies from room temperature or they won't hold their shape!)
7. Heat the conventional oven to 400F. 
8. When the oven reads 400F, arrange your chilled cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet a minimum of 4″ apart in any direction.
9. Bake 9-11 min. While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle and spread.
10. At 9 min the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown towards the center. Leave the cookies in the oven for the additional minutes if these colors don’t match up and your cookies stills seem pale and doughy on the surface.
11. Let the cookies cool 5 minutes before digging in!