Salted Butter Break-ups

This is a nicely Frenchified and classy-looking version of a really easy Martha Stewart recipe for chocolate chip cookie break-up that I’ve been making since high school. This version comes from Dorie Greenspan, who suggests bringing the whole enormous cookie to the table for everybody to break off their own piece. This proves Dorie Greenspan is not only an amazing cookbook writer but also that she’s a much better host that I am because I like to save all the breaking fun for myself.

Since we’re still figuring out our kitchen storage situation, I couldn’t find any coarse salt even though we probably have some hidden away somewhere. It was still very tasty with table salt, but I’m sure it will be even better when I make it with coarser salt. 

Twilly is pretty busy these days finding his new sleep spots.

Linda, Brittany and I went to the East Liberty Farmer's Market this Monday and got some strawberries, which went soooo well with these buttery cookies. I would definitely recommend combining cookie and strawberry in the same bite. Also, I made some salad dressing with the Fresh Herb Cheese that I posted about a couple days ago by adding in some extra olive oil and vinegar, and that also goes very well with strawberries. 

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"Salted Butter Break-ups"

Straight from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4-1 teaspoon sel gris or kosher salt
• 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces
• 3-5 tablespoons cold water
• 1 egg yolk, for the glaze

Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Drop in the pieces of butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal—you’ll have both big pea-size pieces and small flakes. With the machine running, start adding the cold water gradually: add just enough water to produce a dough that almost forms a ball. When you reach into the bowl to feel the dough, it should be very malleable. (Try not to keep mixing until it forms a ball by itself - you want it to be able to form a ball but not over-mixed.)

Scrape the dough onto a work surface, form it into a square, and pat it down to flatten it a bit. (The past couple times I've made this, I've just formed it in the bowl.) Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for about 1 hour. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.)

When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and, if it’s very hard, bash it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it. Put the dough between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper and roll it into a rectangle that’s about 1/4 inch thick and about 5 x 11 inches; accuracy and neatness doesn’t count for a lot here. Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet.

Beat the egg yolk with a few drops of cold water and, using a pastry brush, paint the top surface of the dough with an egg glaze. Using the back of a table fork, decorate the cookie in a crosshatch pattern.

Bake the cookie for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden. Check it to make sure you do not over-bake. It will be firm to the touch but have a little spring when pressed in the center — the perfect break-up is crisp on the outside and still tender within. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and allow the cookie to cool to room temperature.