Whippernutter Cookies
These whippernutter cookies were the first thing that came to mind when Mallow + Marsh asked me to create a recipe using their new Vanilla Whip. You see, I'm a little bit of a marshmallow fiend. I love toasting marshmallows over the gas ring of my cooker at home, or sandwiching them between Honey Maid crackers and a square of chocolate. Subsequently, vanilla whip gently stirred into cookies sounded like a real winner to me.
What makes these whippernutter cookies so special?
They're quick to make with a bake time of only 15 minutes.
The combination of salty peanut butter and sweet vanilla whip is to die for.
They're ideal for snacking, placing in lunchboxes or as a midnight feast.
Ingredients and alternatives:
Flour: cake and pastry flour, or wholegrain flour would also work really nicely in this recipe.
Sugars: I use granulated sugar in this recipe as it results in a slightly flatter and lighter-colored cookie. Granulated sugar absorbs the fats in the dough, slowling down the development of gluten. Therefore, the edges of your cookie will be a little crispier. Light brown sugar or golden caster sugar also make for a more caramel flavour.
Butter: always use unsalted butter in recipes and then add salt separately for flavour. Never use spreads, "lighter" versions or margarine as these are milk fats mixed with vegetable oils and won't create the same consistency in your cookie.
Vanilla: if you don't have vanilla essence, you can leave this out completely. Vanilla bean pastes, the seeds of a vanilla or using 50g of vanilla sugar (and only 50g of granulated) in this recipe would work nicely too.
Peanut butter: you can choose crunchy or smooth, depending on your preference. I always choose peanut butters that are palm oil free and are made of 100% nuts, plus a little salt.
Vanilla whip: you can buy Mallow + Marsh's vanilla whip in Sainbury's.
Eggs: if you don't have large eggs, one medium egg will also suffice.
Tips to read before you start:
Whippernutter cookies are super easy to make, but there are a few failsafe tips to help take your cookies from good to out-of-this-world amazing!
Fold and swirl in the marshmallow whip. This is super important to create those pretty pools of white vanilla whip on top.
The recipe doesn't call for this, but if you have time, popping your cookie dough (pre-scoop) into the fridge overnight will deepen the flavours, and allow the sugar to fully absorb all the fats.
Use a cooke scoop for cookies that spread perfectly in the oven. I like to use a Size 20 scoop.
Leave plenty of space between each cookie so they have enough room to spread out, without "kissing" each other.
Under-bake so the centres are still slightly gooey. They'll continue to bake a little on the tin after you've removed them from the oven.
Rolling them in granulated sugar might feel like extra work, but it helps them keep their form and bake up nice and golden.
The pools of mallows running through the tops of these cookies are so dreamy and my boyfriend has been saying how much he's loved them this week. I even slipped a few into his rucksack for lunch. They're super simple to bake, just make sure you leave enough space for them to spread because they're likely to end up being the size of your face.
Whippernutter Cookie
A beautiful cookie made with creamy peanut butter, and swirled with marshmallow whip then rolled in sugar before baking.
215 g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
113 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
99 g granulated sugar (+ 198g for rolling)
115 g creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 jar Mallow + Marsh vanilla whip
Preheat an oven to 350F/180C. Prepare four baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric whisk, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, then add in 99g of the granulated sugar. Whisk again before adding in the brown sugar and beating until light and fluffy. This usually takes 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until fully combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Reduce the speed to low, then add the flour mixture in thirds, beating after each addition. Remember to keep scraping down the sides of your bowl with a spatula so everything is perfectly combined.
Once you have your base dough, scoop tablespoons of marshmallow whip onto your dough. As you go, swirl the fluff in, but don't mix – you want to have pools of mallow sitting on top of your cookies when they cook in the oven, and over-mixing won't create this.
Using a cookie dropper, or weighing scales, scoop the dough into balls. They should weigh 85g each. Place your cookies on your prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least an inch or two apart so they have space to expand.
Put 1 of the baking sheets in the oven and bake the cookies, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies have spread, are very light golden brown and the edges are set. This takes about 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven. You still want the centres to be just slightly squidgy.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely on the pan. Repeat and cook the remaining cookies.
Adapted from Sarah Kieffer's book The Vanilla Bean Blog