Cookies

The Espresso Ganache Cookie Adventure

Brainstorming:

The essence of any good cookie starts with a delectable combination of flavors.  To begin my cookie creation adventure I decided to start by brainstorming flavors that I liked.  The four "categories" that came to mind first were sweet, sour, refreshing, and bitter flavors.  From there, I was able to get more specific on what flavors (or possible ingredients) came to mind.

While looking at my favorite flavors I decided to write down combinations for potential cookie ideas.  Nothing radical came from this list, but it was a decent effort to identify some potentially winning creations.  To help my selection, I added a chart to rate each potential cookie.

Novel cookie ideas could not be easily found on Google or Pintrest.  Only chocolate covered strawberry cookies and salty cucumber cookies passed the initial test for uniqueness.

Feasible cookies could be made with the ingredients only in my cupboard.  On the first day of class I considered my creativity skills to be more adaptive and less innovative, and I wanted to put this to the test.  So, I challenged myself to see how creative I could be with what was already in my household.  Most of my cookie ideas were feasible, but I lacked graham crackers for s'mores, strawberries for the chocolate covered strawberry cookie, and oranges for the orange green tea cookies (all of these were critical ingredients).

The Value of the cookie was based on potential taste of the combination.  With this lens, I saw no use for toothpaste flavored Oreo cookies, bland tasting salty brown sugar cookies, or the strange combination of salt and cucumber cookies.

From this chart, my two best options were Mint Lemonade and Chocolate Espresso cookies.

After doing some "market research" (talking with friends), we agreed that Chocolate Espresso cookies would have a higher likelihood of tasting better.  As such, I set out to deliver society a delicious new cookie.

Creation:

Working with the class resources and some basic sugar cookie recipes as references, I used the following raw materials:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar (plus additional 2 Tbs, or as desired)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 Tsp salt

1/4 cup brewed espresso (*For best results brew the espresso yourself)

I used a bit more sugar than the 1 - 2 - 3 ratio rule calls for, but this decision is for the best.  The granulated sugar balances the bitterness of espresso, and the brown sugar creates a chewy texture.

Next, combine the materials using a standard mixing device.  Here is mine for reference:

Ball the dough into 1 inch diameter shapes and place them as evenly as you can on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit (or until golden brown).  I prefer slightly "undercooked" cookies for a more chewy and less crunchy finish.

Evaluation:

They turned out to be slightly better than standard sugar cookies, but this did not meet my high expectations.  The espresso flavor was diminished through baking which left much to be desired with these cookies.  I also (by accident) failed to incorporate chocolate in to the cookie itself.  On the plus side, the near perfect texture of the cookies made them standout.

Improvement:

I wanted to build off of the cookie's excellent texture while simultaneously enhancing its flavor.  My first iteration was not a creative solution.  Slightly enhancing the standard sugar cookie is not a satisfactory breakthrough. I thought that the best way to improve this cookie would be to add a chocolate.

From a quick brainstorming session, I thought of the following ways to add chocolate:

Add chocolate chips to the dough
Add cocoa powder to the dough
Create a chocolate paste to be used for espresso cookie sandwiches
Add chocolate ganache to the top of the cookie

I decided to proceed with the last option because:
1. Melted chocolate makes everyone happy!
2. Using ganache wouldn't change the texture of the cookie by much, but it would enhance its flavor.
3. Adding ganache to the top of an espresso cookie makes the cookie more unique than its original version

Making a chocolate ganache is straight forward.  If you know how to boil liquid you can make chocolate ganache.

Ingredients: 1 part heavy cream and 2 parts chocolate.  

For this recipe I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup heavy cream.

Step 1: Finely chop chocolate into powder like substance

Step 2: Bring cream to a boil in a small pan

Step 3: Slowly add boiling cream to chocolate while stirring with your free hand (do not burn yourself)

Cover the cookie with 1 tsp of ganache

My final touch was to add Trader Joe's chocolate covered espresso beans.

Final product:

Final Evaluation:

Better than before, certainly a step in the right direction.  The combination of flavors is truly delectable. Also, I wanted to make a point to not change the texture of the cookie, but the small addition of crunchy roasted espresso beans creates perfect synergy with the chewy texture of the espresso base cookie.

I would say that the final form of this cookie is creative because it is novel, valuable, and feasible.   The unique combination of flavors and textures are incremental adaptations to a standard cookie.  Their delicious nature brings value to the consumer through taste.  The idea was constrained by my cupboard, but the final product indicates that its creation is possible.