Nicole Young Guest Post
Upper West Side correspondent (and Molly’s mom!) Nicole Young shares a tale of cookie triumph.
If Tiffany’s classic blue boxes have a permanent lock on first place, then a square bakery box tied with ribbon comes in second.
In April my designer friend Faye, who looks like a biker chick, arrived at my house-warming party bearing a gorgeous beribboned box from the Payard Bakery on the Upper East Side. Inside was a generous assemblage of their flourless, butterless fudgey cookies the size of scones. When she passed them around, guests demurely broke a cookie into thirds, took a piece, and handed on the plate. Once the chewy walnuty reality buzzed their brain, they circled back like vultures.
Two weeks later my boyfriend took me to Payard for a tasty brunch and we stocked up on shiny chocolate cookies on the way out. (Faye had assured me they freeze well when individually wrapped in aluminum foil.)
Last month we returned for more and Payard was shuttered. No sign, no explanation. A passerby confirmed that the stylish emporium had indeed closed. Longing set in…
Not surprisingly, Google immediately came to my rescue. Here’s the recipe directly from the owner (with a few italicized asides from me).
François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies
2 3/4 cups walnut halves
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
(parchment paper)
Preheat oven to 350. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them.
Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 320. Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. If you aren’t comfortable upgrading to Dutch cocoa powder, Nestle’s works fine. While whisking add the egg whites and vanilla and beat just until the batter is moistened - do not overbeat or it will stiffen. At this point, I suggest refrigerating the batter for a bit, so the cookies won’t sprawl while baking thereby losing an appealing chubbiness.
Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking.
Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or wrap individually in aluminum foil, gather into a plastic zip-lock and freeze.
Bon appetit!
Author and cookie
