Baltimore Berger Cookies⚓︎

Based on https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/baltimore-berger-cookies-recipe

Personal rating:

baltimore_berger_cookies.jpeg

Ingredients⚓︎

Cookies⚓︎

  • 5 1/3 tbsp (74g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1.5 cups (177g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/3 cup (74g) milk

Icing⚓︎

  • 2 cups (340g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1.5 tbsp (28g) light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (170g) heavy cream
  • 1.5 cups (170g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Recipe⚓︎

  • Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) two baking sheets

Cookies⚓︎

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, salt, vanilla, and baking powder
  • Beat in the sugar, then the egg.
  • Add the flour to the wet ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Do this gently; there’s no need to beat the batter
  • Using a spoon or a tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. The balls of dough should be about 1 1/4” in diameter. Flatten each mound of dough to a circle about 1 1/2” across; wet your fingers or a knife, or grease the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to do this. Leave 2” to 2 1/2” between each cookie, for expansion.
  • Bake the cookies for about 10-11 minutes, or until they’re a mottled brown on the bottom (carefully tilt one up to look), but not colored on top. You may see the barest hint of browning around the edges, but these cookies are supposed to be soft and cake-like, so don’t over-bake them. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool right on the pan as you make the frosting.

Icing⚓︎

  • Place the chocolate chips, corn syrup, vanilla, and cream into a large microwave-safe bowl
  • Repeat microwaving for 30-45s and stirring until smooth and very hot
  • Beat in the confectioners’ sugar and salt. Let cool to warm room temperature while you make the cookies.
  • Dip the top of each cookie into the warm icing; swirl the cookie around to really give it a good coating. Set the cookies back on the baking sheet (I needed to use a spoon to scoop on the icing)
  • Spread the remaining icing evenly atop the cookies. If it’s too soft and flows off the cookies, let it set a bit, until it’s firmer. It’ll feel like you’re piling on a lot of icing; that’s precisely the point!
  • Allow the icing to set completely, then store the cookies airtight in a single layer. Keep at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage

Notes⚓︎

  • While the fudge icing for these cookies is missing the original Berger cookies’ signature taste (think Hostess cupcake icing), we feel its consistency is identical, and its deep chocolate flavor perfect with its vanilla cookie base
  • I used 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (& \<1/3 cup skim milk) in place of heavy whipping cream to use up before it expired (and to save a grocery trip)