pad thai cookies

just reminiscent enough to make you say 'wait these taste like pad thai'

Using some of pad thai’s key ingredients, these cookies are a not too sweet nod to one of my favorite dishes.

Yield: 10 large cookies

Ingredients:

for the cookie dough

• 1/2 cup (1 stick/113 g) butter, melted and cooled

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup (100 g) dark brown sugar

• 1/2 tablespoon lime zest (about 2 large limes)

• 1 teaspoon (5 g) tamarind concentrate*

• 1 egg

• 1 1/4 cup (162 g) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

for rolling the cookies

• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon lime zest

for the fish sauce toffee (recipe adapted from Rachel DiNunzio)

• 2 tablespoons (28 g) salted butter

• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (75 g) granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

*These only use a little bit of tamarind concentrate, but most stores only sell medium-sized jars. Worth it for the recipe and you can use the leftovers to make….well…pad thai :-)

Method:

Make the cookie dough. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dark brown sugar, granulated sugar (first measurement) , lime zest (first measurement), and melted butter until combined. Add egg and tamarind concentrate and whisk until smooth. Fold in flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Using a 1 ounce cookie scoop, portion cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up slightly.

Roll and refrigerate the cookies. In a small bowl, using your fingertips, toss the granulated sugar (second measurement) and lime zest (second measurement) to combine until very fragrant.

Press the tops of the cookies into the chopped peanuts and then roll in the lime sugar to coat entirely. Place back on the parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. (I find it easier to adhere the peanuts and lime sugar while the dough is a smidge soft, which is why the dough is refrigerated 30 minutes before this step)

Make the fish sauce toffee. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Add sugar (third measurement), butter, and 1 tablespoon of water to a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to medium, and stop stirring. Swirl the pan often until the mixture turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and add baking soda and fish sauce, quickly stirring to combine before dumping the mixture onto the parchment lined tray. Use an offset spatula to spread the toffee into a thick, even layer. Let cool completely (about 10 minutes) and then chop/smash/break/ into rough pieces.

Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet tray with parchment and arrange 5 cookies on each tray. Top each cookie dough with a shard of the toffee. Bake for 12 minutes, until puffed and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and sharply bang the pan on the counter a couple times to slightly deflate the cookies and create a rippled edge. Use a circular cookie cutter or lip of a cup to scoot cookies back into a round shape. Let cool completely before enjoying.