Buckeye Bars. All photos by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post.
Of all the ways this vast tapestry of a nation has been described, the most repeated cliche is the melting pot. But as a baker, I like to think of the United States as another culinary metaphor: the mixing bowl.
Truly, is there a more delightful and delicious lens through which to view American history, ingenuity and diversity than the humble cookie?
Pore over cookbooks, baking blogs, magazines and any other source you can think of, and you may begin to wonder whether there are as many American cookie recipes as there are Americans.
Cookies are not unique to our country. But there is something special about them here.
So pull out your grandma's community cookbook, your three-ring binder of recipes (not just me, right?), the index cards your mom dutifully wrote out. They may be dog-eared and crusty with flour, but they are your history - our history - no matter where you've come from and no matter where you're going.
Now come along with me for this great American cookie tour.
BUCKEYE BARS
Total: 20 minutes, plus chilling time
Makes 18 bars (one 8-inch slab)
Buckeyes are one of the signature confections of the Midwest. The little balls of peanut butter filling, coated in chocolate save for a small circle at the top, pay homage to the native buckeye nuts of Ohio. They're time-consuming to make, so this bar version cut into small fingers is just as satisfying without all the work. If it reminds you of a whole pan of peanut butter cups, you would not be wrong.
Recipe notes: To make a nut-free version, replace the peanut butter with Biscoff cookie butter and reduce the confectioners' sugar to 1 cup.
This recipe can easily be doubled for a 9-by-13-inch pan.
The bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for several months. (In case you're wondering, they're delicious straight from the freezer.)
Ingredients
FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER LAYER
1 3/4 cups (215 grams) very finely ground graham cracker crumbs (from 14 rectangles, crushed in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or in a food processor)
1 1/2 cups (160 grams) confectioners' sugar
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons/140 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup (192 grams) creamy peanut butter, such as Skippy or Jif brand
2 ounces (57 grams) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER
3/4 cup (125 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling (optional)
Steps
Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to form a sling that you can use to lift the slab out later.
Make the peanut butter layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a large bowl and a handheld mixer, combine the graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, melted butter, peanut butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt on medium-low speed until well blended. Pat evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until lightly set and cool to the touch, about 20 minutes.
Make the chocolate layer: In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave on high in 30-second bursts, stirring well after each interval, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Let cool slightly, then spread evenly over the peanut butter layer. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.
Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Using the parchment handles, transfer the slab from the pan to a cutting board, and cut into fingers.
Nutrition | Calories: 240; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Cholesterol: 20 mg; Sodium: 170 mg; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 15 g; Protein: 4 g.
(Adapted from "Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland" by Shauna Sever. Running Press, 2019.)
BALTIMORE BERGER COOKIES
Active: 1 hour 10 minutes | Total: 1 hour 40 minutes
Makes 24 cookies
Baltimore lays claim to these delicious, decadent chocolate-frosted cookies, where the layer of chocolate is about as thick as the cookie itself. Easy to make (and even easier to eat), these cookies go perfectly with a glass of cold milk. -- by Olga Massov
Recipe note: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES
2 cups (225 grams) cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg white
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE FROSTING
3 cups (510 grams) milk chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups (300 milliliters) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 2/3 cups (140 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups (140 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Steps
Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the egg white, cream and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Working with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into balls and space 2 inches apart, with a maximum of 12 per sheet. Using your moistened fingers, press on the dough balls to form disks about 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches wide. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet before frosting.
Make the frosting: Once the cookies have cooled, in a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, cream and salt. Microwave the mixture at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Whisk the cocoa, confectioners' sugar and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth. (The frosting should be the texture of thick brownie batter and register about 95 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.)
Frost the cookies: Flip the cookies on the sheets. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of frosting over the flat side of each cookie to form a mound. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the frosting is set, about 3 hours, before serving.
Nutrition | Calories: 280; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 30 mg; Sodium: 100 mg; Carbohydrates: 38 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 20 g; Protein: 4 g.
(Adapted from Cook's Country.)
BOILED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Total: 25 minutes
Makes 32 cookies
Who doesn't love a no-bake treat? This quick and easy recipe, cooked on the stove top, is more like a confection than a cookie. But Southern food authority Edna Lewis called these chewy, nutty treats one of her very favorite childhood cookies, which is good enough for us.
Recipes notes: These are gluten-free as long as you buy oats marked as such.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or frozen for several months.
Ingredients
3 cups (255 grams) quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup (125 grams) crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) whole milk
2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Steps
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, peanut butter and vanilla until combined.
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and milk, stirring a few times, until the butter is melted. Whisk in the sugar, cocoa and salt until the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Stir in the oat mixture and continue cooking for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly.
Drop the cooked mixture by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper or aluminum foil. Let the cookies cool and become firm. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition | Calories: 140; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Cholesterol: 10 mg; Sodium: 35 mg; Carbohydrates: 20 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 13 g; Protein: 3 g.
(Adapted from "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. Knopf, 2003.)
FORGOTTEN CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Active: 50 minutes | Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 30 cookies
These crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside treats are exactly of the opposite of their name: Unforgettable. The name comes from an old method - popular in Jewish bakeries such as Gottlieb's Bakery in Savannah, Georgia, but not used here - of letting meringues cool in a turned-off oven after baking. If you've never made meringues, there's no need to be intimidated. All the ingredients are simply mixed together and scooped onto a baking sheet.
Recipe notes: As written, the recipe is gluten-free, with cornstarch as a binder. You can also more closely follow the Gottlieb's model by substituting 2 tablespoons of flour. To make these cookies kosher for Passover, you can use potato starch in place of cornstarch.
We do not recommend leaving out the nuts, as they are key to providing bulk to the dough.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups (275 grams) confectioners' sugar
Generous 1/2 cup (42 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch kosher salt
3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (234 grams) finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Steps
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle. Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Place the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer. Beat on low speed just to combine the dry ingredients. Add the egg whites and beat on low speed to incorporate the whites, then increase the speed to high and beat until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla and pecans or walnuts.
Scoop or drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets (about 15 per sheet). Bake one sheet at a time, 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are shiny and firm on the outside but still a little soft on the inside. (Smaller cookies will bake faster.) Remove the sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for 2 minutes on the pan. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the other baking sheet.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition | Calories: 100; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 9 g; Protein: 1 g.
(Adapted from "American Cookie" by Anne Byrn. Rodale Books, 2018.)
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES
Active: 1 hour 5 minutes |Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Makes 16 whoopie pies
Whoopie pies are not so much a cookie as a cake-and-frosting sandwich, but they qualify in spirit. They are a treat closely associated with New England and Maine, in particular. They also have ties to Amish country.
This version consists of two saucer-shaped rounds of chocolate cake around a marshmallowy cream filling.
Recipe notes: We preferred the smaller pies described here, but if you want a really decadent treat, you can use 1/4-cup scoops of dough to create the cakes. The yield will be 8 large sandwiches.
The cakes and filling can be made 1 day in advance and stored at room temperature in airtight containers. The cakes can be somewhat sticky, so store them in a single layer without touching. The assembled whoopie pies can be stored individually wrapped at room temperature for 1 day.
Marshmallow Fluff is a New England ingredient available in certain other parts of the country. Marshmallow creme, more widely available, is a thinner consistency than Fluff. If you make your filling with marshmallow creme, you may need to add a bit more sugar to stiffen it up sufficiently.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKES
8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (at least 65 degrees)
1 cup (213 grams) light or dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup (43 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups (283 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (240 milliliters) milk, at room temperature
FOR THE FILLING
1 cup (177 grams) vegetable shortening
1 cup (113 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 1/3 cups (167 grams) Marshmallow Fluff or marshmallow creme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Steps
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two large, rimmed baking sheets.
Make the cakes: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer and a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, espresso powder (if using), baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla on medium-high until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat again until smooth. Add the cocoa and mix on low to combine.
Gradually add the flour to the batter, alternating it with the milk, beating on low until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat again on low briefly to soften and combine any chunky scrapings.
Drop the dough in 2-tablespoon portions onto the prepared baking sheets (16 per sheet), leaving plenty of room between the cakes; they'll spread. (A No. 30 disher works well here.)
Bake the cakes for 11 to 12 minutes, until they're set and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool on the pans. While still lukewarm, use a spatula to separate them from the pan or parchment; then let cool completely.
Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the shortening, confectioners' sugar and Marshmallow Fluff until well combined. Start on low to avoid a cloud of sugar, then increase to medium.
Add the prepared salt water to the marshmallow mixture, beating on low. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth.
Spread the flat side of half the cakes with the filling. Top with the remaining cakes, flat side toward the filling. Keep wrapped individually in plastic wrap until ready to serve.
Nutrition | Calories: 340; Total Fat: 18 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Cholesterol: 30 mg; Sodium: 125 mg; Carbohydrates: 43 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 25 g; Protein: 3 g.
(Adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe.)
SUPER-THICK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Active: 40 minutes | Total: 1 hour 25 minutes, plus 12 hours chilling
32 (makes eight 6-ounce cookies)
This style of ultra-thick chocolate chip cookie, popularized by the New York bakery Levain, requires a dough with less sugar than flour and more chocolate chips than sugar. These ratios keep the cookies thick, not caky, with a flavor defined by the chocolate, so be sure to use the best-quality chips you can find.
Part of the novelty of the cookies is their enormous size. They are eye-catching, for sure, but we recommend splitting them with a friend (or three). For nutritional purposes, that means we're assuming one person is eating a quarter of a cookie.
Recipe notes: Cookbook author Stella Parks does not recommend leaving the nuts out of this recipe, as they help provide non-melting bulk to the cookies.
The portioned cookie dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Alternatively, the portions can be individually wrapped, then placed in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen dough to 40 degrees, unwrap and bake as directed. These cookies taste best when freshly baked, but leftovers may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; rewarm briefly in a 350-degree oven before serving.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature (about 65 degrees)
About 1/2 cup (113 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
About 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (may substitute 1 teaspoon table salt), plus more for sprinkling (optional)
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, cold
About 2 1/4 cups (283 grams) all-purpose flour
About 2 1/2 cups (425 grams) assorted chocolate chips (not chopped chocolate), such as a mix of milk, bittersweet and semisweet
8 1/2 ounces (scant 1 3/4 cups/240 grams) raw walnut pieces or lightly toasted pecan pieces
Steps
Combine the butter, brown and granulated sugars, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low to moisten, then increase the speed to medium and beat until soft, fluffy and pale, about 8 minutes; halfway through, pause to scrape down the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, letting each incorporate fully before adding the next. Reduce the speed to low, then add the flour all at once. When the flour is incorporated, add the chocolate chips and nuts and keep mixing until the dough is homogeneous.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (about 6 ounces/170 grams each) and round each into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before baking; if well protected from air, the dough can be kept in the fridge up to 1 week.
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. When the oven comes to temperature, arrange up to 4 portions of cold dough on the prepared pans, leaving ample space between them to account for spread. If you like, sprinkle with additional salt to taste.
Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for about 22 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and lightly brown or to an internal temperature of between 175 and 185 degrees. The ideal temperature will vary from person to person; future rounds can be baked more or less to achieve the desired consistency.
Cool the cookies directly on the baking sheet until no warmer than 100 degrees (they should feel lukewarm) before serving. Enjoy warm, or within 12 hours; these cookies taste best when freshly baked.
NOTE: Toast the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until slightly darkened and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.
Nutrition | Calories: 200; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 20 mg; Sodium: 130 mg; Carbohydrates: 23 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 14 g; Protein: 3 g.
(Adapted from Stella Parks at SeriousEats.com.)
