Lemon Lumpies by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Lemon Lumpies by Rose Levy Beranbaum
The candied lemon peel adds a sparkly counterpoint to the sweetness of the white chocolate.
This is one of two featured recipes from The Cookie Bible by our Baking Month guest, Rose Levy Beranbaum. Paid subscribers can also enjoy a recipe for Rose’s Chocolate Truffle Cookies. You can also hear our conversation with Rose here.
Excerpted with permission from The Cookie Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum:
My dear friend Annie Baker sells wonderful “cookie dough cookies”—crunchy on the outside and chewy and doughy on the inside—at Napa farmers’ markets and online at anniethebaker.com. When I stopped in the Bay Area while promoting my book Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, she gifted me with a bag of her famous cookies for the road. Of course, her recipe is top secret, as her vast array of cookie dough cookies are her claim to fame. Here is my version. The candied lemon peel adds a sparkly counterpoint to the sweetness of the white chocolate. You can use this recipe as a base for any number of variations.
SERVINGS
Makes: Thirty-two 2-inch by 1-inch high round cookies
THE RECIPE
Oven Temperature: 400°F / 200°c
Baking Time: 10 to 11 minutes (for each of two batches)
Special Equipment: Two 17 by 14 inch cookie sheets, lined with parchment
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH
(Makes: about 1,180 grams)
unsalted butter: 200 grams (14 tablespoons [1¾ sticks])
candied lemon peel, preferably homemade (The Cookie Bible, page 398); see Baking Gems: 74 grams (½ cup [chopped])
high-quality white chocolate: 113 grams (4 ounces)
all-purpose flour, preferably unbleached: 400 grams (3¼ cups [lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off] plus 1 tablespoon
baking soda: ⅛ teaspoon
fine sea salt: 6 grams (1 teaspoon)
light brown sugar, preferably Muscovado: 217 grams (1 cup [firmly packed])
golden syrup (or corn syrup): 126 grams, or 120 grams if corn syrup (¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons [89 ml])
pure vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
milk: 121 grams (½ cup [118 ml])
granulated sugar, for coating: 40 grams (3 tablespoons)
DIRECTIONS
MISE EN PLACE
Brown the Butter: Have ready by the cooktop a 1 cup / 237 ml glass measure with a spout.
In a small heavy saucepan, melt the butter over very low heat, stirring often with a light-colored silicone spatula. Raise the heat to low and boil, stirring constantly, until the milk solids on the spatula become little brown specks. An instant-read thermometer should read 285° to 290°F / 140° to 143°C. Immediately pour the butter into the glass measure, scraping in the browned solids as well. You should have about 140 grams / ¾ cup / 177 ml. Allow the browned butter to cool to 80°F / 27°C.
Chop the candied lemon peel into ¼ inch pieces. You should have ½ cup.
Chop the white chocolate into ¼ inch pieces. You should have ⅔ cup.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
MAKE THE DOUGH
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the browned butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, and vanilla extract on low speed for 1 minute, or until blended.
Gradually beat in the milk. The batter will look curdled.
Add the flour mixture. Beat on the lowest speed just until the flour is moistened. Then beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
Add the white chocolate and candied lemon peel and beat just until evenly incorporated.
ROLL THE DOUGH INTO BALLS
In a small custard cup, place the granulated sugar for coating.
Divide the dough into 32 walnut-size pieces (37 grams each). If the dough is too soft to roll easily, refrigerate it briefly until it is firmer. One at a time, roll each piece of dough in the palms of your hands to form a 1½ inch ball, then roll the ball in the sugar, while it is still soft enough to coat evenly.
Set the balls on a small sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 1 hour, up to 3 months. (If planning to store these for longer than 1 hour, it is best to transfer the frozen balls to an airtight container or freezer bag.)
PREHEAT THE OVEN
Thirty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 400°F / 200°C.
Place half of the balls 1½ inches apart on a prepared cookie sheet.
BAKE THE COOKIES
Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet halfway around. Continue baking for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the cookies are just beginning to brown on the top; when gently pressed with thumb and index finger on the sides, they should yield to pressure. An instant-read thermometer inserted into a cookie should read 145° to 165°F / 63° to 74°C.
COOL THE COOKIES
Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack and use a thin pancake turner to transfer the cookies to another wire rack. Cool completely.
Repeat with the second batch.
STORE
Airtight: room temperature, 3 days; refrigerated, 5 days; frozen, 3 months.
Baking Gems
♥ If using store-bought candied lemon peel, it is a good idea to boost the flavor by adding 12 grams / 2 tablespoons loosely packed freshly grated lemon zest to the dough.
♥ Use an AA or A butter, as a lower quality will result in a lesser amount of browned butter.
Variations
You can replace the candied lemon peel with other ingredients of your choice, such as candied ginger, in equal volume. Candied orange peel with milk or dark chocolate is another fantastic combination. You could also replace both the lemon peel and the white chocolate with the same volume of another ingredient, such as peanut butter chips. Chopped nuts are also a good substitution for the white chocolate, with or without the candied citrus peel.
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