Ice-cream cookies (and they are EGGLESS too)

First of all friends, I m really sorry for not having posted anything since long (wayyyy tooo long, I guess). But life with job, home and a hyperactive toddler clinging round your legs (literally) is a real roller coaster...I am sure all the mommies out there will identify with me (yay!! we stand together!!). BUT...but...and but...to more than make up for it, I have come up with a yummilicious...delicious...and equally fantastic looking cookie...

The Ice-cream cookie....

Yessss!! these are NOT ice-cream...but Cookies..!!!

A few years back, had seen images of these cookies on google. But in the absence of any recipe link was unable to try it. However, it remained etched on my mind and after many trials and errors and disasters, finally came up with this fool-proof recipe. It works everytime like a charm...

Now, for the cookies....Let me tell you, these cookies are not the usual crispy, crunchy cookies. These are more cakey, and crumbly, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Hence, if cakey cookies are your thing....then dig in. These are easy to whip up too and bonus....they are EGGLESS!! The only special equipment you need is your Ice-cream scoop (the one with the spring action handle). You can even skip the hand mixer and whip up your butter and sugar with solely muscle power (these cookies are hand whipped! so if I can do it, so can you), just ensure the sugar is fully dissolved in the butter.

Doesn't it feel heavenly to combine your two favorite desserts into one??!!

Sure it does....so no more faffing around...straight to the recipe..but don't skip the Tips  I have given at the bottom of the page, or your cookie might not have this lovely texture or taste.

YIELD: 11 big Cookies (if using the standard ice-cream scoop); OR 22-23 small Cookies (if using small ice-cream scoop)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup (4 oz.) Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)

3/4 Cup (6 oz.) Icing sugar (you can add 2 Tablespoons more if you have sweeter tooth)

1/4 cup (2 oz.) Cocoa Powder (Hershey's or Cadbury Bournville powder)

1/2 Cup (4 oz.) ground almonds/ almond meal (Don't use fine almond flour)

3/4 Cup (6 oz.) All purpose Flour

1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/3 Cup White chocolate chips
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

METHOD:

Pre-heat your oven at 170 Celsius (150 Celsius for warm & humid weather). Line your cookie tray with parchment paper (DON'T butter it).

1. Sift together All-purpose flour, Baking powder and cocoa powder 2-3 times;

2. Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy, ensuring all the sugar is dissolved and the mix is not grainy. Add vanilla extract and mix;

3. Add flour+cocoa mix in two batches,mixing evenly;

4. Add the almond meal/ground almonds to the dough. Mix in the chocolate chips. The resulting dough will be very crumbly;

This is the consistency of the dough. It will be crumbly and doughy...not your regular cookied dough. You cannot roll it. In warm climate areas, due to the high temperature, butter tends to spread out more, so to prevent it more binding agents/flour is added to the dough so that cookies retain their shape. If your dough is not as crumbly as shown in this pic, after refrigeration, you can safely add upto 1/4 Cup of flour+1/4 Cup almond meal/ ground almonds, without compromising on the taste of the cookie.

No need to knead, just bring it together with your hands in one big lump and smoothen it.

5. Refrigerate it for 10 minutes (30-40 minutes, for warm & humid weather). The dough should be cold and NOT room temperature or the ridges won't form;

6. Take your ice-cream scoop, scoop out the dough and release it on your cookie sheet, placing each scoop 1 inch apart (cookies spread a bit while baking);

7. Freeze your tray for 15-20 minutes (50-60 minutes for warm and humid weather);

8. Take your tray out of the freezer and pop it in the oven. Bake at 170 Celsius (150 Celsius for warm and humid weather) for 15-18 minutes (for bigger scoops). If using small scoop, the cookie will be smaller and will take lesser time, bake at same temperature for 10-12 minutes.

My ice-cream scoops in the oven..!!

9. Once baked, take the tray out of the oven and leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes. Thereafter, cool them on a cooling rack.

10. Once totally cooled, you can store them in an air-tight container....that is, if you have any left for storing...!!

TIPS:

1. Use the best available butter you can have. (I use Lurpak in all my baking);

2. Use the best cocoa powder available coz this is what makes all the difference in a chocolate cookie (I specially use Cadbury Bournville Powder for this, as it has a smooth and rich dark taste. Hershey's works equally good);

3. Using Icing sugar ensures the sugar is fully dissolved in the butter before proceeding onto the next step. If you don't have Icing sugar, just use powdered sugar in equal quantity as Icing sugar mentioned above;

4. While shaping the cookie, pack your ice-cream scoop firmly, to get those beautiful ice-cream style ridges on top. And remove any sticking dough from your scoop, every time before shaping another cookie. No need to butter or flour your scoop, the cookie scoop will eject by itself when you press the handle.

5. Don't forget to FREEZE (not refrigerate) your shaped cookies for 15-20 minutes (50-60 minutes for warm and humid weather) before popping them in the oven. This helps retain the shape of the cookies. (This tip holds true for any kind of cookie, so you might want to save this tip!!)

6. The oven temperatures and settings vary. I have baked them in my built-in oven, with both rods on. As my oven doesn't play fiddle with the temperature, I have not used fan with rods...plus, it was just one tray baking so no need to circulate the air. You know your oven better!

7. You can substitute ground almonds/almond meal with powdered nuts of your choice. Substitution quantity remains the same 1/2 Cup ( 4 oz.) of your preferred nut meal. I am sorry you cannot skip the nuts in this recipe, as they add texture and flavor to the cookie. The cookie will turn out very doughy in its absence;
8. Keep your dough chilled before scooping and freeze it after shaping. This is very crucial to the shape of your cookie.
9. In warm climate areas, due to the high temperature, butter tends to spread out more, so to prevent it, more binding agents/flour is added to the dough so that cookies retain their shape. If your dough is not as crumbly as shown in the above pic of the dough after refrigeration, you can safely add upto 1/4 Cup of flour+1/4 Cup almond meal/ ground almonds, without compromising on the taste of the cookie.

Hope all these tips help. If you have any query or are facing a snag, feel free to comment on this post and I'll get back to you.

Do let me know how these turn out for you. And should you post them on your blog please link back to this post of mine and let me know, I'll love to see your beauty scoop. Happy Baking..!!