Time To Make Chef Christina Tosi’s Incredible Milk Bar Corn Cookies!
Some of you may know how the pandemic led to me making LOTS of dishes using corn.
When #Quarantineathome went into its third month in mid-2020, I ordered some food for the house and was stunned when these arrived:
Yes, these cans of potatoes and corn were the size of my head, as my wife Alex duly noted for her followers on Instagram!
I THOUGHT I had ordered a pack of 10.6 oz cans of corn.
My online ordering mistake resulted in ONE HUNDRED AND SIX ounce cans of corn showing up at the house – so, for the rest of that year, I shared my “Corn-Tine” cooking adventure, aided by Alex when she wasn’t producing her daily TV talk show from our kitchen counter!
One of her guests on the show was celebrated Chef Christina Tosi, who founded Milk Bar, filled with sweets and an incredible bakery as well.
When told of my ordering mistake, Chef Tosi offered up this recipe from her terrific cookbook – so I tried to replicate her incredible Milk Bar Corn Cookies!
Of course, my wife Alex had to document the effort, which she shared on her Instagram account…I don’t mind, because she adds so many cool graphics!
A “Secret” Ingredient!
As you can see, this recipe called for a special ingredient: freeze-dried corn! Luckily, I had a bag sent to my house via Amazon – and I had everything else, so let’s get baking!
Milk Bar Corn Cookies
This recipe will make a dozen cookies….here are your ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (225 grams)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (225 grams)
1/4 cup corn flour (45 grams)
2/3 cup freeze-dried corn powder (65 grams)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder (3 grams)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (1 1/2 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (6 grams)
The first step is easy: combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.
Pretty straightforward – once you’ve done that, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and step two calls for adding the egg, and beat it into the mixture for 7 to 8 minutes.
Step three: this is my added step – I used real corn as well…not in the recipe – but I had a LOT of corn at my disposal so I did it!
Then, you go to step four: reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, corn flour, corn powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
It was at this point that Alex chose to drop a “truth bomb” on me – she has the right to, since she diligently documented everything I did – even with what I was wearing…you see, I got this shirt 20 years ago on Patpong Street in Bangkok, and she has always had a strong opinion of it:
While she may, indeed have a point, I want to say two things in my defense: first, it “breathes” in hot weather, and it was almost 90 degrees as I was baking; and second…um, I’ll get back to you on that.
Back to baking – step five: using a 2 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step six: pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. I used a cool measuring cup that my son Jeff gave me and it did the trick!
Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature– they will not bake properly.
Time To Bake!
I gave them anhour and then took them back out. I heated the oven to 350°F.
Step seven: arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans.
Bake for 18 minutes.
As the recipe notes:
“the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center; give them an extra minute if not.“
I tried to plate them immediately and Alex told me to let them cool for five minutes first – she was right because they were cracking a bit:
Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. And here is one after waiting for a few minutes:
And they were delicious! Not too sweet, and the richness of corn permeates the entire cookie, which has a slight crunch on the outside and a soft interior…and I think the addition of the corn kernels gave them a nice, meaty surprise as well!
As I showed you before, I have a “corn-tine” blackboard that I add requests to, and they keep coming in, including one from Chef Tosi herself!
I also make Corn Crab cakes as well.
You can see the entire process and the end result by clicking on my recipe here:
I have been taking requests as you know, and this was one that I was really happy with:
Corn Fritters are easy – and delicious! You can see that recipe by clicking here:
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Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Pictures, Food Porn, Recipes, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
I still smile when I think about ‘corn-gate’ at your house and the many ways you came up with to use it all )
The cookies look great, but I can’t believe you actually had to buy EXTRA corn! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
Oh yes, I do remember all that corn. You made some great things with it, John. These biscuits look great. I must try them.