Mushroom Chocolate Cookies - Jun & Tonic

Mushroom Chocolate Cookies

Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients

Mushroom powder (optional)100g matt oyster mushrooms (I got mine from K Fresh), or any strong-tasting mushrooms

Cookie dough170g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter20g (approx. 2 pieces) ice cubes5g (2 tsp) mushroom powder (from above), or mushroom paste4g (1 tsp) espresso powder5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract5g (1 tsp) doenjang or miso paste80g (4 tbsp) sugar, caster or granulated both works100g (1/2 cup) dark brown sugar4g (1 tsp) salt1 egg200g (1½ cup) all-purpose flour4g (1 tsp) baking soda160g (5 oz.) dark chocolate, roughly chopped (the quality of chocolate varies from brand to brand, but a good rule of thumb is to use chocolate you would eat on its own)

Garnishes60g (2 oz.) dark chocolate, roughly chopped3g (1 tsp) flaky sea salt100-150g matt oyster mushrooms, or any other fresh mushroom

Directions

1. Make mushroom powder: Separate the mushroom clusters into individual mushrooms. Then, lay them out on a tray and place them in an oven or a dehydrator set at 60°C for 8-12 hours, until completely dry. (The duration might differ based on your climate; but once they’re brittle and crispy, they’re done.) Transfer the mushrooms into a blender or food processor, and blitz on high speed into a fine powder.

2. Make brown butter: In a small pot or saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Let it melt and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to smell nutty and the butter (especially on the bottom) starts to brown. When done, take the pot off the heat and add in the ice cubes to cool down the butter.

3. Make cookie dough: Transfer the brown butter to a bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you’re mixing by hand), and add in the mushroom powder, espresso powder, vanilla extract, doenjang, caster sugar, dark brown sugar, and salt. Whisk this on high speed for 2-3 minutes, until completely smooth and it turns two shades paler. Then, add in the egg and whisk for another minute until well-mixed. Next, sift in the all-purpose flour and baking soda, and fold it with a spatula to incorporate the dry and wet ingredients together. Finally, add in the cut-up chunks of chocolate, and give it a final few folds, making sure no streaks of flour remain.

4. Chill dough: When the dough is done, chill them in a refrigerator for 20 minutes to harden slightly and make them easier to work with for the next steps. (You can chill it for longer if it’s still really soft and sticky to touch.) Then, with an ice cream scoop, or with your hands, portion the dough into 40g balls, and keep this in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or up to 3 days, to develop the flavours slightly. (The cookie balls can also be frozen at this point too to keep for longer.) If you’re absolutely short on time though, you can skip this long chilling time and go right ahead to the baking

5. Heat oven: When you’re ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Then, line a baking tray with baking paper or with a silicon mat.

6. Bake the cookies: Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, and place 6-8 cookies on the lined baking tray, making sure to leave at least 8cm (3 inches) of space in between each dough ball. Press the cookies down slightly into discs 5cm (2 inches) in diameter. Then, place 2-3 chunks of chocolate reserved for the garnish on top of each cookie ball. (These chunks will form gooey pools of chocolate on top of each cookie.) Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. Then, take them out of the oven, and place 5-6 pieces of mushrooms on top of each cookie, and sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top too. Bake the cookies for another 10 minutes, until golden brown.

7. Cool the cookies: When the cookies are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Then, with a spatula or with your hands, transfer the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat steps 6 & 7 for the rest of the cookie dough.

8. Eat!: The cookies keep well for 3-5 days in an airtight container. But when I made them, they were so good they didn’t even last 2 days!