‘Masa’ White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Masa: Techniques, Recipes and Reflections on a Timeless Staple by Jorge Gaviria. These buttery, hard-to-resist cookies incorporate some heirloom corn masa harina into the dough. They begin with white chocolate chips that are caramelized and melted in the oven, then hardened and broken into chunks — their flavor is so much more interesting than plain white chocolate.

READ: ‘Masa’ is a must-have cookbook for Mexican cooking aficionados and aspirants

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup (180 g) white chocolate chips or chopped bars

2 1/3 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (50 g) heirloom corn masa harina

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups (275 g) butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup (100 g) chopped macadamia nuts

Flaky salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Spread out the white chocolate on the sheet, keeping it all together but pretty much in one layer. Bake the chocolate for 5 minutes, or until you see some browning along the edges. Stir the chocolate and return to the oven. Repeat several times, until all the chocolate is the color of light amber honey. This happens slowly at first, and then quickly, so keep an eye on the oven; it shouldn’t take more than 15 or 20 minutes. Allow the caramelized chocolate to cool completely, then break it up into chunks for the cookies. If it isn’t hardening enough to break into chunks, place it in the freezer a few minutes until it’s hard.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, masa harina, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until it’s fluffy and pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, with a stand mixer running continuously, or pausing just to add the egg if using a hand mixer, and then add the vanilla. Mix until just combined. Beat in the flour mixture in increments until it is evenly incorporated. Fold in the chopped macadamias and caramelized white chocolate chunks. Press a piece of plastic film onto the top of the dough and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet in 2-inch (5-cm) clumps, spaced evenly, with at least 3 inches (7.5 cm) of space between them. Top each cookie with a little flaky salt, if you like. Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the sheet. Bake for another 6 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly brown on the edges and just set in the middle. Let them sit on the baking sheet 3 minutes, or until firm enough to transfer to a rack, and let them cool on the rack before serving.