The heart can think of no devotion
Greater than being shore to ocean -
Holding the curve of one position,
Counting an endless repetition.
[Robert Frost]
Frost was talking about commitment here, suggesting that to stay right alongside someone else is the height of romance. It's such a sweeping gesture, to pin yourself to someone else without wavering.
Now I don't know for sure, but I can confidently assume he was talking about being in love with an actual person, not a cookie. But the thing is, lately I'm really just devoted to these peppermint white chocolate cookies. Different kind of love, still powerful. Still keeps me up at night (eating cookies).
I discovered the recipe last year and am happy to have a good reason to use all the candy canes I end up stuck with come December. The original recipe calls for a sprinkling of vanilla salt on top, and while that would probably be next-level awesome, it also sounds just a shade too fussy for me, so I just use a flaky salt like Maldon.
A couple of notes: First of all, I strongly recommend splurging on some high-quality white chocolate. It really does make a difference; cheap white chocolate tastes too sugary and waxy. Secondly, these cookies freeze SO WELL if you slightly under bake them. Just saying.
White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
From Not Without Salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies (or candy canes)
2 tablespoons flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Don't go easy on this step: Make sure to mix them for at least 4 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix well to combine.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix JUST barely. It's fine if you can still see visible streaks of flour. You'll keep stirring in the next step.
Add the white chocolate and peppermint candies (don't crush the candy too much -- it's nice when there are some larger pieces in the cookies. They shouldn't be ground to a powder.), then mix until everything just comes together.
Using a spatula, scrape around the bowl and stir the dough until everything looks well-mixed.
Ideally, you should refrigerate the dough for at least 12 hours or up to 24. If you can't wait, I understand. They will still be good (resting helps with the texture and flavor).
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 360° F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and scoop the dough in 1 1/2" spoonfuls onto the baking sheets. Top each cookie with a pinch of Maldon salt just before baking.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will still look gooey in the middle, but that's fine.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.