Bring Baltimore to your Swap with Homemade Berger Cookies!
Berger Cookies have been a Baltimore staple as long as we can remember. That’s why, earlier this year, when we heard word that the FDA may ban further production due to new legislation about commercial use of trans fats (eek!) we were crushed, to say the least.
That is, until we found this incredible dupe recipe from the fine folks at King Arthur Flower. And dare we say– they may be even better than the originial?
We’ll let you decide the final verdict on that last note. Whip up a batch of homemade Berger cookies using this recipe here and bring them to your holiday cookie swap — and let us know what you think!
Shopping list
Cookies
- 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup milk
Icing
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (1 ounce) light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
- To make the cookies: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, salt, vanilla, and baking powder.
- Beat in the sugar, then the egg.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Do this gently; there’s no need to beat the batter.
- Using a spoon or a tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. The balls of dough should be about 1 1/4″ in diameter. Flatten each mound of dough to a circle about 1 ½” across; wet your fingers or a knife, or grease the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to do this. Leave 2″; to 2 1/2″ between each cookie, for expansion.
- Bake the cookies for about 10 to 11 minutes, or until they?re a mottled brown on the bottom (carefully tilt one up to look), but not colored on top. You may see the barest hint of browning around the edges, but these cookies are supposed to be soft and cake-like, so don’t over-bake them. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool righton the pan as you make the frosting.
- To make the icing: Place the chocolate chips, corn syrup, vanilla, and cream into a large microwave-safe bowl, or into a large saucepan.
- Heat the mixture until it’s very hot; the cream will start to form bubbles. Remove from the heat, and stir until smooth.
- Beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Let cool to warm room temperature while you make the cookies.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the warm icing; swirl the cookie around to really give it a good coating. Set the cookies back on the baking sheet.
- Spread the remaining icing evenly atop the cookies. If it’s too soft and flows off the cookies, let it set a bit, until it’s firmer. It’ll feel like you’re piling on a lot of icing; that?s precisely the point! Allow it to set, then store the cookies airtight in a single layer. Keep at room temperature for several days; or freeze for longer storage.
- Yield: 20 to 21 medium (3″) cookies.
- Allow the icing to set, then store the cookies airtight in a single layer. Keep at room temperature for several days; or freeze for longer storage.
Recipe and Images for homemade Berger cookies courtesy of King Arthur Flower.