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By Root 626 0

it as directed, then wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to three days. When ready to bake, let the dough stand at room temperature for a bit to make it easier to scoop.

These cookies should be very soft when they come out of the oven. Be sure to let them rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before you move them to a wire rack.

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

7-ounce package marzipan, cut into chunks

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Heat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine both sugars and the marzipan. Process until they resemble fine sand, about 1 minute.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the butter, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and egg.

Use an electric mixer to beat the dough until smooth, scraping down the bowl once during mixing, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix until incorporated, scraping down the bowl once during mixing, about 1 minute. The dough should be very stiff.

Drop 1-tablespoon balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches around all sides. (You will need to bake in batches.)

Bake until the cookies are flat and have a crackled surface, about 10 minutes.

The cookies will be very soft. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

If desired, once the cookies are cool, dust them with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

HOW LONG? 45 MINUTES (15 MINUTES ACTIVE)

HOW MUCH? 36 COOKIES

Caramel Streusel Apple Pie Cookies

I’ve always been awed (and a tiny bit disturbed) by the tenacity with which Chris Kimball and his cooks pursue the perfect recipe. Chris, the man behind Cook’s Illustrated magazine and public television’s America’s Test Kitchen, has his team test recipes dozens—sometimes hundreds—of times to fine-tune the minutiae of good eats.

But during research for my first cookbook, a brief excursion into the world of egg- and dairy-free cooking, I discovered even his patience has limits. I’d turned to him for help with a vegan chocolate cake, lamenting the lousy results.

I got no sympathy. Just a snappy “That’s why God invented eggs.”

Two lessons were learned. One, Chris doesn’t suffer vegans lightly. And two, his try-and-try-and-try-and-try again method works. His cooks worked up a perfect vegan chocolate cake recipe for me after just two months and 101 cakes.

Guess I got off easy when perfecting this apple-pie-in-a-cookie. It took me just nineteen attempts.

FOR THE COOKIES:

1 cup shortening

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¾ cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon baking powder

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced

FOR THE STREUSEL:

1½ cups rolled oats

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4½ tablespoons melted butter

½ cup jarred caramel sundae sauce (optional)

To make the dough, in a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the shortening, both sugars, vanilla, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed.

Beat in the egg and egg yolks, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the baking powder and flour, again scraping the bowl. Mix in the apples. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly coat them with baking spray.

Make the streusel topping. In a food processor, combine the rolled oats, both