This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie selection is the much-anticipated White Chocolate Brownies. (I say that they’re much-anticipated because for months there has been a campaign to have them selected.) When I told Josh what the selection was, he said, “wouldn’t they be blondies?” Hmm, good question. I’d never seen a white chocolate brownie, either. Then he tried them and said they tasted more like cupcakes than brownies. 
There was much chatter on the Problems and Questions section this week about it being impossible to tell when the brownies were done underneath the layer of meringue, and also that they were difficult to get out of the pan. The latter problem was solved with a parchment paper sling and I lucked out with the baking time. I left them in about ten minutes longer than the recipe called for (even though I only made a half recipe) and they turned out well. The one problem I had was the meringue distribution. I plopped some on the brownies, then had trouble spreading it without mangling the entire concoction, so I whipped up more meringue in order to evenly coat the entire pan. Since I make a lot of ice cream, I almost always have extra egg whites on hand and I was happy to use up some more of my surplus.
So did we like them? Eh, they're good but I can definitely resist them and Josh even warned me they might not get finished, which NEVER happens with regular brownies in this house. I liked the addition of citrus (in the form of orange zest) with the sweet white chocolate, but didn’t think the meringue was a particularly special addition and I missed the chewy texture of a traditional brownie. We rated the brownies a 6.5 for Deliciousness and I gave them a 3.5 for Effort, for an EDR of 1.85. Many thanks to Marthe of Culinary Delights for ending the White Chocolate Brownie anticipation. You can find the recipe here on Marthe’s lovely blog and visit the TWD site to see what the other bakers thought of this recipe.
White chocolate has never been one of my favorite sweets, but I do feel like it definitely has its place in the chocolate world. I did happen to be harboring a bit of a grudge towards it, though, due to a minor kitchen meltdown trying to make peppermint bark last winter (for some reason I thought melting the white chocolate baking chunks from Whole Foods would work – don’t try it). However, I got over it last weekend when I made the marvelous white chocolate ganache for the Tuesdays With Dorie Pineapple Dacquoise. I happened to have an unopened (and not expired) bag of white chocolate chunks stashed away in my baking cabinet, so I decided to make some cookies. I have fond memories from my youth of eating White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies from the Blue Chip Cookie bakery chain and thinking they were so much more exotic than regular chocolate chip cookies.
I found this recipe for Salted White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies on Baking Bites. Like many of my favorite cookies (World Peace Cookies, NYT Chocolate Chip Cookies), these have the brilliant addition of extra salt. Although they are tasty no matter how you bake them, I would recommend erring on the lower end of the suggested baking time, as the chewier ones were definitely preferred. This recipe gets an 8 for Deliciousness and 2 for Effort, giving them an EDR of 4.
Salted White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, from Baking Bites1 1/2 cups all purpose flour1 tsp baking soda1/4 tsp salt1/2 cup butter, room temperature1 cup sugar1 large egg1 tsp vanilla extract3/4 white chocolate chips3/4 cup salted, toasted macadamia nuts, coarsely choppedadditional salt, for toppingPreheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or silicone mat).In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then gradually add in the flour mixture, followed by the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. If your macadamia nuts are unsalted, add an additional 1/4 tsp salt to the cookie dough.Drop tablespoonfuls of dough (1-inch balls) onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are just beginning to turn a light golden color around the edges. Bake an additional minute or so, until slightly more golden, for crispier cookies. Cool for about 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet until cookies are completely set, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.Store in an airtight container, makes about 2 dozen (I got 3 dozen smaller cookies.
