Aromas and complimentary flavors are ties to comfort. Cinnamon has a way but the wonder is long gone. Vanilla is ubiquitous. No need to rest on those laurels any longer.
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| Broken Bay Leaf Snickerdoodle |
The scent of bay leaves cooked with rice is quite nice. It adds a depth of flavor to savory dishes that we all have tasted but can't quite describe. Always a supporting cast member that allows the whole company to shine. What happens when it becomes the star in a cookie?
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| Pulverized Bay Leaf |
Snickerdoodles are simple. Aside from butter and sugar, the driving flavors are cinnamon in the coating and vanilla extract in the base dough. Grinding dry bay leaves into a powder to do a swap was the easy part.
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| Bay Leaf Rum Extract |
The bay extract required a little patience. 125ml of white rum and 12 dried bay leaves got a pressure infusion treatment in a cream whipper then sat for 2 months. The final flavor was quite medicinal, bay leaf bitters.
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| Ground Bay Leaf Sugar Coating |
With the flavor agents sorted, one for one swaps were all that was necessary to execute the recipe.
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| Bay Leaf Snickerdoodle |
The aroma immediately after baking was buttery with a clear floral note. The flavor of the cookie was well... indescribably good.
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| Sumac Snickerdoodle |
Next time you bake think twice about reaching for cinnamon or vanilla. Use a spice that you enjoy in a completely different context. There's a whole world of flavors out there waiting to be rediscovered in your favorite comfort food.
As always, please share your investigations to keep the ideas bouncing.