Recipe: Salty Everything Cookies (using sesames, poppy and pumpkin seeds)

SALTY EVERYTHING COOKIES

"Kim Boyce is my favorite baker and is also one of the kindest, warmest souls I've met. These cookies are adapted from a recipe she developed a few years ago; they're full of whole-grain flavor and goodness, as well as notes of salt, olive oil, and large slabs of bittersweet chocolate. They're easy to make once you've stocked a few interesting flours (quinoa, rye, and whole wheat)."



1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. until golden and toasty smelling. Transfer the seeds to a bowl. Leave the oven on. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the flours, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy and fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at time, and beat until well mixed. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.

Fold in half of the chocolate and half of the toasted pumpkin seeds. Scoop out the dough in 1/4 cup lumps and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches between the cookies. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand and sprinkle the remaining chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and an extra sprinkling of salt on top of the dough, pushing into the dough with the tips of your fingers.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans front to back halfway through the cooking time, until they begin to brown on the edges. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 20 cookies
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: Food with Friends: The Art of Simple Gatherings by Leely Cyd