Cap’n Crunch Cookies

One of my favorite weekly blog reads is Alexis’ Napa, written by Alexis Swanson Traina: creative director of Swanson Vineyards, hip sophisticate & mother of two. She recently featured a recipe borrowed from her friend Amanda Michael who owns the coffee shop/cafe Jane on Fillmore in the heart of Pacific Heights in San Francisco. Deeming them her personal favorite cookies offered at Jane, I thought I’d attempt the Cap’n Crunch cookies. The result was plenty buttery, with lots of crunch, & deliciously satisfying.

11 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

14 ounces granulated sugar

2 eggs room temperature

11 ounces all-purpose flour

4.5 ounces cornmeal

5 ounces Cap’n Crunch cereal, crushed up

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoon salt

1. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer till combined – about 3 minutes on high.

2. Add eggs, one at a time while mixer is running

3. Stop mixer when eggs are incorporated – about 2 minutes – and scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula

4. Turn mixer back to high and cream about 10 minutes. Use this time to prepare the rest of the ingredients

5. Combine AP flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix with a fork or whisk to incorporate.

6. Measure out captain crunch cereal.

7. When the butter/sugar/egg mixture is nice and fluffy turn the mixer off, add the flour and turn the mixer to low to mix in the flour. Only mix until barely incorporated and add the cereal. Mix about 45 seconds more and remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Please do not over mix. It will ruin the texture of the cookies.

8. With a spatula finish the mixing by hand.

9. Scoop golf ball size pieces of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Put them close together as the dough will have to be chilled prior to baking.

10. Chill the dough at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

11. When you are ready to bake your cookies preheat the oven to 350. Remove the dough from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking.

12. Place the scooped dough 4 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheet. With your clean hands press the dough balls lightly to flatten.

13. Bake about 12 -14 minutes, rotating the sheet once during cooking. The cookies should be nice and gold but remain soft.

14. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies to a rack to continue to cool

Yields 14-20 cookies, depending on size.