Florentines are what I’ll label as “fancy” cookies from the Bouchon Bakery book. While Thomas Keller’s cookie offerings primarily focus on American classics and interpretations of childhood favorites, florentines are more complex both in execution and flavor.

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Even man’s best friend gets treats at Bouchon Bakery. I remember on one of my visits, at the counter there was a glass jar filled with dog bones made using foie gras, quite luxurious before the ban of the ingredient in 2012. Chicken liver is the replacement, according to the recipe in the book.

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After a couple of weeks of more involved cookies, we get back to the basics with this shortbread recipe. Just five pantry staples: butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt. At first I was underwhelmed with the idea of doing this recipe. It didn’t seem that interesting but after consuming more than my fair share of cookies, this recipe now sits very high up on my go-to list.

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C is for Cookie

There are a couple of cookies I consider classics, one being Chocolate Chip and the other, the Oreo. Thomas Keller’s Oreo or TKO for short is a much more sophisticated sandwich cookie. The dark exterior comes from the cocoa powder in the dough and Chef Keller asks for cocoa noir or black cocoa to get a deep, rich flavor that is not as sweet as the traditional Oreo. The cookie is balanced with a sweet, white chocolate ganache filling that is smooth in contrast to the chalky consistency of the store bought version.

UPDATE 1/14/13: Serious Eats has featured this recipe on their blog with permission from Chefs Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel. You can view the recipe here

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