Many people know Bien Cuit—the James Beard award–recognized bakery with three shops in New York City—for its bread. The name translates as “well done” in French, nodding to loaves that are taken beyond golden-brown, toward someplace darker, deeper, and sultrier. And yet, here at the Food52 office, we know Bien Cuit for something else entirely: its cookies.
Last year, for instance, when our co-founder, Amanda Hesser, found out that the bakery had halted production on its superlative shortbread, she took matters into her own hands: “You can’t do this to us! Please reconsider.” (Don’t worry, we got the recipe.)
Ironically, though, that to-the-point shortbread is something of an anomaly for Bien Cuit, which thrives on unexpected flavors more than anything else. As chef and owner Zachary Golper put it, “If you’re not adventurous, you’re boring.” And who wants to be a boring shortbread?
For Golper, sometimes, said adventure manifests in a flour swap. Take these salted chocolate cookies. Instead of all-purpose flour, Bien Cuit turns to gray buckwheat, which has an earthy, nutty flavor, and just happens to be gluten-free.
Other times, it means putting a savory, umami spin on an otherwise sweet dessert. “The key is to start with something that’s approachable,” Golper says, like a baked good recipe you already know and love. Then, to “then take it from ordinary to extraordinary,” simply add one or two big-personality ingredients, and let them lead the way.
Think: mixing caramelly miso into caramel sauce, or fruity black pepper into fruit crisp, or warming masala—the term for myriad spice blends in Indian cuisine—into pecan sandies.
The last is our latest obsession—full of warm spices and toasty nuts. “You’ll want to eat 12 of them,” Golper said when he told me about the recipe. “You shouldn’t, but you’ll want to.” To respectfully disagree: I think you should.
| 150 | grams (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour |
| 125 | grams (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| 90 | grams (1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon) granulated sugar |
| 90 | grams (scant 1 cup) toasted, ground pecans (see Author Notes) |
| 25 | grams (1 1/2) egg yolks |
| 5 | grams (1 teaspoon) masala (see Author Notes) |
| 3 | grams (1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt |
| 1/4 | vanilla bean, scraped |
| 150 | grams (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour |
| 125 | grams (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| 90 | grams (1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon) granulated sugar |
| 90 | grams (scant 1 cup) toasted, ground pecans (see Author Notes) |
| 25 | grams (1 1/2) egg yolks |
| 5 | grams (1 teaspoon) masala (see Author Notes) |
| 3 | grams (1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt |
| 1/4 | vanilla bean, scraped |
Written by: Emma Laperruque
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