Blueberry Cookies
Chewy blueberry cookies with crispy edges; made with freeze dried berries and chunks of white chocolate. Naturally colored!
This one has been on my agenda for years! Getting a strong blueberry flavor into a cookie is tricky as blueberries hold a lot of water. Even when cooked down, the berry puree adds moisture and can turn the cookie cakey without contributing a strong flavor. Another option is to make a blueberry jam to use in the cookie dough (which is cooked longer), but even that was ruining the chewy texture I was going after for these blueberry cookies.
Recipe Origins
So, I started working from this strawberry cookie recipe but I wanted a thicker cookie and to do without the bread flour. I reduced the sugar and butter, and I was able to swap in all purpose and add both more blueberries and chunks of white chocolate. They also need less time to chill with these changes!
The process is rather simple: no need for an electric mixer and no need to bring the butter to room temperature – we will melt it. For these we’re also skipping the lemon juice added to the cookie dough as it turns the blueberry cookies a bit cakey.
Let’s address the obvious though: these aren’t exactly pinterest pretty cookies because of their color; it’s a kind of blue gray on the outside, and inside is almost teal. This is due to the reaction between the baking soda and the blueberries. If it troubles you deeply, you can add some food coloring (purple should work) to make the cookies look less gray.
Recipe Ingredients
Butter: unsalted butter. Salted butter is fine too, but reduce the amount added to the dough.
Sugar: fine granulated sugar.
Brown sugar: it should be soft (not dry). Light brown sugar or dark is fine.
Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount. Vanilla: pure vanilla extract.
Freeze dried blueberries: dehydrated freeze dried blueberries. These are as light as air and as dry as a cracker. If you just want the dough to be blueberry (without the addition of bigger bits of blueberry) get a 34g bag (1.2oz). If you also want the bits, you’ll want a 58g bag or two 34g bags.
-> Note 1: these CANNOT be substituted with frozen or fresh blueberries. Freeze dried berries and dehydrated so all the water has been pulled from the berries. If you add fresh or frozen berries, all the water will turn the cookies into a cakey mess.
-> Note 2: these also cannot be substituted with just dried blueberries (the kind that are like dried cranberries).
Egg: one large egg.
Baking soda: to leaven the cookie.
Flour: all purpose flour of a medium to high protein content (not bread flour, not cake or pastry flour).
White chocolate: use a good quality, check the ingredients to ensure that it includes cocoa butter.
Optional flavorings to add
Lemon zest: zest this into the fine granulated sugar and rub it with your fingers to work out the oils.
Cinnamon: add this with the vanilla and salt. It adds a touch of warm sweetness (rather like a blueberry muffin).
How to make Blueberry Cookies
In a large bowl, melt the butter and the sugar: if you like you can zest a lemon or two into the sugar before hand to get a bit of a citrus taste.
Whisk well
Grind the blueberries into a powder, add to the bowl and whisk:
Heat the mixture again, then whisk until thick:
Whisk in the egg:
Add the leavening and flour:
Chop the chocolate and the remaining freeze dried blueberries (if using):
Fold into the dough:
Cover the cookie dough and chill.
After a few hours, preheat the oven and line two baking pans with parchment.
Portion the cookies with a cookie scoop, leaving space for them to spread:
Bake and once set, transfer to a cooling rack.
Store extra cookies in an airtight container.
Blueberry Cookie Recipe
Blueberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 170g or ¾ cup unsalted butter preferably american style
- 150g or ¾ cup fine granulated sugar
- Lemon zest from 1-2 lemons rubbed into the fine granulated sugar (optional)
- 50g or ¼ cup brown sugar light
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 34g freeze dried blueberries to be ground into the dough
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 260g or 2 cups all purpose flour
- 22g freeze dried blueberries to be added to the dough, optional
- 200g or 1 cup white chocolate chips or white chocolate chunks
Method
Make the dough at least two hours before baking
- Set the butter in a large heatproof bowl. Pour the sugar over it and set it in the microwave for 60 seconds. The butter should be nearly fully melted, whisk the mixture well.
- Grind 34g of the freeze dried blueberries (if you have leftover blueberries, immediately seal the bag as they will turn gummy if exposed to air) and immediately pour the powder into the bowl and whisk well. Return to the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the salt and a dash of vanilla and whisk very well, until the mixture turns shiny and cohesive.
- Add the egg and whisk well. Add the flour (if using cup measurement, sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup and level it) and baking soda. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir to combine.
- Chop the chocolate (if using bar chocolate) and pour into the bowl. Chop the other 22g of blueberries and immediately stir into the mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (grease the pan first so the parchment stays in place).
- Scoop the cookies into 2-2.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Bake until the cookies have golden edges, have spread and are matte in the center (they shouldn’t look wet) - about 12-13 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie.
Did you make this recipe?
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How much salt and vanilla?
half a teaspoon of salt, a dash of vanilla.