Cookbook jackpot

We have a bit of a cookbook obsession in our house. Each birthday and Christmas is marked by requests for several new ones, mine often focusing on baking, and Matt's often highlighting pork or making basics (bread, sausage, cheese, etc.) from scratch. This Christmas, I was excited to receive two cookbooks I'd been eyeing for quite a while: Momofuku Milk Bar and Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond from New York’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant. We've already tried a few recipes from each, and they've all met with huge success. A few weeks ago, Matt made the pancakes from the Clinton St. book, and they were fantastic. This week, he made their chili, and take it from a Texan, it was amazing.

I'd been waiting for an occasion to try one of the cookie recipes from Momofuku Milk Bar, and our friends' Super Bowl party this weekend proved just right.

I'd long ago decided on the cornflake-chocolate chip-marshmallow cookies, which start with making the cornflake crunch. It's basically a mixture of cornflakes, powdered milk, sugar, butter, and a little salt that's toasted in the oven. It's got a very unique flavor and is totally addicting all on its own.

But when you add it to the cookies ... heaven. These cookies spread out nice and thin and have the most amazing texture — crunchy almost like brittle on the edges and super chewy in the middle. The pockets of gooey melted marshmallows are fabulous.

This turned out to also be a great recipe for a new mom, as each step can be done separately and in a short amount of time — perfect if you don't have much time between feedings. I made the cornflake crunch one day (which has to cool completely before being added to the cookies), then the dough the next day (which has to refrigerate for at least an hour before baking), and then baked the cookies the day of the party. The baking actually took the longest because you can only fit about six cookies per sheet (they spread a lot), but it wasn't bad.

I'm really hoping this streak continues and can't wait to try our next new recipe.