Tom Hunt's 'Compost' Cookies: A Creative Recipe for Store-Cupboard Baking
In the world of home baking, few recipes offer the delightful flexibility and thrifty charm of Tom Hunt's 'compost' cookies. These innovative treats make ingenious use of various ingredients from the larder, transforming store-cupboard odds and ends into delicious, moreish cookies that celebrate both creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen.
The Sweet and Salty Inspiration Behind Compost Cookies
The concept for these adaptable cookies stems from a simple yet powerful culinary observation. Many people enjoy eating salty crisps alongside chewy chocolate bars, alternating bites between the two contrasting flavours. This combination creates an endorphin rush as the extreme saltiness from the chips and the sweetness from the chocolate complement and enhance each other perfectly. Tom Hunt has captured this delightful contrast in his compost cookie recipe, which he adapted from a creation by Christina Tosi at New York's legendary Milk Bar bakery.
The Origins and Adaptability of the Recipe
Christina Tosi originally shared the story of these cookies in Gourmet Traveller Australia, recounting how she first learned to make them at a conference centre on Star Island in New England. The kitchen staff would bake them weekly using whatever ingredients they had available, creating a different version each time based on their limited island supplies. In keeping with this spirit of improvisation, Tom Hunt has adapted Tosi's recipe for UK kitchens, making it flexible enough for home bakers to raid their own store-cupboards and invent their personalised versions.
Two key revelations emerged during Hunt's recipe development, both of which he highly recommends including. First, using fresh coffee grounds imparts an incredible depth of flavour without overwhelming the cookie. Second, adding salty snacks like salted crisps, pretzels, or peanuts creates a totally delicious combination when paired with sweet elements. The recipe also welcomes other inventive additions such as cereal, tortilla chips, or roasted fava beans, encouraging bakers to experiment with what they have available.
Simplifying the Recipe for Home Bakers
While Tosi's original version includes a Graham cracker crumb mixed into the cookie dough, Hunt has simplified this element to an optional biscuit crust. This can be made by crushing biscuits of your choice – malted milk biscuits work well, but any variety will do – and combining them with a little melted butter to create a crumbly texture that adds another dimension to the cookies.
Compost Cookie Recipe: Ingredients and Method
Makes approximately 20 cookies
For the cookie dough:
- 225g room-temperature butter
- 350g sugar (Hunt recommends a mixture of 250g granulated sugar and 100g dark brown sugar)
- 50g golden syrup, liquid glucose, or extra sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 225g flour (bread flour, plain flour, or a mixture including wholemeal)
- 40g rolled oats
- 2½ teaspoons fresh coffee grounds (not instant coffee; optional)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, or more baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Optional extras:
- 50g biscuit crust (made from crushed graham crackers, Lotus biscuits, or digestive biscuits mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter)
- 150g chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate
- 100g other sweets or bars (toffee, fudge, butterscotch, Snickers, or Rocky bars), roughly chopped
- 100g mixed salted snacks (crisps, pretzels, peanuts)
Method:
- Begin by making the cookie dough. Vigorously beat the butter, sugar, and golden syrup together for several minutes until well combined.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, flour, rolled oats, coffee grounds (if using), baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and sea salt. Beat the mixture thoroughly until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Gently fold in any biscuits, chocolate, or sweets that appeal to you, taking care to distribute them evenly throughout the dough.
- Carefully fold in any more fragile salted snacks to prevent them from breaking up too much.
- Divide the dough and roll it into 20 evenly sized balls. Place these on a tray and refrigerate for at least one hour, though overnight chilling is ideal for best results.
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Line several baking trays with baking paper, preferably unbleached.
- Arrange the chilled dough balls evenly on the prepared trays, leaving at least 10cm between them to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake from cold for approximately 18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on the trays before transferring to an airtight container.
These versatile cookies will keep well in an airtight container for several days, or can be frozen for up to three months, making them perfect for batch baking and enjoying as needed. The recipe's flexibility encourages home bakers to experiment with different combinations of sweet and salty ingredients, creating personalised versions that make excellent use of store-cupboard leftovers while reducing food waste.
