By Edouardo Jordan
Gingerbread cookies inspired this recipe. I like soft-batch cookies with a crispy edge and chewy middle. Sweet potatoes hit all the right notes. These are spicy. We didn’t want to shy away from full flavor. At Salare we include ground madrone bark, foraged from trees in the Northwest. It can present like cinnamon and it’s almost chocolaty, but it’s hard to find. I’ve left it out here, but if you track it down, add a tablespoon.
Equipment
Food processor
Standing mixer with paddle attachment
Measuring spoons #20 ice cream scoop
Baking pan Parchment paper
Spicy sweet potato puree
Ingredients
3 medium-sized red sweet potatoes
2 ounces honey
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and quarter potatoes. Toss potatoes with honey, cayenne and oil. Cover with foil. Place potatoes on baking sheet and roast in oven until tender throughout. Let cool completely, then puree in a food processor.
Sweet potato cookies
24 ounces (3 cups) white sugar
24 ounces (3 cups) brown sugar
20 ounces (about 5 sticks) butter, soft
24 ounces (3 cups) sweet potato puree
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
30 ounces (3 3/4 cups) all-purpose low-gluten or cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoon cardamom, freshly ground
1 nutmeg, freshly grated
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a standing mixer, cream together both sugars with butter using the paddle attachment.
Mix until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Add sweet potato puree, vanilla, and grated ginger, and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
Add dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix.
Using a #20 ice cream scoop (1.77 ounce, approximately 2 tablespoons), place cookie dough balls on to nonstick baking pan or baking pan lined with parchment paper. Leave space in between. Sprinkle dough with raw sugar, approximately 1/2 teaspoon.
Bake at 325 degrees for 16-18 minutes.
Makes three dozen cookies.
Edouardo Jordan is executive chef and owner of Salare in Seattle, where his menus blend Southern, Italian, and French cuisines. He was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida and later attended Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando. His next effort, Junebaby, will focus on Southern cuisine and is slated to open this year.
