I have a confession to make: I am a hoarder of baking chips. When I go to grocery stores in different cities, I make a beeline to the baking aisle to check out which baking chips are available. Obviously I have plentiful supply of everyday chocolate chips because you never know when the craving for chocolate chip cookies may strike. I also have a selection of fancy chocolate chips that I save for special occasions. But the fun begins when I go through my collection of novelty chips. White chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, zebra chips with white and milk chocolate, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, mini chocolate peanut butter cups, toffee bits, Andes mint chocolate bits, cinnamon chips, the much-coveted mint green chips, and my latest find lemon chips. I love them all.
I wanted to make something special with those pretty pastel lemon chips. I’m pretty sure my search would come up short if I look for recipes specifically calling for lemon chips. My inspiration began with lemon and rosemary, a classic flavour pairing. The butterscotch undertone of a classic chocolate chip cookie dough would overwhelm the fresh taste of lemon. However, I do enjoy the soft chewy texture of a big fat cookie loaded with chips. Recalling my success with America Test Kitchen’s Chewy Sugar Cookies last year, I set to work.
I added one teaspoon of finely minced fresh rosemary to the sugar before it was combined with melted butter. The taste turned out quite subtle so I think increasing the amount to two teaspoons would likely be okay too. One and a half cups of lemon chips were folded into the cookie dough before I portioned it. These chips have a very pronounced lemon flavour, almost candy like. The chewy sugar cookie is a great match as I predicted.
Obviously lemon chip may not be available in most places. In that case, I would recommend that you substitute equal amount of white chocolate chips and rub finely grated zest of a lemon into the sugar along with the minced rosemary. I love the thick plump look of these cookies. However, if you want to up the ante, sandwiching two cookies with a dab of lemon curd would totally take this treat over the top.
Do you have a weakness for unusual baking ingredients? I would love to hear about yours!
