White Chocolate Whalers

Alright enough of that healthy stuff eh? Forget about the spinach balls I just posted about (though they were yummy too) and let's get back to the baked goods!!

I think what drew me to these cookies is that there's rice krispies in them. I was really curious as to how they would turn out. The first time I made them I used puffed brown rice (no sugar) - and while the cookies were good, they weren't quite right and they looked really weird with all these giant pieces of puffed rice sticking out. So I finally made them for a second time with rice krispies, and opted not to roll the cookies in the rice krispies this time. The cookie is definitely better with real rice krispies. Unfortunately no the rice krispies don't stay very crispy, so perhaps it's more of a novelty thing.

The flavour of the cookies however is outstanding. White chocolate + orange + soft cookie = yumyumyum. These cookies are supposed to be giant but the second time I made them I made tiny ones - so really the size is up to you. On a somewhat related note, I'm enjoying my journey through Carole Walter's Great Cookies. So far I've only made pecan tassies and these and they've both been really good.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Orange Berry Muffins
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Cheesecake

White Chocolate Whalers
Adapted from Great Cookies

Makes 18 4-inch cookies (or more if you make them smaller)

If you decide to make your cookies smaller, check them around 10 minutes instead of leaving them for the recommended 16 to 18 for larger cookies.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 tbsp grated orange zest
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
4 large egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups crispy rice cereal
10.5 oz white chocolate, chopped, or 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1. Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 325F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment or silpat.

2. Melt the butter with the orange zest over low heat. Set aside to cool to tepid.

3. Combine the flour and salt. Set aside.

4. In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg yolks and whites on medium speed until thick and lightened in colour. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until well blended, about 1 minute more. Slowly pour in the butter-zest mixture, then add the vanilla. Mix for 1 minute longer to combine, scraping down the bowl as needed. The mixture will thicken as it is beaten.

5. Using an oversized rubber spatula, fold in the crispy rice cereal. Strain the dry ingredients over the batter, folding gently with the rubber spatula, until just combined. Fold in the chocolate pieces.

6. Place the remaining crispy rice cereal in a flat dish (a pie plate works well). Using a #16 ice cream scoop, drop mounds of dough on the cookie sheet (6 per sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart). Using the hell of your hand, flatten into 3 inch disks.

7. Bake 16 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. To ensure even browning, two-thirds of the way through baking rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Let rest for 10 minutes, or until firm enough to handle, before loosening with a large metal spatula. Transfer to cooling racks.