Sarah Kieffer’s pan-banging cookies will go down in history as one of the most iconic cookies of the last decade! Every time I see someone make them on Instagram, I have to resist the urge to shriek with delight. I will drop “😍😍😍” comments to no end. They are gorgeous for multiple reasons, but their sheer size and ripples are especially breathtaking. It’s taken me a while to try the recipe because I’ve honestly dreaded the task of making space in my freezer. Sure, it took 10-15 minutes to rearrange the haphazard contents of my freezer but that’s a personal problem lol. Sarah’s suggestion to put the cookie dough balls on a smaller plate was such a lifesaver!
While the most popular and OG of the panbanging cookies is the chocolate chip variety, I was in the mood for some classic birthday cake flavors last night. I also had a tub of rainbow jimmies I was meaning to use! Reminiscent of Milk Bar’s birthday cake, I opted for clear imitation vanilla extract instead of the natural stuff to evoke the nostalgic flavor of a boxed cake mix.
Although it might be tempting to make these cookies a bit smaller to yield more of them, it’s essential that you stick with the roughly 1/3 cup worth of dough per cookies. It allows for the classic ripple look, which you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. Also give them as much space from each other as possible while placing them on your sheet pan! They spread quite A LOT. While baking and in the process of pan-banging, your timer will be your best friend. Be diligent while standing by the oven because you’ll see in real time how the statement wrinkles form with each bang of the pan. Once they’re out of the oven, you’ll find that the perfect cookie will have crisp, golden edges and a chewy interior.
There’s a reason why there’s a whole chapter dedicated to pan-banging cookies in Sarah’s book. Run, don’t walk to your local bookstore to pick up a copy of 100 Cookies because it’ll give you baking inspiration for days.
Pan-Banging Funfetti Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 ounces rainbow jimmies
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets with aluminum foil, dull side up
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and water and mix on low to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the rainbow jimmies and mix on low into the batter.
- Form the dough into 3½-ounce (100g) balls (a heaping 1/3 cup each). Place 4 balls an equal distance apart on a prepared pan and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking (If you don't have space for the whole sheet pan, you can place them on a plate instead!). After you put the first baking sheet in the oven, put the second one in the freezer.
- Place the chilled baking sheet in the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the center. Lift the side of the baking sheet up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down (this will feel wrong, but trust me). After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake 16 to 18 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
- Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack; let cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.
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