Cookies and Milk Burger
Cookies and milk, but make it a burger? This recipe has big “WTF” energy but that is the kind of energy I want to be bringing to my life every day. This is the second recipe from my photo session with Dominic Perri. The first was these cornmeal pancakes with breakfast chili! Our whole plan was to cook things that looked like one thing but tasted more like another. How do you think we did?
The inspiration for this recipe
I have had a cookie bun burger on my list for a long time but it never fully came together for me. The main problem was that I couldn’t figure out toppings. When I suggested this idea, Dom immediately said bacon, so my first thought was blue cheese since it is another ingredient that plays sweet and savory well and bacon blu burgers are a common thing. I quickly realized that this burger was already going to be divisive. Throwing a funky cheese on top might tip the scales into full-on gross. Then I thought of milk because it works with cookies and can pair well with beef, but how was I going to put milk on a burger? I decided to make a bechamel which is basically thickened milk and the recipe was complete!
Making the bechamel
The bechamel was just butter, flour, milk, and plenty of salt. It almost looks like marshmallow! You cook the butter and flour for a bit, then whisk in the milk. When it comes to a simmer it will be nice and thick and ready for the burgers.
Making the cookies
I used a cakey cookie recipe for the bun but used only half suggested amount of chocolate chips. Normally I like chewy cookies better but the more cakey texture worked better for the burger buns. I made the bottom buns in mini springform pans so they would be shaped more like bottom buns.
Putting the cookies and milk burgers together
Bottom “bun” first, then the burger, then the thick bacon, then the sauce and the top “bun”
The sauce was very thick and was a great bridge between the sweet cookies and savory burger and bacon. Any time you make a sweet burger like this cookies and milk burger, I think bacon does a good job reminding you that it’s a savory dish.
I really did love how these came out. Not something I would eat every day for sure! But they were a really fun idea that tasted way better than I originally thought they would! And it was really fun hanging out with Dom and taking these great photos!
As you can see, we tried to style and plate the cookies and milk burgers like you would style and plate cookies. That way at first glance you just see cookies! Then when you look a little close you see the burger and bacon.
Im telling you all. These were good. For real good, not gimmick good. If this is the kind of thing you are into, you will love it!
Twists on the cookies and milk burger
If you wanted to make these with leftover cookies, they would still be really good. I would just turn the bottom one upside down as if you were making an ice cream sandwich and the burger was the ice cream.
I bet they would be even better on a snickerdoodle!
If you love interesting twists on burgers that highlight sweet and salty, check out my lucky burgers, or these fried dough burgers!
The cookie recipe I used is here.
Cookies and Milk Burger
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- cooked bacon
- 1 pound ground beef
- cookie recipe linked above
Instructions
- You need small springform pans for this recipe to work and look the way it does in the photo.
- Use the recipe for cakey cookies linked above but with only 50% of the chocolate chips. Bake half the cookies the regular way, and the other half in the mini springform pans that are greased and lined with parchment.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and whisk in the flour. Cook about 2 minutes until the flour is fully incorporated. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Add a little more milk if needed if the sauce is too thick, or alternatively, cook a little longer if it is too thin. Season well with salt.
- Form the burgers the same shape and size as the cookies and season with salt and pepper. Cook in a hot pan to brown on both sides and cook to desired doneness.
- Build the burger with the bottom bun first, then the burger, then the bacon, then the sauce, then the top bun.
I like it. Mashup. Experimental. Classic tfimb.
Dan, There is a bar/restaurant in Brattelboro that offers peanut butter on burgers. Gave you tried that?
Normally I don’t like bacon (I know you think it’s crazy) but this looks very good!