Last winter, I brought my husband a most special souvenir: a can of goose fat from Borough Market. Although I had no specific plans for the goose fat, I was certain he would come up with some. I mean, what does goose fat not go well with?
Six months later, we had only used it once, as per the sign's suggestion, for oven-roasted potatoes, which were AMAZING. But was this really the best we could do? My husband is a lawyer and I'm a former recruiter, and with this solid background in artistic creativity, I was certain we could find a more innovative use of the goose fat.
Turns out, we couldn't. At least not without interwebs inspiration. After a few solid evenings spent sipping white zin and drooling over baked goods porn critically evaluating recipes, I managed to come up with a straightforward plan for making goose fat cookies. With Heath Bar bits, 'cause that's my husband's favorite.
Goose Fat Heath Bar Cookies
1/4 c. chilled goose fat* 1/ 4. butter, soft 3/4 c. brown sugar l egg 1 tbsp. milk 1 tbsp. vanilla 1 c. flour 1/2 tbsp. baking powder 1/2 c. Heath Bar bits
Combine flour, baking powder and Heath Bar bits. Set aside. Beat duck fat, butter, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla until creamy. Combine with flour mixture. Form into ping-pong size balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool. Makes about 16 cookies.
*Goose fat can, of course, be rendered by cooking a whole goose. But if such fowl preparation makes you nervous, I suggest buying a can online or at a specialty foods store.
The end product was a cookie more cake-y than chewy, studded with crunchy bits of butter toffee that also sort of tastes like Thanksgiving turkey. Or goose, rather.
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