I am pretty picky when it comes to desserts. I am fortunate enough to have several family members who are phenomenal at making desserts, and they have always set the bar high — and expect great things from me. Thankfully, I love cooking sweets as much as I love cooking savory. 

As I have mentioned many times, my wife and I love to travel. Of course, we’re often food-focused on our trips. Part of that has always been teas and other beverages. When bubble tea became more popular, we of course had to do that for a while. My wife prefers the less sweet teas, which I enjoy as well. But sometimes I indulge and get taro milk tea. To me, it’s creamy, with buttery tones of coconut and almost cookies and cream. 

A couple of semesters ago, my students and I offered a taro smoothie at Bistro Verde restaurant. It went over quite well. I’ve been looking for an excuse to have some fun with taro and recently had two opportunities to cook with it. We offer a five-course dinner with paired wines for the Lincoln Land Community College Foundation Gala auction as well as a trio of dessert boxes that are picked up each month over the summer. For dinner, I made taro pastry cream, which filled a coconut tart shell topped with fresh fruit, a side of mango gel, burnt banana whipped cream and a caramelized pineapple truffle. 

As I am writing this, I have just completed the second dessert box and chose to use taro in a cookie. I agonized over how to use it. I decided at the last second to make a larger cookie in a style I’ve been playing with for a couple of years. I put taro powder and white chocolate chips in the dough. I then made a coconut crumble, rolled the cookie dough balls in it and pressed a little on top. I baked them halfway, pressed the top just a bit and sprinkled them with a couple of white chocolate chips. After the baking finished, I immediately sprinkled them with a few more white chocolate chips. I’m very happy with the results. 

Taro is a plant used widely in Asian and African cuisines. The entire plant is edible, though it must be cooked before it’s eaten. 

Taro, white chocolate and coconut cookies 

• 200 grams butter
• 100 grams sugar 
• 170 grams brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200 grams white chocolate chips, plus extra for topping during baking 
• 420 grams all-purpose flour 
• 100 grams taro powder 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

Crumble

• 150 grams all-purpose flour
• 100 grams brown sugar
• 50 grams shredded coconut
• 50 grams sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 100 grams butter

Directions

1. In a mixer, paddle cold butter with sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
2. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Add white chocolate chips, flour, taro powder, baking powder, salt and vanilla; mix just until
   combined.
4. Scale to 145-gram balls. Set aside.
5. Combine crumble ingredients in a bowl, and work together to make a course crumble.
6. Roll the cookie balls in the crumble, and then pack a thin even layer on top.
7. Chill the cookies.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
9. Carefully remove cookies from oven, and sprinkle white chocolate chips.
10. Return to oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with a couple more white chocolate chips.
12. Let the cookies cool; they are delicate. Enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.