Welcome to “Foods From Film”
This is a series where I recreate foods from different films I’ve enjoyed!
“How I Met Your Mother” is one of my most rewatched comfort shows. It’s about the friendship between 5 best friends and their journey in life. There is love, family, humor, and sumb*tches. In season 9 episode 1, Lily is panicking on the train so someone very special offers her these wonderful cookies, she called them “Sumbitches”. They are brown butter chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter and caramel folded through. It’s the perfect cookie.
If you have watched the show, you must make these. And if you haven’t, I’ll let it slide if you make these cookies.
Yield: 17 Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
MIX-INS-
- 170g Peanut Butter (smooth or crunchy, baker’s choice)
- 200g Caster/Granulated Sugar
- 80ml Water
- 200g Dark Chocolate
COOKIE DOUGH-
- 250g Unsalted Butter
- 75g Light Brown Sugar
- 75g Dark Brown Sugar
- 110g Caster/Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 1tsp Vanilla Extract
- 320g Plain/AP Flour
- 1tsp Salt
- 1tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2tsp Baking Powder
- Flakey Salt
STEPS:
- Make a peanut butter block, just like how you would make a butter block for croissants. Scoop your peanut butter onto a big sheet of baking paper and fold the paper in half. Take the edges and fold it 3ch/1inch towards the middle to seal the peanut butter into the paper. Then using a rolling pin, slowly push the peanut butter into the corners and flatten it until it is an evenly spread sheet of peanut butter. Place this into the freezer.
- Line a big baking tray with baking paper. Add the 200g of caster/granulated sugar into a saucepan with the water. Give it a gentle swirl so the water and sugar are evenly distributed in the pan. Cook it on medium heat and leave it to melt. It will bubble then start to caramelize. If one side browns faster than the other, you can swirl the pot around but try not to stir it with a utensil. Once it becomes a dark amber caramel color, pour it onto the lined baking tray. Use a spatula to spread the sugar into a thin layer. Leave this to cool completely
- Chop up your dark chocolate bar. Pick around 34 pieces of chocolate chunks and set it aside, these will go on the very top of the cookies as decor. The remainder of the chocolate can go into a bowl and set aside.
- Make brown butter by adding the butter into a saucepan and melting it over medium heat. It will bubble and the milk solids will begin to brown. Once browned, pour it into a large bowl.
- Place the bowl into an ice bath and whisk the brown butter to help it cool down quickly.
- Once the brown butter is at room temperature, add the light, dark, and caster/granulated sugar. Whisk this until the mixture becomes pale and can hold its shape
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until it looks even paler in color and a bit like buttercream
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Give it a quick mix then add it to the butter and egg mixture.
- Switch to a spatula and fold everything together until it is cohesive cookie dough
- Grab the sheet of caramel. At this point, it should have completely cooled down. Break it into small shards of caramel
- Grab the frozen block of peanut butter, unwrap it, and slice it into squares about the same size as your chocolate chunks.
- Add the chocolate chunks, caramel shards, and frozen peanut butter cubes into the cookie dough. Fold the mixture until the add-ins are fully incorporated
- Using a 6-inch ice cream scoop, shape the dough into 17-18 cookie dough balls. Press on the bigger chocolate chunks we set aside earlier on top of each cookie dough
- Place the cookie dough into the fridge or freezer overnight
- Pre-heat the oven to 175°C and line a baking tray
- Bake the cookies at 175°C (no need to thaw), for 15-20min (mine took 17mins)
- You’re aiming for the edges to be golden and crispy while the center is still gooey. Sprinkle some flakey sea salt while it is hot. Transfer onto a cooling rack and let it cool so the cookie can set into its shape before eating!
TIP: These cookies will not spread into a nice circle because each add-in will melt differently. When the cookies are done, take a big mug or bowl with a big round opening and place it around the cookie, and do small circle motions. This will help re-shape them into the perfect circle and let them cool to set so they stay in that shape.
Why You Should Watch How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is one of my all-time comfort shows, and if you haven’t seen it, you absolutely should.
It’s a clever, emotionally rich, and genuinely funny sitcom that follows five close friends as they navigate love, careers, and adulthood in New York City. Told from the perspective of Ted, who’s recounting to his kids the story of how he met their mother, the show jumps across different moments in his life which leads to him finding “The One”. Along the way, you get to know the lives of his four best friends.
One of the reasons I love this show so much is because, as someone in her twenties who sometimes feels lost and uncertain, it’s a reminder that life doesn’t have to follow a perfect timeline. The things that don’t work out weren’t meant for you, and what’s truly yours will come when you’re ready for it.
If you love the charm of Friends but want something with more emotional depth and a long-term storytelling payoff, How I Met Your Mother is a must-watch.
