Late-Night Odd Couple: Cookies And Grilled Oysters

When I was working with Elizabeth Falkner on her latest book, Cooking Off The Clock, we always found ourselves working on/eating from the book after I was finished shooting something and she was done at Orson and/or Citizen Cake.  For Elizabeth, this was one of the times she really took to cook for herself, and as such, she always thought of this book as ‘Late Night Appetite’ .

I was fortunate enough to be the recipient a lot of these meals, some as inspiration for the book.  What I loved was that there was no meal off limits for late night, not grilled baked fresh or fried.  Not sweet or savory.

Here are two recipes from the book I find particularly addictive and easy to make — late night, daytime or whenever that snacky feeling sneaks up.

Peanut Butter-Coconut Cookies  

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt 1/2 stick room temperature, unsalted butter in a saute pan over medium heat. scrape 1 vanilla bean (split the bean and scrape out the seeds) into the butter. Add 1 1/2 cups rolled oats and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. baking soda, stir to combine, and set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 1 stick room temperature, unsalted butter with 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, and 1 cup creamy peanut butter (you can use almond butter too!) at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 room temperature, large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, about 1 minute each time. Decrease the speed to low and add2 1/2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut,and 2 tsp. kosher salt (I used less) and mix until combined. Fold in the cooled browned oats until evenly dispersed.

Roll the dough into golf ball-sized rounds (about 1 tbsp. dough each). Place the rounds about 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheets and bake until just golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Oysters In The Fire  

• 24 fresh oysters in the shell
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 lime, quartered

Place the oysters on a preheated grill or on a baking sheet set over a fire and allow them to open ( from the pressure the steam builds up inside the puster as it heats up) about 3-5 minutes, depending on the heat of the fire.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add Tabasco.

Serve the open oysters with each drizzled with the butter mixture and a squeeze of lime juice.  Serve immediately.

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Named one of the 100 Most Creative People in the US by Entertainment Weekly , Frankie captures images for some of the best names in culinary.  

Frankie has helped create: The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Based on the Classics;The Model Bakery Cookbook; Miette: Recipes from San Francisco’s Most Charming Pastry Shop; The Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook and The Star Wars Cookbook Series. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.