White Chocolate Berry Crumble Cookies

Featuring wonderful textural as well as flavor contrasts, this cookie is every bit as delicious as it sounds: mixed berry jam threaded through sweet and salty cookie dough studded with white chocolate chunks (chunks, not chips), all crowned with a buttery streusel that sinks into the surface as it bakes. You’ll also find that something rather magical happens to the jam in the oven - it caramelizes into the dough, producing incredible edges that are crisp, toffee-like and chewy, while the centre remains slightly underdone (or as I like to say, medium-rare) and gloriously gooey.

Hurrah! Today’s recipe is free for everyone. But, crucially, before it was ready for publication, it went through the A Good Table online test kitchen. Let me backtrack.

Usually, my recipe development process is fairly contained: I have an idea, research it, test it, tweak it, rewrite it, test it again, and then hit publish. But a few weeks ago, I wondered what would happen if I invited others to get involved in the process.

So I asked the community in our paid subscriber chat if they’d like to test a brand-new cookie recipe before publication. The response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

Subscribers got baking in different countries, with different ovens, brands of flour, butter and chocolate, then sent back notes, tweaks, tips and photographs through our subscriber chat and by email. It was useful, yes, but more than that, it felt like a real community in action.

This response is exactly the sense of participation that I have always wanted to encourage: connection, collaboration, access to the creative process and a real role in shaping the development of this newsletter. Below are photographs and notes from our first Community Bake.

I’d like to make this a regular feature of the paid subscriber tier, so if you’re a free subscriber who has been umming and ahhing about treating yourself to a subscription, now is a very good time. You’ll be very welcome.

Subscribe now

I came home from the market with more berries than I needed and did what I always do: made jam. For the next few days, I either added it to my yogurt bowl or slathered it on toast. What I’d never done, however, was bake jam into a cookie. Once the idea occurred to me, it felt inevitable. The resulting ribbons of jam and buttery streusel taste rather like a mixed berry crumble in cookie form.

And speaking of jam cookies, you’ve likely seen them already, but just in case: Lungi Mhlanga’s jam toast cookies have taken over my algorithm and they look extraordinary. Lungi is on Substack and well worth a follow!

The streusel

I’ve had cookies where the streusel sits proudly on top, and while that looks appetizing, this time I wanted the crumbly addition to subtly sink into the cookie as it baked, creating a subtle visual appearance whilst adding texture throughout. The streusel is very easy to make, but if you can’t be bothered, simply leave it out. The cookie will still be wonderful.

The jam

I’ve made my own here, but a good thick shop-bought mixed berry or raspberry jam works perfectly well. The trick lies in the placement. Once your dough is mixed, dot the jam throughout rather than stirring it in completely, so it forms ribbons and pockets instead of bleeding into everything. I also love finishing the cookies, still warm from the oven, with an extra spoonful of jam, a piece or two of chocolate and plenty of flaky salt on top.

The chocolate

White chocolate and berries are one of my favorite pairings. That said, if you fancy going off-piste, and I’d wholeheartedly encourage a little experimentation, try using 70% dark chocolate instead.

The streusel

• 100g plain/all-purpose flour

• 70g light brown sugar

• 40g caster sugar

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• pinch of fine sea salt

• 70g unsalted butter, cubed and room temp

The cookie dough

• 160g light brown sugar

• 80g caster sugar

• 170g unsalted butter, softened

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp baking powder

• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

• 230g plain/all-purpose flour

• 20g cornflour

• 150g white chocolate, roughly chopped

• 3-5 heaped tbsp berry jam ( mixed berry, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, whatever you fancy) - NOTE: I used my homemade jumbleberry jam

To finish

• 50g white chocolate, roughly chopped

• A little extra berry jam

• flaky sea salt

The streusel

Combine the flour, butter, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Rub the mixture between your fingertips until it resembles slightly lumpy sand and no dry flour remains. Try not to overwork. Refrigerate.

The cookie dough

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, both sugars and the salt for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and slightly lighter in color. Beat in the egg, additional yolk and vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornflour, baking soda and baking powder, then add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

3. Fold through the white chocolate chunks, then drop in the jam and fold gently 3–4 times — just enough to create ribbons through the dough without fully incorporating.

4. Refrigerate in the bowl for 20-25 minutes to firm up slightly.

5. Scoop the dough into balls weighing approximately 80g -100g each and place on/in a parchment lined tin/tray/large container. NOTE: Of course, the 100g option will produce giant cookies - FUN! My ideal size is 80-85g. TIP: Try to catch most of the jam at the base of each scoop so it sits as a thick ribbon on top when turned out onto a parchment-lined tray.

6. Top each cookie dough ball with a generous handful of streusel, pressing lightly so it adheres. Don’t worry if most of it falls off. Just pile it back on in a gloriously messy fashion before baking. Cover and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. NOTE: You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 1 month for baking later.

7. Heat the oven to 170°C fan / 190°C / 375°F.

8. Line 3-4 large baking sheets with parchment (or as many as required). Place the chilled dough balls with plenty of space between — no more than 2/3 per tray for standard sized cookies, 1-2 per tray for the giant version. TIP: If some of the streusel has fallen off, just add a little more. Messy is fine here.

9. Bake for 10–14 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly underdone. Turn the tray halfway through for an even bake. Note: for my oven, the ideal bake time is 12-13 minutes. But, as ever, you know your oven best!

TIP: Keep a close eye after 10 minutes of baking — ovens vary, and these beauties can bake quickly.

10. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, if you like neat edges and perfectly round cookies, swirl a large round cookie cutter (or bowl) around them while they’re still hot and soft. Then press a few extra chunks of white chocolate into the tops and spoon small dollops of jam into the centre of each. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and leave to cool on the tray before eating.

NOTE: These cookies keep very well for up to 4 days due to the high sugar content.

Makes approximately 10–12 standard or 8–9 giant cookies.

Now it’s over to you! If you make these cookies, feel free to get creative and experiment. Leave feedback and notes in the comments, I really love hearing from you all.

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