“Dreamed of peach trees. Dreamed, again, of drowning. Dreamed of highways becoming rivers. Dreamed of me, my long hair in flames, my body no longer a body, but a burnt offering, strange smoke rising up to meet him.” - Nicola Maye Goldberg from “Wisconsin.”
Wildness has always belonged to me. The earliest I can trace it, six, when I packed my bags and ran into the woods near my childhood home. Tiny-cherry-darling, with taut, shiny, skin, and a dark hard pit, for a heart. It didn’t last long. But the stain, left a mark.
And I have never been able to get it out.
Wild Sweetness comes from that stain. It’s a deeply personal collection of recipes, born from the wild, the dirt. I didn’t just write this book, I am this book, and I wish we could go on forever; clutching at the last of spring, thorned stems of roses. For it has given me so much. But it’s time to let go, and fall, ripe, like fruit.
It’s available for pre-order now, here, with release at the end of March.
I hope it gives to you just as much as it has given to me.
Thalia x
Rose Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
from my cookbook, Wild Sweetness (© 2021 Harper Design)
makes sixteen to twenty cookies
2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (1 ¼ sticks + 1 teaspoon; 150 g) unsalted butter, chopped
¾ cup + 1 teaspoon (170 g) light brown sugar
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon rosewater (or less, to taste and strength)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup (170 g) coarsely chopped dark chocolate
½ cup (70 g) chopped walnuts
Fleur de sel, for finishing
Rose petals, optional
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Put the butter into a medium-size saucepan set over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring often, until melted. Pour into a large bowl then add in the sugars and whisk until combined. Whisk in the egg, followed by the rosewater and vanilla. Tip in the dry ingredients. Beat with a wooden spoon until a soft dough has just begun to form, then mix in the chocolate and walnuts. Cover and chill until firm, 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, set racks in the lower and upper thirds of an oven. Preheat to 350F (180C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a scoop or tablespoon as a measure, portion out evenly sized amounts of the dough. If you’re using a spoon, use your hands to roll them into balls. Divide between the prepared sheets, placing them a few inches apart for spreading. You should be able to fit 8 to 10 per sheet. Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel. You can set leftover dough balls aside to be baked off later, or, store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before baking from frozen.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets between the upper and lower third of the oven halfway through, until golden, the edges crisp, but the centers still soft. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for a few minutes, before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool further, before serving.