100 flavors, 100 subscribers, and a thank you

and a 10 x 10 flavour matrix

i started this substack as a baking journal, as a way to record what i’d put into each recipe so i could tell people when they asked

i never really expected to have anyone subscribe outside of my lovely friends & family & their families (to sophie’s mum - you’re still my no.1 fan!) so it has been super exciting to see names i don’t know in real life start to follow along and realise i’m not writing into the void

so in true penny’s kitchen form, i thought i’d celebrate 100 unique subscribers with a matrix - a 10 x 10 matrix with 10 flavours and 10 mix-ins

yields 100 tiny cookies

ingredients

113g butter, halved

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp milk powder

75g caster sugar

75g brown sugar

1 egg

130g plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

flavours

0.25 tsp ground cinnamon

0.25 tsp ground ginger

0.25 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp cocoa powder

0.25 tsp vanilla extract

0.25 tsp pandan essence

0.25 tsp ube flavouring

0.25 tsp rosewater

pinch ground chilli

0.25 tsp ground cardamom

mix-ins

2 dried figs, diced

1 tbsp almonds, chopped

1 tbsp roasted rhubarb

15g chocolate, chopped

1 tbsp cashews, chopped

1 tbsp mixed peel

5 amaretto cherries, halved

1 tbsp candied fennel seeds (mukhwas)

2 prunes, diced

1 tbsp sesame seeds

method

in a small saucepan, add half the butter (63g) and the milk powder (1 tbsp), and cook over medium heat until butter is browned

remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and add in the milk (1 tbsp) and remaining butter (62g) and let sit for a few minutes

add the caster sugar (75g) and brown sugar (75g) and mix to combine

add the egg (1) and mix to combine

add the flour (130g), baking soda (1 tsp) and mix-ins (145g) and mix until just combined

cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight

preheat oven to 180°C

line four baking trays (half-sheet pan sized) with baking paper

divide the dough into ten even portions (about 45g each)

for each portion, add the assigned flavor (e.g., cinnamon – 0.25 tsp) and mix just until combined

divide this portion into ten tiny cookie dough balls (about 1 tsp each) and place them on the baking tray

assign one mix-in to each cookie, ensuring each cookie in the batch has a unique mix-in (e.g., one gets a fig piece, another an almond, etc.)

repeat with the remaining flavours and mix-ins until you have assembled all 100 unique flavour combinations

bake for 10 minutes or until just golden brown and set at the edges

let cool on the trays

thanks again for reading these posts, i truly appreciate all of you! writing these posts is a joy and i have no plans for stopping