The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.
One of my favorite things to bake is cookies. So I was thrilled with this month’s DB challenge. We could choose to make one or both of the cookies. I knew immediately, despite being in the middle of a kitchen remodel, that I would be making both.
I had never made marshmallows before so I was a bit nervous about making the Mallows and feared that they might fall apart when dipped in the chocolate. But luck was on my side and the marshmallows set up beautifully and the cookie held together perfectly in the chocolate. My entire family loved this cookie! This recipe is a bit time consuming, but not difficult and definitely worth the effort.
The Milans were also a big hit, but different than I expected. I don’t ever buy the Pepperidge Farm Milanos, so I wasn’t expecting the cookie to be so thin and crispy. I decided to substitute orange oil for the lemon extract and the result was wonderful! My son said it tasted like the chocolate oranges at Christmas only crunchy. Again, this recipe is time consuming, but not difficult. It makes a lot of cookies.
Thanks Nicole for such a fun and delicious challenge!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I eliminated this)
- 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
- 3 eggs, whisked together
- Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
- Chocolate glaze, recipe follows
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 egg whites , room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used dipping chocolate and eliminated the oil)
- 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil
Directions
- In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
- On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
- Add the eggs and mix until combine.
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
- Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
- Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
- One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
- Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
- Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.
- In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
- Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
- Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
- Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
- Transfer to a pastry bag.
- Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.
Notes
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
This recipe makes double the amount of shortbread cookie base that you need for the amount of marshmallow and chocolate, so I only made half a batch of the cookie base.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
- 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon extract (I substituted 1 1/2 t. orange oil)
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
- Cookie filling, recipe follows
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 orange, zested
Directions
- In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
- Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
- Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
- With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread. (I cut a stencil out of a paper plate.)
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
- While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
- Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
- Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
- Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.
Notes
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
Woah, that first picture made my eyebrows raise in amazement. I love how beautiful your cookies turned out.
Forgive me if this question has been answered already, but what did you use to shape the Milanos? I see it in the photo, but I can't make it out.
Barbara! These are GORGEOUS! I love Milano cookies from PF, and the orange ones are my favorite, I bet yours were just like them. And the mallows are fabulous!
Very, very, very impressive!!!! I am in awe that you made homemade marshmellow! Good job!
I can't believe it…my son just asked me today if I had a recipe to make PF Milanos. They are his favorite cookie but I don't buy them very often because of the price.
Wait until I tell him about this. I have a feeling that we'll be trying these!
Both of your cookies are beautiful and screaming at me to dig in! I bet that you had one happy family the day that you made these!
Your cookies turned out so great! I unfortunately didn't have time to do both, so I settled on the Milan cookies. This is also the first time I'm on your blog, I really like it! Great job on the challenge. I'm so excited to see what next months challenge will be…
WOW! Yours look great! I wish I could have gotten myself together this month to make either of these!
Wow, Milan cookies. I totally noticed these Milan cookies, mom!
Too bad there weren't any left for me…
Barbara you did an amazing job on these!!!
Wow these look yummy!!
Beautiful! And of all the DB posts I have seen, your recipe is definitely the clearest. I have been afraid of making marshmallows, too, but you make it sound so easy! These are my favorite cookies and I must try them now! Great job!
Mmmmm…. Delicious, Barbara! Your mallows look amazing! I'd love to have one!
Those cookies look like they came out of a delicious bakery. Beautiful…please send some my way!
Oh wow, you did a great job with those recipes!
they r too perfect ….n so professional….much more better than buy one!!!!!!!
Question about the stencil. Do you fill the stencil oval by piping the
"one inch" batter inside and then use a spatula to spread? Not sure I quite understand using a stencil vs. your instruction to just pipe a one inch line. Thanks for any help. Can't wait to try.
Thanks for stopping by. These all look delicious. I'm definitely going to be trying the milanos.
I wish I had not found this post; I'm doomed! One of my guilty pleasures are marshmallow cookies like this; only buy them when…well, you know; desperate for something sinful! Now I can make them at home, oh no!
Was looking for a new addition to the holiday gift baskets I make for family and friends; thinking these will be perfect!
wow.. these looks so delicious and perfect!