Saturday 25 July 2009

Daring Bakers July Challenge - Milan Cookies and Mallows

Milan CookiesThe 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.

Yum, yum, yum.

Did I say these were yum?

I'll start with the Milan Cookies.

These were just scrummy!  I don't have a real sweet tooth, but I do love to bake, so these are just perfect for me!  The biscuit itself is a gorgeous soft but not soggy lemon scented vanilla, and then you sandwich two of them together (because believe me, one is just no where near enough!!) with...wait for it...JAFFA GANACHE!!!  Now I'm not usually one for jaffa, in fact I still think the best thing to do with them is roll them down the cinema aisles, but this was just cream (my favourite food ever) with dark chocolate (another fave) and the finely grated rind of an orange (donated nice and fresh from my lovely friend over the road).  I followed the recipe to a tee, which is bit of a challenge in itself for me, but instead of piping rounds, I just had to do hearts!  They look so much cuter that way, and my girls got all excited that I had made heart shaped biscuits for them because "I love them"!

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

• 12 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
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. 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.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. 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.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Finished MallowsSecond round was Mallows.  Again, I was thinking I wouldn't be eating them as I usually can't stand marshmallows - waaaaaay to sweet for me!  However, I had never eaten home made marshmallows before and they were just delectable!  Not too sweet, and a gorgeous spongy but not too "airy" texture.  With only a handful of ingredients, I highly recommend you give them a go.  I'll pop the recipe in my recipe pages for you.   Again, I somehow managed to follow the recipe as stated, but opted for star shapes instead of rounds.  Come on, with all those gorgeous cookie cutters out there, why wouldn't you?

I didn't mind them, but one was plenty for me.  However, everyone else seemed to "need" 3 or 4 in a row (without stopping to take a breath mind you!!) to decide if they like them or not!  Hubby even snuck a few in before I was out of bed the next morning - not bad for someone who said he would pass because he is watching his figure!

Thanks go out to Nicole of Sweet Tooth for hosting this month's super yummy Challenge and to Pastry Chef Gale Gand of The Food Network for coming up with such amazingly yummy recipes.  I can hardly wait to see what we will be baking for August - be sure to stay tuned!

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)

Finished Mallows - Close up

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies

• 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
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. 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.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. 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.

Homemade marshmallows:
• 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

1. 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.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

18 comments:

  1. Beautiful job!! I love the heart and star shapes - They came out perfectly =D.

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  2. I love the heart shape and the star shape. Beautiful cookies! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Thanks for the kind words. I have a "bit" of a collection of cookie cutters (3 boxes actually)! I love pretty shapes! They are also great for cutting up kids sandwiches for school!

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  4. your shapes are so fun! Way better looking then my blob of semi-oval milans haha.

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  5. Your mallows are GORGEOUS!! Love the shape!

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  6. Your cookie shapes are marvelous, and the JAFFA ganache sounds..well. what is it JSAFFA? LOL

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  7. The star shaped cookies look great...well done!

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  8. Thanks! I have a bit of a penchant for cookie cutters and piping tubes!

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  9. Jaffa is chocolate with a hint of orange. Here in Australia we have Jaffa lollies (candy). They are about the size of a peanut m&M with an orange & chocolate hard centre and a red candy coating. Traditionally you buy them when you go to the movies and roll them down the aisle (or throw them at the back of the head of the boy you like sitting a few rows in front! lol!!)

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  10. Lovely work both the star mallows and the heart milanos are superb. What a loving family you have. Wonderful pixs also. Great challenge. Cheers from Audax in Australia. Thanks for your nice comments about my swirl roll on the BK forums. If you want I can give you full directions how to make it. See my contact details in the DK site. And I love Jaffas and yes I used to throw and roll them also. LOL LOL

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  11. Oh, your star-shaped mallows are beautiful! And the chocolate coating looks perfect. You did really nice work on both recipes. I only took on one this time, so I admire you for going for both.

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  12. Those star cookies are totally adorable! They look totally perfect and delicious. :)

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  13. I totally agree. I adored the Milano cookies SO much! And hubby who is a cookie hater loved them too. Your star shaped cookies are so perfect too! Bravo :D

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  14. The heart Milans are so sweet and the star Mallows are over the top perfect! Wonderful, wonderful work!

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  15. Your star shapes look so perfect! Thanks for sharing.

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  16. Super cute! Especially the stars. They look so perfectly shaped. Well done!

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  17. Those cookies looked perfectly delicious! Love the heart shapped milanos. Stunning

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