Daring Baker's Challenge #1

The July Daring Baker's Challenge was hosted by Nicole at SweetTooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I tried to do both and while the Milan cookies turned out quite easy the Mallows were a whole other ball game.

Milan Cookies.
Prep time: 20 Mins

Inactive Prep Time: 0 mins

Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves about 3 dz.

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• Cooking filling, recipe below

Cooking Filling

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

In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar.\

1. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
2. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
3. With a small (1/4 inch) plain piping tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment or silicon lined baking tray, spacing them 2 inches apart as they will spread.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges, Let cool on the pan.
5. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium heat scald cream,
6. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
7. Set aside to cool (mixture will thicken as it cools).
8. 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.
9. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

These there was very little issues with but the cookie part never got as crispy as I would have liked, but the taste more than made up for that.

Clearly the boys enjoyed the chocolate part the most.

Mallows (Chocolate Cover Marshmallow Cookies)

Prep Time: 10 min

Inactive Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 10 mins

Serves about 2 dozen

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons 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 inch cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cook 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 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 brown a little and expand. Let cool and the proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade Marshmallows

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup 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 "softball" 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 to whip 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.

I had quite the issue with this one. The cookie bases were great and easy. Thought it needs to be noted that the amounts the various parts make are off. I got easily 50-60 cookies from the recipe and the marshmallows I got about 40 from and the chocolate barely did 24. My main issue was the marshmallows. I had a hard time getting mine stiff so I ended up just putting them into a cornstarch and saran wrapped dish and let it set that way. I then just used the same cookie cutter from the cookies to cut out the marshmallows. My other issue was that I wasn't being careful and watching my chocolate close enough and therefore it got to hot and started melting my marshmallows. Once I started paying proper attention they came out fine.

The completed Mallow

The inside