Monday, July 27, 2009

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookie

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. Thanks Nicole for a great challenge.




For the challenge, you could either do both recipes or just choose one. I have chosen to do only the Mallows.

Mallows (Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)
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 ( I used sweet almond oil as I couldn’t get cocoa butter)

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


For more on this great challenge, visit The Daring Kitchen and The Daring Blogroll.


10 comments:

  1. Corry once again you have done a wonderful job on this challenge. Always a pleasure to visit. And love your pixs especially the plate full of mallows and it seems to me that you are a very organised baker from the pix of the cookie bases all lined up. And thanks for your very nice comments on my blog. OBTW I will be doing some more macarons on Wednesday using the French method the same as before. I want to try some different flavours and techniques. I visited the 'best' macaron bakery in Balmain Sydney (as recommended by Syrupandtang blog site he is obsessed with mac's)and I was very dissapointed I think my 1st batch was much better and when I showed him the photos of my second batch he asked me for advice. "I know nothing about them" I told him. Australia really needs a macaron leader to show the others how it done and how nice these really are. syrupandtand recommends NO Australian made macaron makers even the big hotel are crappy he says!

    Corry after some thought I think I might do a lot of experiments and baking and see if I can do a short e-book on them for Australians though I think I will have to go to French to taste what they really should be like.

    Great work on this. Cheers from Audax in Sydney will be down in Melb in a fortnight or so.

    if you collecting info on macarons see here for an Australian prespective
    http://www.syrupandtang.com and do a search for macarons he has great info.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful job on this challenge!! Your cookies look amazing =D. I love your photos!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Corry, you have done such a great job. I made the same ones and yours just look so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Audax and Lauren. I didn't have a lot of time for the blurb with this challenge so thanks for the kind words.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your cookies look great, the marshmallows came out wonderfully light looking. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your marshmallow looks just like a cloud inside of that cookie! Beautifully done as always, and great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the step-by-step photos and your base cookies for the Mallows look great!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful cookies! Love all of the photos!

    ReplyDelete
  9. They look fantastic. They remind me of something I used to eat as a child.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Corry hi, we're fortunate we live so far away from you or we'd be grossly obese eating all those wonderful things you bake just for the fun of it.
    Lets face it, just as we need you for your culinary skills you need us to try it out on.
    Don't spend all your time in that kitchen coz you're going to have to fire up that dobro too.

    Love, Paula Hans & Spikey
    ,

    ReplyDelete