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.
I am so excited to announce my very first month with the Daring Bakers! I came across this amazingly talented group in June and couldn’t help myself, I had to join! In brief, it is a group of bakers (they also have a cooking division) that are challenged each month to create something special… the recipe is given and you must follow it exactly and then post your result on the 27th of the month. This month we were challenged to bake up some Mallows and Milanos (you could choose 1). I chose the Mallows because I have never made my own marshmallow before and couldn’t wait to try it out!
The Process:
Let me start by warning you that you will need to make sure you that you allow for plenty of time to do these special cookies. I wasn’t too smart about it and started at about 10 in the evening! BIG MISTAKE… I was up until about 2:30am! Now, dont let that scare you away… the reasons for it being such a long process were no big deal. A) you have to let the dough refrigerate for at least an hour before baking B) I didn’t have a small (1″ to 1 1/2″) round cookie cutter, so I had to cut circles out with a knife! And C) you have to let the Marshmallows sit at least 2 hours before you can dip them.
That being said, everything else was pretty much an exciting experience! My first tip would be to make sure you have a Candy Thermometer handy — my first batch of marshmallows didnt work out because I didnt use mine, so I had to start over. When beating the Marshmallows, it took awhile to figure out if it was ready to pipe onto the cookies (I couldnt really find any help on exactly how long you should beat it for and unfortunately I didnt time myself so I cant help you there… it was quite some time though). The fun and crazy part was piping the Marshmallow onto the cookies (photo below). I dont know if you know this or not, but Marshmallow is STICKY!!! haha and you have to go fast to be sure that you can get it on all of the many little cookies before it solidifies in your bag. It was truly fun and challenging though and I WILL do it again sometime.
Before I started the recipe, I looked up recipes on how to dress up the cookies and found some wonderfully talented chefs (especially Audax) that had created some lovely and extra tastey Mallows — everywhere from coffee flavored to caramel filled to sprinkled! I was going to attempt some of these fun recipes but since it was my first time making Marshmallow, I decided to keep it simple. Here are a few tips for dressing up your Mallows:
- Sprinkle with toppings, such as toffee chips, nuts, sprinkles, shredded coconut, crushed peppermint, etc.
- Substitute the water with coffee for coffee flavored Marshmallows
- Place a dab of fruit jam or caramel on the cookie before piping on the Marshmallow
- Add a few drips of food coloring for colorful Marshmallows
Next month I will do my best to take more and better photos :)
Mallows – The Recipe
(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 ** I personally got over 100 cookies using 2/3 of the dough for 1″ 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:
**See TIPS from others that helped me get through the process below**
• 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.
TIPS and Help for Homemade Marshmallows:
- Testing the Marshmallow for Hardball stage
- Cold Water Candy Test
- Audax Artifex: Step by Step photos/ Inspirational photos
Thanks, Nicole, for this fun challenge this month! I really enjoyed it (and so did my family and friends!). I hope that you all find this information helpful when creating your own Marshmallows/Mallows… maybe you could join me in creating next month’s challenge! If you are interested in joining Daring Bakers or Daring Kitchen, go here!
Have a wonderful week, all!
