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Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2009

Daring Bakers bake Haloed Mallows


I tend to think of Indians of snackophiles. We pretty much graze throughout the day.
One of my best memories of childhood is sitting in the kitchen with my mom and sister, watching mom make these wonderful savory and sweet things...it would take the better part of a day and we would just sit there and chatter away. All the heavy issues in the world... you know, like music, boys, clothes and food got discussed in that little kitchen. We would sneak little bits of dough and batter and dried fruit when she wasnt looking. At least we thought she wasnt looking but of course she had eyes in the back of her head.


She was into baking and would come out with variations of cookies and cakes. You have to understand though, there werent many resources she could consult or varied ingredients she could experiment with, at that time and place but that didnt quite stop her. She loved making cookies and oh man! she absolutely loved snacking on them. And still does.
So this post is for her. For my mom who gave all three of us a childhood to cherish and cookie dough to sneak. Thanks Amma!

As for this month's challenge, unfortunately I wasnt very impressed with the results.
I made the Milanos, halving the recipe. I followed the recipe exactly for one batch and flavored the other with Key-Lime extract. It looked like the taste test team (read guinea pigs...) preferred the Key-Lime ones. Still, on the whole the cookie didnt work for me.
In my opinion the Mallows also really weren't worth all that trouble. The shortbread base was quite dry and could have done with a bit more flavor. Having said that, I should also say that am glad to have had the chance to make marshmallows again. It had been a while.
So will I bookmark these recipes? Umm, nah.

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.

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

• 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.

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

• 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.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Whole -wheat Choco-Nut cookies for my lil cookie monster


My son could live on cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every. Single. Day.
I am not kidding. And this was a child who didnt quite like anything very sweet before.
He doesnt discriminate against any kind of cookie. All cookies are welcome in the chomping machine called his mouth. But when there is chocolate in some form or the other in the cookie, he becomes a model child...all smiles and hugs and kisses and thanQs and I love you mamas.
So when he starts acting like a two-year old again...and believe me he DOES, its a beautiful image to remember and find solace in the thought that this too shall pass... Sigh.

Whole- wheat Choco-Nut cookies
Oil - 1/4 cup
Unsalted butter, room temperature - 1/4 cup
Light brown sugar, packed- 1/2 cup
Granulated white sugar - 1/4 cup
Egg, large- 1
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Whole wheat flour- 1/2 cup
All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
Chocolate ganache-1/4 cup (instructions below)
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/8 tsp
Roasted almonds, chopped- 1 cup (Instructions below)

Roasted almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Spread one cup of almonds in a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Turn off the oven. Leave the baking sheet in the oven till it cools. Chop the almonds roughly when cooled.

Chocolate ganache

Melt 1/4 dark chocolate chips with 3 tblsp of heavy cream in a double-boiler and reserve.

To make the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter, oil and sugars for about 2-3 minutes till light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well. Add the chocolate ganache and mix till incorporated. Add the salt and baking powder and mix well. Finally add both the flours and mix till just incorporated. Fold in the nuts.

Using a small ice-cream scoop, place scoopfuls of batter about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 15-20 minutes till the edges are firm but the center is still soft. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before placing them in a wire -rack to cool completely.

Makes about 20 cookies.