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.

When I saw that this month’s Daring Bakers offered TWO challenges, I knew that I was definitely going to try both of them. I couldn’t resist the Mallomars! I’d been wanting to try making homemade marshmallow for awhile now and here was my chance!

And seriously, Mallomars in JULY??!? Hallelujah! Mallomars, made by Nabisco, are typically only available October through April. Apparently the chocolate they use can’t handle the heat of the summer months. Or so they say. But here it is, JULY, and we have Mallomars! And they’re every bit as good, if not better than the Nabisco version!

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about the marshmallow. Ok, so I was really nervous about the marshmallow. The Kraft Jet-Puffed versions seem so delicate and airy and impossible, how could this ever work out at home? I was pleasantly surprised though, as homemade marshmallows are very easy, very quick, and very yummy. The perfectly soft consistency set my brain a’wandering in search of new recipes I could try – Smores Pie, Rocky Road Ice Cream, and Fudge top the list so far.

The original recipe called for 2 ounces of vegetable oil in the chocolate coating. TWO OUNCES! Surely this must be a typo, I thought, It’ll never set – I shouldn’t put any vegetable oil in. I determined that it must have meant 2 tablespoons and thought I”d give it a try. After leaving them out overnight, the chocolate still didn’t set. Next time I’ll follow my gut and not add in any vegetable oil. I’ve tweaked the recipe on here to not include any vegetable oil in the chocolate coating.

MALLOMARS

Adapted from Gale Gand, from Food Network. The recipe claimed that it made 2 dozen cookies, but in reality it made 2 dozen…PLUS 100!! I have Mallomars coming out of my ears! Although that’s not necessarily a bad problem. With the adaptations below, this recipe makes 124 cookies.

STEP 1: THE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3 eggs, whisked together

DIRECTIONS:
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy. Add the eggs and mix until combine.

Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.

Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

STEP 2: THE HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2cup sugar
2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
4 tablespoons cold water
4 egg whites , room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
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.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.

Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff (this took about 6 or 7 minutes). Transfer to a pastry bag.

Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

STEP 3: THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

INGREDIENTS:
24 ounces semisweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS:
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.

Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Ahh, Milanos. Could there be any sandwich cookie more perfect? Better than Oreos. Even better than Nutter Butters (and I’m peanutbutterholic). Made famous by Pepperidge Farm, they are a rare treat in our household. That is, until it was revealed that Milanos would be this month’s challenge over at Daring Bakers.

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.

The Milanos were actually relatively painless. They didn’t use any exotic ingredients that I didn’t already have in my arsenal, and were thrown together pretty quickly. This was my first time to actually pipe cookies though, and it took a little bit of trial and error to try to get the cookies of similar size and shape. I actually found it helpful to try to match up the 2 sides of the cookie before I spread the filling in between, instead of searching for a mate while getting chocolate all over everything.

Final result? Absolutely delicious! I was a little worried about the texture since they were very chewy after coming out of the oven (Hubby likened it to chewing on orange peel) but either the chocolate or the refrigeration afterwards perfected the cookie. Either way, they were absolutely delicious and deceptively simple! Definitely a keeper in the recipe box.

MILANO COOKIES

Recipe adapted from Gale Gand, from Food Network. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

INGREDIENTS:

COOKIE:
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

GANACHE FILLING:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 orange, zested

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.

With a small (1/4-inch – I used Wilton Tip #12) plain tip, pipe 2-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

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.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Cover dough and chill for at least 1 hour.

Drop chilled cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe makes approximately 16 cookies.

CREDIT: Submitted by “ELIZABETHBH” on Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Crushed Jolly Ranchers, Lifesavers, Butterscotch, etc. (I used Jolly Ranchers and some leftover Butterscotch candies I had in the pantry)
Meringue Powder Icing

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Cover; chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with the foil with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface roll one portion of the dough at a time to a 1/4″ thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Place cutouts on lined cookie sheet. Using small cookie cutters or hors d’eouvre or fondant cutters, cut shapes from the center of the cookie. Fill cutouts with crushed candies (be careful not to get candies onto the cookie where you don’t want them or they will bake into it).

Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very light brown. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Frost cookies with Meringue Powder Icing.

CREDIT: Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication – “100 Best Cookies – Our Most Popular Holiday Recipes”, p.106, c. 2007

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
3 1/2 cups flour**
Meringue Powder Icing

**Note that the original recipe only calls for 2 1/2 cups of flour – I find that I need 3 1/2 cups each time I make them.

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and dash salt; beat until combined. Beat in sour cream, egg, vanilla, and lemon peel. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover; chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. On a well-floured surface roll half of the dough at a time to a 1/8 – 1/4″ thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes. Place cutouts 1″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.

Spread cooled cookies with Meringue Powder Icing; let dry completely. Using a small clean paintbrush, paint designs on each cookie with food coloring.

CREDIT: Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication – “100 Best Cookies – Our Most Popular Holiday Recipes”, p.69, c. 2007

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (12-oz jar) dark molasses
2/3 cup cold water
7 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp crushed cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Decorations (raisins, red-hots, M&M;s, etc)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix shortening, brown sugar, and molasses thoroughly. Stir in 2/3 cup water. Blend flour, soda, salt, and spices; stir into molasses mixture. Chill for about 1 hour (up to overnight).

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough about 1/4″ thick. Cut with cookie cutters and place on prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly, then remove from baking sheet. When completely cool and ready to decorate, use Meringue Powder Icing as “glue” for the decorations.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbs granulated sugar (to flatten cookies with)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350º. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl beat together butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can. Stir in remaining flour mixture. Form the chocolate dough into 32 balls** about 1 1/4″ in diameter (This is where I use the medium 1 1/2 Tbs cookie scoop, and they’re not exactly 1 1/4″ in diameter). Set aside.

For filling, combine powdered sugar and 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32** balls about 3/4″ in diameter (This is where I use the small 2 tsp cookie scoop – as with the chocolate dough balls, these are not exactly 3/4″ in diameter).

On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball; top with a peanut butter ball. For each cookie, shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball.

Place balls 2″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 Tbs granulated sugar.

Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until just set and surface slightly cracks. Let stand 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks and cool.
**NOTE: Using the Small and Medium cookie scoops, I usually only get about 24 cookies from this recipe. Make sure that you have the same number of chocolate dough balls as you do peanut butter dough balls.

CREDIT: Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication – “100 Best Cookies – Our Most Popular Holiday Recipes”, p.68, c. 2007

INGREDIENTS:
1 can condensed milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups Bisquick
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar (for rolling)
1 pkg chocolate kisses

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375º. In a large mixing bowl, beat condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth. Add Bisquick and vanilla; mix well.

Shape into 1″ balls (I use a 2 tsp cookie sand roll in sugar. Place 2″ apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until LIGHTLY browned (do not overbake). Immediately after removing from oven, press a chocolate kiss into the center of each ball. Let cool. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

CREDIT: My mother!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on preference
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350º for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

CREDIT: Submitted by “Jennifer” on Allrecipes.com

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbs milk
1 Tbs melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350º. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency. Sprinkle in cinnamon and mix to taste.

CREDIT: Submitted by “Gina” on Allrecipes.com