I finally have my Fridays back, Truman can hold it for more than 30 minutes at a time, and hubs is doing P90X+, which means his appetite for sweets is through the roof. (Don't tell Tony Horton, please.)
One of my favorite bloggers posted this recipe a few days ago and I was eager to try it. Between obtaining & playing with the new iPad, making 100 wedding thank you notes with my BFF, and enjoying the pretty weather with Truman, I finally finished these delectable desserts over the course of three days. It was worth it, and I'd do it again - the hardest part was that there were so many components! A little planning ahead makes these so easy to do, and they keep in an airtight container at room temp, so no need to sacrifice fridge space that you *probably* don't have! :) Happy Baking!
Homemade Moon Pies
Makes: approximately 16-18 triple decker cookies :)
Prep Time: 1hr 15 minutes (Bake Time 30 minutes)
Cookie Ingredients:
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Marshmallow Filling Ingredients:
2 egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
Pinch salt
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Chocolate Coating Ingredients:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
¼ cup vegetable oil
- First make the cookies: With a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg and the vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and the salt, and mix just until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in two, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. I made the dough one or two days before I baked it - 30 minutes in the fridge was not enough, but 30 minutes in the freezer probably would have done the trick.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line at least two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside. Working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2½-inch diameter round cutter, cut out the rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, about ½ an inch apart. Refrigerate the cookies (on the baking sheets) for 10 minutes.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pans for a couple of minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely. I made the cookies one day and assembled the next, so I stored the cooled cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container until I was ready.
- Making the Marshmallow Filling: Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the the egg whites with the cream of tartar and the salt until firm peaks form, gradually increasing from medium-low speed to medium-high speed as the egg whites gain volume. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil the corn syrup over high heat without stirring until it registers 230 to 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer (thread ball stage). Slowly drizzle the hot corn syrup into the egg whites and beat at high speed until glossy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, beat in the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar. The beauty of not having to stir the corn syrup is that you can literally have both of these steps happening at the same time. You just have to keep your eye on both, without having to actually DO much to either.
- Using either a pastry bag or a spoon, mound about 1½ tablespoons of marshmallow filling into the center of a cookie. I used my Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator, which worked very well since I had to fill it twice :) Top with another cookie and press lightly to spread the marshmallow to the edges. Add another mound on top of the second cookie, and top with another cookie, again pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges. I used my fingers to hold the layers apart a bit - you want to be gentle so all the guts don't come spilling out the sides! Repeat with the rest of the cookies. If you have extra marshmallow filling it makes a great Fluffernutter!
- Last step! Chocolate Coating: Using a double boiler or in the microwave on 50% power and in 30 second increments, melt the chocolate and vegetable oil together until completely smooth. This takes quite a few minutes, but that is good because it gives the marshmallow a little time to set. Place the assembled cookies on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax paper. Spoon the melted chocolate over each cookie so that it runs down the sides and covers most of the cookie. Allow to set at room temperature for about 2 hours (or refrigerate to speed up the process) - I had to do both. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
