Moon Pies

What came first? The Moon Pie or a Smore's? Beats me!

All I know is these are a delicious and fun treat.

I had to make this recipe as soon as I saw it. I love me some Smore's and these seemed to be an inside out sort of Smore's.

I shall never tire of reinventing, reincarnating, recreating, or even genetically altering a Smore's. And now I present to you...

Moon Pies

For the Cookies:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt

For the Marshmallow Filling*:
2 egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
Pinch salt
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

For the Chocolate Coating:
12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup vegetable oil

1. To 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.

2. 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 1½-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.

3. 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.

4. To Make 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.
*I found this made enough marshmallow filling for double the amount of cookies so I ended up tossing half of it, next time I will double the amount of cookies.

5. Using either a pastry bag or a spoon, mound about 1½ tablespoons of marshmallow filling into the center of a cookie. Top with another cookie and press lightly to spread the marshmallow to the edges. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

6. To Make the 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 and stir until completely smooth. 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). Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe found on browneyedbaker.com, adapted from foodandwine.com

Chewy Peanut Butter Butterscotch Squares

Whew! That is a long name for something so simple. I have seen some people refer to these as "Scotcheroos". That is certainly shorter but I am not committed to it yet....

I made these a couple weeks ago and instantly became addicted. I had to make another batch yesterday because I couldn't get them out of my head. This rarely happens to me.

I suggest you try them at once!

6 cups rice krispies

1 cup sugar

1 cup honey

1 cup peanut butter

12 oz. bag butterscotch chips

12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips

Measure rice krispies into a big bowl. Set aside.

Add sugar and honey to a medium saucepan. Heat pan over medium heat until just boiling. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and stir until all incorporated. Pour mixture over the rice krispies, stirring until all coated.

Pour into greased 9X13 pan and smooth out the top with your hands (carefully, it may still be hot!).

Melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips together, stirring until totally combined. Quickly pour over the (slightly cooled) rice krispies layer and use a rubber spatula to spread the chocolate to all the edges and smooth it out.

Refrigerate for them to set up faster, but they will set up if left on the counter for a couple hours, as well.

Enjoy!

Florentine's and Chocolate Panna Cotta

I participated in my first Daring Baker's Challenge this month.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Chocolate Panna Cotta

Recipe actually from Bon Appetit:

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon (envelope) unflavored powdered gelatin

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (3/4 cup)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Pour milk into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top, set aside for 2-5 minutes.

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a low boil. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk the milk/gelatin mixture into the chocolate cream mixture. Whisk until gelatin has dissolved.

Transfer to ramekins or nice glasses for serving.

Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Nestle Florentine Cookies

2/3 cup unsalted butter

2 cups quick oats

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup flour

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Line baking sheets with foil.

MELT butter in medium saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla extract and salt; mix well. Drop by level teaspoons, about 3 inches apart, onto foil/parchment-lined baking sheets. Spread thinly with rubber spatula.

BAKE for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets on wire racks. Peel cookies off foil or parchment paper.

After baking and cooling the cookies, I melted a cup of chocolate chips in the microwave and spread about a tablespoon of chocolate onto a cookie and sandwiched it with another cookie.

Giant (or not) Double Chocolate Cookies

These cookies really hit the spot when it comes to a chocolate craving. The original recipe calls for these cookies to be portioned out to 1/4-pound pieces of cookie dough, resulting in 12 giant cookies. I thought such giant cookies would be too dangerous to have lying around so I made them smaller and got 2 dozen instead.

1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup dark cocoa powder
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended. Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined.

Divide the dough into 4 ounce portions (or divide into 12 equal pieces). Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc. Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart. Bake 16-20 minutes (decrease baking time to 12-14 minutes for smaller cookies). Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe found on annies-eats.com

Gingerbread cookies

Up until a few years ago I thought that I didn’t like gingerbread. It turns out I just don’t like overly spiced gingerbread. These cookies are so chewy and delicious! I am so glad our friend/neighbor, Rebecca, brought these over to us.
These cookies are absolutely wonderful as is; however, in my house I quickly realized if I wanted to make this big pile of cookies disappear I needed to add frosting.

1 ½ cups molasses, a 12 oz. jar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup butter, softened
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice (I only use a ½ teaspoon)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, combine molasses, brown sugar, water and butter and mix thoroughly (I used my Kitchen-Aid). Mix dry ingredients together in another large bowl and slowly add to wet mixture until dough comes together. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll dough out to either ¼” or ½” thick depending on how puffy you want your cookies to turn out. I did ¼-inch for the cookies pictured. Cut out shapes or do rounded tablespoonfuls, slightly flattened. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: This made 18 gingerbread men and two dozen round cookies. You may want to cut the recipe in half if you don’t need so many cookies…or take them to your neighbors!

For the frosting:
I just whipped up a quick thick frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
A few teaspoons of milk
Orange or lemon zest (optional)

Stir the sugar and cream together, thin with milk to desired consistency. I added the zest from half an orange.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are a real treat. They are perfect for things like Father's Day or a Sunday dessert because they are BIG (you can make them smaller if you prefer). These really are pretty darn near a "perfect" cookie. I can't say these are my favorite because I already have a favorite and I am loyal ;) .

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer (I use my Kitchen-Aid), or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe from Annies-eats.com, originally from Baking Illustrated

Salted Double-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Recipe from Annies-eats.com

Yes, this picture is ugly-but nevermind that! These cookies are an awesome salty-sweet combo! Really excellent underneath a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Yield: about 24 cookies

1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. fleur de sel (sea salt), plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Combine 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips and 4 tablespoons of butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, and heat until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. (Alternatively, heat in the microwave in 25-second intervals, stirring in between.) In another mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the melted chocolate mixture, blending until incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the remaining chopped chocolate with a spatula. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are just slightly soft in the center and crackly on top, about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with additional salt and let cool on the baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe courtesy of Annies-Eats.com

I definitely recommend doubling this recipe. I noticed a trend around me of people eating these uncontrollably. They were so darn good!


Yield: about 18 sandwich cookies

For the cookies:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats

For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir together with a fork to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Stir in the oats until evenly blended.
Use a small cookie dough scoop to portion out the dough (about 2 teaspoons), rolling each portion into a ball, and place them on the prepared cookie sheet, a couple inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. The cookies will be light golden brown and slightly puffed. Let cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, pair them up by size. To make the filling, combine the butter, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream together until well combined. Mix in the heavy cream until smooth and fluffy. Use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe a swirl of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.

One for you, one dozen for me...

This is my all-time absolute, favorite cookie recipe, ever. I realize everyone has their own favorite but this one is mine. I usually heavily guard my top-secret, classified recipe, but for you two people that read this blog--the much coveted secret is finally being revealed. Shhhhhh!

(This recipe comes from Hershey's, with slight modifications.)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Heat oven to 350.

One of the most wonderful things about this recipe is that it only uses one bowl, yippee!

I use my Kitchen-Aid, of course, but you can use a big bowl and a mixer.

Chop 1/2 cup nuts (1 cup if you are really nutty) and set aside. Please don't tell me you are one of those people who don't like nuts!

Cream together:

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and 14 tablespoons of softened butter

Then stir in:

• 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 egg; mix until light and fluffy

Stir in:

• 2 cups quick oats, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt*

*this is my modification, I add in 2 heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseed, you may also swap 1/2 a cup of regular flour for whole wheat flour without altering the taste

Stir in:

• 1 cup semisweet* chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts, if desired

*sometimes I do half milk chocolate and half semisweet, it's like a party in my mouth

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

Warning: You may be compelled to take a cookie every time you pass through the kitchen. (I justify this by telling myself that the walnuts, flaxseed and oats are doing damage control on the butter and sugar as I digest. You can come up with your own excuse or feel free to use mine.)