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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 have a small itsy bitsy confession. I despise making cookies. I can tackle something crazy like a croquembouche head on but to take on something as humble as a cookie strikes massive fear in this amateur baker’s heart. You probably wouldn’t have known it reading these previous posts but believe me – there was drama behind the scenes of even the most simplest of biscuit fare.
So it was with great trepidation that I tackled this month’s challenge (at the last minute mind you) – marshmallow cookies and milan cookies – with our choice to do one or two. Not tempting fate, of course I was going to do one. My dislike of anything remotely marshmallow made this an obvious choice. I took the safe, paranoid route and did many test trays to gauge the speed, girth and verocity of the Milan spreadage. Alas those voodoos I mentioned before all raised their ugly heads in this one recipe.
First tray cooked unevenly so there were half brown, half white cookies. Second tray fared a little better but developed holes and weird cooked meringue spots. What the hell, I muttered at this point. Third tray, it spreaded so thinly that the cookies were virtually translucent. Fourth tray…hallelujah…we have my first Milan sheet cookie!
I salvaged what I could out of my pitiful stockpile and decided to use it as dipping mechanisms on a pot of oozing chocolate, instead of sandwiching them. I also chose not to make the recipe’s particular chocolate mix as I had plenty of leftover tart mix and glacage from a beautiful Chocolate Tart that I made recently.
Milan Cookies Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network websitePrep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 minServes: about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
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 followsCookie filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 orange, zested
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. 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) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
*Tip* – A silicon baking mat is perfect for this.
Bake in the 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.
Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Chocolate on chocolate, how could anyone resist that :)
I despise making cookies too! I was lucky enough to have 4 pairs that are good enough to be photographed. :)
Yummmy
my weakens is Chocolate…
Awesome cookies!love the oozing chocolate cup :D
Oh, double dosage of chocolate. Now I love that!
Oh, dipping them in chocolate sounds so decadent! I must give that a try next time…
I think I made everyone of the same mistakes, but I did really enjoy these cookies!! Beautiful never the less.
I can vouch that Gale's recipe for Milans isn't as tasty, and IS different in flavor than the Pepperidge Farm Milanos. I was a bit let down myself, until I oomitted most of the lemon extract, and then they were better. Regardless, yours came out lovely..so crisp looking and delicate :)
Yours look great, I totally can feel your pain on working with this batter. A challenge for sure but your little chocolate pots and crisp cookies look perfect!
Hi Zita – Yep, I defy anybody to resist it!
Hi Ellie – lol 4 pairs are still prob more than I could salvage :(
Hi Pontch – and I don't blame you for it LOL
Hi Yasmeen – Thank you so much!
Hi Anh – lol another chocolate fiend! Thank you xx
Hi Carrie – it sure was! Thank you so much!
Hi newlyweds – phew, i thought I was the only one who had trouble with the recipe! But a cookie would always taste good no matter what it looked like!
Hi Lisa Michelle – thank you so much and thanks for the clarification! I'm going to have to hunt down the original Pepperidge Farm Milanos in Australia and try it for myself!
Hi Kitchen Bliss – aww thanks so much lovely xx Oh the pain of baking them… :(
So sorry to hear your bad luck with the cookies! I hate cookie baking myself. But nice save cos your photos still look beautiful!
LOL…sheet cookie…hilarious :)
They look gorgeous! I had the same issue with changing how I did things (and the outcome changing) with every pan of Milan cookies that went in the oven! It was like trial and error :)
At least you managed to salvage some good ones for those pretty pictures.:)
I guess everyone had “something” which never works for them.
I wasn't very impressed with the Milanos myself but then I've never had the original ones either.
I think I must have been cookie-cursed just like you because I've experienced all of the terrible cookie mishaps that you've mentioned (even with a cookie recipe that only contained 5 ingredients!). As a result I have avoided making cookies at all costs but your cookies look tasty, especially dipped in that chocolate!
Oh Karen, I know exactly your 'pains' regarding getting at least some cookies photo-worthy. In a way I'm glad I never attempted them.
Yummy chocolat drink picture, though!
I too was pretty unimpressed with my milano results. Mine were very chewy. I thought I had overworked the batter when I added the flour. At least you had an entire cup of chocolate to make you feel better!!
Didn't realise you had a cookie curse! I wonder what we can do to break the spell.
Argh! Mass cookie spreadage is a nightmare! At least you managed to get a good batch at the end though, I would have given up in frustration! :) That cup of molten chocolate and some cookies is just what I could do with right now mmm…
I guess we all have something that we just can't stand to bake, ah well :)
Your photos are stunning!
I had similar difficulties with the Milan cookies. I didn't really think they tasted much like the original cookies (which I love). I love to make cookies, and this recipe didn't really impress me.
Your photos are beautiful, though! I really like your dipping idea – great way to salvage a not-so-fantastic recipe!
well, at least the photos look really nice!
I have tried the original and was disappointed. However that giant of bowl chocolate could make anything better. I think you did great.
looks like pure indulgence to me! I'm the same. not a great baker….
Your Milan cookies looks absolutely delicious!
I'm sorry, that you didn’t love them.
Beautiful photos!
Sorry it didn't turn out to be the Prince Charming you were waiting for, but they are pretty handsome cookies! They look good, & the cup & sauces are precious! Beautiful pictures too!! I made just the Mallows & promptly fell in ♥ with them!
You are certainly the only one who has a complicated relationship with cookies. I always *think* they're an easy quick-fix, but when I think about it, they are the baked goods I most often screw up. I had some problems with this challenge as well, including the milans. But your result looks really tasty, and I admire you for persevering. Kudos!
Mmm – Your cookies look amazing =D. Gorgeous photos and beautiful job on this challenge!!
I am relieved to hear that I wasn't the only one who got holes and weird cooked meringue spots in her cookies. My first batch ended up like your second, so at that stage I decided I wasn't wasting chocolate on them and did them deliberately wrong just so that I had something to take to work. Mine ended up like little cakes, but at least they were edible, and the work crew who didn't know what they were supposed to be loved them.
Oh my gosh I want to drink that chocolate! Lovely post.
Wow, what a lot of work to go through to get those beautiful little cookies! I like cakes and breads better because it's less of the 10 min in the oven, then next batch, then next, etc. Just stick it in, set the timer, and sit back!
I am with you on the cookie making thing. I find the whole process boring and repetive but you did a great job with these!
Your blog is beautiful!
Karen
It is so hard to work when we get updates during business hours and then have to look at biscuits like this, especially with this chocolaty sauce which looks to die for. My friend and I were salivating in our freezing office wishing we were eating the right now.
Love the photos too!
Trish
A bit late in commenting, but if you've got massive cookie spreadage, it's most likely due to overcreaming your sugar and butter. The friction from the sugar makes the butter begin to melt before it even makes it into the oven. Either stop mixing as soon as the two look smooth, or refrigerate the dough before baking.
Milan cookies sound fun to make, but I have to agree that they're not incredibly spectacular.