Monday, July 27, 2009

Daring Bakers: Milan Cookies




Last week was a fun filled week consisting of a trip to the coast, shopping, catching up with my three best friends from my childhood (two of them stayed with me and we had so much fun staying up late), and two days of our 20th high school reunion events. Oh, and did I mention also filling dessert orders, including making desserts for the reunion? It was a busy week and before I knew it, the 27th arrived and well, here we are--the reveal day for this month's challenge.

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.

This month we had the option to make one or both of the recipes, and due to the lack of extra time I had this month, I choose to make the Milan Cookies, which seemed to be the quickest one. Also, I've made marshmallows before and I wanted to try something I haven't made before. These cookies were so quick and easy that if you ever have a last minute event to attend and need to bring something delicious, this is the recipe for you! (I know this from actual experience, since I just made these cookies an hour ago and it took less than 45 minutes from start to finish).

If you love Mallows (marshmallow chocolate covered cookies) I've included the link for that recipe as well.

*I've added notes or helpful hints in orange.

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

Cookie Batter
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)

Chocolate Filling
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped *I used bittersweet chocolate which is a darker than a semisweet chocolate.
1 orange, zested *I used an orange oil, in place of orange zest.

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. *I used Silpats, which worked great.
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.

*I piped different sizes and shapes (oblong, oval, medium rounds, small rounds, etc.--all shapes tasted delicious!)



38 comments:

  1. They look delicious...Milan cookies...so are they Italian?

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  2. Your Milans look absolutely perfect! They're all shaped beautifully :)

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  3. What a beautiful Milans cookies.

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  4. I have to agree that these are absolutely perfect! And the filling looks like the perfect consistency as well. Great job!

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  5. Love your pictures, and your cookies do look perfect!

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  6. I knew you would blow me away with whatever cookie you made! I wish I hadn't pushed my Milanos together so tight on the third batch, as it hid the glossy filling which makes yours look even more amazing than the authentics! Love the round ones too. Perfection has been reached, and they could have come straight from a bag of Pep Farm, but yours are actually better looking!! :)

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  7. Jill--your creations are amazing! Your desserts are beautiful and delicious. Thank you for the fabulous strawberry-lemon roll, the chocolate decadence cake and the jillicious brownie bites. They were masterful! I am so glad I got to enjoy your white chocolate cheesecake, coconut-lime cupcakes and devilishly moist chocolate cupcakes. I was in heaven! You are amazing.
    Katrina

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  8. they are perfect!!

    I really need to go out and buy a silipat, I decided after baking the Milans ans fighting with parchment paper onto a second cookie sheet haha.

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  9. These are just gorgeous (your photos and your cookies!!) Thank you for sharing!

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  10. PERFECT photos. The lighting is good enough to eat, just like the cookies appear to be! LOL

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  11. Hi Jill! I loved making the cookies round, so much easier!

    I love the blue bowl, very pretty and perfect for the cookies.

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  12. Perfect cookies, and nice photos!

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  13. These look so professional! Gorgeous photos. :)

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  14. Your milan cookies look so fabulous, crispy thin and baked to perfection (ha ha mine is definitely overbaked). Love the oblong shape. You did a good job!

    Regards
    Kris

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  15. Your Milans are the perfect shape and the filling looks just right. Wonderful job!

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  16. Wow, they are so perfectly shaped! You are a master with a pastry bag!

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  17. Your Milans look great and I'm envious that they are so perfectly shaped.

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  18. Jill, your milans look perfect!!

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  19. Your milans look perfect - gorgeous edges, completely professional! Great job!

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  20. I can't help but echo the other comments - these are absolutely perfect and your photos are gorgeous. Wow!

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  21. They look perfect! Great job on the challenge!

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  22. Jill, you must have perfect piping skills! Those are beautifully shaped milano cookies!

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  23. Wow! Absolutely gorgeous! They look better than anything you can get at the store!

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  24. Your milan cookies look so perfect! Wish I'd had time to try making these as well as the mallows.

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  25. What great job! your cookies look perfect. LOVE the blue bowls.

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  26. Great idea to use the orange oil instead of the zest. Your cookies are just beautiful!

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  27. O your Milan cookies turned out really beautiful! I sometimes wish I had made the cookies too instead of the mallows (since I don't particularly like marshmallows...:)) and yours really do look great!

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  28. Wow, your cookies look perfect, just like the store bought ones. I'm sure they taste way better! Great job!

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  29. What perfectly shaped cookies! Very well done!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  30. Beautiful Cookies! Nice job!

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  31. Your cookies turned out so beautiful!

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  32. Your cookies look delicious and they are so heaven and all the same shape!
    Nicely done!

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  33. Such beautiful cookies!! Very impressive!

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  34. Perfectly shaped and pretty! They look better than the originals!!

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  35. Your Milan cookies are so perfectly shaped. Everyone is so symmetrical. Congratulations.

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  36. I'll agree you've got some master piping skills. Just piped the cookies onto the baking sheet, and while they weren't perfect they still looked pretty good. That was until I placed them in the oven and they turned into one giant cookie. (Womp womp). Oh well at least it's got the same flavor.

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