Milan Cookies

July's Daring Bakers challenge was to make either homemade mallow cookies or milan cookies. I chose the mallows for the actual challenge but really wanted to do the milans as well. I finally got a chance to bake them yesterday. The process was fairly simple with a few exceptions: the cookies were difficult to pipe the exact same size and shape each time and the baking time was very important to get exactly right - otherwise the cookies would be too soft or too crispy.

The cookies are very good...definitely better than their store-bought alter egos. I'm definitely getting them out of the house before I eat them all (I made that mistake with the mallows...).

It is very important to let the cookies cook until they are slightly brown around the edges or they won't be nice and crisp.


For those of you interested in the recipe, I've included it below:

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

• 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

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

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.
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.

Packaged and ready to go for Shawn, Cydney, Allison and Steve.