C is for Cookie

Better late than never? Or better never late? I'd like to think the former... As you may have noticed, we've been having a bit of The Blog Blahs over here where I'm having trouble even bossing myself to get posting! It's a combination of busy times with a bit of challenging times thrown in to boot. We'll all be fine, never fear - just a hump to climb over and then I predict life will be back to normal; as will the blogging.

With a dab 'o salted caramel and a layer of raspberry jam

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 REALLY wanted to make those marshmallow cookies but didn't find myself with any free time this last month until the days just after our required posting date (7/27). So Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were filled with cookie baking, marshmallow making, caramel cooking and chocolate glazing. I thought about doing the Milans also, but the overall review from my fellow DB's didn't really kick me in the pants.

Chocolate covered marshmallow cookie with salted caramel.
(sorta reminds me of a cloud in the sky...)

I love marshmallows. If they're fresh, I can seriously eat them out of a bag (hey, who just said "sick!"?) I have a trusted and favorite marshmallow recipe I've made quite a few times before so I used that one since it's one with which I'm quite familiar. In years past, before getting my stand mixer, lemme tell you how tricky it is to pour scalding hot sugar syrup into stiff egg whites while beating with a hand mixer. um, it's tricky. So it was nice to finally make marshmallows with my stand mixer!

Soft ball stage, aka: 240° F

It really takes a couple hands to do this. Kisses to my stand mixer!

I have a slight confession to make today: I ♥ cookie dough. I don't mean I like to lick the bowl. I mean I could eat spoonfuls of it out of the bowl. Remember at slumber parties when we were little, where the moms would buy those rolls of cookie dough and the girls would just eat it like a burrito? (you don't?) I never really outgrew that. I know - SHAMEFUL!! But it's the plain ole truth. There are a lot of "cookie situations" out there in which I'd prefer to eat the dough over the baked cookies. So, err, this was one of those cookies. The dough was fantastic! But the cookie on its own was not. I also didn't realize they would rise so much: they were thicker than I'd have liked. But that's okay since once topped with a dab of salted caramel, some fluffy marshmallow and semi-sweet chocolate, they were yummy.

It wasn't difficult, but it was still a LOT of steps

The salted caramel is a recipe I use often. The original calls for fleur de sel, but it of course works just fine with Kosher or sea salt. I'll put it on ice cream or spread it between macarons. That slightly salty accent gives it such a sophisticated flavor. FAB!!

Messy work and no play makes for yummy cookies!

I have to admit that the raspberry jam is not homemade **GASP** #@&$%*#@!!!!! WHAT??!!!! BLASPHEME!!! &^*&*@*%^$)!!! I'm having a hard time looking myself in the mirror, but with 4 other components being cooked or baked in my kitchen - I thought a little "break" would be acceptable. I'll get through this; with some therapy...

The only way to make marshmallow better?
Combine it with caramel or chocolate. Or both!

Instead of the recipe's 2 T of oil to the 12 oz of chocolate chips, I used 1. I think the result was a lot less runny and set up rather well after an evening in the fridge. I sprinkled little white sprinkles on the salted caramel cookies and red sprinkles on the raspberry jam ones - to tell them apart later. They were just adorable!! As messy and as many hours it took me to make these simple little cookies - I really was pleased with them. I was meeting Angela for lunch yesterday and brought her a little box. Certainly can't eat all of these myself!!

Very sweet and cute when finished and wrapped

I certainly hope this little lull will pass quickly and we'll be happily on our way soon enough. But until then, at least there are cookies!!