~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Friday, August 14, 2009

Milan Cookies... by Gale Gand




Milan Cookies... by Gale Gand I had to try this recipe! It was part of a Daring Baker's Challenge that was hosted a couple of weeks ago. Many photos appeared all over the Internet. I came across them on Tastespotting. I finally made them...you see, we absolutely love the Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies. So, I was curious to see if this recipe would even come close to what we know and love. Oh, they look lovely and all...they could even pass for Milanos at a glance, but they were not what I hoped they would be. They were a bit on the chewy side...not very crispy. The longer they stayed out, the softer they became. So, I quickly put them in the freezer. They freeze very well and taste pretty good. But I wouldn't call them milanos...let's just say they are great little sandwich cookies. Oh well, I loved the challenge though...and believe me they will all be eaten! I have to admit, ....they are lovely little cookies. They would be perfect for tea. Would I make them again?...probably:).
Update: I served these to quite a few guests recently, and they absolutely loved them!....Hmm...Some said they were actually better than the store bought version:). I think I will make these again and again:)...I would love to make a few versions of the chocolate filling(cappucino,mint,raspberry...)

Cookie Ingredients: adapted from Gale Gand(Food Network)

12 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract ( I only used 1 TBS)
2 tablespoons lemon extract (I only used 2 tsps)
1 1/2 cups flour

Cookie filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 orange, zested
1 tsp orange extract (optional, I added this)
Directions:
Cream the butter with a paddle attachment then mix in the sugar.
Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
Add the flour and mix until just incorporated.
With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip ....I used a plastic bag and cut off the tip (about 1/2 inch).
Pipe 1-inch sections(I thought they would be too small so I made them close to 2 inches) of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes( this was too much...I noticed mine took about 6-8 minutes) or until light golden brown around the edges. Keep an eye on them! Let cool on the pan.

Cookie Filling: In a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl.
Whisk to melt chocolate, add zest, extract 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( or place gently) the flat side of a second cookie on top. I used a plastic bag to hold the filling and cut of a small hole at the tip of the bag. I then squeezed some filling on the cookie. This minimizes the mess of spreading it on the cookie. It is much cleaner.
Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

4 comments:

Sailaja Damodaran said...

didn't know it can be made at home....amazing

Ellie said...

Sailaja,
Yes, they are pretty neat!

megi said...

Ellie, I tried leaving a comment here today but I think there was a problem, so, I am not sure if you can see it or not, anyway, I basically was telling you how impressed I was, both with this recipe and the entire site. We absolutely loved every single recipe we have tried so far. I have a long list of recipes to try from the blog. :)

Oh and I was also telling you I joined the Daring Bakers a few days ago. It's a lot of fun to try new things. :)

Ellie said...

Megi, Aww...so very sweet of you! I really am glad you are enjoying the recipes...It really means very much especially when I know how talented you are!
I look at your blog and recipes and am amazed myself with your incredible talent. You bring the healthy recipes up a notch, that's for sure!
I think you will have a ton of fun trying out new recipes with the DaringBakers:)...and I'll keep checking to see what you are up to:).
Thanks again, Megi for your sweet words...really appreciate it!