Milan Cookies (DB)

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was to make homemade versions of a couple of grocery aisle cookie favorites, Milano Cookies and Mallomars. I'm pretty good about resisting temptation in the cookie aisle at the grocery store, but I definitely have a weakness for these two cookies. In college, both cookies provided essential nutrition (i.e. sugar and carbs) for my all night study sessions. Thanks to Nicole of Sweet Tooth for a great selection this month. Nicole graciously gave us the option of making one or both recipes. Due to some scheduling challenges, I opted to just make the Milano Cookies.

With a heatwave hitting full stride in Los Angeles, I was so happy to work on a recipe that minimizes baking time. I cheated a teeny bit and filled the cookies with Scharffen Berger milk chocolate ganache.
These homemade milanos were so tasty and easy to make! In fact, I may never go back to the packaged version.
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.

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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.