Mallows are shortbread cookies topped with marshmallow cream and then dipped in rich, dark chocolate. These are made with snickerdoodles from Anna Olson's recipe.
Ingredients
For the snickerdoodle cookies:
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup + ⅓ cup (260g) sugar
2 eggs, taken directly from the fridge
1 tsp vanilla extract
2½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
For the marshmallows:
½ cup (125ml) water
½ cup (125ml) light corn syrup
1½ cup (340g) sugar
2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
¼ cup (62.5ml) cold water
4 egg whites, room temperature
2 whole vanilla beans, split open and seeded
For the chocolate coating:
Three dark or milk chocolate bars (3.5oz), melted and tempered
Method
Prepare the snickerdoodle cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until fluffy and light. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, cream of tartar and salt to combine, and then add to the butter mixture, blending well. Stir the remaining ⅓ cup of sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Portion the prepared cookie dough by tablespoonfuls and drop into cinnamon sugar. Gently roll each cookie to coat it with the sugar and to shape them into balls and place them onto the prepared baking tray, leaving 1½ inches between them. Before baking, gently press the cookies with your palm to flatten. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are just lightly browned on the bottom. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
Prepare the marshmallows:
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites. Add the vanilla seeds and continue whipping until stiff. Transfer to a pastry bag.
Assemble the cookies:
Pipe marshmallow onto each cookie and let sit at room temperature for two hours. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. One at a time, dip the cookies into the chocolate and place on the parchment paper. Or, place a cooling tray over parchment paper and pour chocolate over the cookies. Gather excess chocolate from the parchment paper, melt, and reuse. Let sit until the coating is firm.
Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2012/07/mallow-cookies/