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It's cookie time at Daring Bakers


Is it that the Daring Bakers challenges are getting easier, or is it that I am getting to be a better baker? Either ways, my first two challenges have been a breeze.

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.

We had the option of making either or both the cookies. Now, I've made marshmallows in the past but it's not an experience I want to repeat anytime soon. And I am not a big fan of mallows, those sweet sticky chocolate covered marshmallow cookies, anyway. So I decided to make just the milanos.

Making the cookie was simplicity itself. I divided the recipe by a third, so I first creamed 60 gms butter with 110 gms sugar. Then added 2 egg whites, one at a time, using my hand mixer to blend it in. In went after that 2 tsp each of vanilla and lemon extracts. Yes, everyone thought that was way too much. And although others didn't think so, I thought the end result was too lemony. Finally, I mixed in 1/2 cup of flour.

I then filled this dough in a pastry bag, sniped off 1/4 inch off the end and dropped off rounds of dough. My piping skills aren't great, but I need not worry with this one. When baked at 180C, the cookies spread out to thin perfect rounds (so it's just as well I left so much space in between each). At the end of 10 minute baking time, the cookies were brown around the edges but never got too crisp.

The filling is just a dark chocolate ganache. It was supposed to have orange zest. But with my inherent inability to zest anything, I used Lindt Intense Orange, a dark chocolate that has orange zest already added in.

I haven't had the real milanos so I really can't say if this is the real deal. But I enjoyed them (even though they were too lemony) and so did my friends. Overall, fun but not a challenge. Note to daring bakers : this is getting to be too easy! get daring!
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Comments

Debbie said…
Simran, you got such a great even shape on your cookies! I did the marshmallow ones and opted to do the Milans another time (even though the Milans are one of my very favorite cookies). Great job on this challenge!
July 27, 2009 at 7:43 PM
Anonymous said…
Simran,professional cookies for the challenge..have comeout so well and tempting to say..
July 27, 2009 at 11:28 PM
Dips said…
Hey...those Milanos look awesome..and I do have to agree that it was pretty straightforward....and I had the real milanos just last week and apart from being a bit more thinner and flakier I think our versions come pretty close..
July 28, 2009 at 6:20 AM
chef and her kitchen said…
Those look really yummy...gr8 job...
July 28, 2009 at 9:27 AM
suvi said…
these look yum!!
July 28, 2009 at 10:13 AM
CurryLeaf said…
Great looking Simran.Never tried or even tasted these.A must try it seems.Being a DB suits you.These look professional.
July 28, 2009 at 3:41 PM
lubnakarim06 said…
Oh wow...they look yum....
July 28, 2009 at 5:07 PM
Unknown said…
Your cookies look great! The most even and perfect looking!! Look tempting!
July 28, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Divya Kudua said…
Cookies look delicious and tempting..;)
July 29, 2009 at 12:10 PM
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