The Daring Bakers: Recreating the Classic Milano Cookie

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.

For me, the Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies are high on my list of favorite store bought sweets. I especially remember eating these after school as a child. The chocolate filled buttery treats along with a cup of tea always manages to curb my afternoon sweets craving. In addition to the Milanos, the challenge this month also included Chocolate Covered Mallow Cookies. I’m not a huge marshmallow fan so I chose to complete only the Milanos this time around.

The recipe was simple, quick and makes a whole lot of batter! Really, it seemed as if there was no end to the batter! I followed the challenge recipe exactly only adding in a bit of orange extract into the chocolate along with the zest. The result? These cookies are much thinner and softer than the original, very similar to the texture of a tuile. The texture and taste, in my opinion, are quite different form the original milano.

It was a fun attempt at recreating one of my favorite childhood treats! Thanks again to Nicole at Sweet Tooth for bringing us this month’s challenge!

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.