Chocolate Royals and Wagon Wheels

I love chocolate royals!!! Wagon wheels too. I've had this spicy icecream mallow recipe bookmarked for the longest time. They turned out really quite well.. my main concern was the marshmallow as I've never made it before. It worked but I think I left it sitting for too long before using it. I whipped it for quite a long time as it didn't seem firm enough then left it in a bowl while baking the cookies - so maybe an hour. It had become quite firm by the time I was ready to use it. It still piped though luckily, just not smoothly. So lesson learnt = bake cookies THEN make the marshmallow.

Mallows (Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies/royal/wagon wheels)

Recipe adapted from spicy icecream which was adapted from Gale Gand, from Food Network website
Makes roughly 45-60 cookies - lots!

Cookies
3C all purpose flour

½ C white sugar
½ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking powder

3/8 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
12 tbsp (170g) unsalted butter
3 eggs, whisked together

Marshmallows
¼ C water
¼ C light corn syrup
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp powdered gelatin
2 tbsp cold water
2 egg whites, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped



+ jam for wagon wheels (I used seedless raspberry)


Chocolate Glaze
340g dark chocolate, finely chopped
55g vegetable oil



Cookies
1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients (I used a food processor).

2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy (I pulsed the food processor).

3. Add the eggs and mix until combine (I pulsed the food processor).

4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

5. When ready to bake, line a baking tray with parchment paper and
 preheat the oven to 190°C.

6. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3-5cm cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
 Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.



Marshmallow
1. To make the marshmallow, combine the water, corn syrup and sugar, and bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 112°C (235°F) on a candy thermometer.


2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.

3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.


4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
 Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
 Transfer to a pastry bag.

Assembly
1. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. For wagon wheels pipe a flat layer of marshmallow on one cookies and smear jam on another then sandwich the two together.

2. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat (non-stick surface to place cookies on once coated in chocolate glaze)


Chocolate glaze
1. To make the chocolate glaze, melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

2. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
 Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl (I put the glaze into a glass to achieve a 'deep dunk').

3. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm.

Oh and I believe it's National Cupcake day in the US? Happy cupcake day!!!! If I get bored later I might make some - who needs a better reason, right?