Week 22 - Chocolate Surprise Cookies

This one is one that I thought was a little ambitious for me, but it ended up being way easier than I thought.  Or maybe I am actually getting better at this cooking thing? ;)  All week long I have been on pretty boring food diet due to having my wisdom teeth out last week, so I decided to further torture myself and make cookies that I should not eat.  It was really as part of my son's gift to his teacher for the end of the year.  So I even got a helper on this one!

The recipe I found on pinterest is actually from Martha Stuart's webpage.

I had Aiden help to measure, pour, and mix all the dry ingredients.

We followed the recipe, used the mixer (I even let him do a little mixing on his own.  We almost had a little wall decorating incident, but I stepped in just in time to bring the mixer back to into the bowl before turning it off.), and scooped it onto the cookie sheets.  I always use my little scoop that I have had for years from Pampered Chef to do this because it makes the perfect size (~1 tbsp) and pushes the dough out with a little squeeze of the handle.  This recipe made a little more than 24 cookies for me, but having too many cookies is never a problem around this house!  I put the two trays into the oven and even switched them halfway through like the recipe said.  Never knew that before!  I cut up the marshmallows and set them on after the first round of cooking then let them go for a little longer.  They were nice and tan on top when I got them out.  It was hard to resist taking a little taste (I LOVE roasted marshmallows!), but I did and let them cool.  We ended up having to go to church for dinner, so this gave the cookies plenty of time to cool. 

We came back, and I made the icing.  It was pretty easy assembly, I was just a little worried b/c it still seemed a little lumpy, so I added a little bit more milk (less than 1/4 cup) and it was somewhat better.  I used a spoon to put the icing on the cookies then let them set for about 15-20 minutes for the icing to set. 

The kids quickly approved of the cookies when they got their sample.  I tried one despite me knowing better.  While it tasted fantastic, the overload of sugar in my mouth made my gums start to hurt again.  I think it was worth it though!  I tasted one a couple days later, and it was still delicious!  The marshmallow somehow stays soft and gooey, and the cookie balances the sweet icing with a less intense and cakier chocolate flavor.  My son's teacher also made sure to tell me that she really enjoyed the cookies in her gift. :)

After tasting the icing and seeing how well it set, I thought I could use it on the donuts that I make with biscuit dough!  Will have to try and see. :)