Crazy About Moon Pies

For some reason, I'm on a moon pie kick and that's kinda odd, because I wasn't crazy about the commercial cookies when I was younger. Even as an adult, I stayed away from them because of the marshmallow filling (as a vegetarian, I try to stay away from anything containing gelatin). Anyway, when the pastry chef at work added moon pies to the dessert menu, I was never tempted to try one until a few weeks ago. We use marshmallow fluff which contains corn syrup, sugar, dried egg white, and vanillin (yes, I know, not the real stuff). Well, after eating a couple, I decided to make some at home. It's a safe bet; I can keep the batter in the fridge and bake them as I crave them, instead of having an entire 2 dozen cookies tempting me as I pass the kitchen.

The recipe is one I found on the allrecipes website. It works well, the cookie is dense, yet soft in texture, and not too sweet, which compliments the filling.

Moon Pies
(adapted from Judy Crout's recipe on allrecipes.com)

Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, sifted (substitute Dutch processed cocoa if you can't find it)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line sheet pans with a Silpat. Mix egg, milk, and vanilla, set aside. Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk mixture and blend well. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.

Drop dough by tablespoonful, or teaspoonful, depending on the size you prefer, leaving 2-3 inches in between each one; dough will spread as it bakes.

Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until firm when pressed with finger. Do not over bake. Allow to cool at least one hour before filling (I usually can't wait that long).

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup marshmallow fluff

Mix ingredients until smooth. Pipe 1-2 tablespoons of filling onto cookie and top with another. I pipe the filling tall, that way, when you put the cookie on top, the filling won't be pushed out. Alternatively, you can spread filling with a spatula or knife.

If you choose not to bake them all at once, keep the batter and filling in the fridge. If you bake them all, keep them in the fridge, in a sealed container. The filling will get very soft at room temp.

Try not to eat them all in one sitting. I've already eaten the four I made for the photos.