Moon Pies
A ¾ cup unsalted butter
½ cup light brown
sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 Tbsp whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
PREPARATION
In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter, brown
sugar and vanilla until mixture is light and creamy,
about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed and add egg
and milk.
Keeping mixer on a low speed, gradually add dry
ingredients to wet ingredients until combined to
form a soft dough. Divide the dough into two balls,
wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking
sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut out cookies
using a 3-inch round cookie cutter and place on a
baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake cook-ies
10-12 minutes or until golden. Allow cookies
to cool and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool
completely before the next step.
Spoon a teaspoon of marshmallow creme into the
center of each cookie. Top with a second cookie and
press together until the marshmallow squeezes out to
the edge.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot
of boiling water. Remove from the heat and allow the
chocolate to cool slightly before whisking in the oil.
Dip the cookies into the warm chocolate. Turn
with a fork until thoroughly coated. Then remove
and place cookies on a baking sheet lined with
parchment paper. Allow the cookies to stand until
the chocolate has completely hardened.
SK FOLKS from the South what they call a
marshmallow sandwiched between two
cookies and the answer will unlikely be
a s’more, but rather a MoonPie. The
original version of this cookie originated
in 1917 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The
cookie’s only published history appears in
“The Great MoonPie Handbook,” written
by Ron Dickson. It tells the tale of a travelling salesman
who sold the original cookie to Appalachian miners that
needed a quick energy booster and snack during their
short break. One of the miners had asked him to make
a snack as “big as the moon,” which is what inspired the
name MoonPie.
By the 1920s and ’30s the cookie had become a staple
of American culture that was shipped off to troops during
World War II as a small taste of home. The cookies are
still produced by the Chattanooga Bakery and come in
a variety of flavors including salted caramel, strawberry,
and lemon and orange for Mardi Gras, which are typically
thrown from the parade floats. Tradition dictates that you
eat a MoonPie washed down with an RC Cola. For a twist
on the classic, make a homemade version of this rich,
decadent combination of marshmallows nestled between
soft graham crackers, dipped in chocolate.
78
WBM april 2019
1¼ cups graham
crackers, finely
ground
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
INGREDIENTS
Cookie dough:
For the marshmallow center:
1 7-oz jar marshmallow creme*
*For a homemade marshmallow recipe, see our
WBM December 2014 issue, page 88.
Chocolate Coating:
12 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 Tbsp vegetable canola oil
savor
COLLEEN THOMPSON