The reasons I have not been posting are the following: I am pregnant and for the first 3 months I was so nauseous I could not think about cooking or writing about food. I was also so tired with this pregnancy that any free time I had, I spent napping.
I am now in my second trimester and feeling much better. I am looking forward to sharing some new recipes. Hopefully I will find some time to experiment and post between mommy and me classes and potty training. Just while writing this post I had to stop twice to chase a little naked butt around to make sure there were no accidents on the carpet.
I am coming back to you now with a recipe worth sharing (or at least I am told its worth it) Unfortunately, I wasn't able to taste these cookies because the original recipe isn't gluten free. However, I am planning on trying this recipe soon using a GF flour blend. (I will post that recipe if they come out good)
These are my husbands favorite store bought cookies and he asked me to try them homemade. I found the recipe from Gale Gand on foodnetwork.com and gave it a try. They are pretty easy to make. You just have to have a piping bag and get the hang of piping them onto the parchment paper. My husband and daughter really enjoyed these cookies and I am definitely going to make them for the upcoming holidays. Enjoy!!
Homemade Milano Cookies (recipe by Gale Gand on foodnetwork.com)
Makes 25-30 cookie (sandwiches)
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon extract
1 1/2 cups flour
Cookie filling, recipe follows
Cookie filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 orange, zested (I did not add this ingredient)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter with a paddle attachment then mix in the sugar. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
2. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated.
3. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 2-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread. (I piped these in "Milano cookie" shapes but slightly thinner because they will spread)
4.Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 9-10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan and transfer to baking rack.
5. To make the filling: In a small saucepan over medium heat, scald cream. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl. Whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools). 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. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies
