Chocolate Marshmallow Malt Food

MALT CHOCOLATE AND MARSHMALLOW SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Prepare the cookies: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, malted chocolate powder and baking powder.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey and salt. Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture and heavy cream. Mix on low speed until it comes together in a smooth dough. Transfer to a work surface and pat into a 1-inch disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Wash and dry the mixing bowl and set aside.
• Prepare the ganache topping: Transfer the chocolate pieces to a small bowl. In a small pot, heat the cream gently over low heat until it just begins to steam, about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate pieces. Allow the chocolate and cream mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is smooth. Set aside.
• Position oven racks near the center and heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Once the dough is chilled, unwrap and place the dough in the center of a sheet of parchment. Place the second sheet of parchment on top and roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Peel off the top layer of parchment and use it to line one of the baking sheets. Line a second baking sheet with parchment. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out cookies and transfer them to the lined baking sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart. Press scraps together, and fold the remaining parchment over the dough. Reroll and cut out rounds. (You can reroll the dough up to 2 times.) Bake until the cookies are set and the tops lose their shine, about 12 minutes, rotating the pans and switching racks halfway through baking. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes before moving the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the marshmallow filling: In a small pot, combine the sugar, honey, salt and 1/4 cup water. Stir to incorporate and cook over medium-high until the sugar dissolves and the temperature of the syrup reaches 240 degrees, about 5 minutes.
• Add 1/4 cup water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle in the gelatin and gently stir to moisten the grains. Allow the gelatin to bloom, about 3 minutes, while the sugar mixture cooks.
• When the sugar reaches 240 degrees and the gelatin has bloomed, turn the mixer on low, and slowly add the syrup in an even stream. Increase the speed to high and whip the mixture until the meringue is thick and doubled, about 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag, seal the top by twisting, snip the end and set aside.
• Assemble the cookies: Pipe a 1-inch mound of meringue on the flat side of half the cookies, leaving a 1/8-inch border. Allow to set for 2 to 3 minutes, then top each with another cookie. Thoroughly stir the ganache until smooth. Spoon a tablespoon of ganache in the center of each top cookie and spread evenly over the surface, allowing the ganache to drip down the sides. (If your ganache is completely cooled and set at this point, you can stir and spread it like frosting, or see Tip below for loosening.) Once all the cookies have been topped with ganache, allow the ganache to set slightly, about 5 minutes, and top each with gold leaf accents or luster dust, if using. Allow the cookies to set before serving, about 15 minutes.

CHOCOLATE-MALT CAKE

Steps:

• For chocolate-malt crumbs:
• Mix Milk Crumbs and Ovaltine in small bowl. Place white chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 15-second intervals just until melted, stirring occasionally. Drizzle chocolate over Milk Crumb mixture; toss to coat.
• For malt-fudge sauce:
• Place first 4 ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. Combine cream, corn syrup, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture in bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Whisk until sauce is glossy, about 1 minute. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cool completely. Cover and chill. Rewarm just until pourable before using.
• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of each pan with parchment round; coat parchment with nonstick spray. Place chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Melt in microwave in 15-second intervals just until melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and coarse salt into medium bowl. Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup in large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs; beat on low speed to incorporate, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add melted chocolate. Beat until blended, about 1 minute. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium-high speed until pale brown, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed just until blended, about 45 seconds. Divide batter among pans; smooth tops.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pans on racks.
• Stir milk and Ovaltine in small bowl. Invert 1 cake from pan onto flat plate or tart pan bottom; peel off parchment. Place cake, top side down, in 8-inch springform pan. Brush cake with generous 2 1/2 tablespoons Ovaltine-milk mixture. Let Ovaltine-milk mixture soak into cake. Drizzle 1/3 cup malt-fudge sauce over cake; spread evenly over top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate-malt crumbs over sauce. Drizzle 1/3 cup malt-fudge sauce over crumbs. Scatter 1 cup mini marshmallows over. Using kitchen torch, toast marshmallows. Repeat with second cake layer, Ovaltine-milk mixture, malt-fudge sauce, chocolate-malt crumbs, malt-fudge sauce, and marshmallows. Remove third cake from pan; peel off parchment. Place cake, top side down, atop marshmallows on second cake layer. Brush with remaining Ovaltine-milk mixture (assembled cake will rise well above edge of pan). Cover cake with plastic wrap; chill overnight. Cover and chill fudge sauce.
• Run thin knife around sides of pan to release cake. Remove pan sides. Place cake (still on springform pan bottom) on plate. Rewarm sauce just until pourable. Pour over top of cake, allowing sauce to drip over edges. Mound handful of marshmallows in center of cake. Using kitchen torch, toast marshmallows. Sprinkle remaining malt crumbs over cake. Let cake stand at room temperature 3 hours before serving.
• Cut cake into wedges and serve.

CHOCOLATE-MALT MARSHMALLOWS

Steps:

• Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil. Using a small, fine-mesh sieve, dust the pan generously with confectioners' sugar, knocking out any excess.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, malted milk powder, 3 tablespoons corn syrup, and 1 tablespoon hot water. Set aside.
• Put 1/2 cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle the gelatin into the bowl and stir briefly to make sure all the gelatin is in contact with water. Let soften while you make the sugar syrup.
• In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, the remaining cup of corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water. Place over moderate heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Put a candy thermometer into the boiling sugar syrup and continue boiling (the mixture may foam up, so turn the heat down slightly if necessary), without stirring, until the thermometer registers 240°F (soft-ball stage). Remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand briefly until the bubbles dissipate slightly.
• With the mixer on low speed, pour the hot sugar syrup into the softened gelatin in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Gradually increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the marshmallow is very thick and forms a thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted, about 5 minutes.
• Working quickly, scoop out about one-third of the marshmallow (it will be very sticky), add it to the chocolate-malt mixture, and fold until fully incorporated. Return to the mixer and beat until fully incorporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Scrape the marshmallow into the prepared pan (it will be very sticky) and use wet fingertips to spread it evenly and smooth the top. Let stand, uncovered at room temperature, until the surface is no longer sticky and you can gently pull the marshmallow away from the sides of the pan with your fingertips, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Dust a cutting board with confectioners' sugar. Use a rubber spatula to pull the sides of the marshmallow from the edge of the pan (use the spatula to loosen the marshmallow from the bottom of the pan if necessary) and invert onto the cutting board. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Brush a long thin knife or a chef's knife with vegetable oil and dust with confectioners' sugar to prevent sticking; continue dusting the knife as necessary. Cut lengthwise into 8 strips, then crosswise into eighths, to form a total of 64 squares. (For larger marshmallows, cut lengthwise into 6 strips, then crosswise into sixths, to form a total of 36 squares.) Coat marshmallows, one at a time, in confectioners' sugar, using a pastry brush to brush off any excess. DO AHEAD: Marshmallows can be stored, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment in an airtight container in a dry place at cool room temperature, for 1 month.

MALTED MARSHMALLOW WHITE CHOCOLATE ROYALE (PAULA DEEN)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan.
• Cook over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low and keep warm until time to serve.