Mini Italian Mud Pies Food

LAURA'S HOUSE FAMOUS MUD PIES

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan bring milk, butter, sugar, and cocoa to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for about 1 1/2 minutes. Add vanilla and peanut butter and stir well. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by any size onto waxed paper. Let cool and dry in a warm, dry place.

MINI MOON PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• To make the Dough: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until soft and smooth. Add the sugar and continue mixing until well blended. Add the vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, cornstarch and flour. With the mixer running at low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and blend just until combined. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
• On a floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick, or as thin as you can possibly get it. Use flour-dipped cookie cutters to cut out 1 1/2 inch diameter circles and place them on an ungreased sheet pan, leaving 1-inch between the cookies. You can re-roll the scraps. To make them look more like store bought, prick the disks with a fork a little. Bake until crisp, 12 to 14 minutes, then let cool on the pan
• To make the Marshmallows: Combine the 1/4 cup water, the corn syrup, and the sugar in a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil and cook to "soft-ball" stage, or about 235 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, in a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons water and let dissolve. When the syrup reaches 235 degrees F, remove it from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix. Pour the syrup into the whipped egg whites. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
• Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe a "kiss" of marshmallow onto half of the cookies, and top with the rest to make sandwiches. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
• To make the Chocolate Coating: Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-filled cookies into the hot chocolate. Lift out with a fork and let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Place on the cookie sheet and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

BEST MUD PIE

Steps:

• Freeze the crust until firm, about 30 minutes. Place half the coffee ice cream into a bowl, and let it stand about 10 minutes to soften. Return remaining ice cream to the freezer. Mix softened ice cream with the mini chocolate chips. Spread the ice cream and chips in an even layer over the frozen crust. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 2 hours.
• Heat the topping in the microwave on low until warm and easy to pour, 30 seconds to 1 minute (do not let the sauce get very hot). Pour into a bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons cookie crumbs for garnish; stir remaining cookie crumbs into the fudge topping. Remove the pie from the freezer, and layer the cookie crumbs and fudge topping mixture over the ice cream with chips. Cover with plastic wrap, and return to freezer for 2 hours.
• Take the remaining frozen coffee ice cream out of the freezer, and allow to stand for about 10 minutes to soften. Layer the ice cream over the layer of cookie crumbs and fudge topping. Cover with plastic wrap, and return to freezer for 2 more hours.
• Remove pie, and frost the top of the pie with the whipped topping. Top with the reserved cookie crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap, and return to freezer for 2 more hours to freeze the whipped topping layer. Cut the pie into serving pieces, and drizzle each serving with about 1 tablespoon of the chocolate syrup.