Moon Pie Food

SOUTHERN MOON PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
• To Make Cookie Crusts: In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine and white sugar. Add egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Add flour mixture slowly to sugar mixture while stirring. Mix just until all ingredients are combined.
• Drop the dough onto greased cookie sheet by rounded tablespoonfuls. Leave at least 3 inches in between each one; dough will spread as it bakes.
• Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until firm when pressed with finger. Allow to cool at least one hour before filling.
• To Make Marshmallow Filling: In a medium mixing bowl, blend together 1/2 cup butter or margarine, confectioners' sugar, flavored extract, and marshmallow creme. Mix until smooth. Assemble pies by spreading 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of filling on flat side of a cookie crust, then covering filling with flat side of another cookie crust.

MOON PIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the graham crumbs, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine. Add the graham mixture and beat to incorporate. Knead with your hands to bring the dough together into a ball.
• Flatten the dough into a disk, place it on a piece of parchment paper and roll with a rolling pin into an 11-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 8 cookies. Reroll the scraps to 1/4 inch and cut out 2 more cookies. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Discard the dough scraps.
• Bake the cookies until the undersides are golden brown and the tops are just set, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
• Put about 2 tablespoons of marshmallow creme in the center of a cookie (do not spread) and top with a second cookie to make a sandwich. The creme will ooze to fill the sandwich as it sits. Repeat with the remaining cookies, then freeze until the creme is firm, about 20 minutes.
• For the glaze: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a cooling rack on top. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper.
• Put the chocolate candy coating in a heatsafe bowl (the smallest, deepest bowl it can fit in without surpassing the rim). Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Submerge a cookie sandwich in the melted chocolate and pull it out using 2 forks, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to the prepared cooling rack and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Transfer to the oiled parchment on the second baking sheet to set. Repeat with the remaining cookie sandwiches.

MOON PIE

Steps:

• For the moon pie cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 large baking sheets.
• Melt the butter with the marjoram in a large saucepan on low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Add the egg whites one at a time and stir until well blended after each addition. Stir in the flour.
• Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake, one baking sheet at a time, until the edges of the cookies are browned (the centers should remain pale), 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• For the marshmallow filling: In a small bowl, soak the gelatin in 2 cups of cool water to soften.
• In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, mix together the sugar, corn syrup and honey. (Note that you will use this saucepan twice, to make the syrup and melt the gelatin, eliminating the need to wash it between uses.) Place the saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, pour in the egg whites and beat on low speed until frothy. Add the pinch of salt. When the sugar syrup reaches about 210 degrees F, increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat the whites until they are thick and fluffy.
• When the syrup reaches 245 degrees F, while the mixer is running on high speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the whites, pouring so that the syrup does not fall on the whisk (or some of the syrup will splatter and stick to the sides of the bowl). Continue mixing.
• Scrape the gelatin and 1/3 cup of the soaking water into the pan that you used for the syrup. There should still be enough residual heat left in the pan from making the syrup to dissolve the gelatin.
• Pour the liquefied gelatin slowly into the whites as they are whipping. Add the vanilla paste and continue to whip until the mixture feels completely cool when you touch the outside of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
• Immediately pipe the marshmallow into the cookies and sandwich.

MOON PIE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease or spray with cooking spray (NOT the kind with flour added) a 15x11 inch jelly roll pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and butter; bring to a rolling boil (to evenly distribute the fats).
• 2. Add the flour and heat for an additional 2 minutes while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. (the full mixture will form into a ball.) Place the heated mixture into a mixing bowl with paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes until most of the steam dissipates.
• 3. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well & scraping the bowl after each addition at medium speed. The pate a choux should form a hook off the end of the paddle when it's turned upright, and should be smooth and shiny but not runny. Spread the pate a choux on the prepared pan (I use a greased large offset spatula). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack.
• 4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, stir together the milk and pudding mix and cook according to the box directions. Spread on the cooled crust and refrigerate until set.
• 5. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and whipped topping until well blended. Spread over the pudding layer.
• 6. Heat the hot fudge topping per the microwave instructions on the package. Drizzle over the top layer in a decorative design of your choice. * I pour the heated hot fudge in a spouted bottle, draw horizontal lines 1/2" to 1" apart over the complete dessert, then drag a toothpick through the lines.

MOON PIE BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut your Moon Pies into pieces, and place 4 pies worth of pieces into the bottom of a large oblong serving dish. Add a layer of two of the sliced bananas over that.
• Mix sugar and eggs together, blending well, in a large heavy saucepan. Add cornstarch and milk.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring constantly. Cook until thickened.
• Remove pan from heat and add vanilla, mixing well. Allow to cool slightly.
• Pour half of the pudding mixture over the Moon Pies and bananas. Add your final 4 chopped Moon Pies and the 2 remaining sliced bananas on top of the pudding, then top with the rest of the pudding.
• Cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap, laying it down on the pudding to prevent a "skin" from forming.
• Once the pudding is completely cooled, top with Cool Whip and refrigerate until ready to serve.

MOON PIE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• In one bowl, combine eggs, milk and seasonings.
• In a separate bowl, combine bread and moon pies.
• Pour liquid ingredients over bread and gently fold to combine.
• Butter baking dishes and divide mixture evenly between the two.
• Refridgerate for an hour and a half.
• Cube butter and distribute evenly over top of each dish.
• Bake in a water bath at 350 degrees uncovered for 45 minutes, or until toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
• Serve with a traditional bread pudding sauce (use your leftover Mardi Gras whiskey!).