The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.
Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies are ubiquitous. Every grocery store carries them. They are the cookie you grab when you want to feel a little fancy. They come in different sizes (the mini ones are so cute!) and different flavors.
Although technically not a Milano flavor, I love the Tahiti variety. If you know me, you know I have Polynesian Fever. I heart all things related to French Polynesia and bring it up often in my posts.
Me & Tiki in Hiva Oa, Marquesas in French Polynesia
Immediately after reading the July Challenge for the Daring Bakers I knew I would be flavoring the cookie with coconut and lime and visiting the islands. The Tahiti Cookie is chocolate sandwiched by two ridged round coconut cookies.
To make my version, I used unsweetened coconut flakes, lime oil, and Tahitian vanilla extract. I tried to make them round by drawing circles on parchment paper and spreading a tiny bit of dough using a teaspoon. They ended up looking like regular Milano Cookies, but they tasted tropical and were a delicious reminder of the islands.
Tahitian Milan Cookies
Recipe adapted from Gale Gand
Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies
- 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
- 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
- 2 tablespoons Tahitian vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lime oil
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- Cookie filling, recipe follows
Cookie filling:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 lime, zested
1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lime oil.
3. Add the flour and and coconut, mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. 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.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.
We had the option of only baking one type of cookie to complete the challenge. I didn’t have the time to make the Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies, but hope to make them one day.
Oh I ♥ the twist to the Milanos. That sounds just wonderful. I ♥ it when we work around a basic & give it a personal stamp. Fabulous! I didn’t get to the Milanos, but the Mallows were outstanding & well appreciated!
Oh!ho! Madame went fancy on us… Tahitian vanilla…
Beautiful, Pink!
n’achetant que rarement des biscuits à l’épicerie, je n’ai fait connaissance avec ces biscuits qu’en les faisant! C’est super bon et les tiens sont super réussis 🙂
WOW! Perfection! And I LOVE the flavors you used! I really have to try this one! Gorgeous, gorgeous!
They sound awesome. I’ve never heard of the Tahiti cookie before.
Thanks for the links to your French Polynesia posts!
My kids love the Milano cookies – especially the mint version. How fun!
These look perfect- great job! I actually preferred the mallows and they were really fun to make. You should definitely add them to your list.
These look and sound perfect. I’ll have to try your variation someday 🙂
Those look absolutely amazing!! My kids love Milano’s but I hardly ever buy them because I like our cookies to be home baked. They are so gonna be glad I’ve been reading your blog when I make these!!
Peace, Stephanie
The cookies look fantastic! I love the flavors you selected. My husband and I almost went to French Polynesia for our honeymoon but ended up in Hawaii instead. I still dream of visiting some day 🙂
Yum, your Milanos came out beautifully! They’re making me hungry all over again.
Gorgeous cookies! Love them!!
These sound delicious! I followed the recipe as it was written for the challenge, and I thought that the lemon extract in the Milan cookies was a bit overpowering. I really like your adapted version of the recipe – the lime and Tahitian vanilla sound like a perfect flavor combo for the cookies!
Pinkstripe Milano’s are very fancy, I think…..
Those just look scrumptious! How much coconut did you use and did you pulverize it before adding it to the batter? unsweet or sweetened ? I don’t see little coco bumps….. 🙂 Smooth
AmyRuth
They look beautiful! Lime, coconut and Tahitian vanilla sound very delicious!
love the flavor twist!
Really tasty looking cookies!
Any type of Milanos would be great, but I especially like the tropical vibe you and your cookies have going on. Great job! Cute picture, too.
Lovely recipe the cookies look amazing.
Those look gorgeous! And thanks for the tip about the ciabatta, and the kind words, as well.
The photos are lovely, especially the one of you as I like you a whole lot better than chocolate. That said, the cookie part of the cookie sandwich looks really good and I would be tempted to eat them ALL with no filling! Great job, they look really nice. and so do you.
Oh! What an interesting flavour! I think I’ll have to give that a try some time 😀
yum, yum, YUM! i love your flavor combinations here, and i love the idea of a homemade milano. brilliant.
My dad just gave me 2 bags of limes, not prize for guessing what I’ll be doing with them! Thanks for the inspiration!
your cookies look great (and nice to see what you look like too!)
Sounds like a wonderful twist on a classic!
coconut and lime? yum. maybe even better than my favorite orange flavored ones 🙂
Nice job on the cookies! I missed this one entirely–something had to give this month, and the DB challenge was it. Like you, I hope to try the marshmallow ones at some point, since I’m sure my marshmallow-loving girls would adore them.
That flavor combination sounds yummy!!
Not only are your Milans beautiful, but coconut and lime..OMG! I would LOVE to have a taste of those! That said, very well done, and I love the photo of you next to the tiki! It isn’t cursed, is it? LOL (Brady Bunch Hawaii ref)
wow! This sounds super yummy!
This sounds great and I know my husband would love these! Great job!
Looks and sounds delicious!
These are wonderful! (I love Pepperidge Farm cookies, to be honest, but a homemade version has to be many many times better.)
Coconut, lime and Tahitian vanilla – oh my, that sounds absolutely divine! Great creativity and lovely pics – well done!
I am lovin’ your tropical variation on these cookies. We don’t have Milano cookies here in Oz, so they are entirely new to me – although mine did not turn out as I would have liked :(.
Lovely flavour variation! Terrific job!
Lovely and I really like the sound of Tahitan Milan cookies.
I still haven’t tried the lime and coconut flavor combo. I need to remedy that asap! I bet that was a nice surprise when everyone bit into your cookie thinking it was one thing Milanos but really another.
~ingrid
Great looking tropical cookie. Wonder how they would taste with some coconut ice cream…..
Coconut and lime, of course 😛 It does sound quite tasty, and they look wonderful!
A very cool spin on the Milans, yum!
They look beautiful, Wendy! I love the tropical slant too. I only had time to make one kind of cookie too, and I did the Mallows. I hope to try these out too.