In honor of our recent solar eclipse (we were in the path of totality, and holy cow… it was ah-mazing), I made a homemade moon pie to celebrate the momentous occasion. There are lots of different recipes online–some individual, hand dipped cookies, some cake-like and frosted. Since I wasn’t in the mood for baking, assembling, and dipping a bunch of sandwich cookies, we did some tweaking of several different recipes and came up with one easy-ish giant moon pie that tastes like an individual cookie, but slices like a cake. It’s the best of both worlds!
Ingredients:
For the cookies
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars, and salt together with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla; beat until incorporated. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and cornstarch together. Add it to the butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Gather the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Press the chilled dough into two 9 inch cake pans lined with parchment paper Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the filling
3 Tablespoons water
1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra sugar
2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
Heat the water, corn syrup and sugar (reserve the 1 1/2 teaspoons for later) in a saucepan to 246F. Meanwhile, in a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until foamy, about two minutes. While mixing, add the extra 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. Beat until soft peaks form, about two minutes. When the sugar mixture reaches 246F, slowly pour it into the egg mixture and beat about seven minutes until it becomes light, fluffy and sticky. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside until ready to assemble the moon pie.
For the chocolate glaze
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Add chocolate and oil to a heatproof bowl and microwave for thirty second intervals, stirring each time until the chocolate is smooth and silky. Set aside for assembly.
Assembly
When the cookies are cooled, place one on a plate and top with marshmallow fluff spread evenly on the bottom layer. Place the second cookie directly on top, then drizzle with melted chocolate. Spread over top, while carefully pushing “drips” over the edge. Place in the refrigerator to firm up the marshmallow fluff and chocolate. Slice and serve.
Enjoy!
