Surprise Cookies

These cookies were a huge hit at Easter. My neighbors said they were the perfect combination of flavors and textures. A niece said they were like Ding Dongs wrapped up into a cookie. I say they were just plain yummy.

They are called Surprise Cookies because of the marshmallow surprise tucked under the frosting. Yes, there were a lot of steps to making these cookies but it wasn't complicated. Nate had fun squishing the marshmallows on top. We'll definitely make this part of our regular cookie baking repertoire.

Surprise Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. coarse salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla extract
About 15 large marshmallows, halved crosswise

For the Frosting:

3 c. confectioners' sugar
6 T. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. plus 1 1/2 t. unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/4 c. plus 2 T. whole milk
3/4 t. vanilla extract

Directions:

Make cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.

Using a 1 3/4- inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie. (Press cut side down to avoid getting overly sticky fingers). Bake until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

Make the frosting: Put confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl; set aside. Melt butter with the cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter mixture to the confectioners' sugar. Whisk in milk and vanilla. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of each cookie to cover marshmallow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Note: One of our neighbors froze the cookies and pulled one out each day for a snack. She said that the cookie tasted fresh and there were no ill effects from freezing.