Chocolate Mallow Drop Cookie

By LoriCaputo

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (7 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 5/8 ounces) cocoa*
• 1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) shortening
• 1 cup (7 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk
• 24 regular-sized marshmallows, halved across the equator

Preparation

Step 1

Dough: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set the mixture aside.

In a separate bowl, beat together the shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla, beating until the mixture is light-colored and creamy. Add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture alternately with the milk, stirring to blend after each addition.

Shaping: Using a teaspoon cookie scoop, your fingers, or a spoon, scoop out small balls (1 1/4-inch diameter) of dough. Place them on lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between them.

Baking: Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and top each one with half a marshmallow, cut side down. Return the cookies to the oven and bake them for an additional 4 minutes; the marshmallows will feel slightly soft when you touch them.

Remove the cookies from the oven, and gently flatten each marshmallow half with the back of a spoon. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

Topping: Combine the chocolate and cream or milk in a microwave-safe bowl, or in a small, heavy saucepan. Heat the mixture until the milk is hot; remove it from the heat, and stir till the chocolate melts, reheating if necessary. Dip out a bit with a spoon, and see if it'll drizzle off the end; if not, add additional milk or cream till it will. (It won't be a smooth drizzle, but it should flow fairly easily.) Using the spoon, drizzle a bit of chocolate atop each cookie; any leftover can be used on ice cream. The chocolate will harden as it cools. Yield: about 5 dozen 1 1/2- to 2-inch cookies.