July 28: Milk Chocolate Middles

Milk Chocolate Middles

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (6.8 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (5 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar plus an extra cup for rolling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup toasted and finely chopped pecans
24 milk chocolate candies, such as Hershey's Kisses
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets.
2. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add 3/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Continue beating on medium speed until smooth, and then beat in the vanilla and egg yolk. By hand, stir in the flour mixture and the pecans.
4. Wrap about 1 tablespoon of dough around each chocolate candy, making sure to cover the candy completely. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over or dip the tops of the dough balls in cinnamon sugar. Arrange on the baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Place a wire rack over foil or waxed paper and transfer the cookies to the rack. While the cookies are still warm, sprinkle the tops with the remaining confectioners' sugar and let the remaining fall on the paper, reserving it for later. When the cookies are cool, reroll the cookies in the reserved confectioners' sugar.

Adding the confectioners' sugar

Adding the egg yolk and vanilla

Adding the flour mixture

Adding the pecans

(Hershey Kiss is inside)

This step of sprinkling sugar on them while they were warm was unnecessary

Thoughts: Confectioners' sugar is not my favorite because it gets everywhere! But other than that, this was an ok cookie to make although I would skip the sprinkling of powdered sugar on the warm cookies due to the fact that you reroll them in the sugar once they are cool. Patrick didn't like this cookie at all and I only ate half of one. I don't know whether we tried them before they had completely cooled or what, but they were mushy.