DIY Moon Pie (Pi)

My favorite Moon Pies are the banana ones.  I couldn’t find a good way to make the white chocolate taste like bananas.  So I decided to try and create my own version of a chocolate moon pie.  This is what I came up with.  The cookie recipe is found here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Graham-Cracker-Cookies/, sans the nuts and chocolate pieces.  The marshmallow recipe is found here:  http://cubits.org/ThriftyKitchenCooks/thread/view/42084/ .  I fed my family Chicken Pot Pie (https://www.instructables.com/id/Chicken-or-Turkey-Pot-Pie/)for Supper on Pi Day and the Moon pies were dessert.  This process had three main parts: #1 the Cookie, #2 the marshmallow and then #3 Cover with chocolate.  So here we go!

The Graham Cracker Cookie
Supplies:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
parchment paper,
Not shown: bowls, spoons, rubber scraper, oven, baking sheet,cookie turner, and cooling racks, hand mixer, cookie scoop.

Preheat oven to 375°.  Combined flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and salt in a bowl. 

Mix well. 

Using the hand mixer, beat sugars and butter together,

add the egg and vanilla and beat some more. 

Add the dry ingredients and mix well.  Use a cookie scoop to measure out the dough onto the parchment paper covered baking sheet, about 3 inches apart.  I used the cookie scoop in an attempt to make the cookies uniform in size and shape. 

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes.  Remove from sheet to a cooling rack to cook the cookies.  Makes 15-18 cookies

Marshmallows
Ingredients:
2 (1/4 oz.) envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup fruit flavored gelatin (dry Jello mix your choice of flavor)
2 cups granulated sugar
Not shown: spoons, rubber scraper, stand mixer, knife

In a the mixer bowl, combine unflavored gelatin and cold water, letting it stand for 5 minutes.

Add boiling water and flavored gelatin.

Stir with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until dissolved.  Add sugar.  Stir well.

Using electric mixer on high, beat until the mixture is thick and fluffy, about 15 minutes, longer if you are using a hand mixer.

While beating the marshmallow, lay out 3 cookies for each Moon pie.  Spoon a dollop of finished marshmallow onto 2 of the 3 cookies.  Use a butter knife to spread the marshmallow evenly on each cookie.   Let stand for ½  hour.

Place the marshmallow covered middle piece on top of the bottom piece and the marshmallows cookie on top.  Let stand for another half hour. 

(If you have extra marshmallow, pour the left over into a nonstick spray, prepared pan and let stand at room temperature until firm, about 2 hours. Using a knife that's been dipped into hot water, cut marshmallow into pieces, Roll in powdered sugar, shaking off excess. Store them in an airtight container

Cover with chocolate:
Ingredients:
Chocolate candy coating
Bowl
Spoon
Microwave

Fill a microwave safe glass/ceramic bowl with the chocolate pieces. 

Place in the microwave and cook on high at 1 minute intervals.  Stirring the chocolate after each minute.  Once the chocolate completely melted, let cool for 10 +/- minutes,

then place the cookie, marshmallow sandwich in the chocolate and used the spoon to completely cove it with chocolate.  Drip off as much chocolate as possible then, place it on parchment paper and let the chocolate set.

Since this was for Pi Day, I melted some white chocolate and put it in a zipper plastic bag. 

A cut a very tinny corner of the bag off and wrote the Greek letter Pi  on the top of the Moon pie. 

Done.  It was well liked, but so rich that no one could eat one all by themselves.  Wow!  Enjoy!