Honey Marshmallow Crème Swirl Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

    September

Their summer romance
over, the lovers
still cling
to each other

the way the green
leaves cling 
to their trees 
in the strange heat

of September, as if
this time
there will be
no autumn.
                             ~ Linda Pastan, from "The Months"     

September drifts through the year like a distracted moth. It's a manic 30 days and I often find myself equally disoriented. It feels as though I'm trudging through an ethereal bayou; unfulfilled hopes are willingly tangled in summer's beckoning reeds as idealistic eyes catch the first willowy blush of leaves and the promise of a new chapter. My heart can't process which season, what ambiance, it wants to embrace.

This hungry fidgeting month, with its quiet longing for a place to land, still manages to put on a marvelous show year after year. September hides her sorrow behind a sweet honeycrisp breeze and smoldering sunsets. Her rain, though not as verdant and lush as June's, is soft and cosy and drips with moss covered sylvan aromas. I empathize with my mercurial birth month, we're so very much alike with our unquenchable ache for the intangible (and stubborn reticence to simply reach for errant helpful branches).

We're also, apparently, besotted with honey. September is National Honey month! I don't bake about it often but honey is an infinite source of comfort + pleasure. It's been a warm, edible blanket since early childhood days spent with Winni-the-Pooh (and my beloved Eeyore!).

The marshmallow crème was made without a planned destiny. I toyed with the idea of using it on my birthday cake (which has yet to be made, even though the date has passed), but thoughts of cookies, particularly chocolate chunk cookies, have been tiptoeing on my taste buds for several weeks. The fates were deviously kind when they whispered in my ear to combine mallow + cookies.

Almost every recipe for marshmallow crème calls for corn syrup so I crossed my fingers that honey would yield the same fluffy texture and satin smooth appearance (it did. It. So. Did!!). If you're not uncomfortable using a candy thermometer, the crème is relatively easy to conjure up. The cookies only require about a half batch of marshmallow so I highly *highly* recommended making fluffernutters. When you try the toothsome sandwich with homemade marshmallow fluff, you will float off the ground in a trance-like state of blissful euphoria.

It took a few tasty attempts but I finally achieved the ideal crème "swirl." As indicated in the recipe, try to avoid over-stirring the marshmallow into the cookie dough. I also dolloped a small amount of crème onto each cookie just before baking; at this point you can either leave one splendid clump or gently swirl the marshmallow into the lucky cookies (both renditions were deliriously scrumptious!).

I'm still thinking (too?) deeply on a birthday cake; stay tuned. ; )

honey marshmallow crème swirl dark chocolate chunk cookies
makes about 24-27 cookies

marshmallow fluff {adapted from Chow}
2 room temp. egg whites
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

method
Place egg whites in bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on med-high speed until soft peaks form; set aside. (Leave everything attached, you will be using the mixer again.)

In a medium-size heavy-bottom saucepan, combine honey, water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring just till sugar has dissolved. Cook till mixture reaches 240 F. on a candy thermometer.

Set stand mixer on low speed. Slowly drizzle about 2-3 Tablespoons of the cooked sugar mixture into egg whites. Continue slowly streaming in hot sugar mixture (don't add too much at once or the egg whites will scramble). When all the sugar has been added, increase mixer to med-high speed and whip until marshmallow fluff is stiff + glossy (about 5-8 minutes). Add almond extract and beat to combine.

Cover bowl tightly or place in airtight container, refrigerate until ready to use. {Note; well covered, the marshmallow fluff can be stored about five days in fridge.}

cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I used a mix of chopped chunks and chips)
about 1/2 batch of marshmallow fluff (recipe above) 
sea salt (for sprinkling)

method
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy + smooth (about 5 minutes on medium speed). Add egg yolks and egg, one at a time, beating for about one minute after each addition - scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. Add almond extract and beat till combined. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until just blended (try not to overmix). Remove paddle attachment and use a large rubber spatula or wooded spoon to stir in chopped chocolate.

Remove marshmallow fluff from fridge and add about half to the cookie dough. Gently fold fluff into the dough but do not overmix, you want to see the fluff peeking through the dough. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Cover remaining marshmallow fluff for later use. 

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

For each cookie, measure out a rounded Tablespoonful of dough. Arrange cookies on prepared sheet, allowing for about 1 1/2-inches of spreading room. Use the bottom of a measuring teaspoon to make a small indentation in each cookie (don't go all the way through to the bottom). Dollop a small amount of reserved marshmallow fluff into each indentation. {Note; at this point you can either leave the clump of fluff atop cookies, or use a small offset spatula to gently swirl it through the dough.} Sprinkle cookies with a little bit of sea salt.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Do Not Overbake. Even though they appeared slightly underbaked at first, my cookies were perfect after 10 minutes.

Remove sheet from oven and allow cookies to rest for about 8-10 minutes or until firm enough to transfer to cooling rack.

Use remaining marshmallow fluff  to make sandwich cookies, or combine with peanut butter to create fluffernutters!!