You all start baking projects at 9 pm the night before leaving for vacation, right? Ok, good. It hit me that I wouldn’t be in my kitchen for 5 or 6 days and suddenly, I just had to make one last thing. It also gave me another excuse to put off packing for a few more hours, I’d been coming up with them all day, why stop at 9 o’clock. Yes, procrastination is my middle name. Some projects are worth a few less hours of sleep anyway.
So, moon pies – have you heard of them? There are 3 components – the buttery graham cookies, fluffy marshmallow filling and dark chocolate coating. Sort of like a modified s’mores, and who doesn’t love s’mores? Don’t be put off by the seemingly long ingredient list, or what appears to be a lengthy set of instructions. Each component is very doable, and if you’re organized, you can work on multiple components at once. Shawnda gave some good tips on how to do just that in her post. From start to finish, these took me maybe 2 hours at most. I was never a huge fan of the store-bought moon pies (the marshmallow was always so rubbery, eww!), but like just about everything, the homemade version doesn’t even compare. Had we not been leaving on vacation, these probably wouldn’t even have lasted a full day at our house. Instead, I had half of one for breakfast as I packed the next morning, and left the remaining moon pies in the fridge for my mom. She’s kind enough to keep an eye on things at our place while we’re gone, so it was the least I could do.
Just a few quick notes on the moon pies. I found the cookies a bit fragile so I wouldn’t advise trying to pipe the marshmallow in the center and press down on the cookies to push it out to the edges. I broke a few that way – still as delicious, but messy. Instead, pipe it within 1/8 to 1/4-inch of the edge (to allow for a little spreading) and then just top with the second cookie. Also, the recipe makes more marshmallow than you’ll need for the filling so I’d either scale back, or spread the leftover marshmallow in a baking dish to make marshmallow squares. You could even use them to make s’mores when all of your moon pies are gone 🙂
Homemade Moon Pies
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride (who adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather)
Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup graham flour (or whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Marshmallow Filling
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
Chocolate Coating
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon shortening
To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the all-purpose flour, graham flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla; beat until the dough comes together and looks uniform. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes (this will make it easier to roll out).
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll until it is about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut cookies from the dough. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until you have 12 cookies. Use a thin spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet – I put all 12 on one sheet. They’ll be pretty close, but that’s fine, they don’t spread much.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown and set. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before trying to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the marshmallow filling: Add 1/3 cup cold water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and sprinkle the packet of gelatin over top (no need to stir). Set aside.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and water in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture registers 234 F on an instant-read thermometer. With the mixer on low speed, slowly (and carefully) add the hot sugar in a steady stream down the side of the mixer bowl. When fully incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the marshmallow is fluffy and thick, about 15 minutes (the side of the mixer bowl should be room temperature).
When the cookies are completely cool, pair them by size. Spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray and use it to transfer the marshmallow to a large pastry bag. Pipe 2-3 tablespoons of the filling onto one side of each pair of cookies. Pipe it within about 1/4 to 1/2-inch of the edges. Place the other cookie on top to make a sandwich (the cookies are a bit fragile so you don’t want to press on the sandwich too much to get the filling to the edge). Pop the sandwiches in the fridge for about 10 minutes to allow the marshmallow to set.
To make the chocolate coating: Add the chocolate and shortening to a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts at 50% power, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. To dip the sandwiches, I held each one on a fork and submerged it, then used the fork to fish it out, letting excess chocolate drip off. The side that was touching the fork will be the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack set over a piece of wax paper. When you’ve dipped all of the sandwiches, transfer to the refrigerator to set. (I don’t advise leaving them on the wire rack all night, or else you will have to chisel them off in the morning.) Once set, transfer the moon pies to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Makes 6 moon pies
I definitely fall victim to baking when I should be packing for a trip. But what a great way to be sent off!
They’re perfect! A pretty impressive send-off before vacation, too 🙂
These look SO GOOD!!! They’re perfect! Must make ASAP. Can’t believe you made them just before a vacation.
These look so much like the original. They also look absolutely delicious.
yum. That looks like way more fun than packing.
These really have a professional appearance, more so than most that I have seen. I am glad you posted the recipe for this, great tips and instructions. Enjoy your vacation!
I love moon pies! And these deffinitely look better than the store bought kind 🙂
They are so perfect, they brought tears to my eyes!!! Jackie
This comes under the category of wouldn’t make it myself, but would like someone to make it for me. I am reminded of a very close friend from a very long time ago whose favorite snack was “an RC coca cola and a moon pie.”
These are GORGEOUS!!
How fun – but now I’m trying to think if I’ve ever had a moon pie. If not, why not? Yours look absolutely amazing. Hope you are having a wonderful vacation.
Perfection!!!! Sheer perfection, mine would be gooey messy blobs no doubt but ive come to learn that you are nothing short of a baking genius haha 🙂
Am I the only one who thinks of of Sam Rockwell in “The Green Mile” everytime I see a moon pie? These look delicious!
I think Ia m super woman the night before a trip and think I can bake, rearrange my house, dye my hair, and paint my nails, all in 3 hours. I fail, every time. But I try, again, and again, and again. Oy Vey, when will I learn. I’m pretty sure I would scoop all the crumbled cookies (delicate cookies in my hands = crumbly mess), leftover marshmallow filling, and chocolate into a dish and eat it, by the spoonful. You did an amazing job!
These are too cute and look so tasty! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 have fun on the trip!!
Those look like sheer delight!
Haha Tracey. 9pm on the eve of vacation is the perfect time to start a baking project! I’m a complete procrastinator and always have a warped sense of time in my head. I’m certain I can do way more in a given time period than what is possible in time and space continuum!
Your moon pies look delicious.
Hope you are enjoying your vacation. I saw the duck fat fries you post on FB. Sounds amazing!
Tracey, these look amazing! Definitely worth a few less hours of sleep. I think I’ve only had a moon pie once and it was kind of gross, but I’m sure a homemade version is spectacular.
Have a great vacation!
I love the sound of these! They’re so pretty too!
Wow, they look awesome! They look like a biscuit we have in Australia. We call them Wagon Wheels, and have shortbread-style biscuits and raspberry jam under the marshmallow. I might have to give this recipe a go!
Hand raised! I have definitely spent way too much time cooking before a big trip. That and cleaning out under my bathroom sink. I think I would have been tempted by these cookies, too. They look 100x better than the originals.
Those look perfectly like Moon Pies and delicious!
I don’t like that rubbery marshmallow either. These look a million times better than store bought!
I did some of these for a bake sale a couple weeks back. I’ve never been a fan of the store bought versions either. However, these were awesome! I used the whole wheat version of the cookie, big marshmallows from the store, and choc chips melted w/ a bit of canola.
The graham crackers were fantastic, and I may have spoiled myself for ever eating another store bought one again. I snipped the marshmallows and spread them around then put them under a broiler to soften them. Worked like a charm. Then spooned the choc over them. They were so yummy. Highly recommended
I saw a box of moonpies the other day and my friend asked if they were next on my copycat roll I have been on (w/ twix and Whatchamacalits). Now, I see these! I may have to try them, especially since they look way tastier than the boxed. Thanks for this!
WOW, these are gorgeous! Your chocolate coating is so smooth. My husband loves Moonpies (from the box), and I can’t stand them because the cookies are so dry and the filling is so gooey. I’ll have to give homemade ones a try! Thanks for sharing.
You are such an incredible talent int he kitchen. These look super delish and way better than the store-bought kind.
I had thought moon pies were the same as whoopie pies. These look seriously good. And, doesn’t everyone bake before traveling? haha Relatives we visit are often eager for baked goods from us.
I just made the moon pies and they are amazing!! I replaced the filling, though, with a marshmallow cream:
I melted 100 gr marshmallows in 150 ml cream (in the microwave), and cooled to room temperature. I whipped another 200 ml cream, mixed in the marshmallows-cream mixture, and cooled it in the fridge. It sets pretty quickly and can be easily spread on the cookies.
I have never had moon-pies before, so thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Hooray for last minute baking! These look so tasty! I’ve never had a store-bought Moon Pie, but I don’t doubt that yours are better. Hope you had/have a good trip!
I made these last night. Yum yum yum! I love the crispy/crumbly texture of the cookies.
how can i copy the recipe with out copying all the comments ?
I use to have these all the time when I lived in TN. Well, I bought them, didn’t make them. But now I think I will try. Thought I would never see them again until I took a trip back home! Thank you so much for the recipe! Do you happen to know how to make the banana moon pies too?