Brown Butter Chocolate Bites with

Chile Marshmallow
M ak e s 48 s m a l l bi t e s

I dont attend a lot of potluck events, not because I dont support them 100
percent, but because I tend not to have time to cook something in my home
kitchen and then attend an event the same day. If the stars line up and I can
pull it off, maybe in retirement, I will someday bring these infectious treats to
a potluck. They are the perfect two-bite morsels of party food, somewhere
between a smore and a sgone.
For the cookie layer
1 cup (120 g) flour
teaspoon salt
teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon baking soda
cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 g)
brown butter (page 18), in solid form
but softened
cup (55 g) brown sugar
cup (55 g) sugar
1 egg (50 g liquid egg)
teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate layer
12 ounces (340 g) chocolate (I prefer
the producers El Rey and Tcho, but
they are pricey and hard to find)
2 tablespoons brown butter (page 18)
2 tablespoons corn syrup
teaspoon salt
cup (120 ml) whole milk
4 egg yolks (72 g)
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream, whipped
to soft peaks
For the chile marshmallow
4 egg whites (120 g)
1 cup (225 g) sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder (or
other medium-hot chili powder)
cup (28 g) powdered sugar

308 | Black Trumpet

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and
baking soda.
Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until
light and fluffy, 4 or 5 minutes. Stop to scrape the bottom and sides
of the bowl with a spatula and add the egg and vanilla extract, whisking until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix just
until incorporated.
Spread the batter evenly in the bottom of a sprayed 13 9 inch
(33 23 cm) pan (it should be about inch [0.5 cm] thick) and bake
on the middle rack of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until just
golden and set.
Let cool completely before proceeding to the next step.

MAKE THE COOKIE LAYER:

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE LAYER: Pour 2 inches of water into a

4-quart (4 L) pot and bring up to a high simmer. Combine the chocolate, brown butter, syrup, and salt in a medium bowl and set over the
simmering pot of water. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally with
a rubber spatula to incorporate the ingredients. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg yolks.
Place over the double boiler, stirring often with a rubber spatula until
the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to get the mixture too hot or the eggs will curdle.
If this happens, strain the egg mixture.
Slowly drizzle the eggs and milk into the chocolate mixture, folding gently but constantly with a spatula until well incorporated.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the mixture until its fully incorporated. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.

Spread evenly over the cooled cookie base and chill until set, at
least 4 hours and up to a day. When set, trim the edges (if desired) and
slice into forty-eight small squares.
Hand-whisk the egg whites,
sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 1
minute. Place the bowl over the existing simmering water bath and
hand-whisk continually, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture
warms slightly, about 2 minutes. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer
and, using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed for 5 minutes,
until the mixture is thick and light. Fold in the chile powder. Spread
the marshmallow evenly about a half inch thick on a piece of oilsprayed parchment. Dust the top of the marshmallow with powdered
sugar and let cool.
Serve the marshmallow alongside the Brown Butter Chocolate Bites.

MAKE THE CHILE MARSHMALLOW:

Early Fall | 309