Let’s make half moon cookies for your total eclipse party! These recipes for the cookie, chocolate ganache and buttercream are so good I use all three for other treats.
I grew up in upstate New York, specifically the Endwell/Endicott area. I attended Union Endicott High School. Right down the street was a small bakery owned and operated by a family from Germany called Elk’s Bakery. My friends and I would go there often on our lunch hour. We would get pizza, eclairs, cream puffs, cinnamon twists and half moon cookies. These are clearly my favorites because that just rolled off my tongue. Such great memories.
The bakery is no longer there, however, the daughter released a cook book with their recipes!!! I couldn’t believe it when I discovered this. It’s titled Reminiscences of a Baker’s Daughter and is available on Amazon here. All of the pastries we used to get are in this book. This is their half moon cookie. Which I am bringing you just in time for your Total Eclipse Party next week!
A few tips to help you make your Half Moon Cookies from Elk’s Bake Shop
Since these recipes have been adapted from professional bakery scale for home use some of the ingredients aren’t exact. Specifically the flour. She suggests baking one cookie first to see how it bakes. If is bakes flat and doesn’t dome like the half moon cookie should then you need to add a little more flour, maybe 2-4 tablespoons and try again. I think it’s worth the time to do this.
Also I’m not usually a stickler for tools but when I am I tell you. You want to use a large cookie scoop for this recipe. That way your cookies will be round and all the same size which will be helpful for your bake time. I’ve linked one for you HERE if you don’t have one.
Let’s make these half moon cookies for your total eclipse next week!
I hope you enjoyed this post for Let’s Make Half Moon Cookies For Your Total Eclipse Party! Let me know if you try them.
Half Moon Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dutch-process cocoa 94g dutch-process cocoa must be used for best flavor and moisture
- 3½ cup cake flour 420g
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2¼ cup sugar 450g
- 1⅔ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1⅓ cup milk, room temperature
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350°, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- sift together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and soda
- in a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until well creamed for 2 minutes
- add eggs and beat until fluffy
- add flour mix in thirds, alternating with two additions of milk until batter is well blended
- batter should be fairly thick (test baking one cookie first, cookies should bake by spreading and crowning in the middle – if the cookie is flat add a little more flour to batter)
- drop batter using a large cookie scoop, at least 2" apart
- bake for 8-12 minutes (cookie is done when touched lightly it springs back), let cool completely
- frost with buttercream and chocolate frostings – recipes at www.sharonmyideas.com/lets-make-half-moon-cookies-for-your-total-eclipse-party
- frost the FLAT SIDE OF THE COOKIE one half of the cookie with butter cream frosting using a large mound of frosting and spread by tapering at the edges, do the same with the chocolate frosting on the other half
Notes
Nutrition
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsweetned cocoa
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp light corn syrup
- pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1½ oz boiling water
Instructions
- combine together cocoa, butter, light corn syrup, salt and vanilla until it looks like wet coffee grounds
- add powdered sugar on top of fudge base
- add boiling water and stir until icing is smooth
- double ingredients for a batch of cupcakes or to ice a two layer cake
Nutrition
Butter Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- ¼ cup shortening
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tbsp milk
- ½ egg white
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- beat shortening and butter together until fluffy
- add milk, egg white, vanilla, salt and 2 cups of powdered sugar, beat until well mixed
- add remaining sugar and beat on high speed for 3 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy
- double ingredients for an entire batch of cupcakes or to ice a whole cake
