[ Equipment: Food dehydrator or dehydration oven. For more information about the terminology in this recipe, see Low Temperature Baking: A Journey of 3 Paths ].
The inspiration for these cookies was the classic Rice Krispies Treats. They're molded and baked in a dehydration oven for a dry, crisp texture, very different from the sticky, gooey, greasy feel of old-time, pan-cut Treats squares. Ground almonds give body to the porous rice cereal cookie dough. The center filling is a fused sandwich of papaya and chocolate, a less common yet very delicious mix of flavors. Chocolate piping dresses the cookies up for company.
To make the filling, thin strips of dried papaya are wrapped around a chocolate chip, a variation of the technique for making the date-wrapped chips in my Black Sugar Trifecta cookies. As the cookies bake, the heat melts the chocolate into a layer between the papaya. Fruit leather strips would be an excellent substitute for the papaya. In fact, any number of solid fillings would be excellent in these cookies. A moister filling, such as a mix of peanut butter and chips or peanut butter and nuts, could work. Fillings that are too moist might impede the drying process. Of the fillings I've tried, I made one batch filled with a 1/4 teaspoon of mini chocolate chips, and another batch filled with date-wrapped chips. Candied nuts are up next on my checklist.
The standard substitute for marshmallow creme is marshmallows melted with a small amount of corn syrup, but there are recipes that allow for a direct substitution of marshmallows for marshmallow creme. Since marshmallows are solid at room temperature, a marshmallow binder might set too quickly. As an alternative to corn syrup, a pat of butter melted with the marshmallows might help lengthen the set time. I don't give exact amounts here because I haven't made this substitution yet.
Makes 8 cookies
- 70 calories per cookie
- Oven Temperature: 120-130°F/49-54°C in a dehydrator
Cookies
- 1 cup puffed rice cereal
- 4 tablespoons marshmallow creme
- 1/2 tablespoon light agave syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup finely ground almonds or almond meal
- 2 dried papaya spears
- 8 regular size chocolate chips
- 1 oz. Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bar
Chocolate-Papaya Filling Method:
1. Slice papaya spears into 8 strips about 3/4 x 1-1/2 x 1/16 (inch) strips.
2. Press the pointy tip of a chocolate chip into one end of a strip.
3. Fold the other end of the papaya strip over the chip to form a pocket and press down on the edges to seal the pocket.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the remaining chips.
Chocolate Glaze Method:
Note: Prepare the melted chocolate after the cookies have finished baking and cooled.
1. Chill chocolate bar until hard and break or slice off 1 oz. of chocolate. The picture above shows 1 oz. of pieces from a Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate bar.
2. Slice or chop chocolate into slivers and place in heatproof dish.
3. In a microwave, heat chocolate on HIGH power for 20 to 30 seconds and stir. Repeat heat-stir until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 2 minutes). Alternatively, melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler.
4. Fold a square of wax paper (about 6 x 6 inches) into a small piping bag and fill with melted chocolate. The bag should have a tip hole that extrudes a 1/8-inch line of chocolate. If necessary, enlarge the hole by snipping the tip with scissors.
Cookies Method:
Note: The cookies shown below were baked in my homemade Presto Chango dehydration oven. The instructions may need to be modified to work with commercial food dehydrators.
1. Put ground almonds, marshmallow creme, vanilla and almond extracts, and the agave syrup in a heatproof bowl.
2. Microwave the mixture on HIGH for about 30 seconds until the marshmallow creme has just liquified. Stir to combine ingredients.
3. Add puffed rice cereal and gently stir until evenly coated with the marshmallow creme.
4. With a greased spoon, fill half of a greased 1/8-cup-capacity ice cream scoop with the puffed rice, pressing a slight indentation in the center.
5. Place a papaya-wrapped chip in the center.
6. Fill the scoop to level with more puffed rice mix. With the back of the greased spoon, gently press down on the puffed rice to compact it (without crushing the rice).
7. Release the cookie from the scoop onto a greased dehydrator liner. The one in the picture was cut from wax paper, 8 inches in diameter with a 1/2-inch center hole to facilitate heat flow.
8. Repeat steps 4 to 7 to make a total of 8 cookies.
9. Transfer the cookies (with liner) to the dehydrator. Dehydrate at 120°F/49°C for 6 to 8 hours or until the cookies feel dry to the touch and hold their shape when lifted up. A higher dehydration temperature will reduce drying time, but risk damaging the enzymes in the raw ingredients.
10. Let cool thoroughly. If desired, pipe or spread melted chocolate over cookies.
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