Marshmallow Cookies

This is a variation entry rather than a standalone recipe: it assumes you have already turned back to the book's basic rolled cookie and only tells you what to change. Two things carry it, the thickness of the roll and the icing.

• The base dough"Follow recipe for cookies" points back to the book's basic rolled cookie, which is not reproduced on this page; you need the master recipe to make this. Any modern rolled sugar-cookie dough will stand in.
• "Roll slightly thicker"No thickness is given here or implied. Rolled cookies of this period were generally rolled thin, so read this as something nearer a quarter inch, enough body to carry a soft topping.
• OvenNo temperature or time is given. Modern practice for rolled cookies of this type is around 375-400F for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges just colour; the thicker roll will want the longer end.
• Marshmallow icingIn books of this era this generally means a boiled-syrup frosting: sugar syrup cooked to about the soft-ball stage and beaten into stiff egg whites, sometimes with a little softened gelatine for staying power. It is not melted commercial marshmallows, though those will do the job as a shortcut.
• When to iceThe direction is to ice "after removing from oven." Icing while the cookies are still warm should help it spread and grip; on stone-cold cookies it is more likely to sit in peaks.
• Raw egg whiteThe hot syrup method brings the whites well up in temperature but does not reliably pasteurise them. Use pasteurised whites if you are serving anyone who should avoid raw egg.
• KeepingMarshmallow icing weeps in humidity and sticks to everything. Store in a single layer, uncovered or loosely covered, and eat within a day or two. It does not freeze well.