Raspberry Floofs. I know that sounds a little weird, and you’re probably wondering “What is a floof?”. Well, these tasty mini desserts are raspberry sugar cookies with a layer of raspberry jam spread on the top. Then there is a layer of piped marshmallow meringue and the whole thing is coated in chocolate. I know that sounds like a LOT of stuff, but trust me, it’s all good stuff.
Ok, so why are they called floofs? Well let me just say there was a very long discussion about what to call these. You see, originally I was going to call them Raspberry Chocolate bonbons. I was inspired because we got a dessert at the grocery that had a similar structure and were labeled bonbons. But after some research I came to the conclusion that they were not, in fact, bonbons. I learned that bonbons are actually a ball of ganache coated in chocolate, similar to a truffle. So then the question was, if not bonbons, then what are they? After a long debate, it came down to two choices: Raspberry Floofs, and Raspberry Kisses. In the end, I decided to go with Floofs, because the word perfectly describes the melt-in-your-mouth texture, and sweet raspberry marshmallow flavor. Plus, its just so fun to say!
The Layers
These raspberry floofs are a layered dessert. The first layer is a raspberry sugar cookie, which is buttery and tart. On top of that there is a thin layer of raspberry jam. You can use seedless or with seeds for this, either one works! Then, we pipe a layer of marshmallow meringue on top of the jam, and dip the whole thing in extra bittersweet chocolate. Finally we top it with freeze dried raspberries to give it a little pop of color. You would think with so many layers they would be very big, but they are really quite small. Also, By the way, this recipe makes a LOT of Floofs. So I think these would be the perfect thing to serve at a party or gathering.
How do we Get Our Flavors?
The key flavors to these treats are raspberry, marshmallow, and chocolate. So how do we get these flavors to shine through? For the raspberry, we make a raspberry sugar cookie. This gets its flavor from freeze dried raspberries. We grind them up in a food processor (or by hand using a rolling pin) to create a raspberry powder, which we then whisk into the dry ingredients. This gives it a wonderful raspberry flavor, as well as a beautiful pink color. We also add a thin layer of raspberry jam on top of the cookie, to add an extra little pop of raspberry flavor. For the marshmallow flavor we are making a marshmallow meringue. This is done by slowly cooking egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar over a pot of simmering water. Then we whip it until it becomes a soft, glossy, marshmallowy cloud. And finally for the chocolate we just dip the whole thing in dark chocolate. I like to use a darker chocolate to balance out the sweetness in the meringue.
Troubleshooting
This recipe has a lot of components, so to avoid any issues along the way, here is a list of tips for the best turn out.
- Make sure you fully grind up the raspberries into a fine powder. If you don’t there will be chunks of raspberry in the cookies. You can also buy freeze dried raspberry powder, and use that instead
- For the raspberry jam, I recommend a seedless jam because there are already seeds in the cookie. The less seeds, the better!
- For the meringue, make sure you are whisking constantly as the egg whites cook. If you don’t the whites might begin to scramble and your meringue will not be smooth.
- I recommend piping the meringue onto the cookies, instead of spreading it. If you do not have a piping bags and tips, then you can use a spoon. It is very sticky however, so it will be difficult to spoon onto the cookies. You can also use a ziplock bag with the tip cut off. Piping it also ensures more even shaped and distribution of the meringue.
- For construction, I recommend spreading jam on all of the cookies first, and then piping on the meringue. I find this to be faster and less messy.
- For the chocolate I recommend dipping the floofs head (head? tip? hat?) first into the chocolate. Using a deeper bowl or cup makes this process easier. However, this will be a messy process no matter what.
Raspberry Floofs
Ingredients
Method
- In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they become a fine powder. You will have about ½ cup. If you have freeze dried raspberry powder, instead of full freeze dried raspberries, you may skip this step and move onto the next one.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the freeze dried raspberry powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until combined and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Avoid over mixing. The dough will be soft and creamy.
- Flour your hands and a rolling pin. Divide the dough in half. Roll one of the halves of dough to a ¼ inch thickness on a floured piece of parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. It can be any shape. Repeat with the other half of dough on a separate piece of floured parchment paper or silicon baking mat. Flour the tops of both rolled out doughs and stack them on top of each other, with the parchment or mat still in between. Cover with a piece of cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- Once the dough has chilled, Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove the cling wrap from the rolled out dough and, using a 2 inch round cookie cutter cut the dough into circles. Re-roll and cut the remaining dough scraps.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until very lightly browned on the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a large heatproof bowl, and set it over a large saucepan filled with 1-2 inches of simmering water (you can also use a double boiler for this step). Make sure the bowl is not touching the water.
- Whisk the mixture until the sugar has dissolved, around 4 minutes. It will be thick at the beginning and thin out as it cooks. To test if the sugar is dissolved, you can very quickly dip your finger into the mixture and rub you fingers together. It should be completely smooth, and you shouldn’t feel any sugar granuals. Be very careful, as the mixture is hot. If you have an instant read thermometer, it should read 160°F.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla. There is no need to let it cool down before continuing. Using a hand held or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on medium high speed until glossy and stiff, about five minutes. The meringue will be very sticky and light.
- Add the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with a round tip. I use Wilton 2A.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, begin the construction. Start by spreading a thin layer of raspberry jam on the top of each cookie. You don’t want a super thick layer. Next, pipe the meringue on top of each cookie. To do this, place the piping tip in the center of the cookie and apply pressure to the bag, just barely lifting up, until the marshmallow just reaches the edges. Then quickly stop squeezing the bag and lift it up to create a pointed tip. Repeat this piping process for the rest of the cookies. Once all of the meringue has been used up, place the floofs in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- While the floofs chill, melt the chocolate. You can melt it in the microwave in 30 second increments, or with a double boiler. Once chocolate is melted, I like to pour it into a deeper and skinnier glass which makes it easier to fully coat the floofs in chocolate.
- Once the floofs are chilled dip them in the chocolate, tip first. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off once you remove the cookie from the chocolate, still holding it upside down. Place the chocolate coated floofs on a wired cooling rack, with the tip facing up. Sprinkle with any leftover freeze dried raspberry powder.
- Let the chocolate fully harden before eating. Store the floofs in the refrigerator for up to a week. I find they are best cold.
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