Moon Pie (Mardi Gras)

In a large mixing bowl, cream 113g softened unsalted butter and 100g packed light brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add 60ml honey and 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract, mixing on low speed for 30 seconds until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together 120g graham flour, 120g all-purpose flour, 5g (1 tsp) baking soda, 2g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon, and 3g (½ tsp) fine sea salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until a firm, uniform dough forms (about 1 minute), taking care not to overmix.

Form the dough into a 2cm-thick flat disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes until firm. Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thickness, then use a 7cm (3-inch) round cookie cutter to cut 24 even circles, re-rolling dough scraps only once to avoid tough cookies. Arrange cut circles 2cm apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 8-9 minutes at 175°C (350°F), until cookie edges are just pale golden and centers look set—cookies will firm up as they cool. Let cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes after removing from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature (about 15 minutes) before filling.

Match cooled cookies into 12 pairs of similar size and shape. Scoop 18g (1 tbsp) of marshmallow fluff onto the flat bottom side of one cookie per pair, then press the matching cookie flat-side down on top, applying gentle even pressure so the marshmallow spreads to 5mm from the cookie edge. Set assembled sandwiches on a wire rack while you prepare the icing.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk 360g powdered sugar, 45ml whole milk, 15ml (1 tbsp) light corn syrup, and the remaining 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract until completely smooth, with a thick, dippable consistency. Adjust consistency if needed: add 5ml (1 tsp) more milk if too thick, or 25g (2 tbsp) more powdered sugar if too runny. Divide icing equally between three small bowls, stirring 3 drops of purple gel food coloring into the first, 3 drops of green into the second, and 3 drops of gold into the third, mixing until colors are bright and uniform.

Hold each assembled moon pie with kitchen tongs, dip the rounded top side of the sandwich into one color of icing, letting excess icing drip back into the bowl for 10 seconds before placing the pie back on the wire rack. Coat 4 pies in purple icing, 4 in green, and 4 in gold to match traditional Mardi Gras colors. Let iced pies rest at room temperature for 30 minutes until the icing is firm and non-sticky to the touch before serving.