Funfetti Cake Sandwich Cookies

Hello!  Long time, no posting.  It's all my fault.  Spring has been busy for me.  I know that is a lame excuse, but it's true.  But I am feeling back on my game now that the nicer weather is (finally) upon us.  And just because I have not been posting, does not mean I have not been cooking.  It's very much the opposite, actually! 

This past weekend we got together with friends who have two young kids.  I offered to bring dessert and went through my "to make" files to see what I could whip up.  I have so many things I have yet to try, but I did want to avoid anything with nuts because I know one of the kids is allergic to peanuts.  Therefore, my list became smaller and a little easier to go through.  I picked out this recipe I had seen on Serious Eats posted by Cakespy figuring it was the perfect thing to make for the kids. Kinda like cupcakes, but in cookie form.  Just as cute, but less mess. 

They came out great.  Everyone loved them (especially the kids).  I was actually surprised how much I liked them.  I will definitely be making them again!  The beauty of this recipe is that you can change it up by using different cake mixes and icing options. 

Funfetti Cake Sandwich Cookies

adapted from Cakespy

For the cookies:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 package funfetti or rainbow chip cake mix

For for the icing:
1 stick of butter, softened

3-4 cups confectioners sugar

evaporated milk (as needed for consistency)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch or two of salt

food coloring (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Cream the butter and cream cheese. Blend in egg and vanilla.

3. Add cake mix in two parts, mixing well (it will be a super thick batter—if it is too stiff, add a small quantity of heavy cream to the batter and mix well).

4. Form balls of cookie dough (about a tablespoon each) on an ungreased baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between the cookies.

5. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool cookies for at least 15 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack; the cookies are very delicate when they first come out of the oven and they will break if you try to transfer them too soon.

6. Once completely cool, add a generous dollop of frosting to the bottom of half the cookies, and then sandwich the rest of the cookies on top to form something that vaguely resembles a whoopie pie, but tastes like something else entirely.

Candy Bar Brownies

Hello there.
I know, it has been a while.  This fall has been very busy so far and unfortunately, not all in a good way.  While I haven't stopped cooking or baking, I just haven't had the time to take and upload pictures or write posts (even though I don't write much!).  Hopefully this entry will be the first of many as we quickly approach the holiday season. 

My intention here is to solve a problem that we all face once a year: What do I do with all the leftover Halloween candy?  The obvious thing to do is just eat it, but even I get sick of the same ol' candy day after day. So I came up with something fantastic that literally transcends those boring candy bars into something spectacular: Candy Bar Brownies.

It's very simple: make a batch of brownie batter, pour half the batter into the pan, place cut up pieces of (chocolate) candy into the batter and cover with the remaining mixture.  Bake according to the recipe.  I like to mix up the candy and place in no particular order in the brownies; that way each bite is unexpected.  This year I used Snickers, Reeses PB Cups, Reeses Pieces and Heath Bars. 

Using a brownie mix would work fine, but while I am here I might as well share my favorite brownie recipe-and believe me, I have tried many! 

Fudge Brownies 

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I do not add chips when making Candy Bar Brownies)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish.

2. In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil.

3. Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, beat in cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

4. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean. The edges should be set and the center should still look slightly moist, but not uncooked.  Cool on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Cereal Treats

Want to feel like a kid again?  Make these!  They are so simple and yummy. 

Peanut Butter Rice Cereal Treats

7-8 oz marshmallow fluff

half a stick of salted butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

5 cups rice cereal
chocolate chips
a drop of vegetable oil

Melt butter, fluff and peanut butter in a pot over medium heat stirring constantly.  Once melted, add cereal and mix in well.
Put mixture into 9x13 pan and press down to flatten.  When cooled, cut into squares.
These are good just like this, but chocolate makes them even better!
Melt chocolate chips and oil in microwave.  Dip each square into the chocolate and put on cooling rack to harden.  To harden faster, place rack in fridge.

Inside-Out Carrot Cake Cookies

The month of February was a snowy one. This was good for one reason - getting out of work early!! There were 2 days in which we were dismissed early, and on both of those days I came home and immediately started baking.

One recipe I have been meaning to try for a long time is Inside-Out Carrot Cake Cookies from Epicurious. I had a ton of carrots in the fridge, so I figured it was the perfect thing.

I made the recipe as directed, except for the icing. Instead of just cream cheese and honey, I used my traditional cream cheese icing - cream cheese, butter, milk, confectioners sugar, salt. To top it off, I added coconut (why not?) since I had it.

Overall, the cookies tasted great, but I am not sure if I would make again. One batch broke apart when I took them off the sheet pan. To salvage these, I combined all the broken pieces in a large ramekin and piled the remaining icing on top - not the neatest application, but still very tasty - like a dense cookie-cake with tons of icing. Either way, I am glad I tried them but will most likely make a traditional cake or muffins next time I find myself with an abundance of carrots on a snow day.