Cookie Monster Cake

This cake was for my buddy boy, who turned 1 last week. I'm so sad that he's growing up so quickly. Why, time, why?!! My boy is crazy about food- ever since he was about 5 months old he would get all excited when he saw people eating anything, and got upset that he couldn't have any. So, I thought it was fitting that he should have a Cookie Monster cake. I used this cake as inspiration (it's so adorable, I love it!!). The cake was chocolate with Cookie Butter buttercream. He's holding a real chocolate chip cookie.

The cake board says "C is for Canon." Happy birthday to the happiest boy.

TWD- Chocolate Almond Cinnamon Biscotti

This week's TWD is for Hazelnut Biscotti. Biscotti is Italian for "baked twice," and are crispy cookies (my husband, who speaks Italian, will remind me that "biscotti" is plural and "biscotto" is singular) that are usually eaten for breakfast with some kind of coffee drink. In Italy, they're yummy, probably because you're in Italy. But also because everything is better in Italy. 

I started mine with toasting some sliced almonds in a pan. I opted for almonds because I was on the fence about making these until yesterday afternoon when I saw Sugar Hero's picture on Instagram and that's what I had on hand.

I halved the recipe because I wasn't sure what we would eat these with since we don't drink coffee and it's not hot chocolate weather. I added about 1/4 c cocoa powder and 1/4 t cinnamon. I omitted the liqueur and added almond extract.

I followed the baking time- it says the first baking should be exactly 35 minutes (I took  mine out at about 33 because it was looking pretty hard). For the second bake, the recipe says at least 10 minutes. I baked mine for about 8. They are tasty, but pretty dry. Maybe nothing a dunk in some chocolate milk can't fix?

Jodi of Homemade and Wholesome and Katrina of Baking and Boys will have the recipe!

Chubby Hubby Bars

I can't remember the exact moment when I tasted Ben N Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream, but I do know that it has always been my favorite. "Fudge Covered Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels in Vanilla Malt Ice Cream Rippled with Fudge & Peanut Butter." The only thing that would make it better is some toffee in there. So when I saw Cookies and Cups' recipe for Chubby Hubby bars, I knew I had to make them.

The recipe is a cookie base (basically chocolate chip cookie dough without the chocolate chips).

Add some chopped pretzels and peanut butter cups (I know, that cutting board is brand new. Not):

Press into a pan and bake. Then pour melted caramel:

And melted chocolate:

What? Awesome.

Cut in fairly small pieces cuz they're pretty rich. And also, if they're in small pieces, you won't feel as bad eating like 10 of them.

I don't know why, but I thought they were better the second day. Salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy... everything you could want to satisfy your sweet tooth! Check out the recipe here!

Sugar Cookie Bars

When I was in high school, we always used to eat Granny B's sugar cookies- this huge sugar cookie that was soft and chewy and covered in pink frosting and sprinkels. One cookie had like 400 hundred calories, but who cares about such things when you have a sixteen year old's metabolism.

Since then, the closest thing to those cookies I've found is Lofthouse cookies. They're widely found in supermarkets, decorated for any holiday, but also come in the beloved pink frosting with sprinkles.

I found this recipe for Lofthouse Cookie Bars from Cookies and Cups. It's a sugar cookie base made in a cookie sheet, covered in yum frosting. And sprinkles.

I'm not sure these are too Lofthouse-y, but they are amazing. Chewy and sweet. And a LOT. I recommend making a batch and giving at least half of them away. Before you eat them all.

Cookies and Cups has the recipe here. And check out her blog. Delicious.

TWD- Rugelach

Whew, TWD is now only every two weeks, and those weeks seem to go by quickly! We're back this week with Rugelach, a cookie made of sour cream or cream cheese dough and filled with dried fruit, nuts, fruit preserves, cinnamon, chocolate, among others.

This recipe starts with a cream cheese dough, made of flour, cream cheese and butter. I made mine in a food processor. Shape it in a ball, flatten in a disk, and chill.

Before you look at this next picture, I have a confession. I chickened out in using an apricot or prune lekvar. I actually have a personal rule to not eat anything with apricots or prunes because I hate them. As the mom of small children, we never use that word, but I will now. I hate them. Soooo, I used raspberry preserves.

 Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the preserves.

Before you look at the next picture, I have another confession. I used chocolate as Dorie posted in Baking From My Home to Yours. And I didn't use dried fruit, cuz that's gross. Oh, and also I forgot to get any kind of nut when I went to the grocery store. So we're just going with chocolate and fruit.

Roll it up jelly-roll style and chill. Again.

 After it's nice and chilly, you brush the roll with egg wash, slice and roll in cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (mine took 20) at 375 degrees F. I didn't wait to take a picture of the baked ones because I'm about to go to bed, but imagine these are de-panned and arranged nicely on a plate.

My husband and I just popped a couple of these in our mouths and were quite pleased. The actual cookie part is pretty delicious- crisp, buttery, and slightly tart from the cream cheese. I quartered the recipe because we have treats coming out our ears right now (red velvet sheet cake post to come). Although these were good, I'm not sure I would make them again. I'm not really a fruit cookie kind of person, but if you are, you should try these! And don't forget the chocolate. 'Cuz it makes everything better. Margaret and Jessica will have the recipe!

Oatmeal Cookie Cups with Vanilla Yogurt

Last baby shower recipe! This was the surprise hit. I wasn't sure how yogurt and oatmeal cookie cups would be together, but it turned out to be one of the best dishes!

Oatmeal Cookie Cups with Vanilla Yogurt
adapted from kevinandamanda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 quart vanilla yogurt

Fresh fruit for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two regular sized muffin tins with cooking spray.

Cream butter and sugars in a stand or electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Mix until incorporated. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoons of dough into the muffin tins. Press the dough in the bottom and up the sides of the muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are brown. Remove from oven and press the back of a teaspoon in the middle of each cookie cup to make an indent. Run a thin knife around the edge of each cookie cup to remove to a rack to cool. Once cool, fill the cookie cups with vanilla yogurt and top with desired fruit. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

We were invited to a Christmas party in Balboa to see the boat parade and the hosts requested a dozen cookies from each guest. I was indecisive about what kind to bring, but I remembered I had coconut in my pantry and hadn't made macaroons (not macarons) in a long time. A fave at our house, I decided to try this Martha Stewart recipe from an old cookbook.

These little cookies call for unsweetened coconut, but I use sweetened. Less sugar and fewer egg whites and you come out with comparable results. These cookies come together in a few minutes and are a hit (as you can see  from my picture, I didn't shape them into pyramids. Still yum)!

Coconut Pyramids
adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vegetable shortening

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix together sugar, coconut, egg whites, and salt. Add butter and extracts, and combine well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Moisten palms of hands with cold water. Roll 1 tablespoon of the coconut mixture in palms, squeezing tightly together 2 or 3 times to form a compact ball.
3. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart, and bake until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Leave on baking sheet on a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Place chocolate and shortening in a small heat-proof bowl, and set over a pan of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted. Dip bottom 1/4" of each cookie in the melted chocolate. Set each dipped macaroon on cooled baking sheet to allow chocolate to harden.

Gift Idea #3- Cookies in a Jar

Ok, I saved my favorite for last. This recipe for cookies in a jar is so cute and fun- oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with m&m's. Bakerella posted in a while ago in pink, and then Make it Do posted a Christmas version with the Christmas m&m's. I love this because you can customize it to any holiday or occasion. I really wanted to try it with the CINNAMON m&m's I saw at Target a couple weeks ago, but they weren't Christmas colors. Guess I'll have to make them again! :)

Ok, so I took a picture of the mix in the jar. And then I accidentally erased it. Who erases the most important picture? So here's the pic from Make it Do. Imagine mine was this good. And this cute:

The recipe is so easy, your kids can help! Don't worry if you get a mix from me; no naked kids were allowed to make the mix. And no naked kids make any food that leave this house.

 These cookies are delicious and a great gift for any family!

The recipe for the cookies is here!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Mmm.. pumpkin... it's so Homer Simpson, my love of pumpkin. I found yet another way to have pumpkin and cream cheese frosting- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! Yes! Little moist pumpkin cakey cookies sandwiching cream cheese frosting.
This recipe is from Brown Eyed Baker, a site full of yumminess. Her recipe uses maple cream cheese frosting. I just used plain cream cheese frosting as I have no use for maple. These are super moist- I think I may have blended them too much after the flour was in- they were a little gummy. Definitely a must-try. Even if you just eat the cream cheese frosting like my 2 year old.

The recipe is here. 

Chewy, No-Roll Sugar Cookies

We have three kids, but even before we had three kids, we had a middle child. Maybe since about the time she was 10 months old, she was a middle child. Countless things have been broken/ruined by this girl. But I do feel badly for her- never the first or last to do anything. With all that feisty comes the sweetest, goofiest, loving girl you can imagine.

Today, while she was stuck at home while her older sister had playgroup, I suggested we make cookies together. I wanted chocolate chip, but she wanted "vanilla. With pink fwinkows (sprinkles)." 
Fine.
I didn't want to have to chill, roll and cut them, so I made this recipe for sugar cookies that is so easy and the cookies are SO good. Chewy with a little crisp edge, thick and moist. Just like my ideal chocolate chip cookie.

As you can see, I rolled some of them in fwinkows like LuLu asked, and then frosted some. My preference is frosted, but fwinkows are a big hit, too!

Chewy No-Roll Sugar Cookies
makes about 3 dozen


3 cups all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
sprinkles


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add vanilla and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture and mix just until combined. 
Roll dough into 2 inch balls and cover with sprinkles (skip sprinkles if using frosting). Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and bake 8-10 minutes, until edges are crisp and middle is just slightly soft. Let cool 2 minutes before removing from pan to racks to cool completely. Frost, if desired.


Quick Fluffy Frosting
makes about 1 cup


1/2 cup shortening
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 T milk
1/2 t almond extract (or vanilla)


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening until smooth. Gradually add the confectioners sugar and extract, and beat until fluffy, adding milk to reach the proper consistency. 

TWD- Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

This week's TWD is for Chocolate Oatmeal Drops. I've never had chocolate oatmeal cookies. Obviously, I've had oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but not chocolate oatmeal. These cookies are super easy and quick- they get their rich (I mean, RICH) chocolate flavor from cocoa powder and melted chocolate. I halved the recipe because I wasn't sure if my family would love them. Actually, I halved it because I only had 1 stick of butter in my fridge. :)
I thought these were fairly tasty, but not my favorite. I might have overbaked them a little- they seemed a little dry. My husband ate one. My two daughters ate a couple each. And my 18 month old ate 5. Today. (I know, what kind of mother lets an 18 month old eat 5 cookies? One who's trying to get a Valentine's present for her husband at the mall!)

The recipe will be here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'll be honest here. I've never been someone who really gets into Valentine's Day. Sure, I loved making mailboxes in elementary school and giving valentines to my classmates (and I did save the best valentine in the box for the cute boy). This Valentine's day might hold the most excitement for me because my 5 year old told me tonight that she's going to get up in the morning and put something special on my nightstand that she made in school. She also said with a totally serious face, "sorry, mom, I didn't make blue hydrangeas or marzipan at school for you," (my two favorite things).
To help me get into the spirit of things a little, I baked up some goodies. Some heart sugar cookies (recipe here):

An owl/heart cake for Elizabeth, who turned 1. The cake is red velvet with cream cheese buttercream (very Valentinesy): 

And lastly, some heart cake pops- red velvet, of course!

I am looking forward to spending the day with my family, being outside and eating yummy food. But who needs a holiday to do that? 

TWD- Fluff-filled Chocolate Madeleines (Buttons)

I actually pulled this week's TWD off! I really wanted to make these, but I didn't have a Madeleine pan and didn't want to buy one because I would never use it again. Enter the P&Q. Chocolatechic (who has a great blog) posted about using a muffin pan. Great! I have those!
I used a standard size muffin tin. I halved the recipe and only made 6. I loved the shiny ganache on top. These were so chocolatey (never a bad thing) and yummy. I think I would like something besides the marshmallow fluff in these- maybe a buttercream or something?

I also cut the baking time to about 9 minutes for the size and number of my cookies. Thanks to Margot for the great pick!

Baked's Candy Cookies

I heart Baked. I've never been to the actual bakery in NYC, but I've made a few of their recipes- their brownies and the chocolate cake with salted caramel. Apparently, I have yet to post either of these, since I just searched for them and they're not up.
A couple weeks ago, they posted a link on Facebook for these Candy Cookies- candy bars inside chocolate-dipped chocolate shortbread cookies. Yum, right? I decided to make them for our friends for the holidays. I used Mounds candy bars for the centers, and double dipped the cookies in white and milk chocolate.

Then I finished them with a drizzle of red candy coating for a festive touch.

These little cookies are AMAZING! You have to dip them in chocolate, otherwise they're dry and not that flavorful. They were a huge hit with our friends, and our family! Make them! And then make another batch because you ate all of them!

Candy Cookies

Recipe by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 1/8 teaspoon salt
5. 1 stick plus 6 tablespoons (7 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
6. 1 large egg yolk
7. 40 mini peanut butter cups and or 20 fun-size Mounds bars, cut in half
8. 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
9. 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
10. Sprinkles, dragees or nonpareils, for garnish

11. DIRECTIONS

    1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
    2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg yolk. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until incorporated. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
    3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a scant 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out as many rounds as possible. Reroll the scraps and stamp out more rounds. You should have about 40 rounds. Set a peanut butter cup or halved mounds bar in the center of each round and roll the dough around the candy, pinching any tears. Roll the cookies into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart.
    4. Bake in the cookies on the upper and middle racks of the oven for about 16 minutes, until the dough is firm and just slightly browned; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
    5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the bittersweet chocolate on high power in 30-second bursts until nearly melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until melted. Repeat with the white chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Dip the tops of the cookies in the melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles, dragees and nonpareils. Transfer the cookies to a parchment paper—lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve.

Mexican Chocolate Crackle Cookies

I checked out The Art and Soul of Baking from the library last week and could not WAIT to try some of the recipes. Croissants, pies, tarts.. where to start? We were having a Cinco de Mayo picnic in the park so I decided to to make these Mexican Chocolate Crackle Cookies.
These cookies look like normal chocolate crinkle cookies, but they're spiced with cinnamon and ancho chile powder, and ground almonds are mixed in with the dry ingredients. These extras add an interesting little twist- I especially like the ground almonds.

Make sure you watch the clock on these- if they're baked even a little too long, they're dry! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Mexican Chocolate Crackle Cookies
adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking ~Sur la Table, Cindy Mushet

Ingredients

3 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1 T coffee liquer or cooled brewed coffee

6 oz 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 large eggs

1 c granulated sugar, divided

3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 c whole almonds, toasted and cooled

3/4 t cinnamon

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t ancho chile powder (optional)

3/4 c confectioners' sugar

1. Bring 2 inches of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Place the butter, liqueur and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Turn off the heat and set the bowl over the steaming water. Stir occasionally with a spatula until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove and let cool while you whip the eggs.

2. Place eggs and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip on high speed until very light in color and thick, about 5 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and whip until blended. about 1 minute.

3. Place the flour, nuts, cinnamon, baking powder and optional chile powder in the food processor and pulse until the nuts are very finely chopped, about 60 to 90 seconds. Add to egg mixture and beat on low just until combined. Stir gently a few times to make sure there are no patches of unincorporated flour or butter lurking near the bottom of the bowl. Cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours until firm.

4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and position the rack in the center.

5. Scoop the chilled dough until tablespoon-size balls. Place the remaining 1/2 c granulated sugar in one small bowl, and the confectioners' sugar in another. Roll each dough ball in the granulated sugar adn then in the confectioners' sugar. Be sure to coat the dough generously with the confectioners' sugar- in this instance more is better. Space the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, rotating the sheet halfway through thebaking time, for 11 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracked. It is better to slightly underbake these cookies than to go too far- when overbaked they are dry and unpalatable. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

TWD-Dulce de Leche Duos

Well, after joining Tuesdays with Dorie over a year and a half ago, it's my turn to pick the recipe!!

I chose Dulce de Leche Duos. Dulce de leche means "candied milk" in Spanish. Those of you not familiar with it, it's really just sweetened condensed milk boiled for a long time until it's thick, dark and caramel-y. I made it once in the oven for a gelato recipe, but I prefer buying it in the can.

This recipe is dulce de leche sandwiched between two dulce de leche flavored cookies. The cookies are straight forward and come together in a few minutes.

After I dropped them all on the pans and started baking them, I realized I made them too big. They flattened out quite a bit (I baked them while I was out of town in a MUCH higher elevation).

So there was quite a bit more surface area to spread the dulce de leche. Can't complain about that.

These are so yummy if you like dulce de leche. The cookies are soft and warm with caramel flavor, and the smooth, creamy dulce de leche filling is great little surprise in the middle. In the "Playing Around" section, Dorie suggests using chocolate ganache filling or dipping the cookie bottoms in chocolate before spreading the dulce de leche. I think this would make them ultra-sweet, as dulce de leche could give you a toothache by itself.
This girl loved them. After this picture was taken, I spent 5 minutes scrubbing dulce de leche off her face.

Dulce de Leche Duos

by Dorie Greenspan from Baking From My Home to Yours

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cups store-bought dulce de leche, plus more for filling

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
 Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft. Add the 3/4 cup of dulce de leche and both sugars and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Don't be concerned if the mixture looks a little curdled- it will smooth out when the flour mixture goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter.
Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets, using a heaping teaspoon of dough for each cookie and leaving 2 inches between them.
Bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front the back at the midway point. The cookies should be honey brown with a light sugar crust, but they will still be soft, so remove the sheets from the oven but don't touch the cookies for another minute or two. Then, using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure you cool the baking sheets before spooning the dough onto them.
When the cookies are completely cool, spread the flat bottoms of half the cookies with a small amount of dulce de leche, and sandwich with the flat sides of the remaining cookies.
Makes about 30 sandwich cookies

TWD- Thumbprints for Us Big Guys

Ok, so the thing that made me most excited about this week's TWD was the host's (Mike of Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude) response on the email stating his pick- "I think I'll go with "Thumbprints For Us Big Guys," since...er...well, there's gotta be something for us big guys." Every time I flip through the book, I always kind of cringe at the name of this recipe. I love Mike's response.

Anyway, not being a fan of jam, I subbed some chocolate. I also used ground almonds instead of hazelnuts. Mine were a little crumbly, hence the ugliness of the cookies. So fitting for Mike. Definitely not as pretty as the pic in the book!

These are so buttery and nutty. I loved how the bottoms of mine were a little browned and crispy. They come together in a couple minutes- I just sprinkled some chopped bittersweet chocolate on them while they were still hot and spread it after a couple minutes. Check out Mike's blog for the recipe!

TWD- My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I LOVE chocolate chip cookies. My family loves chocolate chip cookies. 90% of the time when cookies are made at my house, they're chocolate chip. The other 10% of the time they're TWD. This is the first time I've made a different chocolate chip cookie than my absolute favorite. Dorie describes these as thin, crispy on the edges and chewy in the center. That is not the description of my ideal cookie. But they came out exactly as described. The first batch spread, and the edges were darker than I prefer, but they had to keep cooking because the centers were too gooey (even for my taste).

 The second and third batches were the same.

Hmm. Not the chunky, chewy thick kind I like.

After I baked them, I looked through the P&Q and this thin, flat cookie was the general consensus. My husband really liked these. Fresh from the oven with milk, they were yummy. Surprisingly, they were good the next day- the crispy edges had softened up and were just thin and chewy. Better. Head to Kait's blog for the recipe!