Goodies! by anna

O.M.G. Cookies!

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:19:44 -0700

O.M.G.-Cookies

Easy, Fast, Limited Ingredient List: if this sounds like perfect baking then here's the cookie for you! I came across this recipe while perusing the Cake Central web site. The lady that wrote the recipe said they were so good and so easy that she calls them OMG Cookies! Well she was right — this recipe is super easy and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry to bake some up right now:

1 box cake mix (i used German Chocolate Cake mix)
1 cup of chocolate chips (i used semi-sweet)
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
i also added 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

mix all together and use a medium scoop to form dough balls (if you use a smaller or larger scoop then adjust bake time as needed). Bake on a silpat or parchment covered cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven for around 15 minutes. I was able to bake 9 cookies per sheet as this dough did not spread very much! Try not to over bake or they will be kind of dry. This made me 19 cookies!

You could totally fool around with the "add-ins" to use what you have/like... some people tried devil's food cake with shredded coconut, or how about peanut-butter chips instead of chocolate, hmmmm, some walnuts would be nice....really you could try just about any combo you like! Enjoy! P.S. your kitchen will smell delicious while these are baking!

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Oaxaca Fudge Bars

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:22:01 -0700

Oaxaca-Fudge-Bar

To carry on with my "hot and spicy" kick i decided on these Oaxaca Fudge Bars with Cashew Crumb Topping. These taste like a spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate! The key ingredient here is chipotle chili powder, the recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon but i put in 1 teaspoon... SPICY! The first time i experienced the chipotle/chocolate combo was at a chocolate tasting fair. One vendor was handing out little cups for the most amazing hot chocolate, its called Aztec Elixir Couture Cocoa by Vosges Chocolates. The combination of the chocolate and chili pepper was so addictive, i went back and "tasted" it another 3 times! Since that moment, i've wanted to try my own chocolate chilli pepper combination and when this recipe popped up it was the perfect moment! These bars have a delicious crust on the bottom with the oatmeal, butter and brown sugar and the topping has the delicious addition of chopped cashews. The center is rich, smooth and fudgey with a peppery-smoky kick from the chipotle pepper. After reading the reviews, i made sure to bake them for just 35 minutes and to let the bars fully cool (an hour and 1/2) before cutting them into little squares. This give the chocolate center enough time to set up. Over-cooking will make the bars dry and crumbly instead of smooth and fudgy! The extra spice that i added definately gave more of a punch but everyone that tried them really liked them! Enjoy!

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Double Chocolate Cappuccino Chip Cookies

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:06:45 -0700

Doublechocolatecappuccino

I found a bag of these terrific Cappuccino Chips by Guittard Chocolates at the Cost Plus Store near my house. They were on the bottom shelf in the part of the store with all the different chocolates. These chips sounded really good, kind of like a caffe latte, so i decided to add them to the Double Chocolate Cookie recipe that i've done in previous posts. I followed the general recipe but replaced the milk chocolate chips with the Cappuccino Chips. I also added a few tablespoons of instant espresso powder to the cookie dough to kick up the cappuccino-flavor and enhance the bittersweet chocolate. After the cookies finished cooling i sandwiched them with some Italian Meringue Buttercream that was flavored with espresso. Yum! These cookies had a nice chocolatey-caffe latte kind of flavor and were quickly eaten! Enjoy!

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Chocolate Cookie with White Chocolate-Wasabi Ganache Filling

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:42:40 -0700

ChocolateCookiewithwasabi

Yep, you read it right: White Chocolate WASABI Whipped Ganache Filling! I've been playing around with different recipes, combining a sweet with a savory aspect. I've have wanted to put wasabi into something but all my research determined that wasabi "cooks out" of baked goods so it would have to be a frosting or a filling to get the full wasabi-effect! I've maded these cookies before (see post on page 3- TKO Cookies by Thomas Keller) and they are really good with a nice salt/sweet combination. The original filling is a White Chocolate Ganache that is whipped and piped in between two cookies. I followed the same basic recipe: 1/2 cup cream brought to a boil, take off the heat, stir in 8 oz. white chocolate and then i added about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons wasabi paste. I started with a teaspoon and worked up from there, tasting as i went along. The white chocolate is quite sugary so the wasabi kind of cuts it in with a spicy warmth. I decided to go with a heart because it looks so sweet and innocent but after you take a bite- WOW! Not so innocent after all! Enjoy!
P.S. the filling is actually tinted slightly green from the wasabi paste!

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Sex And The City (cookies)!

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:13:11 -0700

Cosmo-cookies

It's finally here: The Sex And The City Movie (Check Out This Great Review) !!! My friends and I are HUGE fans and have been known to easily stay up til 3am watching whole seasons of SATC on DVD! I knew i wanted to make something to commemorate the auspicious occasion, but what?? Manalo Blahniks??? Louis Vuitton Handbags??? Nope, the quintessential SATC icon has to be: the Cosmopolitan Cocktail... remember when the girls used to drink them every time they went out??? That's what i would make: Cosmo Sugar Cookies. Each of these sugar cookies is about 4 1/2" inches. I didnt have a cookie cutter so i made a template on stiff cardboard and cut each glass out with a pairing knife. After they baked and cooled i iced them with hot pink, white and black glace icing. I was able to put two cookies (back to back with a piece of waxed paper in between) into a cello bag and tied with a pink ribbon! Enjoy!

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Salted Oat Cookies with Rum Soaked Raisins and Vanilla Salt

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:54:31 -0700

Salted-oat-cookies

I've been reading about some fantastic cookies made in Massachusetts called Salted Oat Cookies. The recipe is very hush, hush and fans are always trying to figure out the magic recipe! I don't know if these cookies are even close to the real deal but they are really good! I added rum soaked raisins to the recipe and they taste fantastic! I've been keeping a container "marinating" for any cookies calling for raisins as they add the perfect and plump flavor accent. In addition, the tops of the cookies are lightly sprinkled with Vanilla Salt. My friend Gigi was kind enough to send me a jar, the combination of ground vanilla beans mixed with the sea salt is a delicate aromatic treat perfect for these cookies! The cookies are moist and delicious type of oatmeal cookie with the added benefit of the savory vanilla scented salt on top, very distinct and different! Enjoy!

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Homemade Ricotta

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:38:08 -0700

I have a recipe for a Ricotta Cheesecake that sounded good and while researching the recipe a little more i realized that i could make my own ricotta cheese! Hopefully it would taste better that the store bought version?! This is the recipe that i used to make my own Homemade Ricotta Cheese. The instructions are pretty straightforward and simple, just a little time consuming. After my milk mixture came to a rolling boil i poured in my lemon juice, lemon juice from Meyer lemons. Well, i got NO CURDS, ugh, apparently Meyer lemons are not acidic enough to curdle the milk! I suddenly remembered in reviews that one lady had successfully substituted vinegar for lemon juice, so my dad grabbed a bottle of apple-cider vinegar and dumped some in.... Voila! Instant curds, yah! the cheese was saved! This ricotta is very smooth and creamy with a slightly sweet flavor (the vinegar didnt change the flavor at all!)... I ended up using ricotta for the cheesecake (which came out slightly burned by the way!!! gotta get an aluminum cakepan instead of the old dark non-stick....) and the leftovers to make ricotta and berry parfaits with a drizzle of honey and Grand Mariner.

It was a lot of fun making the cheese and the flavor and texture is much better than store-bought! Try it out for yourself! :-)

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Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:21:16 -0700

Chrysanthimum-cupcakes

I saw this recipe for Meyer Lemon Cupcakes so i decided to use up some more lemons and give them a try. The cupcake is a delicious vanilla cake filled with Meyer Lemon Curd and topped with buttercream chrysanthimum flowers and leaves.

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Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bees

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:57:59 -0700

Bees

I was lucky enough to get this really cute set of "bug" cookie cutters from the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's. They were having a big sale and i found a Macy's gift-card with $4 left over and my BFF Annette gave me one of her gift-cards with about $6 so they were basically free! I used the "bee" cutter from the set to make these 4 1/2 inch cookies you see here. The base is a dark chocolate sugar cookie decorated with glace icing in "bee colors" of yellow, dark chocolate and white. I chose to go atypical with my design for a little more unusual sophisticated look. Enjoy!

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Cupcake Pops

nobody@vox.com(anna) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:00:58 -0700

Cupcake-Pops

When i saw this super cute idea for Cupcake Pops on Bakerella's Blog i knew i wanted to give them a try and when i read that Bakerella got asked to be on the Martha Stewart show i was so excited for her!!! Martha thought her Cupcake Pops were something special too! The basic recipe for these Cupcake Pops is: one cooked cake crumbled up and mixed with frosting to form a "dough" that you can mold into different shapes like the little cupcakes you see here. Next, the shapes are dunked in melted chocolate, get a lollypop stick and finished with candy sprinkles. I stuck mine into a small flower pot filled with sugar and a piece of floral form underneath to hold them in place. Voila! Cupcake Pops! This is my first attempt and they look kinda wonky, especially compared to Bakerella's beautiful ones, but i will try again! I am planning on using my recipe for Rum Balls as the base to make them a little more "grown-up", something that could be served at a cocktail party or shower for adults. I think this would make a terrific display at any party. Who wouldn't want their very own Cupcake Pop??...Enjoy!

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