skip to main
|
skip to sidebar
We are a house divided. My youngest Hungry Puppy and myself are total chocolate lovers. My oldest Hungry Puppy is not a fan of chocolate. My husband...? It's complicated. Let's just say that his heart (loves loves loves chocolate) and his mind (will never admit it) don't agree. So whenever I ask what they want me to make for dessert or a treat, they can agree on what they want, just not what flavor. This time, we settled on pink lemonade, and it totally worked! I found the original recipe in a King Arthur Flour catalog, and made some adjustments. When I make adjustments, sometimes I get nervous that it won't work, so what a relief when I totally nail it! The cake is wonderfully moist with a slight lemon tang, and the lemonade cream cheese frosting is the perfect topping.
Pink Lemonade Cake with Lemonade Cream Cheese Frosting
Pink Lemonade Cake:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) butter, room temperature
3 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup milk
red food coloring
Lemonade Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) butter, room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 Tablespoon meringue powder (optional)
2 On the Go Crystal Light lemonade packets (the size to mix into a water bottle)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tablespoons milk, if needed
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch square (or round) baking pans. Set aside.
For the cake, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and beat on low until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the lemon juice, then slowly beat in the milk. Beat in the food coloring until the desired shade is reached.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Place pans in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pans from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Turn cakes out of the pans and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
For the frosting, beat together the butter, cream cheese, meringue powder, and crystal light lemonade powder until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Beat in enough milk (if necessary) to reach the desired consistency.
To assemble the cake, level the cakes, by cutting off the rounded tops (if necessary). Place one cake layer on a cake plate and spread frosting over the top. Place the second cake layer upside-down on top of the first layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Makes 12 to 16 servings.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
I am continually on a quest to find the perfect S'mores cookie. I have created some pretty good ones, like these S'mores Kiss Cookies, S'Mores Whoopie Pies (my favorite whoopies EVER!!!), S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies, and S'mores Cookies, but I have to keep trying more! I had the idea recently to just make a graham cracker cookie and put marshmallows and chocolate chips in it, instead of trying to make a cookie taste like graham cracker. Genius. Brilliant. I don't really mind ringing my own bell. These cookies are amazing. Recipe adapted from here.
Graham Cracker S'mores Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup graham flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup marshmallow bits
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Add the white whole wheat flour, graham flour, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt, and beat until just combined. Beat in the chocolate chips and marshmallow bits.
Use a cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoon) to scoop the dough and place on the prepared baking sheet. Use the palm of you hand to flatten the cookies. Place cookies in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Makes about 24 cookies.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
I recently made some chocolate cookies and cream cookies that I totally loved. I decided that I needed to make a traditional vanilla version to complement the chocolate. So, I took my blond chocolate chip cookie dough recipe and added mini chocolate chips and chopped up Oreos to it. I love taking a recipe and just changing up the add-ins to create something new.
Cookies and Cream Cookies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
15 Oreo cookies, cut in quarters
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, syrup, and vanilla extract until light and smooth. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and Oreos.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely browned on the edges and top. Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes on the pan. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Makes about 28 cookies.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
I am so excited about this ice cream pie. I can't even express to you my bliss. This was my very first time making lemon curd, and I have to say it wasn't the best experience ever. So. I made some changes and had a much easier time of it. The lemon curd is amazing. It might be my new most favorite thing to eat. This pie was a huge hit! Original recipe found here.
Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie
Lemon Curd:
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 2 lemons (6 Tablespoons)
Zest of 2 lemons
Pinch of salt
Pastry Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened, divided
Meringue:
4 egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
For the lemon curd , whisk the eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk the sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt into the butter. Whisk in the eggs. Continue cooking, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches about 180F. Do not boil. Transfer the lemon curd to a small bowl, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Chill at least four hours (can be made 2 days in advance, store covered in the refrigerator).
For the crust, preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
Spoon half of the ice cream into the cooled crust, and spread evenly. Spread the lemon curd evenly over the ice cream. Freeze about 2 hours. Spread the remaining ice cream evenly over the lemon curd. Freeze about 2 hours.
For the meringue, place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium bowl. Beat egg whites on high until frothy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while continuing to beat. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue over the pie, spreading all the way to the edges (can be made one day in advance, just spread meringue then freeze). Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue until golden , or place pie in a preheated 500F oven until meringue is golden(about 3 minutes , watch closely!), or place pie under the broiler until meringue is golden (watch closely!). Cut pie and serve immediately. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
How can you improve on an Oreo cookie? Stuff it with a chocolate chip cookie. I'm going to confess that I bought 2 packages of Mega Stuf Oreos a while back. I'm thinking that's probably a pretty good indication of whether I land on the cream or cookie side of the debate. It's definitely all about the cream for me. So mega stuf that oreo with an extra cookie! Original recipe found here. I thought it would be fun to reverse the cookies. I used regular chocolate chip cookie dough for the chocolate Oreos, and chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough for the golden Oreos. You can do one or the other, the process is the same for both.
Cookie Stuffed Oreo Cookies
For original Oreos:
1 package Mega Stuf Oreo cookies (you can use regular or double stuff)
Chocolate Chip Cookie dough (You can use your favorite, I used this one)
For Golden Oreos:
1 package Mega Stuf Golden Oreo Cookies (you can use regular or double stuff)
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie dough (You can use your favorite, I used this one)
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Break apart the Oreos, and place the non-cream side on a baking sheet (you can place them fairly close together because the cookies won't spread). Set aside the cream side of the Oreos. Place about 1 tablespoon of dough on top of each non-cream side Oreo. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookie is baked through. Remove the cookies from the oven and place a cream side Oreo on top of the still warm baked cookie and press down lightly. Place the cookies on a cooling rack to cool.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
I am happy to share with you my first home made ice cream recipe of the Summer! Well, almost Summer. Actually, around here Spring is just barely showing up to the party. Oh well. I had some heavy whipping cream that I desperately needed to use up, so I bring you this malted vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered graham crackers.
Original Recipe found here.
Malted Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 large egg yolks, at room temperaturePinch kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup malted milk powder
1 cup chocolate covered graham crackers, chopped
In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream , and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture is steaming (about 175F).
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the egg yolks, and the salt. Slowly pour about 2 cups of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking the egg mixture constantly. Slowly pour the egg/milk mixture back into the milk mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly. Continue whisking and cooking until the mixture has thickened slightly, and is steaming (about 185F). Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Whisk in the malted milk powder. Cover the mixture and refrigerate about 4 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready for ice cream, pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer's instructions. About five minutes before your ice cream is done churning, add the chocolate covered graham crackers and finish churning. Transfer ice cream to a freezer container and freeze. Makes about 2 pints.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
I have yet another chocolate chip cookie recipe for you. Here's the problem. I have made and posted so many chocolate chip cookie recipes that I don't know what to name them anymore. I can't just call them all "Chocolate Chip Cookies", because how will you distinguish one from another? So, I try to set them apart just a little bit. For example, I am calling these cookies "Blond Chocolate Chip Cookies", because they have no brown sugar in them. Which I thought was interesting. These cookies are actually really good, and have kind of a blonder lighter flavor to them. Original recipe found here.
Blond Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (semi sweet, milk, or dark chocolate, or mix them up!)
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, syrup, and vanilla extract until light and smooth. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely browned on the edges and top. Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes on the pan. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Makes about 28 cookies.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
Hey, folks, I learned a new trick today to make the top of your cookies perfectly perfect. You simply need to create a jagged surface on the top. I'll expand on this in the recipe. So, I found this recipe hiding in one of my recipe binders a while ago. I had written it down ages ago and it had no title. No name. No clue what the recipe was called. Just a list of ingredients, an oven temperature and a baking time. Since I'm not a complete baking idiot, I knew that the recipe was for cookies. Amazing looking chocolate chip cookies, actually. So I made a few adjustments, threw in a couple of extras, and a star was born. These cookies are totally terrific.
No Name Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a stand mixer (you can use a hand mixer, but it will get quite a workout towards the end, so be careful not to burn it out!) cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Add the all purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until just combined. With the mixer on low, beat in the semi sweet chips, milk chocolate chips, toffee bits, and pecans.
Use a cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoon) to scoop the dough into balls. Take each ball in your hands and pull it apart into two equal parts. Rotate the two pieces of dough 90 degrees so that the jagged surfaces are facing up, then squish the dough ball back together, preserving the new jagged top. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the center is just set. Remove cookies from the oven and let cool for several minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Enjoy! -Cardamommy
