Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

My Hungry Puppies are in love with frozen cookie dough.  I routinely put my cookie dough balls in a bag and freeze them so they are ready to bake whenever the need arises.  More often than not when I do this, though, my Hungry Puppies end up eating all of the frozen dough!  Sometimes I think that they like frozen cookie dough better than the baked cookies.  So, what's better than frozen cookie dough?  Frozen cookie dough with cookie dough ice cream, of course.  This awesome frozen treat takes chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and sandwiches it between two layers of chocolate chip cookie dough.  Cookie dough perfection!  Original recipe found here.

Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 gallon chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, softened

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir until smooth.  Stir in the milk, vanilla, and salt.  Add the flour and stir until completely incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Place a strip of parchment paper in a 9 inch square pan with two ends hanging over the sides of the pan.  Lightly spray with cooking spray, then place 1/2 of the cookie dough in the pan and press it evenly into the pan.  Fold the overhanging sides of the parchment over the cookie dough, then place another strip of parchment directly on top of the parchment covered cookie dough layer.  Lightly spray the second strip of parchment with cooking spray, then press the remaining cookie dough into the pan and fold the overhanging sides over the cookie dough (you should have a layer of parchment with cookie dough on top with the parchment folded over the top of the cookie dough, then another layer of parchment with cookie dough on top with that parchment folded over the top. So two identical layers right on top of each other in the pan).  Freeze for several hours.

When the cookie dough layers are frozen, remove the pan from the freezer and remove the cookie dough from the pan.  Peel the parchment off of the cookie dough layers, and place one piece of parchment back in the pan, followed by one layer of the cookie dough (this will help the sandwiches to not stick to the parchment later).  Spread the softened ice cream evenly over the cookie dough.  Place the second cookie dough layer on top of the ice cream and press firmly. Fold the overhanging parchment over the top of the cookie dough, then cover with tin foil.  Place the ice cream bars back in the freezer until firm.  When ready to serve, use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the bars out of the pan, then cut.  Makes 16 servings.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Peanut Butter Chip Brownies with Butterfinger Frosting

It's brownie time!  I've been wanting to make butterfinger frosting for quite some time now, and I figured that brownies would be an awesome vehicle to get that frosting to my mouth.  These brownies are ridiculously quick and simple to throw together, and come out wonderfully every time.  They are thick and moist, with a hint of peanut butter from the peanut butter chips. The butterfinger frosting is a perfect topper!

Peanut Butter Chip Brownies with Butterfinger Frosting

Brownies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Butterfinger Frosting:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon milk
6 fun size butterfinger candy bars, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Lightly grease a 9x9 inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended.  Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt, and beat until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the top.

Bake the brownies for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, in a medium bowl, cream together the butter and shortening.  Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add the milk, and beat until smooth.  Stir in the chopped butterfingers.  Spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies.  Makes 16 servings.  

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Lemon Cream Sandwich Cookies

I had some lemons on hand and decided to do some lemon cookie baking!  I made these deliciously addictive Paradise Bakery Copycat Lemon Cookies and have decided that they are still one of my top favorite cookies.  I also made these lemon cream sandwich cookies.  Soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies have a wonderfully sweet and tart lemon cream filling sandwiched between them.  Cookie recipe slightly adapted from Taste of Home magazine.


Lemon Cream Sandwich Cookies

Lemon Sugar Cookies:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
zest of one lemon
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemon Cream Filling:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs until well blended, followed by the lemon juice until completely incorporated.  Add the flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar, and beat until just combined.

Scoop the dough with a tablespoon size cookie scoop and drop onto the prepared baking sheet.  Using the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar, slightly flatten each cookie to about 3/4 inch thickness.  Bake the cookies for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the centers are just set.  Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the pan for 2 or 3 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the lemon cream frosting, beat together the butter and lemon zest until the butter is smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and beat on low until incorporated.  Add the lemon juice and beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.  Spread about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of frosting on the back of one cooled cookie, then top with another cookie to make a sandwich.  Makes about 30 sandwich cookies.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Butter Pecan Cake

I made this cake over the weekend, and oh my was it ever delightful.  I'm usually not a super fan of nuts, but I knew that I had to give this one a shot.  And I was right.  A fair amount of the frosting may not have actually made it to the final cake.  Oops.  Yeah, it was that good.  The original recipe for this cake makes 3 layers.  Whoa.  My little family can't really handle a three layer cake, so I reworked the recipe and made it a two layer cake.  I made the original amount of frosting, and it worked out just fine.  The cake is deliciously moist and not too sweet, which is perfect for the buttery pecan frosting.

Butter Pecan Cake

Frosting:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces (it should equal about 3 3/4 cups, but I measured by weight) powdered sugar
11 ounces cream cheese, cold

Cake:
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
5 Tablespoons boiling water
2/3 cup (10 2/3 Tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour, loosely measured

First, make the frosting.  In a large skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.  Add the chopped pecans and cook, stirring frequently until toasted, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove pecans from heat and let cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and vanilla.  Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated (mixture will be dry and possibly crumbly).  Add the cold cream cheese and beat until blended and smooth.  Beat in the cooled pecans until evenly distributed.  Cover and chill frosting for about 1 hour, or until ready to use.

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper then lightly grease the parchment paper.  Set aside.

Place the chopped white chocolate in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it.  Let sit until softened, then stir until smooth.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.  

Stir together the buttermilk and baking soda.  Add one cup of flour to the creamed mixture and beat until it is partially incorporated.  Carefully beat in the buttermilk, followed by the remaining 1 cup of flour. Beat until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.  

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Fold the egg whites into the cake batter.  Pour the batter evenly in the prepared pans and smooth the tops.  Bake the cakes for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with about 1/3 of the frosting.  Place the second cake layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.  Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Monsieur Bon-Bon's Secret "Fooj"

My oldest Hungry Puppy just finished reading the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  In the very back of the book, there is a recipe for Monsieur Bon-Bon's Secret "Fooj".  She brought me the recipe and asked if we could please please please make it?  So sure!  Let's make it!  She did most of the work, but I stirred since it was so hot.  The consistency of the "fooj" is not really like fudge, but more chewy like a tootsie roll.  I am going to share the recipe with you exactly as it is written in the book, but the recipe is a little bit vague in certain places, so I did a little research for clarification in order to have the most successful batch of "Fooj" possible.  1 pound of sugar is about 2 cups.  The recipe calls for "1 small can evaporated milk", which is a 5 ounce can, or 2/3 cup.  "4 tablespoonfuls unsweetened chocolate" is unsweetened cocoa powder. It says to boil until it "forms a soft ball when a sample is dropped into cold water".  This is softball stage, which is 235 to 245F.  I brought my "fooj" to 235F, then still dropped some in cold water so my Hungry Puppies could see how it actually worked.  I used a greased 9x9 inch square baking pan and cut the "fooj" after it had cooled completely.  

Monsieur Bon-Bon's Secret "Fooj"

1 lb granulated sugar
1 small can evaporated milk
1/4 lb finest butter
1 tablespoonful water
1 tablespoonful corn sirup
4 tablespoonfuls unsweetened chocolate

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan.  Melt slowly on a low gas until the mixture thickens slightly and is absolutely smooth.  Turn up gas and boil very quickly until it forms into a soft ball when a sample is dropped into cold water.  Remove from heat and beat well with a wooden spoon.  Pour the whole mixture into a flat, greased pan, mark in squares, and leave to set.  When cold, DEVOUR!

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

These oatmeal cookies just might be our new family favorite.  They are soft and chewy and full of wonderful oatmeal and cinnamon.  I used this recipe, but made a few minor changes.  I used quick oats instead of old fashioned oats, and eliminated having to grind them in the food processor.  One less step and one less variable to the perfect cookie.  In order to get the spotty look of the icing, dip the tops of the cookies in the icing quickly and immediately lift and shake a bit.  If you let them splat into the icing for too long, the tops will get saturated and you won't get the crackled look.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies:1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups quick oats (not instant)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended.  Add the flour, quick oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and beat until just combined.  

Use a 2 Tablespoon size cookie scoop to scoop the dough into balls and drop on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 10 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers are just set.  Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

For the icing, in a medium bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth.  Quickly dip the tops of the cookies in the icing and immediately lift out and shake off any excess icing.  Place cookies on the cooling rack and let the icing dry.  Repeat with remaining cookies.  Makes about 24 cookies.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

This is my 4th of July pie this year.  And while yes, I do realize that the 4th was on Friday, I feel that apple pie is relevant any time of the year.  So.  This pie is incredible.  The crust is perfection (of course it is my favorite crust, so I would say that anyway), the apple filling is nice and saucy, and the crumb and caramel topping?  Crazy delicious.  I'm a little bit sad that it's already gone.  Look's like I'll just have to make another one, right?   Original recipe found here.

Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

Pie Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons shortening
12 Tablepsoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter
6-8 Tablespoons ice cold water

Apple Pie Filling:

5 or 6 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 1 1/2 pounds apple slices)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup caramel sauce (use one with a thicker consistency or it will be too runny), plus extract caramel sauce to drizzle over the finished pie, if desired

Crumble Topping:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter

For the pie crust, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in the shortening and butter using a pastry blender or a fork, until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the water over the flour mixture and toss, pressing together slightly until the dough comes together, adding the remaining water if necessary.  Divide the dough in half and form 2 disks.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about one hour, or make the pie crust ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to make the pie, preheat the oven to 375F.  

Roll out one disk of pie dough large enough to fit a 9 inch pie plate.  Place the rolled dough into the pie plate.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, sugar, flour, and cinnamon and toss together until apples are evenly coated.  Put the apples into the prepared pie crust and drizzle the caramel sauce over the top.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar.  Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples.

Roll out the second disk of pie dough and place on top of the apples, or make a lattice crust.  Trim the pastry, roll the two pieces of pastry under, and crimp the edges of the crust.  Cut several slits in the top of the pie for the steam to vent.  Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the center of the pie is cooked through.  Cover the pie loosely with a sheet of tin foil if the crust gets too brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.  Drizzle with extra caramel before serving, if desired.  Makes about 8 servings.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Chocolate and Vanilla M&M Cookies

I've seen a couple of recipes lately for chocolate M&M cookies, and thought that they might be yummy.  But....I really like just plain M&M cookies too.  So, true to form, I decided not to decide and made them both...as one!  I smooshed the two cookies together and came up with a winner.  I've always had trouble with half and half cookies until I finally figured it out with these Marbled Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  These cookies are pretty easy because you start with one dough, then divide it at the very end.  The chocolate half has M&Ms and white chocolate chips and the vanilla dough has M&Ms and semi sweet chocolate chips.  They are so delicious, and they look cute too!

Chocolate and Vanilla M&M Cookies

2/3 cup (10 2/3 Tablespoons) butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (10 2/3 Tablespoons) shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup mini M&Ms, divided

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Cream together the butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until just combined. Divide dough in half, and place one half in a separate bowl.  Beat 1/4 cup flour into one half of the dough and 1/4 cup cocoa powder into the other half of the dough. Add the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the M&Ms to the vanilla dough and beat on low until evenly distributed.  To the chocolate dough, add the white chocolate chips and remaining 1/2 cup of M%Ms and stir until evenly distributed.

Using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop one ball of the vanilla dough and one ball of the chocolate dough, and press the two balls together.  Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Repeat with the remaining cookies.  Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges and just set in the center.  Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on the pan for several minutes.  Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Makes about 30 cookies.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy