Valentine Cookies 2015

February 13, 2015February 12, 2015 ~ Angela ~ 6 Comments

Even if you hate Valentine’s Day you still love cookies, right? Here’s this year’s batch!

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Strawberry Fluff Filling

February 10, 2015February 9, 2015 ~ Angela ~ 7 Comments

I’m back, and I brought more Strawberry Fluff! I think I might ask it to be my Valentine.

We could go for long walks on the beach, have picnics in the park, or snuggle up on the couch for a Netflix binge-fest. The only thing that would come between us would be a spoon… Or I could just fill some Devil’s Food cupcakes with it and then top them off with some Godiva Chocolate Liqueur spiked butter cream frosting.

Yup. Had to throw some booze in there. What says “Will you be my Valentine?” better than some Godiva chocolate? Ok, maybe some sparkly jewlery, but you can’t eat that with Strawberry Fluff.

To make these, bake a batch of your favorite Devil’s Food cupcakes. I used the Pillsbury box mix, which made 18 appropriately sized cupcakes (ahem, Pillsbury). After the cupcakes have cooled use a cupcake corer or a knife to remove a section from the center of each cupcake. Next comes the Strawberry Fluff Cream Filling.

Strawberry Fluff Cream Filling (adapted from I Heart Cuppycakes)

1-7.5 oz jar of Marshmallow Strawberry Fluff
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

In a large bowl, whisk the marshmallow cream and butter until smooth. Transfer into pastry bag and squeeze into the center of each cupcake. You can push the bits you removed back into the top or you can just eat them. : ) Now it’s time for the frosting!

Godiva Chocolate Liqueur Butter Cream (adapted from Butter Cream Frosting II on allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Cream butter and shortening in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add all other ingredients and beat until well combined. Luckily for Pillsbury this recipe makes just enough frosting for 18 cupcakes. I like a lot of icing on my cupcakes, so you may be able to stretch this to cover 24 cupcakes depending on your frosting technique.

I topped these off with a strawberry marshmallow heart but you can decorate them any way you wish!

What’s your favorite cupcake filling? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Valentine’s Day Fluffernutter

February 9, 2015February 9, 2015 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

Did you know that STRAWBERRY Marshmallow Fluff existed? I had no idea until I saw it in the World Market section at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. I immediately grabbed a jar off the shelf.

I wish I hadn’t.

I wish….

…that I had grabbed three or four! It’s SO GOOD!! You know the first thing I had to do was make a fluffernutter sandwich, right? Did you grow up on these things too? Gooey marshmallow and peanut butter slathered onto good old white bread. I could have eaten one every day for lunch and never gotten tired of it.

Of course, I had to take it up a notch. We are talking about STRAWBERRY Fluff, people. And what goes with strawberry?? That’s right – chocolate!

It’s Monday morning, and I’m pretty sure that you know how to make a sandwich so I am going to spare you the directions. Strawberry Fluff, your favorite chocolate nut spread (I used Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams but I am thinking Nutella would be AWESOME with this) and white bread are all you need to make this fun Valentine’s Day treat.

The kids will love this and so will you because strawberry and chocolate, that’s why. Now pardon me while I go continue eating this Strawberry Fluff straight out of the jar.

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

February 5, 2015February 4, 2015 ~ Angela ~ 3 Comments

‘Tis the season for all things red and pink so I’ve hopped onto the bandwagon and made you some strawberries and cream cupcakes!

Even if you don’t like Valentine’s Day you’ll be sure to fall in love with these cupcakes. Sweet strawberry cupcakes, frosting made with heavy cream AND a strawberries and cream truffle stuffed into the center? Good stuff.

These cupcakes are really easy to make! Bake up a batch of your favorite strawberry cupcakes (I used a boxed mix) and a minute or two after you take them out of the oven unwrap a truffle and just push it down through the top of the cupcake. I used Lindt Lindor Strawberries and Cream truffles but you could use white, milk or dark chocolate truffles too. Any kind of chocolate + strawberries = yum. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost them with this:

Butter Cream Frosting (adapted from Butter Cream Frosting II on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

Cream butter and shortening in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add all other ingredients and beat well.

Saturday Night Sips – Hot Buttered RumChata

December 20, 2014December 20, 2015 ~ Angela ~ 39 Comments

A few Christmases ago I made a delicious Colonial Hot Buttered Rum recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com. It was so simple (you make it in the slow cooker!) and SO delicious! I served it at my family Christmas dinner and everyone raved about it.

I decided that I wanted to make it again today – it’s Saturday and it’s cold, why not? 😉 I changed it up just a bit though and I am in love with the results! This recipe was awesome before but when you swap out half of the rum for RumChata…

This is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!! I could sit and drink this all day. It warms you up from the inside and the flavor stays on your lips (if you’re into buttered rum kisses).

Hot Buttered RumChata (adapted from Colonial Hot Buttered Rum submitted to Allrecipes.com by Linda Correia)

Ingredients

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1 pinch of salt
8 cups of hot water
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 cup of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum
1 cup of RumChata
Whipped cream and ground nutmeg for garnish (if desired)

Directions

1. Combine the brown sugar, butter, salt and hot water in a 5 quart (or larger) slow cooker. Add cinnamon sticks and cloves.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
3. Stir in the Spiced Rum and the RumChata.
4. Ladle into mugs (or awesome cups like the ones shown in the photo from SucreShop), top with whipped cream and ground nutmeg.

*** A note on RumChata curdling: Several commenters have said that they had trouble with the RumChata curdling when added to the hot butter/water mixture. I did not encounter this issue but I have done a little research and think it may be due to temperature. RumChata does contain dairy, which can curdle when added to very hot liquid. My RumChata had not been in the refrigerator (once opened it can be stored at room temperature for six months) and my low setting on my slow cooker doesn’t get super hot. If you are using RumChata that has been in the refrigerator I’d suggest measuring it out and letting it warm up to room temperature. If your water/butter mixture is boiling hot, let it cool some before adding the RumChata. You can also temper the RumChata first by measuring it into a bowl or cup, and then bit by bit pour some of the butter/water mixture into the RumChata, effectively bringing it up to the same temperature before adding it to the slow cooker. A last note – if you have been storing your RumChata at room temperature and it is much older than 6 months it may just be on the verge of going bad. ***

Makes 8 servings.

This recipe can easily be scaled down to make fewer servings. I made half a batch tonight but I wish I had made more! It takes just a few minutes to throw together and once it’s done you can just keep it warm in the slow cooker until every last drop is gone. It’s a perfect drink for Christmas, a New Year’s Eve party or any random winter weekend!

Cheers folks!

Apple Pie Snickerdoodles

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 5 Comments

I was super excited to participate again this year in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap which raises money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Food bloggers sign up and get assigned three other food bloggers to send cookies to. This year I sent cookies to Ashley at Memoirs from My Kitchen, Claire at Simply Sweet Justice and Renee from Tortillas and Honey. More on who I received cookies from later…

First, on to the recipe!

I love snickerdoodles, and when I tried Apple Pie Candy Corn from Brach’s® around Halloween I knew I wanted to combine the candy with that quintessential cinnamon cookie. I know it’s no longer candy corn season but I just checked and as of right now you can still buy a bag on Amazon. So if you do want to give these a try you don’t have to wait until next fall!

You can use any snickerdoodle recipe that you like. I happened to have a few bags of Betty Crocker® Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix hanging out in my pantry so that is what I used. Easy and delicious!

Apple Pie Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

Ingredients and measurements will vary depending on what recipe you use for the snickerdoodles. The following instructions are for use with the Betty Crocker® Mix:

1 bag of the cookie mix which contains a packet of cinnamon sugar
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water

In addition to the ingredients to make the cookie dough you will need 1 bag of Brach’s® Apple Pie Candy Corn

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (350 degrees F for a dark or nonstick cookie sheet).
2. Pour the cinnamon sugar from the packet into a small bowl.
3. Combine the ingredients needed to make the dough in a medium bowl until a soft dough forms.
4. Take about 1 teaspoon of dough and press one piece of candy corn into it. Cover with a bit more dough, making a ball around the piece of candy corn. Make sure no part of the candy corn is poking out through the dough.
5. Roll the ball of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar until coated.
6. Place dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set.
8. Remove from oven and press another 2 pieces of candy corn into the top of each cookie.
9. Place cookies back in oven for 1-2 minutes, just long enough to soften the candy corn so it will stick to the cookies.
10. Remove and let cool for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack.

This will make 2 dozen cookies. Store in an airtight container.

Again, the ingredients and instructions here are if you are using the cookie mix. If you are using a different recipe please follow the baking instructions for that recipe, just adding one or two minutes back in the oven after placing the candy corn on top.

You could skip inserting the candy corn into the center of the cookie but I wouldn’t! It melts inside, infusing the cookie with a delightful apple pie flavor!

I received three FANTASTIC batches of cookies from some awesome bloggers. The first batch was Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Snowball Cookies from Marcie at Flavor the Moments. I love that she added chocolate chips to the traditional snowball cookie!

Next came Browned Butter Nutella® Slice-n-Bake Cookies from Sara at Cake Over Steak. Nutella® makes everything awesome and these cookies were no exception!

My last batch of cookies was from Maurita at Get the Good Stuff. She sent Ginger Shortbread Rounds. I LOVE shortbread cookies, and the addition of chewy bits of ginger took these over the top!

I have to say now that the swap is finished, it’s pretty depressing coming home every day from work knowing that there is no chance there will be a box of tasty cookies on my doorstep. If any of you out there are feeling generous and want to just randomly send me cookies, let me know so I can give you my address! 😉

Special thanks to Julie from The Little Kitchen and Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil who are the masterminds behind the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! Thanks for all your hard work ladies! Can’t wait to do it again next year!

Cookie Postcards

December 2, 2014December 2, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 6 Comments

I recently participated in another Operation Cookie Takeover mission. If you don’t know what OCT is all about you should check out their Facebook page! The quick rundown though is this – people nominate deployed soldiers to receive cookies from the volunteers who have signed up to bake and send them. Volunteers have shipped over 37,000 cookies to deployed soldiers since 2013!

This was the fourth mission and my fourth time participating. It was also, by far, my favorite experience.

My idea for this round of cookies was to create a cookie “postcard” – a handwritten, edible note of thanks. I have been seeing a lot of cookie decorators using the stamping technique to embellish their cookies and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a try. I used a rectangular cookie cutter to make my postcards and covered them in a layer of white royal icing. Then I picked up a few postage related stamps from the craft store, read this tutorial on cookie stamping from Fancy Flours and went to town.

Cookie Stamping — It’s always best to practice first… : )

After trying out a few stamps I decided I liked the postmark one the best, so I stamped each of my postcard cookies with it. Because my cookies weren’t perfectly flat, sometimes the stamp didn’t lay the ink down evenly in all spots but I figured that was okay – most postmarks aren’t completely uniform so I’m calling it “authentic.” I let the ink dry overnight and then packed the cookies up and took them into work the next day for the fun part!

Along with my cookies I brought in a few sets of edible ink markers and set up a cookie signing station in an empty cubicle. I invited all my coworkers to stop by and write a note to the troops on one of the cookies.

Here are a few of them:

And here are all 24 together!

Thanks to the help of all my awesome friends at work these turned out so much better than I imagined. I was so excited to ship these off to the Marine that I was matched up with. I hope they all made it in one piece!

Saturday Night Sips – Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cocktail

October 11, 2014October 8, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 6 Comments

Given my obsession with pumpkin flavored booze (aka Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie vodka), I am kind of embarrassed to say I had never tried Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie liqueur. Until a few weeks ago, when my life changed forever…

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t that dramatic but this stuff is DAMN TASTY! Definitely good enough to drink on its own, right out of ~~the bottle~~ a shot glass. Which I did. But then you know me, I had to mix it with some other stuff too.

The inspiration for this drink was a recipe I saw (where else?) on Pinterest – White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from Sally’s Baking Addiction. All of Sally’s recipes are completely drool-worthy, you should definitely check out her blog! Back to the drink though…

I had the pumpkin pie liqueur, I had the lovely cinnamon infused Rumchata AND I had white chocolate liqueur. Those cookies were just begging to be turned into a cocktail.

Ingredients

2 oz Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie liqueur
1 oz white chocolate liqueur (I used Drillaud’s Creme de Cacao Blanc)
.5 oz Rumchata
3 oz milk (I used almond milk and it was delicious! I wouldn’t use half & half though – it would be way too heavy combined with the super creamy pumpkin pie liqueur.)
ice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake until chilled, pour and serve!

This drink was every bit as delicious as I hoped it would be, and it is so easy to make. The Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cocktail is definitely a drink to add to your rotation of fall cocktails. I’m not the only one with a “rotation” of cocktails, right? Just agree with me. : )

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and an extra special thanks to Krissie and Barbara for so generously giving me a bottle of Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie! You guys are awesome! Cheers!

3rd Annual Go Bo! Foundation Bake Sale

October 7, 2014October 16, 2014 ~ Angela ~ 1 Comment

Fall is seriously THE best time of year. In addition to all the usual favorites (cooler weather, apple cider, gorgeous fall foliage, pumpkin EVERYTHING…) it is also the time for fun things such as my birthday (next week!), Halloween, signups for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and the Go Bo! Foundation Bake Sale!

This amazing bake sale is put together by Jill from Jill FCS Funky Cookie Studio to support the Go Bo! Foundation’s mission of funding cancer research and helping the families of children with cancer in Door County, WI. This year cookie artists from ALL 50 states AND 17 countries have donated their time and efforts to this worthy cause. If you are in the area you should definitely go check it out! Don’t worry though if you can’t attend because you could seriously spend hours scrolling through the Go Bo! Foundation Bake Sale Facebook page looking at all the fabulous contributions. There are some seriously talented cookie decorators out there!

This year Jill asked that in addition to whatever themed cookies we wanted to make we also send at least one butterfly cookie. So here are the cookies I shipped out to WI last week: