Chocolate Chip Cookie Covered Oreo Madness!!!

This weekend Chloe and I made CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE COVERED OREOS!!! Total Madness! We found the recipe here:

http://www.beckybakes.net/2011/01/20/oreo-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies/

It was surprisingly easy especially after Chef Chlo developed an amazing technique for sealing the oreo in the cookie. I was putting a ball of dough on the top and on the bottom and trying to seal the edges without great success. But my genius daughter showed me how to put the cookie dough on top of the oreo - about a handful- and cup your hands and kind of smoosh it then do the same for the bottom - the sides seal themselves. amazing.

These cookies were BIG....I mean monsterous! But terribly yummy. Definitely a once in a while treat.

Next weekend is a big weekend for Chlo- She is testing for her Deputy 2 belt in Tae Kwon Do. We are going to celebrate by making cupcakes baked in an ice cream cone! Yay!

Birthday Cake Cupcakes from Scratch!!

Well it's official - Chloe and I have baked our very most favorite cupcake yet! A Birthday Cake Sprinkle Cupcake with Strawberry Buttercream frosting that tasted just like strawberry ice cream. Proud is an understatement- especially because for this project Chloe did nearly all the work! She cut and pureed the strawberries, handled the hand mixer and frosted every cupcake by herself! This was a very fun cupcake to make- Chloe says everyone should try it!

Cooking With Dad - Guacamole!

Today was a great day for Chef Chloe! Dad happened to be making his famous guacamole and Chloe volunteered to help. She peeled and diced the avocados and hand squeezed the lime. David hold his sous chefs to a high standard especially when it comes to his signature dish, but Chloe passed the test! The fam is eating the guac right now and it is for sure getting high marks!

Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Cookie Pie!

Chloe and I highly recommend this recipe we found on a blog for healthy desserts called chocolate covered katie! Here is a link to the recipe:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/31/deep-dish-cookie-pie/

It was super simple and fun to make and turned out so yummy! Even Sophie, our resident food critic, liked it which is saying something considering the main ingredient is garbanzo beans,

Chloe had hers topped with vanilla ice cream while the cookie was still warm. Yum!

Next week Chloe has picked out a somewhat less healthy treat- chocolate chip cookie covered oreos! Wow! Have a great week!

Our Next Adventure!

Here's what we are making next-just decided!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/31/deep-dish-cookie-pie/

It's a deep dish chocolate chip cookie pie - only the secret is it's made with pureed garbanzo beans and oats instead of flour and butter. I've made a similar recipe for choc. chip cookie dough dip (from the same website) and never told the kids what was in it. It was a hit and I have a sneaking suspicion this will be too.

I LOVE that Chloe knows the ingredients to this and still wants to try it. She also wants to make chocolate mousse to put on top of the pie - adventurous and ambitious!

As there is no picture to go along with this post, I wanted to post a pic of Chlo in her Tae Kwon Do uniform after she did a totally awesome job in class tonight (plus it is super cute) but Chloe declines on the grounds that it does not go with the theme of the blog and because she thought it would be bragging. so sweet. But I feel comfortable bragging - Chloe is completely amazing at Tae Kwon do! (Anthony and Soph are amazing at countless things too. I have encouraged them to start their own blogs about stuff they love doing with me. They both said no)

We can't wait to make the pie and share it electronically with you!

The Chai Tea Cupcake Project!

Today Chloe and I embarked upon an epic project- Chai Tea Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Meringue Buttercream Frosting. It was a fun & exhausting hours long adventure. Let me preface our story by saying that I am absolutely not a baker. I bake because it's something Chloe loves to do & I love doing things she loves with her but I am in no way good at it. Baking is such a science and I am so not a exact minded type of person. This may come as a surprise but I am sort of all over the place. But Chloe has a special way of encouraging me in her special Chloe way to do things that are out of my box. And so Chloe and me, who can mess up boxed brownies, made cupcakes that could have been a recipe from cupcake wars.

First we made the chai tea. Then I realized I did not have enough flour for these cupcakes- so we had to use some whole wheat flour which in my mind combined with the fact that they are made with tea, makes these cupcakes healthy.

The next trial was that the recipe called for cardamom which was really hard to find and I could only find the whole seed SO we had to toast it and hand grind it. Anthony ground it for us and Chloe was kind enough to include a photo of him doing it on her blog.....it took some begging though.

After that we completed the batter which was awesome. It was such a pretty color and smelled so delicate.

The frosting was an ordeal. I have never made anything remotely meringue-like and had no idea what was involved. Chloe was so interested and such an eager learner that it was totally worth it. Even when we ran out of frosting 5 cupcakes into the first batch after we had spent 30-40 minutes making that batch and had to immediately make another bigger batch. Yes, even when that happened it was worth it, kind of, ok totally, because Chloe was so delighted with the final product. She gave the cake an A+ and the frosting an A because she thought the honey was over powering. When we made the 2nd batch and added less honey and more cinnamon she upgraded the frosting to an A+ too. I adore her, gives constructive criticism yet is easy to please!

This was quite literally an all day event but I feel so so lucky that life slowed down enough for us to do it. Sophie even contributed by eating half the batter and criticizing the process simultaneously. It was joyful. Not to sound lame, but it really was.

Chloe has yet to decide what to make next but I can't help but think it will be a walk in the park after this. I think we should veer towards something healthy since I shudder to think of how much butter and sugar we have plowed through!

Thanks for reading - and if you are craving a chai tea cupcake I have about a dozen to share! Chloe says Bon Appetit!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake!

Tonight Chloe and I made this yummy breakfast cake to eat tomorrow morning! It was super fun to make and the batter was very very thick and rich and delicious. It smelled lemony fresh while cooking. We can't wait to eat it! Tomorrow morning after our breakfast feast, Chlo and I are making the aforementioned chai tea cupcakes...super excited! Here is the recipe for the breakfast cake. Chloe gives a five star review!

http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2012/02/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake.html