Homemade Confetti Cake Blizzards
Posted: May 18, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: blizzard, cupcakes, Dairy Queen, dessert, food, Ice cream 10 Comments »
Dairy Queen, why must you taunt me?
You know I love you, but this long-distance relationship is hard. Not having a DQ within driving distance brings me daily heartbreak, but then you go and rub salt in my wounds by flaunting your latest tantalizing Blizzard of the Month all over my television (side note: WHY do they show commercials for places nowhere even remotely near your area? I’m looking at you, Sonic!). For the month of May, Dairy Queen dished out a Confetti Cake Blizzard.
Seriously, kill me.
I was both elated and distraught the second I saw the ad. On the one hand, what an awesome Blizzard flavor! Who doesn’t love birthday cake-flavored goodness? But on the other hand, it dawned on me that I had no travel plans for the month of May, and therefore would probably never get to try the Confetti Cake Blizzard.
Cue the violins.
Dairy Queen, from the way you treat me, I don’t think you realize that I’m your biggest fan. Not having you here in CNY has been rough, but every time I step out of the area, I go ridiculously out of my way to see you. Lord help the poor individual driving the car if we should pass a sign foretelling a Dairy Queen at the next exit.
I guess my point is, how can you hurt someone who loves you so much? Either give me a DQ, or don’t taunt me with your deliciousness. I grew up with you, Dairy Queen, and you’ll always be number one in my heart. But in the words of Jewell, “These foolish games are tearing me apart.”
I had two options: consume a Confetti Cake Blizzard or die. The way I see it, since death was not okay with me, the only thing left to do was make Homemade Confetti Cake Blizzards. This is where I must mention that you should really hire me, Dairy Queen. Because my homemade version of your treat was FREAKIN’ AMAZING.
I’m still getting over it: the super creamy and smooth vanilla soft serve studded with fluffy vanilla cupcakes and sweet frosting. Sweet Jesus, they were good. But how did I achieve soft serve at home? Simple! I just made my favorite vanilla ice cream in the ice cream maker as per usual, but instead of popping it into the freezer to firm up before eating, I served it straight out of the machine while it was still so soft, creamy, and airy. Basically, the stuff that comes straight out of the ice cream maker IS soft serve. Mind blown.
Then, my friends, you simply stir in whole chunks of delicious, soft vanilla cupcakes, and viola! You’ve got the most amazing frozen confection your mouth will ever experience. I can’t compare it to the real thing since I haven’t tried it, but I feel confident saying this is just as good, if not better. In fact, I’ve talked to a few people who tried the real Blizzard and weren’t crazy about it. So maybe I’m better off with my homemade one…
A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:
- It’s really not necessary to make homemade cupcakes. As long as you have a decent grocery store, you can get some pretty delicious ones from their bakery.
- You’re going to have to work fast when the soft serve come out of the ice cream maker. It stays firm pretty long, but if you dilly dally or go crazy mixing in the cupcakes, it will melt. Remember, these are Blizzards, not milkshakes!
- Sprinkles make everything better!
- Serve with a red plastic spoon if you really want to feel like you’re at DQ.
- Got extra? Just store it in an air tight container and pop it in the freezer. You can take it out and let it soften when you’re ready for another or pop it into the blender to speed up the softening process. Or, if you don’t wan to wait at all, eat it as is like Confetti Cake Ice Cream!
- Freezing the mixing bowl before stirring the ice cream together with the cupcakes keeps the ice cream from melting.
Homemade Confetti Cake Blizzards
Adapted from Cusinart
Yield: about 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 8 vanilla frosted vanilla cupcakes, chopped into chunks
- sprinkles, for garnish
Special Equipment: ice cream maker
Directions:
- Make the soft serve base: In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to make the blizzards, put a large mixing bowl into the freezer to chill. Then pour the ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions, about 20 minutes. It should be soft and creamy like soft serve. Immediately remove the chilled bowl from the freezer and pour the ice cream into the bowl. Gently fold in the cupcake chunks, but don’t over mix. Divide between bowls or cups, top with sprinkles, and enjoy immediately. Store extra ice cream in the freezer in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.
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Mini Rainbow Sugar Cookies w/ Vanilla Glaze – Video!
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: baking, dessert, food, rainbow, sprinkles, sugar cookies 11 Comments »
Sprinkles are an automatic day-brightener. Add them to anything, whether it be ice cream sundaes or funfetti cakes, and your food goes from plain to party-ready. These cute little mini cookies are no exception. They melt right into the cookie dough as it bakes, leaving the cookies speckled with festive rainbow tidbits. Between their colorful palate and their mini size, these cookies are about absolutely adorable. How adorable, you ask? Baby penguin adorable. That’s pretty darn cute.
These cookies aren’t just pretty; they’ve got personality too. And by personality, I mean they’re delicious. They are so divinely soft, melting in your mouth with ease. I dare you to eat just one. With their bite-sized appeal, the vibrant sprinkles, and the sheet of smooth vanilla glaze, these treats are downright addicting. Caution: eating a couple leads to eating a couple dozen. You’ve been warned!
These super soft sugar cookies are as fun as they are delicious. Whip up a batch for yourself, and I guarantee they will brighten your day.
A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:
- I’m throwing a party in my how-to video! Don’t miss it!
- Speaking of parties, these cookies are party-perfect.
- Kids and adults will love these cookies.
- This recipe makes A TON of cookies. I cut it in half when I made them.
- You can skip the glaze if you like. The cookies are amazing on their own.
- It’s important to pull the cookies when they’re set, not browned. I know this goes against most cookie baking logic, but if you wait for them to brown, they’ll be overdone and they won’t be as soft.
- Don’t skip the parchment paper! Your cookies come off nice and easy, and clean up is a breeze.
Mini Rainbow Sugar Cookies w/ Vanilla Glaze
Adapted from Foodbeast
Ingredients:
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 sticks butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla until blended. Gradually add flour mixture and beat on low just until incorporated. Stir in the sprinkles until evenly distributed. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Roll dough into teaspoon-sized balls (or a teeny bit bigger). You can use a teaspoon or watermelon baller to scoop the dough so each cookie is uniform size. Place balls on parchment paper-lined trays, 6-8 cookies per tray depending on the size. Bake cookies 5 – 10 minutes until set, they should not be browned at all. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make the glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, milk, an vanilla together in a bowl until completely smooth. Once cookies are cooled, top them with the glaze. You may dip them or spread it on with a knife. Allow glaze to set & enjoy!
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Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies
Posted: May 11, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: baking, chocolate, chocolate lava, cookies, dessert, food 14 Comments »
A simpler name for this recipe would be Heaven.
It’s the most delicious Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in existence, overflowing with molten chocolate lava, and served warm and ooey-gooey. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! This is one of my absolute favorite desserts to have ever graced my lips. Pure divinity.
I’m sorry, I need a moment.
…Okay. Let me pull myself together here and tell you what an other-worldly experience these Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies are. That cookie recipe in and of itself is out-of-this world, so chewy, soft, and packed with chunks of delicious chocolate. Then, by serving it warm, you get that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste. That alone is enough to give you a food high. But then, we fill that amazing chocolate chip cookie with gobs of smooth, melted chocolate, or as I like to call it, liquid gold. It’s like this special surprise tucked away inside the soft, warm cookie. You’re loving every bite, and then suddenly, your fork strikes gold and the chocolate lava comes rushing out. Hot dog! There’s gold in them there cookies!
When I first had the idea for a chocolate chip lava cookie, I struggled with how to get the chocolate in there. With lava cakes, the cake batter itself forms the molten center through under-baking. But how to get a molten chocolate center in a cookie? The solution I generated was ganache. It sets up to be firm and moldable like clay, so you can easily stuff it in the cookie dough. But then, when it bakes, it melts like magic!
My words can’t every come close to the pure palate bliss that these cookies will deliver. You’ve got that delicious chocolate chip cookie that’s crisp on the edges but so soft and chewy inside. Then you have the velvety chocolate ganache filling, so warm and rich that you’ll wish you could bathe in it.
Oh god, someone get me a fork. You know what, forget the fork. I’m going in face-first.
A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:
- You can use dark or semisweet in the ganache filling based on how sweet you like your chocolate.
- Don’t be skimpy on that chocolate filling. It’ll melt down a lot when it bakes.
- Assemble these ahead of time for a dinner party or get-together then bake when ready for dessert bliss!
- Got leftover cookie dough? Unlikely, but if you do, just bake it up into regular cookies!
- You may have extra ganache. Drizzle it over the finished lava cookies or save for another dessert. You can warm it up and drizzle it over ice cream, top a cake or brownies, or dip fruit in it. Yum!
Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies
Adapted from Baking Illustrated
Makes 4 Lava Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 1.5-oz. milk chocolate bars, chopped into chunks
- 1/3 cup additional milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Special Equipment: 4 ramekins (7-9 oz.)
Directions:
- Make the filling: Put the chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 15 second intervals, whisking in between, until completely melted. Do not cook longer than 15 seconds without stopping and stirring or the chocolate will burn. You can also do this in a double-boiler. Let ganache cool to room temperature then cover and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes. After it sets up in the freezer, move it to the fridge until ready to bake the dessert.
- Meanwhile, make the cookie dough: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time while beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips and chunks. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour before continuing.
- When ready to eat, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a generous hunk of dough (a bit more than a tablespoon) in the bottom of an ungreased ramekin. Flatten it out with the palm of your hand.
- Remove the ganache from the fridge. Grab a very generous spoonful (at least 2 tablespoons, or more depending on how much “lava” you want) and roll it into a ball. Place it on top of the cookie dough and flatten out slightly. cover with another hunk of cookie dough, spreading out the dough so that the ganache is completely covered. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake cookies 10-15 minutes or until edges turn golden brown and cookie is set in the center. Do not overbake. Let ramekins sit on a cooling rack for 2 minutes then flip the them onto a plate and let the cookies slide out. Serve immediately. Recommended: top with vanilla ice cream!
*Note: You may assemble these ahead of time, all stuffed with the chocolate and such, and store them in the fridge until ready to bake.
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Rasberry Golden Oreo Fudge
Posted: May 4, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: baking, candy, dessert, food, fudge, Golden Oreos, raspberry, white chocolate 13 Comments »
I never thought I could love a cookie as much as I love Oreos until the Golden Oreo came into my life. They look exactly like their chocolate cousins, only lighter in complexion. Golden Oreos have the same pleasant crunch that I’ve come to know and love in classic Oreos. However, unlike classic Oreos, Golden Oreos have a mellow vanilla flavor. It’s sweet, but not overly so, with a flavor that is just divine. My love for Golden and Classic Oreos is equal. Do not ask me to choose; I must have both.
Unfortunately, I find the Golden Oreo to be incredible under-utilized. Sure, you can find cookies and cream anything nowadays, but only with the original Oreo. Never does its golden sibling get any love. Well, I think that is a crying shame, and I found the need to remedy it. Therefore, I switched up my original Cookies and Cream Fudge recipe to yield a fruity twist made for the Golden Oreo: Raspberry Golden Oreo Fudge.
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Peanut Butter S’mores Bars
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: chocolate, dessert, easy, food, Recipe, s'mores 7 Comments »
Sometimes, I can be a big pain in the butt.
Scratch that. Most of the time, I can be a big pain in the butt.
The good news is, I realize this, and I try to remedy it when I can. For example, I recently got some some bright purple highlights underneath my hair, and I was a little difficult for my hairdresser to deal with. You see, I’m a perfectionist, and I wanted it just right. My hairdresser, however, is so unbelievably patient and sweet. She made my hair perfect, and she was nothing but kind throughout the process. I think she may be the nicest hairdresser on the planet.
My new hair
So, in an attempt to make amends, I did what I do best: I made her food. My hairdresser has been extremely supportive about my website, so I figured it was about time she got to try some of my eats. I whipped up these Peanut Butter S’mores Bars and presented them as a means of saying, “Thank you for dealing with me.” There are only a few people in this world who do deal with me, and I very much appreciate all of them.
It’s not an easy job.
I may be difficult and complicated, but these bars sure aren’t. They’re super simple to put together but, my god, are they good! The base is a softy, chewy layer of peanut butter-swirled graham cookie. I absolutely love the texture. It’s sturdy enough to hold, but soft enough to melt in your mouth. You get that hint of graham cracker flavor plus the salty peanut butter, and that alone is incredible. But then, the cookie layer is topped with pure milk chocolate. It’s creamy smoothness pairs perfectly with the salty, chewy cookie layer. Next, the bars are adorned with ooey, gooey marshmallow Fluff, which bakes up to the exact texture of a toasted marshmallow. Finish the bars off with a final crumble of the cookie dough, and you’ve got yourself something magical.
Combine all these wonderful layers, and you get the irresistible flavors of a s’more, plus salty peanut butter, all in one delicious bar. So many textures come into play: chewy, gooey, smooth…and it all works together perfectly. If you like s’mores, you will love these bars. They’re so good, you won’t be able to eat just one!
A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:
- Leave out the peanut butter to get classic s’mores bars.
- These are great for parties, get-togethers, or picnics.
- Here’s another way to get peanut butter flavor in these bars: instead of adding PB to the cookie dough, leave it out and replace the Hershey bars with Reeses Cups.
Peanut Butter S’mores Bars
Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, who adapted from Taste of Home
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 5 whole crackers)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, frozen
- 5 milk chocolate candy bars, 1.55 oz each (like Hershey’s)
- 1 cup marshmallow creme (like Fluff)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to lift the bars out afterward. Spray the foil and pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients gradually, beating just until the dough comes together. Drop the peanut butter in in spoonfuls. Turn the mixer on low speed just until peanut butter is distributed.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, reserving 1/2 cup to use for the topping. Gently press the dough into an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Top the crust with the candy bars (you’ll have to break them up and shingle them to create a single layer). Gently pread the marshmallow creme over the chocolate bars. Top with the reserved dough, crumbling over the marshmallow creme.
- Bake the bars for about 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Lift from the pan using the foil “handles” and cut into squares for serving. (note: bars are easier to cut after refrigeration). You can pop the bars into the microwave for a few seconds before eating to achieve ooey gooey goodness.
