Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

cookies

Sometimes I struggle with the basic chocolate chip cookie. I don’t know what it is about those basic cookie recipes, but they rarely turn out perfect.

To avoid making ugly cookies, I started messing around with other flavors and recipes  to get the “perfect” cookies.

hazelnut praline Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Now I’m not saying these are perfect, but they are pretty darn close. Chewy, soft, melt-in-your-mouth buttery and utterly addicting.

Remember that gianduja gelato I made? Well I had some extra hazelnut paste laying around so I mixed that into the cookie dough. Yum! [Read more...]

Chocolate Chocolate Cookies {Milk Bar Monday 7/16}

chocolate chocolate cookies

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had a chance to post. Actually my last post was the Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie.

I’ve found I always manage to make time for our Milk Bar Mondays. This has quickly become my favorite posting group to be apart of.

Christina’s book has taught me a lot about baking and I feel I am much more confident in the kitchen because of the recipes I have learned for MBM.

Some of the most beneficial so far:

yogurt 2 Chocolate Chocolate Cookies {Milk Bar Monday 7/16}

  • Birthday Layer Cake – a true recreation of one of my favorite boxed cake mixes. Make me thing about how contrasting flavors work so well. Also, Christina’s way of building cakes is brilliant.

slice 2 Chocolate Chocolate Cookies {Milk Bar Monday 7/16}

  • Cinnamon Bun Pie – the mother dough and liquid cheesecake recipes are some of the most valuable recipes in the whole book.

sliced pie1 Chocolate Chocolate Cookies {Milk Bar Monday 7/16}

  • Compost Cookies – think outside the box! Also taught me proper mixing procedure for all her cookies.

finished cookeis Chocolate Chocolate Cookies {Milk Bar Monday 7/16}

I also love that all of us are able to talk about the recipes as we make them. For example, these chocolate cookies.

Cassie e-mailed us about her experience with the recipe. Some of the girls cut down on the butter like Cassie did, while others stuck to the recipe.

I decided to compensate a different way. Just to see how mine might turn out compared to everyone else’s. Instead of cutting down on the butter I added 3/4 of the chocolate crumbs instead of half, and I mixed the dry ingredients in for a full 40 seconds (instead of my usual 20ish). [Read more...]

Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie {Milk Bar Monday 7/2}

corn cookies

Welcome to another Milk Bar Monday! Today I am the host.

I chose the sweet corn cereal milk ice cream pie for a multitude of reasons.

  1. It is HOT out there and we all need a little something sweet to help us cool off, so why not have some ice cream.
  2. I am an Indiana girl and our major claim to fame is corn. We have some fabulous corn that grows there during the summer. So when I saw this recipe it just screamed “Indiana Summer” and I couldn’t pass it up.
  3. It uses cereal milk!
  4. Finally – you can top it with one of your favorite seasonal fruits! What pie is complete without a little fruit topping?
cookies and corn Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie {Milk Bar Monday 7/2} pie with peach1 Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie {Milk Bar Monday 7/2}

This recipe isn’t is as hard as it seems. Some of our past Milk Bar Mondays have had crazy steps and ingredients, but this one is pretty tame in comparison. The only thing I had to find was freeze-dried corn. I got mine on Amazon but I think you can also find it at Whole Foods and other health food stores.

You start by making the corn cookies, which are surprisingly corny and sweet but not as strange as they seem. They will be a new favorite in this Indiana household.

corn cookies Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie {Milk Bar Monday 7/2}

Then you start your “ice cream” base by making some of the famous cereal milk. I think this is our first recipe that uses it, but it was worth the wait. It’s a sweetened milk full of delicious cereal flavor. For this recipe we made Cap’n Crunch cereal milk but the recipe is pretty much the same for which ever cereal you decided to use.

While your cereal milk is soaking you take the delicious corn cookies and make the pie crust! Yes, we are getting to be all sorts of corny for this recipe.

cereal milk Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie {Milk Bar Monday 7/2}

Once your cereal milk is ready to go you make a corn pudding sort of mixture, let it cool, then fold it with some whipped heavy cream and sour cream. Pour it all into your pie crust and let it freeze for a few hours.

I topped my finished pie with some pureed peaches for an extra kick of summer flavor. But they great thing is summer has so many wonderful fruits to offer that you can’t go wrong with anything you chose. A few that I want to try are strawberries, blueberries, and cherries. 

pie with peach Sweet Corn Cereal Milk Ice Cream Pie {Milk Bar Monday 7/2}

See? Not too crazy for a Milk Bar Monday.

And 2 super bonuses when your pie is done – there are extra cookies & extra cereal milk! I recommend using the cereal milk in your coffee..mmm…

So what are you waiting for, check out the recipe below and celebrate the fourth with a super summery ice cream pie!

Don’t forget to check out Audra’s Pie over at The Baker Chick! You can also follow our conversation on Twitter and check out past recipes and pictures on Pinterest. [Read more...]

Lavender Biscotti

Lavender Biscotti

After making the lavender shortbread a few months ago, I was inspired to use edible lavender more often.

Recipes like honey lavender ice cream and honey lavender creme brûlée were calling my name for weeks.

Once I finally got around to making something I settled on lavender biscotti.

lavender biscotti Lavender Biscotti

I must admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by the thought of a lavender biscotti – but this recipe surprised me.

The biscotti are floral but not overwhelming. I also used organic turbinado sugar and organic coconut oil to make the biscotti softer and more like a cookie.

lavender  200x300 Lavender Biscotti  ground lavender 200x300 Lavender Biscotti  raw dough Lavender Biscotti

If you have never used lavender in any baked goods I recommend giving it a try! The lavender buds are pretty, smell good and add lovely purple flecks to your recipes.

You can find out where to buy edible lavender buds here!

[Read more...]

White and Dark Chocolate Deep Dish Cookies {Guest Post from Big Bear’s Wife}

1-1-13

Hello everyone! Today is my final guest poster, Angie of Big Bear’s Wife.

I first met Angie when I was assigned her blog for one of the Secret Recipe Club swaps. I made her homemade pop tarts and loved them. I can’t believe that was a year ago!

 White and Dark Chocolate Deep Dish Cookies {Guest Post from Big Bears Wife}

For her guest post today she created a recipe for what looks like one of the most sinful cookies ever…deep dish cookies.

Have you ever had a deep dish cookie? I know I haven’t, but her combo of white and dark chocolate is enough to make me want to drive to the store today! [Read more...]

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