26 July 2010

andes™ mint chocolate cookies

andes mint cookiesi made these cookies especially for my brother as andes mint chocolates are his fav. earlier today, i was at target with my niece (said brother's daughter) and saw them so i bought them. i've also recently inherited a lot of baking supplies and decided that i would take advantage of the new refreshed supply. this recipe comes from the back of the andes mint baking chips bag with some alterations. i won't retype the recipe but i will describe my changes which i must admit come from america's test kitchen. specifically the episode on the perfect chocolate chip cookie which i watched with my sister on saturday. i noticed that the recipe called for more brown sugar than white sugar. this was the main reason i decided to go with this recipe rather than the one i usually use.

what i learned from america's test kitchen:

despite the recipe calling for "softened" butter, i melted it. well, ¾ of the butter was melted and then mixed with the rest of the butter. this does two things. it cools the melted butter and melts the remaining ¼. america's test kitchen actually melts the butter in a non-stick pan and browns it to bring out the nuttiness. i didn't do this, however.

the melted butter (to mix before the rest of the ingredients) makes the cookie crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. after the butter and sugars are "creamed," let the mixture sit to allow the sugars to dissolve. when baked, this causes the sugars to caramelize rather than melt. i notice that the cookie is not as flat as the usual recipe i use. i guess i will have to test this out which means... more cookies.

the recipe calls for 2 2/3 cups of flour. i put in 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour to make it a little healthier which i'm sure gets canceled out anyway. my niece who was my guinea pig didn't notice, at all.

18 July 2010

our little star

our little lion star
this is our little lion during her tap dance at her recital last month.

10 July 2010

coconutella rice krispy treats

i decided to call these coconutella rice krispy treats (made with nutella, coconut and topped with toasted coconut). see recipe below.

for those who tested them out for me, thanks! these are the final product and what i took to the party. :)

recipe:
3 tablespoons butter
10 oz bag of marshmallows
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup coconut
6 cups of rice krispies

topping:
1/2 cup coconut (spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 mins at 250F, keep an eye on this or it will burn!)

instructions:
melt butter on low heat, add marshmallows and melt
remove from heat, add nutella, then add coconut (this must be done quickly) and add 6 cups of rice krispies

butter a 9x13 inch pan and spread rice krispies mixture. top with toasted coconut and refrigerate.

and enjoy!

07 July 2010

blue suede shoes

bayan by manolo blahnik
well, it's one for the money
two for the show
three to get ready
now go cat go

but don't you step on my blue suede shoes...