Black and White Cookies and Competitions!

So this year my temple is having a competition for Jewish Desserts. After kind of zoning out during the high holiday's service, this perked me right up. And having wanted to make these for quite some time, the choice seemed obvious. Not exactly a jewish dessert, but it officially classifies. Although, we need 100. Yeah. But just 100 halves, and Zabar's recipe makes like 4 dozen. So we're okay. Just need 2 gallons of icing. But who doesn't want that?

So many cookies!

iced and pretty!

Wish me luck!

Zabar's Black and White Cookies

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (not juice, extract, it's stronger)
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used soft-silk brand)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

King Arthur Flour's Black and White Icing

Vanilla

• 3 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Chocolate

• 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease as many cookie sheets as you want (I used 2). With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs milk and extracts. In a separate bowl, stir together flours, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to wet ingredients on low speed. Use a cookie scoop, and scoop dough 2 inches apart, about 12 cookies per pan.  Bake for 12 minutes, then let cool completely. Scoop more dough, and repeat the baking process with the rest of the dough. To make the Vanilla icing: put all the ingredients into a bowl. and stir together. It will be very thick. Add more water  by the teaspoon to reach desired consistency. Make the Chocolate icing: Fill the bottom part of a double broiler half way with water, and bring to a boil. place top pot on, and dump in chocolate chips. stir until melted. Mix together all the ingredients, and again add water by the teaspoon if too thick. When cookies are completely cooled, spread vanilla icing on one half of the flat side of each cookie, and chocolate on the other half. If the chocolate icing gets too stiff, zap it in the microwave for a coupe of seconds. Let icings set before eating. Enjoy!

Halloween Cupcakes!

My sister has halloween concert tonight. Of course, i said i'd bake. So here I am, trying to finish an english project and make 24 (although only 22 survived) cupcakes.

And I used my Halloween cupcake stencils!

Owls!

They aren't the prettiest, but they are really chocolaty and the fluffiest cupcakes i've ever made.

Super Fluffy Chocolate Cupcakes

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

I used my fabulous buttercream recipe, tinted orange, which you can find here.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir in boiling water. Now this is halloween, so it will spook you. It is supposed to be like soup. The batter is thin. Fill liners 2/3 full, not over, and bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool, and frost any way you want. Enjoy, and 

Happy Halloween!

My New Kitchen!

It's done. It's finally done. And I'm jumping up and down. well, not right now. i'm sitting on my new granite countertop,  writing to all you lovely people on the internet. My sister is organizing the cabinets, and right now is putting away all my baking supplies (with my help, of course). So, in celebration, i'm willing to give a little tour.

But first, birthday stuff.

I got some pretty cool things.

i've been using an apple corer. but now i can be all fancy.

halloween cupcakes are in our near future, my friends.

and a macaron mat. excitingness.

so now i think it's time for your tour. let's get started.

here is a view of the whole thing.

fridge area

sink area

new TV. playing the food network of course.

and, THE OVEN!!!!

ahhh. 

well, i hope you enjoyed this little tour. see you soon!

Chocolate chip cookie in a mug for 1-Microwave recipe!

I'm sick with a cold, my kitchen is under construction, and all i want to do is bake.

So, after geometry homework, and while enjoying the first episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, i found won of the most exciting things of my life. 

30. Whole. Microwavable. Dessert. Recipes. 

Yes.

30 microwave dessert recipes

I hear the angels singing in the background.

Hallelujah. 

Now it's just me, Andy Samberg, the microwave (that we're loaning since our old one broke), and half a bag of nestle tollhouse chocolate chips.

also, my birthday is on sunday, so expect microwave birthday cake in a mug to come!

Happy belated to me.

Om nom nom, cookie dough

and my only tools were a mug

a tablespoon

a plastic fork and knife

and, of course,

a microwave. 

Oooooh, that sounds like a survival show. exciting.

But not as exciting as this.

oh yeah.

Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie for 1 in a Mug (wow that's long)

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons flour
• about tablespoons chocolate chips give or take a tablespoon

Microwave the butter in the mug for 30-40 seconds. Stir in the sugars, vanilla and salt. add egg yolk. add flour, making sure to incorporate all of it. fold in chocolate chips. microwave 40-60 seconds, not over a minute. let cool, and enjoy!

sorry about the beginning of that last post. i meant crushed tomatoes instead of sauce, and soft slices of mozzarella cheese. have fun making pizza!

Grilled Pizza!

I know, it's savory. but i hope you'll forgive me for doing something savory from time to time. After all who doesn't like pizza? especially margherita pizza, made with crushed tomatoes instead of soft, slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, and little, home grown basil leaves. Yum!

trader joe's. om nom nom.

cheeeeeese

mug shot!

sweet, chunky and better than any sauce!

deeeeeeeeelicious.

Pizza:

• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 blob fresh mozzarella
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves (optional)
• 2 of your favorite pizza crusts

spread half the tomatoes on 1 crust, repeat with the other crust. slice the mozzarella, and cut the slices in half. place half on one pizza, half on the other. sprinkle basil leaves on top of both. grill or bake in oven on a pizza pan. enjoy!

Kitchen renovation

Hey everyone!

I'm getting my kitchen renovated on tuesday, so I may not have any posts for 3 weeks. i will try to do some no bake recipes, and i will also hopefully have my birthday cake up when the kitchen's done! And perhaps i'll feature an rosh shashana inspired cupcake! can't wait!

Bye for now,
Rhode Island Red