Here it is, the good ol' fourth of july. Ours is a little lacking in festivity this year so I went in search of a little red, white & blue.
I declared independence from my kitchen (it is independence day!) and headed to saint cupcake where I found what I needed.
My favorite is chocolate cake with hot fudge frosting. Suddenly the day has gotten better.
Baking under the influence of the shamrock.
This is what happens when you grow up in a festive household.
Nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven.
This is it.
My go to, bake to impress, recipe.
A secret weapon of sorts.
Could it be the warm chocolate raspberry frosting?
The moist, rich chocolate cake?
Or perhaps the ease of baking it all in one pan?
Sure, it may seem like you use a lot of dishes,
but those can be washed up in the quick 30 minute baking time.
In the end it will all be worth it.
Here's the recipe.
Get baking. You won't be disappointed.
Serve it with ice cream or whipped cream
or just plain.
Make it for your family or friends
or your valentine.
Just make it
and be adored.
"Dude, there's cake."
We're ready.
Is it 8 o'clock yet?
Found: One children's cook book from 1951. A picture cook book!
I had to try something out of it right away. Something easy. I didn't want to get in over my head. heehee.
So I chose...
It sounds like one of those recipes you would invent when you were little.
Before the oven.
Here it is. Peter's Peanut -Butter Pixie. It even looks retro!
How was it?
Well, kind of like a bite size fluffernutter s'more and instead of chocolate (which would have made this oh so delish) is a cinnamon 'cherry' on top. Totally weird. But I like it.
Lying in bed this morning I was brainstorming ideas of things to make. I happened to check my phone and saw these unbelievable photos that my friend had posted on facebook of his friend Lukka Sigurdardottir who made this seriously unbelievable cake. All of my ideas seem so small in comparison! Not only has Lukka mastered the checkered cake, but she has taken it to a whole new level. I am in awe and inspired. I had to share these with you.
Cookie time is here. Whether it's to swap, share or eat all yourself, these are a tasty treat!
This recipe in particular appealed to me because of it's six ingredients, all of which I had on hand, and the fact that it didn't require an electric mixer. So simple, I thought, but I learned that when a recipe says 'active time: 2 hours', that simple cookie becomes a bit more complex! Totally worth it.
A lace cookie is very flat, kind of crispy, kind of chewy, very buttery, with a nuttiness that is balanced with sweet. I love how these are scribbled upon with both white and bittersweet chocolate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle. This recipe has you line your 2 baking sheets with a silpat or some other nonstick bakeware liner. I only have one. I figured that lace cookies were being baked long before the invention of a silpat so I lined my other baking sheet with parchment. The parchment cookies were a little browner on the edges but were just as good.
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Melt butter, brown sugar, and salt in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally.
Stir in coconut, oats and flour until just combined. Remove from heat but keep batter warm over pot. You will be tempted to try the batter because it smells so good. You may even want to eat it by the spoonful. Don't do it! Not only will that mean you make less cookies to swap but you will have a belly ache and probably never want to actually eat these cookies once they are baked. Not that I would do anything like that. I'm just guessing that might happen!
Drop rounded teaspoons of batter at least 3.5 inches apart on one baking sheet and spread each cookie to about 2 inches using the back of your spoon. These babies spread! If you find yourself trying to squeeze more on the sheet or make these bigger than a rounded teaspoon, stop! Follow the instructions and you will be rewarded in the end!
Bake for 8-12 minutes until cookies are bubbling and golden brown. Cool on baking sheet on rack until firm, about 3-4 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat this process baking only one sheet at a time. This is where the time consuming part comes in. For me that was 6 cookies at a time! It's good to do something else in the kitchen while this is happening.
Melt 3 ounces each of bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate. Let it cool slightly and then place it in a heavy duty sealable bag. Snip a TINY 1/16th-inch opening at the corner of the bag. Place cooled cookies on a parchment lined tray that can easily go in the freezer. Drizzle chocolate over cookies and then freeze for 2-3 minutes until the chocolate is set. Carefully remove from tray.
Layer parchment between the layers of cookies and keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week. Yum! These were a big hit in our house.
Click here to get the recipe I used ready to print out:
