Vanilla Frosting Cookies

I just got my Challenge for June, for Daring Bakers... and I can't wait until the 27th to share it with you too! It is something I have wanted to make for a long time, but just never have, and now I HAVE to... excited!!

I still have a bunch of photos of things I made with my dad when I was at home. I'll try and harass him for the recipes and then show you on here sometime in the near future!

And I tried... I TRIED to make the cashew oat milk like Joy said... But I just couldn't drink it. It was nasty. If that floats your boat, then I applaud your taste buds, But I just couldn't stomach it. I really wish I had just eaten the raw cashews instead. and I'm really glad that I'm not lactose intolerant, because the cookie recipe I'm about to share with you is amazing dipped in milk if you cook them a little too long like I did. They are also good dipped in coffee.

When I saw these cookies, I HAD to try them. They have SPRINKLES! I have sprinkles in my cupboard... They have frosting IN them... I have frosting in my Fridge... match made in heaven!

I took a bunch to work, and they were a massive hit.... Sprinkles and Frosting, whats not to like?

Vanilla Frosting Cookies

1 1/2 cups Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 cup Vanilla Frosting
1 egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup Sprinkles (more or less, whatever looks best to you)

Preheat the Oven to 350 F, and Line a cookie sheet with Parchment paper
Whisk the flour salt and baking soda together in a large bowl
In a separate bowl, Combine Frosting, egg, Vanilla and Sugar. Beat at medium/high speed for about 3 minutes
Add wet mixture to the Dry mixture and combine

Fold in the chocolate chips and the sprinkles



Drop by tablespoon onto the prepared cookie sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
Enjoy!

Cappuccino Cookies

Busy morning in the Kitchen... with 2 doggies underfoot now.... wanting to know what I'm making, and when they are going to get to taste it.
Isn't she cute??

Anyway... Last night I found this recipe on Joy the Baker's Blog... I made it this morning (along with Chicken Soup Stock that i was inspired to make at my friend Erin's Blog: A Tale of One Foodie's Culinary Adventures) And I'm going to share it with you now. It is amazing! I've had 3 already, and I think I might have to hide them from myself.
The best part is that they include one of my most favourite flavours: Coffee

Cappuccino Cookies
(from Joy the Baker)

1 cup Butter - softened
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
3 TBSP instant Coffee powder
1 cup White Chocolate Chunks




Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and coffee powder together

In the bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) Beat together the butter and sugars until Light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and then mix in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add in Dry ingredients all at once with the mixer at low speed (or else your kitchen (and you) will be covered in flour), until just combined.

Fold in Chocolate with a spatula until well combined.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheets and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Just until the edges are lightly browned.

Wait until the cookies set up enough so you can transfer them to a wire rack to continue cooling.
(except for the one quality-control taste test... my personal favourite part of making cookies)

February 2011 Daring Baker Challenge - Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies

Guess What Day it is.... Daring Baker Reveal date! (FINALLY!) I completed my challenge on Groundhog Day (Feb. 2nd) and have had to wait 25 days to share it with you all.

There is this little bakery on main street in my home town and they make some amazing cheese buns... and apple struddel. But most of all they make these amazing cookies called Rolled Florentines. But while they are amazing, they are pretty expensive too. And because they are expensive, My mom and I have always wanted to make our own. (My mom has worked in a bakery for about 10-15 years, so she is my source of information for most things baking related). So when I got the challenge on the 1st, I called her right away and told her that she was helping me this month and we were finally going to make our rolled Florentines.

Just quickly before I get to the challenge, There is a bakery in Calgary that sells Rolled Florentines too. And they are just as good, or possibly better than the ones from my hometown. Its called the Glamorgan Bakery. And you should go and try some of these cookies... Don't buy to many, because they are so good, you won't want to share.

But now, onto the Challenge.

February 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge
Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

I have never had Panna Cotta, and so I was completely in the dark on that half of the challenge. Because of this, I stuck right to the recipe and didn't change anything. And It turned out amazing. Alot like my memory of Devon Custard from when I was living in England. By the way, If anyone knows where I could find some Ambrosia Devon Custard in Calgary, that would be incredible!

Because it was a pretty easy challenge, I wanted to do a little more than just the basic, plain panna cotta. So while I was sipping a homemade esspresso, I decided to make the coffee Gelle (...that Mallory included in the challenge) and play with layering a little, since I have never done this, and the whole point is to be challenged.

I have never bought geletin, or Homo (*insert childish laugh here*) milk before. "Homo milk" is how you say "whole milk" in Canadian. The Homo milk was easy to find in the grocery store... But the Geletin was tricky. It took 3 helpful good sameritan senior ladies who are friends with my grandma, 2 of my mom's co-workers in teh grocery store, and then my mom and I and about 20 minutes to find the geletin. Hidden behind the Cherry Jell-O... and not anywhere near where it was suposed to be. Eventually we found it, and I thanked everyone.

(I do promise that I attempted to take picutres of the whole panna cotta creation process, but It was 11pm, and the light was shit, so the pictures look about the same. Because of this, I'm not going to bother posting them here).

Here are my panna cotta cooling and setting up in the Fridge. I tried a bunch of different glasses. Which is not a problem at my parents house, because we have quite a collection of different glasses.

After they were set up enough (which took alot longer than I thought it would). I put the Espresso Gelee on top. I wanted to try putting some panna cotta ontop of some of them again, but it was 1am by this point, and sleep was much more important.

They were very yummy, and if you are like me, and have never tried Panna Cotta... Then you should try and make this recipe. It is very easy and it really only takes alot of paitence before you can have your creamy treat.

Onto the Florentines...

We made Rolled Florentines with Mocha Buttercream filling.
The only thing I changed was to use some ground Almonds instead of rolled oats. We figured it would be easier for the rolling if everything was a consistant batter, instead of with big pieces of oats getting in the way.
In all my florentine googling, I learned that Florentines are actually French, not Italian. Apparently they have been traced to the kitchens of Louis XIV (the 14th) where they were made for Medici princes who were visiting. The Medici then took them back to Florence with them

The trick to rolling is to work in small batches. We worked with 6 at a time... Leave alot of room between them because they will spread. AND its probably best to put a little less batter than you think at first, because of the spreading that happens.



You have to roll them while they are still warm and pliable, but they also have to be cool enough that they have set up a little, and so you won't burn your hand.


Roll them around wooden spoons or other round handle utencils. Or you could go to the hardware store and buy wooden dowling. Leave the cookies to cool a little on the handles, or else they will sink.

My Buttercream recipe really kind of sucked, So I'm not going to post it (because I didn't write it down, mostly 'cuz it wasn't good). Any buttercream you like would probably work. Just put it in a pipping bag and then fill the Florentine rolls. Dip the ends in melted chocolate, let cool, and then Enjoy.


This is my favourite glass, and my designated wine glass at Christmas. Taste wise, it would've been better with more panna cotta and less Coffee jello... But it sure does look cool with the design on the glass showing up nicely.