Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Lofthouse Style Frosted Sugar Cookies

Who loves those completely unhealthy frosted sugar cookies that kind of taste like chemicals from the grocery store? I know I do! They're just so delicious and soft. What if I told you that you could make those same cookies right in your own home? It's true! Yep, all you do is mix up some ingredients, pop them in the oven, and then frost them(after you make the frosting, of course). These cookies are great and super easy to make. My sister took one bite and said, "These are amazing! They taste just like the store-bought ones!" I hope you enjoy this recipe and please comment below if you try them out.





Lofthouse Style Frosted Sugar Cookies

Cookies:

6 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda 
1 t. baking powder 
1 c. butter, at room temperature 
2 c. granulated sugar 
3 eggs 
2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. sour cream

Frosting:

1 c. butter, room temperature 
1 t. vanilla extract 
4 c. powdered sugar 
6 T. heavy cream 
Several drops food coloring 
Multi-colored Sprinkles

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined. 

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a bit “sticky”. Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least two hours until firm. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside. 

Use the plastic wrap that you chilled the dough in. Dust the top of the dough and then flip and flour the other side, keeping it on the plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Best to work in small batches while keeping the remainder of the dough chilled.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined. 

Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Makes approximately: 5 to 6 dozen cookies (will vary on the thickness of the dough)

NOTE: These cookies are pretty darn close to the ones you buy in the store however, I am sure that original lofthouse recipe is under "lock and key" so we may never be able to completely duplicate it 100%. I used the recipe that I found (as noted in the body of the post) and basically increased the amount of vanilla and working the dough in small batches, while keeping the rest chilled, works best.  It is a very soft dough. I thought they were quite tasty, but I know that they may not appeal to everyone, since they do taste a bit different than the ones in the store but pretty close.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Baked Doughnuts!!!

Don't we all feel a little guilt when we eat a deep fried doughnut? Well, I have a solution for all of us. BAKED DOUGHNUTS!!! I know right? It seems unreal! But, let me reassure you, this is a completely real recipe. I made these tonight and they were so delicious; my family and I couldn't stop eating them. I let my dough rise for a little bit too long so it made the doughnuts taste a bit more yeasty then they were supposed to. However, they still tasted delectable and fluffy. I chose to top all of my doughnuts with the glaze instead of the cinnamon and sugar, but in the future I plan on trying out the sugar topping also. If you make these doughnuts, please tell me how they turned out and how yummy they were.


Baked Doughnuts
For Printable Recipe, Click here!
Makes: About 15 doughnuts (& donut holes)

For the Dough
3/4 cups Warm Milk
1 packet Active Dry Yeast
1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Sugar
1 Egg
2 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Nutmeg
½ tsp. Salt

For the Glaze
* Enough to glaze all the doughnuts
¼ cup Milk
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
2 cups Confectioners Sugar

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
*Enough to cover all of the doughnuts
½ cup Unsalted Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 tbsp. Cinnamon

To make the dough, place ¼ cups of the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Sprinkle the yeast over the milk.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup of milk with the sugar and butter.  Add it to the yeast mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add the egg and stir until incorporated.  Add the flour, nutmeg, and salt and stir until the dough starts to form.  Change to the dough hook and knead for until the dough starts to become smooth.  If the dough is too sticky, slowly add more flour until it is no longer sticky. 

Transfer to the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and has formed a ball.  Place the dough ball in a large lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let sit in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. 

Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until ½ thick.  Using a doughnut cutter (if you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use 2 biscuit cutters – 1 that is about 3 inches, and the other that is about 2 inches for the inner circle) cut out the doughnuts until you have no dough left.  You can gather up the scraps into a ball and roll it out and cut out more doughnuts.

Place the doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, about 2 inches apart.  Cover with a clean towel and let sit for about 45 minutes(I only left mine sit for about 15 minutes and they turned out fine).

Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. 

Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Be careful to not overbake these.  You want them to be light and doughy inside.  Let the doughnuts cool for about 5 minutes until ready to top with either the glaze or cinnamon sugar topping.

While the doughnuts are cooling make the glaze and/or cinnamon sugar glaze.  Each recipe makes enough to cover all the doughnuts.  You can make a half recipe of each and top half of the doughnuts with each topping.  Or you can choose to just do one of topping for all the doughnuts. 

To make the glaze, combine the milk and the vanilla in a small saucepan.  Heat over low heat until just warmed.  Slowly add in the confectioners sugar and whisk until the mixture is smooth.  Remove the glaze from the heat and place over a bowl of warm water.

To glaze the doughnuts, dip them halfway into the glaze and place on a draining/cooling rack set over a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sprinkles(right away)if desired.  Let set for about 10 minutes.

To make the cinnamon sugar topping, melt the butter in a saucepan or a microwave, and place in a small bowl.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.

To top the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, dip them halfway into the melted butter.  Then dip them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Set on a draining/cooling rack to set, about 5 minutes. 








Monday, June 25, 2012

Spicy-Crunchy Chicken Lettuce Cups

 This meal has been my favorite recipe since I was about 10 years old. It is great for a quick summer weeknight meal. It's crunchy, spicy, tangy, sweet, and overall DELICIOUS!



 Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons Southeast Asian fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Asian-style chile paste, like sambal oelek
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, like corn, peanut, or soy
  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground chicken (or ground turkey)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt (this isn't required, tastes fine without)
  • 4 scallions (white and green), thinly sliced
  • 1 medium carrot, grated
  • 1/2 cup canned, drained water chestnuts, chopped (I don't use water chestnuts)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (I don't use mint leaves)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • 8 to 10 Bibb lettuce leaves (or iceberg lettuce)
  • Lime wedges

  • Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, and chile paste. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and salt, and stir-fry the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the scallions, carrot, and water chestnuts. Transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl and cool. Stir in the lime juice mixture, mint, and coriander. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter and fill each with some of the chicken salad. Serve with lime wedges.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake


 Are you watching your weight? Or just trying to eat healthy? Well no more feeling guilty about eating cake because right here is a great gluten-free cake recipe that tastes delicious. This cake is just the right sweetness and is perfect for parties. Enjoy:)
Ingredients
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE-ALMOND CAKE:
  • 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) butter
  • 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) sugar
  • 9 eggs, separated 
  • 10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, shaved (see picture below)
  • 2 3/4 cups (10 ounces) blanched almond meal (also called almond flour)
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
  • 1 1/2 pounds semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • rasberries for garnish

Directions

To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350degreesF with the oven rack in the middle.Grease a 13x18-inch baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.

Shave the chocolate using a box grater or the grater attachment on your food processor. It needs to be fine flecks of chocolate in order to blend well into the cake.

Cream the butter, sugar and yolks together, using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, on medium speed, until they are light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the shaved chocolate and almond meal to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until it is evenly distributed. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for 1 more minute.

In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites on medium high until they are at soft peaks, about 3 minutes, but be sure to watch them carefully. If the egg whites are over whipped and curdled looking they will be difficult to fold into the chocolate mixture.

Mix a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture. This will lighten up the chocolate mixture so you can fold the rest of the whites in more easily. Add half of the remaining whites and gently fold them into the chocolate. Repeat with the remaining whites.

Pour the batter onto the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the mixture out, making sure it is very even.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan completely on a cake rack.

Once the cake is cool, run a knife around the edge to loosen it. Invert the cake onto the back of another baking sheet, covered with parchment or a cutting board covered in parchment. Peel the parchment off of what is now the top of the cake.

Pour 1/3 of the ganche over the cooled cake. Spread the ganache evenly over the surface. Refrigerate the cake and allow the ganache to cool completely.

Cut the cake into 3 equal pieces, cutting along the long side of the cake.

Stack the 3 layers together. Trim the sides so they are perfectly smooth and then cut the cake in half.

Stack the 2 pieces to create a cube. Place the cake on a cooling rack set over a baking pan, which will catch the dripping ganche. Pour the remaining ganche slowly over the top of the cake. It needs to be cool enough that the ganache clings to the cake and doesn't just drip off. You may have to go over it a few times to make sure the whole thing is covered smoothly.

You can use the leftover ganache, once it has set firm at room temperature, to pipe a design along the bottom of the cake after you have placed it on a serving dish.

Decorate with berries and edible flowers.

To make the ganache:

In a large saucepan bring the cream substitute to a gentle simmer. Turn off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate. Swirl thechocolate in the pan to make sure the liquid covers it all and allow it to sit for 3 minutes. Gently stir the ganache with a rubber spatulauntil it is completely smooth. You do not want to whisk the mixture or you will get air bubbles in the ganache. Let the ganache sit for 15 minutes to cool slightly.








   

Friday, June 22, 2012

Pinterest

Please follow me on Pinterest. I just discovered it in March and I have been addicted ever since. Here's the link to my Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mangopapaya27/
If you have never heard about this online pin board, then you should check it out asap. I'm almost positive that you'll get obsessed also. It's basically just an "online pin board" where you just repin whatever pictures you want to be on your pin boards. Right now I have one-thousand seven-hundred and something pins. I mostly pin food(of course), style, DIY, and hair pictures. Come check Pinterest out and follow me and I might just follow you back!
Thanks, Maddie <3

Fudgy Brownie Cookies

    Ready for another delicious cookie recipe? Well, I've definitely got one for you. These are called fudgy brownie cookies and the reason they're called this is because they are actually made from brownie mix. They are crunchewy and wonderfully chocolaty. And the best part about them is that they are super simple to make!
       Ingredients
1 package (18 to 21 oz. box) fudge brownie mix
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed
1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Preparation Instructions




Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Meltaway Cookies

These cookies fit its title perfectly. When you put one in your mouth it's almost like magic. They melt in your mouth! They taste similar to shortbread cookies because their base is butter. And the best part about them is that they are made up of only 6 ingredients. In 1 word I would describe these cookies as DELICIOUS!

MELTAWAYS
1 cup butter
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1 recipe cream cheese frosting,
see below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then mix in the cornstarch and powdered sugar until smooth. Next, gradually beat in the flour. On 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper place teaspoon sized balls of dough. Take the bottom of a glass and press down on the cookies to flatten them out, using powdered sugar so it doesn't stick. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
3 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese till it is smooth and a liitle bit fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add food coloring if desired.
Spread on cooled cookies and serve. Frost only the ones you're going to eat right away.