Cookies with my Mom

I didn’t actually make cookies with my mom, but she was in my heart the whole time! We use to always make a ton of different kinds of cookies at Christmas time, we even had the best Christmas Cookie Parties! I’m very much looking forward to forcing all of my friends to come to my house and eat a ton of cookies next year (HEAR THAT LADIES! THE MELIM CHRISTMAS PARTIES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK!)

My favorite cookie (please note the Almond Rocca is my favorite Christmas treat, although I wouldn’t really put it in the cookie category) is a Thumb Print Cookie! Oh I love them! Little buttery cookies topped with jam! Whats not to like?

Last Saturday I went to a party at Ms. G’s house (I don’t know why I didn’t take any pictures) but I made Thumb Print Cookies. Thank god I left them at her house or I would have eaten them all!

The recipe I used is here.

 

Send boy out to get cute Christmas plate

 

 

I wore fun fluffy hair and a gold glitter headband and matching belt...yay parties!

 

 

 

Fall Foods: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Would you like to consume 8 million calories in one soft pumpkin flavored cream cheese filled sandwich?! Of ocurse you would! Lets get started.

I actually made these like 3 weeks ago, and for some reason have taken my sweet time posting them. Oh well, better late than never! And we still have a good few weeks before the dreaded winter devours my all too short Autumn…):

This recipe is actually really easy, kids could easily help too. The recipe originally came from this blog, and I basically followed it to a T. It says the recipe makes like 12, but mine made 24! So I dont know what kinda crazy large whoopie pies Martha was making, but this makes a ton! The only down side I found was that they stick together really bad, and then they kind of tear themselves apart if you stack them. I may have needed to cook them a little longer to “dry them out” a bit.

The cream cheese frosting was the easiest and BEST part, I really want to make Mr. Gaunt a pumpkin cake with this frosting for his birthday!

RECIPE:

3 cups of AP Flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of Cinnamon

2 tablespoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 cups of light brown sugar

1 cup of vegetable oil

3 cups of pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of Vanilla

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Filing

12 oz of Cream Cheese, softened

4 oz of unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons of vanilla bean paste  ( I just used vanilla)

2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

To make the Cookies –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  In a Large bowl combine the brown sugar and oil until well mixed. Add in the pumpkin and stir to combine. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until completely incorporated.

Using a tablespoon ice cream scoop, drop scoops on the parchment paper about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 15 – 17 minutes rotating the pans half way through. The tops should be just starting to crack or firm to the touch. Let them cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling –

Cream together the cream cheese and the butter until they are light and fluffy. Then add in vanilla bean paste and stir to combine. Sift in the powdered sugar in 3 additions making sure to mix well after each addition. Set this aside to chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Using a piping bag, pipe a good amount of frosting on one cookie and top with another cookie pressing down ever so slightly. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

These were a HUGE hit at the party I went to. I even bought this cute plate at target for $3! If you have a Halloween part I definitely suggest making these!

Gelato vs Ice Cream

(Taken from Wikipedia) Gelato differs from ice cream in that it has a lower butterfat content, typically gelato contains 4-8% versus 14% for ice cream. Gelato generally has slightly lower sugar content, averaging between 16-22% versus approximately 21% for ice cream. Non-fat milk is added as a solid. The sugar content in gelato is precisely balanced with the water content to act as an anti-freeze, that is, to prevent the gelato from freezing solid.

Unlike commercial ice cream in the United States which is frozen with a continuous assembly line freezer, gelato is frozen very quickly in individual small batches in a batch freezer. The batch freezer incorporates air or overage into the mix as it freezes. Unlike American-style ice cream which can have an overage of up to 50%, gelato generally has between 20% and 35% overage. This results in a denser product with more intense flavor than U.S. style ice cream. U.S. style ice cream, with a higher fat content, can be stored in a freezer for months. High-quality artisan gelato holds its peak flavor and texture (from delicate ice crystals) for only several days, even when it is stored carefully at the proper temperature. This is why gelaterias typically make their own gelato on the premises or nearby.

Ms. G and I went to Little Man Ice Cream in Denver last week. I got Honey Gelato and she got cherry chocolate and watermelon. They give ridiculously huge portions! But very yummy, even though it was cold and rainy.

We also stopped in at this adorable little Plus Size Boutique called Buxom where we both found the PERFECT SHORTS! I still havent gotten a good picture of them, but they are by Boom Boom. I got denim and black in a size 14 (which I think is as low as they go, maybe 12), and I love them! They are also having a clothing swap/sell in July that I will be attending!

Strawberry Shortcake. Not that healthy, but yummy!

This was made for a BBQ at a friend’s house on Friday, and it was a big hit!

Presentation is VERY important with deserts, especially desserts you will be taking to a party.  I bought a Trifle stand so you could see all the layers, this makes it ten times better! It was only $10 plus one of those 20% off BB&B coupons, totally worth it!

I bought the Angel Food cake at Target, not gonna bother making that. Incase you are like me and LOVE Pound Cake, the difference between them is pretty huge. There are about 1200 Calories and 60 grams of fat in a regular size pound cake. There are 840 Calories and ZERO grams of fat in a whole Angel Food Cake. Yup, I chose the Angel Food.  I cut it into cubes for better bite size pieces.

The whip cream is REAL home-made whip cream. Nothing is better than real home-made whip cream! It’s also really easy. Just pour two or three cups of Heavy Whipping Cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and a teaspoon a vanilla extra. Beat with a mixer until thick and whip cream like! I like mine very un-sweet so I don’t do much sugar. I make up for this was this the strawberries.

I used a lot of strawberries, two of those bigger plastic containers of them. Cut them into smaller pieces, place in a bowl and throw in a 1/4 cup of sugar. mix until juicy!  The sugar is pretty important, especially if you can’t find perfectly ripe juicy strawberries.

To layer you will do Shortcake, strawberries, cream. Repeat. Top with whip cream. Done! Oh so easy, and so yummy! Not to mention this served about 18 people, which is awesome! People will be impressed.

Then you just layer