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Lynsey Lou's

Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Archives for February 2012

Cookies-N-Cream Cookies

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It’s Friday!  Yay!  What better way to start off the weekend than with some delicious cookies you can munch on all weekend long?  I couldn’t wait to share these cookies with you.  These aren’t just any cookies.  No.  This treat is heavily studded with Double Stuffed Oreos.  Yes, cookies incorporated into cookies.  Doesn’t this sound delectable and exciting?

I have to admit, these cookies have been a long time coming.  Not because I’ve been perfecting the recipe, unfortunately.  The real reason is everytime I bring a package of Oreos home I end up eating the entire thing before I’m able to add them to some terrific baked good.  Fortunately I practiced A LOT of self control when I bought the latest package of Oreos and I was able to finally make a treat with chunks of Oreos! 

I’ve seen numerous recipes floating around lately that have incorporated Oreos in them in some way or another.  When I first saw a recipe that included Oreos in the mix I was hooked and my mind started filling with ideas of goodies I could make that involved “Milk’s favorite cookie”.  I got overwhelmed for just a moment, then settled back down and finally decided on a recipe.  Why not take “Milk’s favorite cookie” and mix it in with a basic, simple, buttery cookie dough?  This combination was a match made in heaven!  The dough isn’t overly sweet but it’s studded with chunks of Oreo throughout the batter and each bite is the perfect combination of sweet, chocolate, creamy (from the Oreo filling), crunchy and chewy.  I loved these cookies.  This is the perfect way to start your weekend, so get on in the kitchen and whip up a batch of these babies and start enjoyin’!  

Cookies-N-Cream Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Tsp salt
2 Cups flour
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp milk
2 Cups Double stuffed Oreos, roughly chopped
Directions:

Preaheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with a silicone baking mat, or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.

Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until light, about 1-2 minutes. Add the brown and granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy, another 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing to make sure each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and milk and mix until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed.

Once the batter is mixed, remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chopped oreos and mix until evenly incorporated throughout the batter.

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.  Place cookies in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set and golden brown.  Remove from oven allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Toasted Coconut Cake with Walnuts and Cranberries

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Craberries. Walntus. Toasted coconut.  Are you excited yet?  I am!  If these three foods alone don’t excite then maybe these three foods combined with cake and buttercream frosting will!  I must say, I am pretty sure this is one of my favorite cakes to date.  I’m an avid cranberry lover.  If that isn’t evident then just take a look around and you’ll find an aray of recipes that include cranberries.  From sweet to savory, I’m not picky, if it has cranberries you can count me in!

So enough about my fascination with cranberries, lets talk about this delicious cake!  I love this cake for many reasons.  Of course I love it because it’s sweet.  It’s cake.  It’s dessert. What’s not to love?  The cake is so light, airy and fluffy but full of so much flavor.  I love cakes like this because you don’t feel completely loaded down after you enjoy a dessert.  On top of this light and subtly sweet cake there’s the frosting that is lightly flavored by coconut.  This frosting is sweet but not overly rich.  I’m telling you, this is one of the best cakes I’ve had the pleasure of making.  The lightness of the cake, tart cranberries, walnuts, toasted coconut, and the fluffy sweet frosting are delicious.  It truly was love at first bite!  Another reason I love this cake is the exposed sides.  I love how you can see the frosting, cranberries and walnuts between each layer.  I think it gives it a rustic look but it looks so elegant at the same time.  I honestly could go on and on about how much I love this cake, but I won’t keep you anymore beacuse you really should get in the kitchen and try this for yourself!     

Toasted Coconut Cake with Walnuts and Cranberries

Ingredients:

For the cake-
2 2/3 Cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 Tsp baking powder
1/4 Tsp baking soda
1/4 Tsp salt
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 Cup sugar
6 Large egg whites
1 1/2 Tsp vanilla
1/2 Tsp coconut extract
3/4 Cup buttermilk

For the filling and topping-
2 Cups cranberry juice
1 1/2 Cups dried cranberries
1 Cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/4 Cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/4 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 Cup unsweetened coconut milk*
2 Pounds powdered sugar
1 Tsp coconut extract

*Can be found on the Asian food isle.

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans, set aside.

Place cranberry juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add the dried cranberries and allow the juice to return to a boil.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 1 minute.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand for at least 20 minutes.  Drain any excess juice.

For the cake-
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.  Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the egg whites, vanilla, and coconut extract and mix until incorporated.  Alternating between wet and dry, add the flour mixture and buttermilk in three additions, ending with the buttermilk addition.  Evenly divide the batter among the three prepared pans. 

Place the cake in the oven.  Allow to bake for 18-20 minutes, utnil wooden pick inserted comes out clean.  Remove pans from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove the cakes from the pans and place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting-
Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed until light and creamy.  Slowly add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating well to incorporate. Slowly add the coconut milk and extract until combined.  Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar until fluffy.  (Beat in milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if frosting appears to be too stiff or dry)

To assemble-
Place one cake layer on a cake plate.  Spread 1/3 of the frosting over the cake layer and sprinkle with 1/2 of the cranberries and 1/3 of the walnuts.  Place the second layer of cake on the cranberry filling and repeat the frosting process.  Place the third cake layer on the cake and top with the remaining frosting, walnuts and coconut.

Recipe source: Better Homes and Gardens, November 2011

Breakfast Skillet

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I have to apologize.  I feel like I have been holding out on ya’ll.  It’s not intentional or anything, I promise.  I’ve been making this breakfast skillet over and over for the past several months now and I’m addicted.  This recipe has quickly become a favorite of my family.  I enjoy this meal for many reasons but mainly because it doesn’t keep me standing over the stove and away from my family.  The hardest part about this breakfast is waiting on it to finish baking.  We make the most of the waiting time by spending time together, playing and finding fun activities to do until it’s time to eat!  

Why do we love this so much?  For a couple of reasons: 1) It’s so quick and super easy to prepare.  2) It’s very easily adapted to suit tastes, types of fruit in season, and whatever you may have on hand.  So far I have made this with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and most recently a combination of  cranberries and apples.  The buttery biscuits, cinnamon and sugar help to offset the tartness of the cranberries and raspberries.  I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with different fruits and flavor combinations, I have so many more variations I can’t wait to try.  This has become a staple in our breakfast menu and a hit with everyone who has tried it, as well.  I am sure this will be just as big of a hit in your house as it is in ours!     

Breakfast Skillet

Ingredients:

For the Streusel Topping-
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2-1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

For the skillet cake-
1 (12ounce) can buttermilk biscuits (or 2 small cans)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Cup fruit, dried, fresh or frozen
1 Small apple, thinly sliced*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

For the Streusel Topping-
In a small bowl or food processor combine 4 tablespoons butter, granulated sugar and cinnamon. With a fork, mash the butter and stir until ingredients are completely combined.

For the skillet cake-
Place skillet over low-medium heat. Place 2 tablespoons of butter and brown sugar in skillet and stir until butter is melted and ingredients are combined. Remove skillet from heat.

***If you are using apples, place 1/4 of the slices on the bottom of the skillet.

Place biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle ¾ of the fruit over the biscuits. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the biscuits. Sprinkle the rest of the fruit over the sugar mixture.

Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, until the biscuits are cooked and the sugar mixture has melted.

Recipe source: Adapted from Paula Deen

Sweet and Salty Cookies

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This post has been a long time coming.  I have been experimenting with this cookie recipe for quite some time now.  I wanted a cookie that embodied the perfect amount of sweet and salty without one over powering the other.  Well, the day has finally come!  I have the perfect recipe that includes it all; sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, rich and of course, Oh. So. Yummy!  I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of this recipe and how excited I am to finally be able to share this with you. 

I have tried multiple recipes that claim to be the perfect combination of sweet and salty but every time I just haven’t been wowed.  All that changed once I had these cookies.  I can honestly say I’ve never had a cookie that incorporated a little bit of everything in each bite, until now.  These cookies have it all.  I love how they are thick, gooey, rich, sweet, chocolatey and salty.  This sweet and salty trend may be a craze to some but to me, it’s my perfect dessert.  I started mixing these two flavors a long time ago.  I remember when I was little, I would make some popcorn then sprinkle in M & M’s, peanuts, pretzels and raisins.  When I had that snack I was one happy little girl.  My love for these flavor combinations has only grown over the years and I jump at the opportunity to try or create recipes that involve these flavors.  I loved this combination long before it became a craze and I’ll love it long after it’s lost it’s luster. 

Sweet and Salty Cookies

Ingredients:

For the cookies-
1 Cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Tsp sea salt
2 Cups flour
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Cup (about 6 pretzel rods) roughly chopped
1/2 Cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 Cup pretzel M & M’s, roughly chopped
3/4 Cup chocolate chips
Kosher salt, for sprinkling

For the ganache-
2 Tbsp butter
6 Oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp heavy cream
Kosher salt

Direcetions:

For the cookies-

Preaheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheets with a silicone baking mat, or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Sift together the flour, sea salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.

Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until light, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the brown and granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy, another 2-3 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing to make sure each is incorporated.  Add the vanilla and mix until combined.  Slowly add the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. 

Once all the ingredients are mixed together remove the bowl from the mixer.  Add the pretzels, peanuts, chocolate chips, and M & M’s and stir until evenly incorporated.

Place rounded tablespoons of dough on the prepared cookie sheet.  Press the ball of dough slightly with the bottom of a glass, press just enough to flatten slightly but allowing the scoop to remain thick.  Repeat process with remaining dough.  Sprinkle the cookies with Kosher salt and place in the preheated oven and bake for 8-9 minutes, until cookies are golden brown.  Remove from the oven, allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack to allow to cool completely.

For the ganache-

Place the butter and baking chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat the two ingredients in 25 second intervals, stirring after each interval until completely melted.  Add the heavy cream and stir to combine.  The ingredients may need to be heated an additional few seconds to combine.  At this point the mixture should be shiny, thick and smooth.

Dip the bottom of the cookie in the ganache then place the dipped cookie upside down on a cooling rack and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Repeat the process with the remaining cookies. 

Allow to completely cool before storing in an airtight container.  Place a layer of wax paper between each layer of cookies to eliminate the chocolate sticking to the top of the stacked cookies.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Super Bowl Foods

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I can’t believe it’s already 2012, already February and already time for the Super Bowl.  Are you ready for some football?  This Sunday is probably the biggest day of the year for football and footballs fans.  The decision has been made, the Eli Manning and New York Giants will take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46.  The field is set and preparations are in order for everything football this Sunday.  Now, there is one more thing that is just as important as the game, the food!  Food is a huge part of every Super Bowl gathering.  Do you know what you’re serving at your party?  If you’re still in search for some ideas then look no further.  I have some awesome recommendations that will please the pickiest of fans.  No matter who wins this weekend, you’ll have some winning dishes on your table.

  
   

Chili– this is the ultimate game day food.  There are so many things you can do with chili.  Serve it by itself, set up a chili bar with an assortment of toppings, Frito chili pie or even chili dogs.  No matter what you decide to do with this, it will please everyone.

Sloppy Joes– these will please fans of all ages.  For a lighter version, serve with potato or dinner rolls to have sliders.

Loaded Nachos– Look no further.  This recipe combines the perfect amount of salty, spicy, and creamy in every bite.  This classic is quick to assemble and can be customized to suite any palat.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Pablano Guacomole– This new spin on a classic dip is delicious and will keep your guests coming back for more.  Spicy, tangy and buttery, the perfect combination.

Sausage Balls-this hearty snack is perfect for nibblers on the go.  The combination of spicy sausage, sharp cheddar and a touch of sweetness from the maple syrup is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Black Bean Salsa-this dip is light and refreshing.  The perfect item to have on hand for those guests who don’t want to be weighed down.

Sweet and spicy candied pecans– The perfect combination of sweet, salty and spicy.  These sweet (and spicy) little sugar bombs will be gone before halftime.

Chewy frosted sugar cookies– You can’t have a party without something sweet.  These chewy frosted sugar cookies are the perfect end to a fun-filled day.

No matter who wins, your guests will go home happy after enjoying all of this terrific food!

Come back tomorrow for a sweet and salty cookie that will be perfect for game day.

Loaded Nachos

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Nachos.  A plate of simple ingredients that are layered on top of one another to create the perfect mixture of crunchy, spicy, salty and creamy in each bite.  Nachos are more than just an appetizer, snack or the occasional main course; they are also a perfect option for almost any informal gathering. 

I am sure preparations are well underway for the Super Bowl this weekend.  But for those of you still searching for some simple yet perfect foods to serve at your party this weekend, add these to your menu.  A big plate of these loaded nachos are sure to be a crowd pleaser.  They are hearty, full of flavor and easy to assemble.  What better dish to serve at your party than a big plate of these hearty, ooey gooey, cheesey nachos?   

Loaded Nachos

Ingredients:

1 Pound ground beef
1 Small onion, chopped
1/2 Green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 Cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2-3/4 Cup shredded taco cheese
Sliced jalapenos, to taste
1/3 Cup refried beans
3-4 Tbsp sour cream, plus more for topping after baking
1 Small tomato, seeded and chopped
1 Bag Tostitos scoops
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place the ground beef in a large skillet and brown.  Remove and drain.  In the same pan, add the olive oil and half of the chopped onion and saute until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the browned meat to the sauted onion, along with the raw onion and bell pepper, stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, place the refried beans and sour cream in a small sauce pan over low-medium heat.  Stir until beans are heated through and creamy.

Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place half of the chips in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Spread half ove the bean mixture over the chips, followed by half of the meat and vegetable mixture, topped off by half of the cheese.  Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients, top with sliced jalapenos and place in the oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is completely melted.  Remove from oven, top with tomatoes and sour cream and serve immediately.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

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