Cookie Split Ice Cream Sandos

I've been making these two tone cookies for years, ever since I borrowed the idea from a lil sandwich shop back home: http://openfacesandwicheatery.com/. I just use my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, divide the dough in half, and add cocoa powder to one half. 

Today I decided to turn these bad boys into ice cream sandwiches!  We've been having unusually nice weather in Portland so the ice cream was a tad melty.  You can customize these by spreading Nutella or a nut butter on the cookies before sandwiching them, rolling the edges in sprinkles/nuts/chocolate chips/candy, or switching up the ice cream flavor.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or the gluten free blend, in my case)
• 1, 12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips 
• 2 Tbs cocoa powder
• 1.5 quart container vanilla ice cream

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda.  Beat until mixture is combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour.  Stir in chocolate chips.  


Put half the dough in a separate bowl and mix in cocoa powder.  Use a cookie scoop (I have a #40 scooper) to ball up the light dough, then follow up with the dark.  Take one ball of each flavor and roll into one large ball.  Place on a cookie sheet with the seam in the middle.  *I like to freeze my cookie dough balls before baking...the final product is fluffier!* Bake @ 350F for 15-17 minutes. 


Let cookies cool and scoop vanilla ice cream onto flat side of one cookie, then top with a second cookie.  Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment and store in freezer until ready to eat. 

Aaaaand I'm off to the gym.

Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting

This weekend was all about trying new things.  I got to use my new cupcake corer, my new cupcake caddy, and try my hand at matcha buttercream! Matcha is a finely ground, powdered green tea that has amazing health benefits because you're consuming the entire tea leaf, rather than just water that was infused with the leaf. 

Since I'm all organic and natural in the rest of my life, I've decided to cut down on food dyes in my baking, which is really only occurring in frosting at this point.  One of the first tips I read about was using matcha as a natural green food coloring.  That, combined with dessert day at work, and an extra package of cream cheese in the fridge =  this frosting.  I put it on top of a vanilla cupcake filled with lemon curd.  Yum!

This made enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes comfortably, but probably 1 dozen if you're piling them high with frosting:)

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1T matcha

Preparation:

Sift the powdered sugar and matcha together. 

In a mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the butter and cream cheese together until creamy.  Slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar/matcha and whip until no lumps remain, scraping bowl as necessary.

Store in the refrigerator if not using immediately. 

No artificial dyes here!

It's that easy. 

PS - this was also on my weekend agenda.  You've got to love Oregon:)

Happy Birthday, Curry!

Ever since naming Coconut, we were searching for her perfect Curry. He's our little trouble maker, and he just turned two!  Curry is the type of cat who will wake you up in the middle of the night -- by swatting something from the dresser onto your head -- because he had decided it's time for wet food.  He tries to escape every time we open the apartment door and unfortunately for him, has never made it further than the basement.  Happy 2nd Birthday, Curry!

 

Curried Tofu

1 block of organic extra firm tofu, drained and pressed overnight

~1/2 of a 15 oz. can coconut milk

1 garlic clove, grated

1 T curry powder

1 T soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Coconut oil, for frying

Dice tofu into 1" cubes.  Combine the coconut milk, grated garlic, curry powder, and soy sauce/Bragg's. Add tofu and stir to coat.  Marinate for a few hours, then fry it up in some coconut oil, making sure all sides are browned evenly.  These would work well skewered on the grill, too!  Serve over rice, on salad, or in a stir fry.

Chocolate Macaroons with Orange Ganache

This was not my first time making French macaroons.  It was, however, my first successful time.  The key? Sifting the nut/powdered sugar mixture well and not using a huge tip to pipe the macaroons. 

I made a few changes to this recipe.  You'll notice the people who comment on Epicurious are an angry bunch of folks.  I do not feel I'm too good for this recipe and was overall very happy with it.  I whipped all of the egg whites rather than stirring in unwhipped whites at the end and I halved the amount of cloves in the ganache as recommended in the reviews. 

Cookies:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 cups slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar

Ganache:

• 3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

 

Preparation

For cookies:

Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Pulse 1 cup powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor until nuts are very finely ground (but not to a paste.) Add cocoa powder and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar; process to blend well. Sift mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard larger almond pieces remaining in strainer (if more than 1 tablespoon remains, pulse nuts again in processor and re-sift.)

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a medium bowl on medium speed until white and frothy, about 1 minute. With mixer on medium-low speed, gradually add sugar by tablespoonfuls. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until firm peaks form. 

Fold dry ingredients into meringue in 2 additions, mixing well between additions. 

Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" tip and pipe quarter size rounds onto 2 of the 3 prepared baking sheets, spacing 1" apart. Let stand until tops appear dry, about 10 minutes.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through baking, until puffed and dry, about 16 minutes. Slide cookies on parchment onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter on third baking sheet. 

For ganache:

Place chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; stir in orange zest, cloves, allspice, and salt. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and butter; whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. 

Spoon ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" tip. Pipe about 1 teaspoon ganache onto flat side of 1 cookie, leaving 1/4"–1/8" plain border. Top with a second cookie, flat side down. Repeat with the remaining cookies and ganache. 

Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.