Monday, May 30, 2011

Orange and Chocolate Cookies


Stunning low quality photo of said cookies.  (I promise to try and focus next time.)

Now, this isn't completely my recipe, it's really Martha Stewart's - but to be honest, I made her recipe ridiculously awesome.  (Er, thanks Martha!)

This recipe also calls for a cookie press (thanks Martha!)  - which is basically a handheld device that looks like a caulking gun, except you fill it with cookie goodness.

3.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
The magic ingredient: zest of one orange (*heavens open*)
Lots of chocolate (the higher the cocoa butter content the happier you will be eating the cookie... I also recommend milk chocolate)

1. Wisk flour, salt, and cinnamon
2. Beat butter and sugar til fluffy
3. Add yolks one at a time, mixing thoroughly, then doing the same with vanilla
4. Somewhere between 2 and 4 put the orange zest in
5. Stamp out some cookies
6. 350F until the edges *just* brown
7. Let cool
8. Melt chocolate in a double broiler til liquid-y and cover in chocolate any way you want (I just dolloped some on there)
9. Freeze to get the chocolate solid again
10. Yum. Nom.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Groom's Cake: All 23 Flavors


My friend Xavier loves Dr. Pepper.  He also loves the Baltimore Ravens.  He recently got married (he also loves Michelle) - so the logical groom's cake is of course a Dr. Pepper cake in the shape of a Baltimore Ravens logo.  Viola!

I was much less ambitious than I normally am - opting for pre-made fondant and a simple recipie that I found online.

Cake:
German Chocolate Cake mix (any will do)
Vanilla instant pudding, small box (if my memory serves me right 3.4 oz)
2/3 C. vegetable oil
4 eggs
12 oz. Dr. Pepper
1 t. vanilla

I cooked this at 325F (in advance) - to keep it from making a dome shape.  Froze all six 9"x13" layers in the freezer until needed. (Every time I went to the freezer to grab some ice cream, these layers were a constant reminder of me making a grooms cake - something I had never done until now! eek!)

Frosting:
8oz. cream cheese
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 stick butter
1 t. vanilla

I whipped these all together in my handy dandy mixer (can't imagine doing this by hand) - it makes it super fluffy.

Using homemade stencils, paintbrushes, vodka (for painting - not palliation), powdered food coloring, and gel food coloring, and 20 hours of work later, you have the above picture. 

The bride and groom were happy - that's all I really wanted in the first place.  Congrats again you two!