Homemade Oreos

One of my favorite cookies is the Oreo. When most people think of how you can improve an Oreo, they think about dunking it into milk. While that is definitely a correct answer, how about dunking a 'Homemade Oreo' into milk instead! I guarantee once you go homemade, you will never go back to the package again! These are quick, easy and absolutely delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients: (Yields 25 to 30 sandwich cookies)

For the chocolate wafers:

-1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
-1 large egg

For the filling:

-1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter

-1/4 cup vegetable shortening

-2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

-2 teaspoons vanilla extract



Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Center two racks in the oven.In a food processor with dough blade, or bowl of an electric mixer with the blade attachment, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
2. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. I use two fingers lightly dipped in water and push one directions across all the cookies and then go back across all of them in the opposite direction. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating pans once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool until the cookies begin to harden (about 5 minutes), then remove the cookies and allow them to finish cooling on the rack.
3. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl using the wire whisk attachment, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
4. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. You can also use a gallon zip-lock bag and cut not end. It will work the same as having a pastry bag. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

 (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Retro Desserts)

Blueberry Coffee Cake

It appears that I must be on a breakfast kick or maybe it is just that the early summer mornings are leaving me with extra baking time. Either way the slower mornings and extra time have left me with the ability to make more intricate breakfasts...and the time to experiment, which I absolutely love!

Today after staring into the fridge at a carton of blueberries, I began to rack my brain for different uses seeing as the past few mornings began with either steel cut oats with blueberries or homemade granola topped with blueberries. Now I was looking for an alternative use and a use for all of them! Oh and I forgot to mention, all I really wanted was cake; soft, moist, delicious cake. And I wanted it immediately. 

I decided to search for a new coffee cake recipe. I wanted it to be quick, simple, and definitely satisfy my sweet tooth. It needed to be cake-like. It had to melt in my mouth like a buttery slice of old school bakery cake with a fine crumb texture.

I came across this recipe on the internet and with a few minor changes, I was set. The nice bonus to this coffee cake is that it could also function for a summer dessert. The crunchy crumb topping and the ability to serve it warm with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream is true perfection! And did I forget to mention, I used up all my blueberries!

Ingredients:

For the streusel:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla, like Madagascar Vanilla
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups AP Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. 

Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. 

With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. 

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. Or top it with vanilla ice cream if you are so inclined. I won't tell.

(Adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network)