Pancakes!

Tomorrow morning I plan on making the best pancakes ever!! It's my favorite pancake recipe and honestly tastes just like the ones from a diner!
Recently I have been busy with school and other priorities but I am trying to post more recipes.  I will most definitely post something for Thanksgiving (maybe 2).
This week I am also supposed to find out if I have been accepted to Johnson and Wales University!!!  I'm so excited, I just want the letter already!
~Meg

Hello Kitty Cake

I made this birthday cake for a 2 year old today.  It's a vanilla cake with chocolate filling.

This Week's Plan

Well tomorrow is my brother's birthday, so I will probably make some kind of cake/cupcake.  And I am definitely baking cookies to send to my friends in college later this week.  Have a good rest of your weekend!!
~Meg

Cookies and Cream Cookie Dough Cupcakes

So I was looking at this delicious cookies and cream cupcake recipe that I wanted to make; and suddenly I had the best idea EVER.  Why not combine it with a cookie dough filling?!?  Pure genius!  So this is my recipe for the delicious Cookies and Cream Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.


Cookie Dough Filling:
Ingredients:
3/4 cups flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl.

Mix together butter, sugars, milk and vanilla in medium bowl. 

 

Stir in dry ingredients and chocolate chips.

  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Scoop and form into 24 cookie dough balls.  Freeze until firm for 30 minutes.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

24 Oreo halves with filling

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick softened unsalted butter

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

3 large egg whites at room temp

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup milk

25 Oreo's coarsely chopped

Directions:

Place the Oreo halves with filling on the bottom of cupcake liners.

In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

 

Add egg whites one at a time beating between addition.  Add vanilla.

 Beat in the dry ingredients and the milk alternately.

 

Fold in the oreos.

Scoop into cups.

Put cookie dough in the center.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese

6 tbsp room temp unsalted butter

1 tbsp vanilla

5 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:

Beat together the cream cheese, vanilla and butter.

Add the powdered sugar and heavy cream.

* Personally, I despise cream cheese frosting.  So I just ate the cupcake which is super fabulous if I do say so myself.  However if you are a fan of that type of frosting you will probably be transported to heaven!  Enjoy
~Meg

Update 6/24

Well I haven't posted any recipes in a while but I am going to soon! 
~Meg

Lemon Shortbread

 This is a very light & buttery shortbread with a hint of lemon.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar (I used vanilla bean infused sugar)
1 stick softened salted butter (or 1 stick unsalted butter with 1/4 tsp salt)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel



Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl combine sugar and flour.

 2. Cut in butter and lemon peel.  Mix until a ball is formed.

before mixed

when fully mixed

3. Knead until smooth.
4. To make wedges:
             1. On ungreased pie dish place ball of shortbread dough in center and push it down until equal thickness.
             2. Push sides together to achieve a scalloped edge.
             3. And cut slices

5. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

And enjoy!! These were literally devoured in under 10 minutes!!

The Month Ahead

Even though January is half way over, I am introducing this months ingredient.  This months ingredient is...*drum roll*...lemon!! I know it's the middle of winter but lemons are sunny and yummy.  Anyway this has been a super strange winter over here in the East Coast with no snow, so it's basically summer over here except 70 degrees colder!!
Some recipes you will see this month include and are not limited to: lemon shortbread, lemon bars (I always double recipe because they go so fast), lemon muffins & lemon cookies. 
So get ready for some delicious, sunny, summer-like recipes that will make you want to put on some sunscreen and sit on a beach chair at the ocean; even though it's the middle of winter.