HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEAGAN! Articles of CONFETTIracy TRUFFLES!

Today is Ms. Meagan Roach's Birthday! Ay Ayyyyy!! In celebration of this pretty lady's day, I decided to bring back and oldie in a whole new form! Meagan wouldn't tell me her favorite cake, but who doesn't love funfetti cake?!? I decided to mix it up by making them into NO BAKE truffles! Bite sized and absolutely delicious! Yummers

What you'll need:

- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- 1 cup yellow cake mix

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1/8 teaspoon salt

- 3-4 tbsp milk

- 2 tbsp sprinkles

Truffle Coating:

- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate

- sprinkles

 
How you make it: 


Start by beating together the butter and sugar in an electric mixer. When combined, add in the vanilla, cake mix, flour, salt, and mix thoroughly. Next, add 3 tablespoons of milk. It takes a little time, but the mixture should be a doughy consistency. If it is too dry, add the last tablespoon of milk. Then add in the sprinkles and mix with a wooden spoon. Roll the dough into one inch balls and place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Then chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.
 

While dough is in the fridge, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second interval, mixing after each interval until fully melted. Next, dip the cold truffles into chocolate and shake off any excess. Do this one at a time and try to work quickly because the warm chocolate begins to melt the dough. Then place the little nuggets back on the cookie sheet and top with lots of sprinkles

Chill the truffles in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve!

The birthday girl is the sexy lady in the middle! Doesn't her hair look great?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEAGAN!!! 

With the extra yellow cake mix, I made Meagan a rainbow (her favorite)

Yellow cake, food coloring, and some dark chocolate merlot ganache frosting! (Frosting: melt 1/2 cup butter with 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips in a microwave. Mix well and add in 1/4 cup of merlot wine. Mix and refrigerate for 20 mins or until sets to a creamy texture. Then frost!)

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut BUT-FOR CAUSATION Bars

These are healthy (woot woot!) and delicious. Plus, SUPER easy to make! Life is good with these babies around :)

What you need:
- 1.5 cups quick cooking oats
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate, but you can use any kind)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk, but any kind will work)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used chunky to get an extra crunch)
- 1 mashed banana or a 1/3 cup of apple sauce
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

How you make it:

Mix all of the ingredients together, pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 inch baking pan or a 9inch pie tin and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes! Presto! Healthy dessert, snack, or breakfast! Also, next time I make this, I'm going to substitute the chocolate chips for dried cranberries or fresh apples chunks! nom nom nom !!!

Valentine's Day Sweets Overload: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, Dipped Pretzels, Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies, M&M Brown Sugar Brownies

It's Valentine's Day! It's a ridiculous holiday but we all LOVE it anyways! Here are some tasty treats that I'll be passing out all day, so look out for me in the law school and grab a sample!


Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Pink Vanilla Frosting

What you'll need:


Cupcakes
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups Cocoa
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup chocolate chips

Frosting
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 5 tbsp flour

How you make it:

Cupcakes
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake wrappers.

In a mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat in the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Then slowly add in the boiling water. The batter will be very thin. Let the batter cool a little and then add in the chocolate chips. Fill the cupcake tin 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!

Frosting
In a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk and heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. You want it to be very thick. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. IT MUST COMPLETELY COOL BEFORE YOU CONTINUE!!

Once cool, stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it combines completely. It should look like whipped cream cheese.  THEN FROST AWAY!!!



Dipped Pretzels

What you'll need:
- pretzels
- chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips

How you make it:

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. I suggest setting it on HI for 15 seconds, stirring the chips, an then microwaving again until fully melted. Do this for each chocolate color separately. Then dip the pretzels in the chocolate and place on waxed paper to cool. Sprinkle with sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet.



M&M Brown Sugar Brownies

What you'll need:

- 2 cups flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp salt

- 2/3 cups butter

- 2 eggs

- 2 cups packed brown sugar

- 1 cup M&Ms (or chocolate chips)

How you make it:

Start by preheating you over to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and then mix it with the brown sugar. Let it cool slightly and then add in the egg and vanilla. Mix well. Then add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. When this is all integrated, slowly add in the flour. Make sure the batter is fully mixed and then spread the mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle the M&M over the top of it and back for 20-25 mins. The batter will set and turn golden. Let it cook completely before cutting. Enjoy!

Red Velvet and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you'll need:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp red food coloring
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips


How you make it:

Start by preheating you oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar. Then add in the egg and beat well. Next, beat in the vanilla and food coloring. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix everything together well and then add in the white chocolate chips. Scoop the dough onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Then enjoy!

You Decide: Creme de judgMenthe Brownies

So the rule is...if you come up with a solid legal pun, then I will make it! Fair??


This pun is courtesy of a lunch time discussion with Miriam, Erin, Carolyn, Erica, and MC. Find me at the law school today and you can sample one of these bad boys!

I will break it down into steps. 

What you will need for the Brownies:

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1 package of chocolate chips

- 1 1/4 cups sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 1/4 cups flour

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3 eggs

How you make it: 

First, heat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13in baking pan (make sure it is deep). Melt the butter and chocolate chips over low heat, making sure to stir constantly. Remove from heat and add in the sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Then, in a mixer combine the chocolate mixture with the flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread this into the pana nd bake until the center is set -- approx. 25mins. 

What you'll need for the Menthe Creme layer:

- 4 cups of powdered sugar

- 1 cup of butter, softened

- 3 tbsp of creme de menthe (add more depending on your liking)

How you make it: 

Beat all of the ingredients together until a nice frosting texture forms. Then spread over your cooled brownies (make sure they are cooled or else the frosting will melt!!). Then place the whole thing in the fridge. 

What you'll need for the Chocolate Topping:

- 1/2 cup of butter

- 1.5 cups of chocolate chips

How you make it:

Simple! Melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat, again making sure to stir constantly. Remove it from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, spread it over the menthe layer and place back in the fridge. 

Make sure to keep the brownies in the fridge and remove 30 mins prior to serving. This will save you a huge mess!

Enjoy :)

Third Party Biscotti

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I love being home and I love the holiday season. Why? Beyond the obvious reasons (my dogs and all the other good stuff) it's because of the food and family, and making food with family!

I showed my grandparents my blog and my grandma instantly pulled out the holy grail that is her Russian cookbook. We spent the day baking, just like when I was younger. Oh man, I miss those days.

We decided to make one of my favorites, and one of my grandmother's originals-- Walnut and Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti. You should try it too--but beware, those Starbucks biscotti will never taste as good after you have one of these.

What you'll need:
- 1/2 lb of chopped walnuts
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vinegar
- flour (as much as it takes)

How you make it:

EASY! The chop of the nuts can be however you like it. My grandma and I like it to be a medium chop, so you get some nice chunks of nuts in each piece of biscotti.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the nuts into a large bowl, pour the oil and eggs on top, then the sugar, the cinnamon, the baking soda, and lastly, the vinegar. Make sure to pour the vinegar directly onto the baking soda. Add a cup of flour and mix everything together. Continue to mix the ingredients and add more flour until the texture is tough but still wet. You want to be able to shape the dough and it more or less keep its shape, while it is still very sticky. Does that make sense? I should have taken a picture, but I think you will manage.

Separate the dough into thirds, shaping each into an oval loaf and placing them on a lined baking sheet. Keep some space between the loafs as they will spread out a little. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with some extra sugar (makes a delicious crunch!). Pop them in the oven and bake for 45mins.

When the loaves are done baking, let them cool completely before slicing. These biscotti are more crumbly and soft than typical biscotti. If you want them to be a little more dry, after the loaves have cooled and you have sliced them, place the slices flat on the baking sheet and bake again at 300 degrees for another 15mins.

Enjoy!

This is bailey! How adorable is he?!