sweeeeeet!

so.... a few weeks ago my brother introduced me to a delightfully sinful sweet cookie, known as a lofthouse cookie... now, i'm not one for fake, preservative, chemically infused cakes and cookies... but OMG! these suckers were bangin! god only knows what is in these cookies to keep them soft soft and buttery... and don't even get me started on the nutrition information... sheesh, talk about expanding the love handles...

so anyways, ever since putting those cookies to my lips, i've wanted to make them myself... so i began searching for a sugar cookie recipe, that's tasty enough, soft enough, and perfect for a smackerel of frosting... so after some research and reading of user comments, i decided on recipe i found on the site, all recipes...

ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

directions:

1. sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and the salt
2. cream the butter and add the sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy

3. add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition
4. stir in the vanilla (i also added a drop or two of almond extract)

5. add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt gradually to the creamed mixture, stirring in by hand

6. cover and chill dough overnight
7. preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat
8. roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes

9. place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets and bake at 375 for 6 to 8 minutes or until cookie has a golden appearance

now... for the taste test... the cookies i made were soft but not the softness i was hoping for like in the loft house cookies, and without the frosting these cookies would be a bit on the bland side... i mean the subtle butter and almond flavor came out, but it didn't really wow me... topped with the frosting they made a sweet treat that's for sure... i decided to top them with a yummy cream cheese frosting, but i'm sure a nice buttercream or a royal icing would work just as well...

will i use this recipe again... i don't know, there are so many out there that i think i'll continue my search... until then...

happy birthday hubby!

well happy birthday to my awesome hubs!

when asked what kinda cake he wanted, he simply said... "babe, i'll leave it up to you"... followed by "i'm sure whatever you make will be wonderful"... i think he just wanted to make me happy, like all men... trying not to make any kind of decision...

so i figured let me try and be a little creative...

i went with the cake recipe i just used in last post because it was so yummy! and for the frosting, i went with a new recipe had read about, but i changed it quite a bit... it was a frosting using vanilla pudding mix, and when it is blended with butter and heavy cream it creates a really smooth silky texture... and by the way... delicious... you get that yummy pudding taste, but without the soft pudding consistency...

frosting recipe:

8 ozs. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2/3 package of french vanilla pudding mix

1/4 heavy cream (i might have added more, i was kinda just eye balling)

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

directions:

1. blend the softened cream cheese and butter in a mixer until well combined and creamy

2. add in the vanilla pudding and mix well

3. add in the confectioners sugar and the heavy cream to reach your desired texture and sweetness

now for the center filling, all i did was add some oreo cookies i crushed in the food processor to about 1 cup of the frosting, and i used the left over cookies crumbs to decorate the sides of the cake. it really came out quite amazing... delicious buttery cake layers, with smooth silky frosting layered between them... and honestly, using the pudding mix is going to stay in my bag of tricks now...