Like so many people I have been cooking, baking and eating up a storm during quarantine. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to stop. Being that I love to cook and eat, there has been an onslaught of deliciousness and just when I am about to hang my apron up for a few days, I am triggered by yet another recipe. The latest treat I dished up is Olivia Culpo’s Carrot Cake. I came across this recipe while watching one of her Instagram stories and oh my, is this cake amazing.
The holidays are over and I, like many, have felt the need to stop indulging – all the time at least. I feel that moderation and a healthy lifestyle are key, however I went wild this holiday season gorging on spritz cookies, sugar cookies, haystacks, fudge, caramel corn – you name the cookie/candy and chances are I took a bite. Same goes for cheese – brie, cambozola, gouda…yum! I enjoyed every moment, but I feel gross and my jeans are snug. In an effort to save money and not have to purchase new pants I am breaking out some of my favorite recipes to curb my appetite. Which leads me to this little gem I wanted to share, Frozen Yogurt Bark, a favorite treat.
I love a good cupcake. There is something about a fluffy, decadent, sinful piece of heaven that makes me want to melt and immediately cheat on an otherwise healthy day of eating. And you know what? It’s worth it. Every. Single. Time. No regrets – ever. The one time I don’t like to buy those delicious cakes is when I need to bring a lot of cupcakes. A couple of dozen cupcakes can cost a pretty penny which is why I LOOOOOVE this recipe for Extreme Chocolate Cupcakes. It is moist, delicious and you won’t believe how easy they are to whip up.
I adore chocolate chip cookies, so when I saw the recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cornstarch I knew I had to give them a try .
I have made countless batches always searching for the next best recipe. I am sure I will try other recipes on occasion, however this is hands down a new classic for me. I got this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction website. Click here to see her recipe as well as her absolutely stunning pictures.
There are several differences in this recipe compared to others I have tried – the three being that you use melted butter instead of softened (which means NO mixer needed!!!!), one egg and a yolk as opposed to two eggs that most recipes call for and 1 1/2 tsp. of cornstarch. I was a bit skeptical at first, however these have come out heavenly again and again. The recipe calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips. I like to mix this up with part dark chocolate, part milk chocolate and part cacao nibs (to sneak in a little added health benefits.)
These cookies are chewy, soft and incredibly delicious. They remind me of a Mrs. Fields cookie, but without the $2 price tag. I hope you try these out and let me know what you think.
CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES (uses cornstarch) – adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
INGREDIENTS
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, cacao nibs and/or some M&M’s
DIRECTIONS
Toss together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in the chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.Roll the dough into balls, about 1-2 tablespoons each. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur….I never knew this was something that could be concocted using some pretty basic ingredients, but it is. I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled onto this super simple recipe on a cold December evening. I had friends coming over and I wanted to serve some Bailey’s on ice along with some other fun cordials, but when looking for my rarely used bottle of Irish Cream I just couldn’t find it.
So who hasn’t been in this situation…you think you have something on hand, but when you realized you actually didn’t and needed it, was in a bind. Well that is what happened here and I am not gonna lie, I was frustrated. In this case my husband had been using the velvety liqueur to add to his coffee before his morning golf rounds over the previous months. Since I rarely drink Irish Cream I understand why he didn’t think to tell me we ran out, but in the moment I was annoyed.
I got over it and since almost ANYTHING can be found on the web I decided to see if there was an alternative and was stupid-excited to find out I could make it at home. Not only did I find a great substitute from store bought Irish Cream, but I also realized that this would make a great hostess gift. Who doesn’t love homemade items?
Easy, delicious and can makes an excellent hostess gift. It tastes better than Bailey’s, makes an amazing hostess gift and couldn’t be easier to make. This recipe for homemade Irish Cream Liqueur is a keeper.
