Milkshakes of Desperation

It was New Year's Eve.  Mr. E and I took kiddo and a friend to a basketball game.  We decided that on the way home, we would stop for a treat at a new restaurant in town famous for their "fancy" milkshakes.  I'd just gotten an email from the restaurant that day stating they would be open for New Year's Eve. 

All through the game, I thought of those milkshakes.  No champagne toast this year, but oh, how I was looking forward to my shake...and looking forward to surprising the boys with a special NYE treat.

On the way home from the game, we pulled into the restaurant parking lot.  I could see a few tables were filled, but not many.  We walked in the door, and a host came up immediately, "I'm sorry. We're closed."

What?  CLOSED?!?  "Oh," I said, "we're just here for milkshakes to go."  To which he replied, "we closed at 9 and have already shut down our milkshake machine."  Y'all...do you ever get your heart set on having something and then broken when you find out you can't.  This is an example of how my motto is "live to eat," and not "eat to live."

I'm embarrassed to say that I pouted a bit.  OK, maybe a lot.  I'd been planning my milkshake order for a good 5 hours at this point.  I'm twice as embarrassed to say that when I double checked the restaurant's email from earlier in the day, they clearly stated that they would be closing at 9pm.  Oops.


So, once we were home, I was BOUND and DETERMINED to have a milkshake.  Small problem...we had no ice cream. 

Ice cream sandwiches to the rescue!!!  Blended up with a splash of milk, and a good glug or two of fudge sauce, and you're in milkshake heaven.


I highly recommend Blue Bell Ice Cream Sandwiches...if you don't have them where you live, any non-diet brand will do.

For the fudge sauce, I've used homemade and store-bought.  Homemade is my favorite (here's the recipe I use), but store-bought is also delicious. 

Milkshakes of Desperation (Ice Cream Sandwich Milkshakes)

7 ice cream sandwiches
2-3 TBSP milk
1/4 cup (feel free to eyeball this) fudge sauce, store-bought or this recipe

Break up the ice cream sandwiches into about 3 pieces each.  Place in a blender along with the milk and fudge sauce.  Blend until smooth.

Divide between two or three chilled glasses.


Adding whipped cream and a cherry is fine, but remember, you're desperate and probably don't have time for all of that. ;)

You know what?  It's Milkshake Week!  Oh yes, it is!  The brainchild of Julie and Lindsay...be sure to check out their posts all week, as well as the other bloggers who are also celebrating:

• Peanut Butter and Brownie Milkshakes from The Little Kitchen
• Bourbon Salted Caramel Milkshakes from Love & Olive Oil
• Roasted Pineapple Coconut Vegan Milkshake from Cafe Johnsonia
• Pudding Pop Milkshake from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
• Lemon Pie Milkshake from Crazy for Crust
• Peanut Butter Pretzel Milkshake from Cookies and Cups
• Vanilla Chai Milkshake from Kitchen Treaty
• Cheesecake Milkshake from Cook the Story
• Cherry-Cola Milkshake from Boulder Locavore
• Peanut Butter-Caramel Milkshake from Miss in the Kitchen
• {2 Ingredient} Coffee Milkshake from Barefeet In The Kitchen
• Biscoff Cookie Milkshake from Katie's Cucina
• Turtle Pecan Milkshake from Dairy Good Life

Woo hoo!  Let's hashtag it!  #milkshakeweek  Oh, yeah!

Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturdays: Mini Triple Chocolate Bundt Cakes

Kiddo and I headed back to the little bakery table this week for our Trader Joe's review.  We didn't even need to circle the table fully before these little bundt cakes caught our eyes.

Trader Joe's Mini Triple Chocolate Bundt Cakes are petite chocolate cakes, covered with a chocolate glaze and sprinkled with chocolate chips.  

Unlike most Trader Joe's sweets, there's no description on the package.  A box of 4 mini cakes runs $4.99.


My take: What's not to like?  Cake and chocolate, right?  Well, these underwhelmed me.  Despite their dark chocolate appearance, the cake was fairly bland.  Even the chocolate chips didn't taste quite chocolatey enough...and I'm a girl who eats chocolate chips straight from the bag.  Were they terrible?  No.  Would I buy them again?  No.
Overall rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Kiddo's take: These appeared appetizing from the outside, but they didn't live up to the standard of Trader Joe's sweets. In my opinion, the icing and chocolate chips were what saved it from being thrown out - the cake was very airy and didn't have much flavor.
Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Trader Joe's Mini Triple Chocolate Bundt Cakes: We'll stick to the TJ's Pink Lemonade Cupcakes next time we're in the bakery section.

And the rockets' red glare, the cookies bursting in air...

In my head, I keep calling these "fireworks cookies," although maybe they don't exactly look like fireworks.


What we have here are three-layer cookies (decorated on one side), with mini M&Ms exploding from the center.  OK...they don't explode...now THAT would be cool.  They are, however, a festive surprise when you bite into, or break off a piece, of these patriotic cookies. 


The idea comes from the pinata cookie.  Yes, THE pinata cookie.  If you've been on Pinterest at all in the last two years, I guarantee you've seen it.  It's pretty darn brilliant. 


You'll need two sizes of star cookie cutters to make these.  I have this set from Ateco.  It's perfect.  You'll want to bake twice as many solid stars as you do the ones with the cut-outs inside.  I used my go-to recipe...don't forget to freeze the cut-out shapes for 5-10 minutes prior to baking.  Really, do it.


You're also going to need to sort through a bag of mini M&Ms and pick out all of the red and blue ones.  Can I tell you how many brown, orange, and green M&Ms I've eaten today?  ALL OF THEM.

To make the M&Ms Inside-Patriotic Star Cookies, you'll need:

• star-shaped cut-out cookies, twice as many solids as cut-out centers (I used a cookie cutter that was 2 & 7/8" and got about 15 full sets out of one batch)
• royal icing (halve this recipe), divided and tinted with AmeriColor Super Red, Royal Blue, and Bright White
• disposable icing bags (3)
• couplers and #2 tips
• toothpicks
• red and blue mini M&Ms

Use a #2 tip to outline the half of the solid cookies with royal icing.

Thin the icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup.  You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin.  Count of 2-3 is good.  Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed.  Pour into squeeze bottles as needed.

Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the outlines with the base color.  Use a toothpick to guide to edges, and pop large air bubbles.


Starting with the first cookie filled, add dots, lines, etc, in the other colors.  For instructions on marbling, see this post on Martha's fireworks cookies.

Let the cookies dry 6-8 hours, or overnight (uncovered).

Once the cookies are completely dry, it's time to assemble them.


Turn a plain cookie upside-down, so that the bottom is facing up.


Add a bit of piping-consistency royal icing along the edge of a cookie with the cut-out center.


Place onto the bottom cookie.


Fill the opening with M&Ms. Add more royal icing along the other side of the cut-out cookie. 


Place the top cookie, decorated side up, on the stack.  Let the cookies set for at least 30 minutes before packaging.

Cookies plus chocolate candies in one dessert?  

I think our forefathers would have approved.

Desserts for Dudes: Dark Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix Brownies

Don't *EVEN* get me started on these brownies.  OK.  Not really.  Get me started.  

I came up with these brownies for my big dude (the one I'm married to) because he's a huge fan of Target's trail mixes.  His favorites are the Black and White and the Dark Chocolate Espresso.


For this recipe, I used Dark Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix.  What's inside?  Chocolate-covered almonds, praline almonds, mocha pecans, chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and chocolate-covered coffee beans.  What I love about adding it to brownies is that you get a lot of different "crunches," not just your typical pecans or walnuts.


My advice to you is this: make these brownies when you have people to share them with.  I'm sitting here, totally full from lunch, one huge brownie down.  I start editing the pictures and ohmygosh....how could I resist going back for another?!?  I mean, look at them...

{Of course, I cut one in half, went back to editing pictures, then promptly got up and ate the other half.  Who are these people who can eat 1/2 of a brownie?}

Side note:  I was telling one the sweet (super fit) instructors at Pure Barre that I struggle with seeing big results from working out.  You see, I explained, blogging and recipe development involve lots of taste testing, and her advice was to test "just one bite."  And that, my friends, is why she looks the way she does, and I look the way I do. ;) 

Alright, back to the brownies.  Here's what you can expect: deep, dark chocolate...a hint of espresso...fudgey texture...melty chocolate...and assorted crunchiness throughout.



To get that deep, dark color and rich chocolate flavor, I swear by Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa...

 

Dark Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
2 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 & 1/2 cups Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 & 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup Target Archer Farms Dark Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13" pan.


Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Once melted, stir in the sugar.  Stir the sugar and butter while gently heating until the mixture is warm to the touch (but not boiling).  Remove the pan from the heat.

Stir in the cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla.  Whisk in the eggs until incorporated.


Stir in the flour...


...then fold in the trail mix.

Pour into the prepared pan, and smooth.  Bake for 28 minutes, or until done.  Cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack.


*adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion*

Y'all...forget the dudes.  I think I'm going back for another. 

Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturdays: Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels

In this week's episode of Sweet on Trader Joe's, kiddo and I check out one of the sweets tempting us in the check-out line: Chocolate-Covered Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels. 

Trader Joe's describes their Chocolate-Covered Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels as follows.
"Soft and creamy, deeply flavored butterscotch caramels are tinged with sea salt and enrobed in dark, slightly bitter chocolate to offset the sweetness."

A lot of thought went into that description.  I feel like I'm reading an Elaine Benes snippet of the J. Peterman catalog.  Maybe they should come with an urban sombrero.

OK...each bag is 7 ounces and contains about 5 servings.  That impulse check-out line purchase will set you back $3.49.


My take: Danger! Danger!!!  Not only could I eat this entire bag in one sitting, I could eat this entire bag in about 2 minutes flat.  On the first bite, I immediately thought, "Nana would love these."  The combination of the butterscotch and caramel has a distinct coffee flavor...something I know my grandmother would have loved more that the Werther's that nanas are supposed to keep in their purses.  The pinch of sea salt is the icing on the cake, er, caramel...it sends these heavenly little orbs right into the stratosphere of deliciousness.
Overall rating: 8 of 5 stars (yes, I did that on purpose.)

Kiddo's take: These are small enough to be eaten by the handful, yet big enough that they fill you up! The combination of flavor is impeccable, and even though I could probably eat the entire bag in 2 minutes flat, I would be stuffed. Warning: THESE ARE VERY ADDICTIVE!!!!!
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Chocolate-Covered Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels: Sinful, dangerous, not to be missed.

Desserts for Dudes: Yes, I'd like some fries with that.

So, dudes.  Over the years, we've made: fried chicken cookies (no, really), beer and hot dog cookies, french fry cookies.  It was time for the CHEESEBURGER COOKIE!!!

These cheeseburger cookies are made from not one, not two, but three cookies...all stacked together with a little icing and some fondant cheese.  

(Mmmm, fondant cheese. < please say that in a Homer Simpson voice.)

Angie, the cute dessert mastermind otherwise known as Bakerella, made some sweet cheeseburgers waaaaaay back in 2009 from cupcakes and brownies.  (I know.)  She also has cute little printable boxes to put them in.  That Angie...where would we be without her?

The cheeseburger cookies are really simple to make, especially if you bake the cookies the day before assembling.  If you have some frozen cookie dough stashed away in your freezer, all the better. 


Make them in any size you'd like.  These cookies are 2" across.  Technically sliders, right? ;)


To make cheeseburger cookies, you'll need:

• circle cut-out cookies, vanilla and chocolate
• royal icing (quarter this recipe), divided and tinted with AmeriColor Super Red, Egg Yellow, Leaf Green and Ivory
• fondant (Satin Ice Brand or make your own), tinted with AmeriColor Electric Orange
• disposable icing bags (4)
• couplers and tips: #2, #3, #1, and leaf
• cornstarch
• small square cookie cutter (I looooove this set from Sur la Table)

You'll want twice as many vanilla cookies as chocolate.  I rolled mine out to 1/4" thickness.


Roll the fondant on a cornstarch-dusted surface to about 1/8" inch, or thinner.  (Be sure to coat the rolling pin and cookie cutters, too.)


Cut squares out of the fondant to make cheese slices for the burgers.


Place one vanilla cookie with the bottom facing up.  Squeeze on some royal icing in the center.  It doesn't matter what color, it's just to hold the "meat" in place. ;)

Place a chocolate cookie on top.  Add a bit of royal icing, then place on the cheese slice.

Pipe red and yellow icing around the edges of the cookies on top of the cheese.  I used a #2 tip for the ketchup and #3 for mustard.  More mustard, more better.

Lightly place another vanilla cookie on top.  Add lettuce around the edge of the cookie in green icing using a leaf tip.


Use a #1 tip to add sesame seeds with the ivory icing.  (Alternatively, add real sesame seeds to half of the vanilla cookies before baking.)

Let the icing set for at least 30 minutes before handling the cookies.


The only thing missing is the pickle.