Frosted Brown Sugar Cookies

Hi everyone!  I know I don't blog as much as I would like to, but I am trying to more often!  Like I said in my last blog my sister came home and we had a weekend filled with baking!  We tried another recipe from Pinterest my sister was so excited about: Frosted Brown Sugar Cookies!

The recipe is simple and straight forward.  It is your basic sugar cookie recipe/creaming method but made with brown sugar! :)

First things first, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, 330 if you have a convection oven!

RECIPE:

2/3 c. butter, softened
1-1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream

First step is to add the butter into a mixer and use a paddle attachment to blend the butter until smooth and creamy. 

Next you will add the eggs, one at a time followed by the vanilla.

While these are mixing, it is a good idea to measure out and combine all dry ingredients into a bowl so it will be ready to add to the mixture.

Once the butter, eggs, and vanilla are all mixed together, it is time to add the dry ingredients.

To prevent any mess, it is important to add the dry ingredients in thirds and using a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom after each third!

As you add a third of the dry mixture, add a third of the sour cream as well until everything is incorporated.

Now that the scrumptious batter is complete, it is time to scoop them out onto a sheet tray!

I use an ice cream scooper that way you get even amounts with less mess! Anything that helps prevent more mess while baking is the best!

I ALWAYS bake with parchment paper.  The main reason is simply because there is less clean up and you can slide the product off the tray all in one swift motion to prevent carry over cooking.

Line the sheet trays with parchment paper and use whatever size you want for the cookies.  

Bake for about 8 minutes.  I usually time mine for half the back time and rotate for the second half to let the product cook more evenly and to see how far along the product is.

I always use the toothpick trick towards the end of the timer because with my cookies I love to pull them out just a little early so they stay soft all around!

As these cookies are baking in the oven, my sister and I are naturally eating the cookie dough of the paddle attachment (very professional right?) and the scent of luscious sugar cookies fills the air when we go to rotate them.  Our noses tingle with the scent of brown sugar and at that point we get so excited and can't wait to try the first batch!

We pulled the cookies out at about 7 minutes and pulled them off the tray immediately.  I don't like my cookies crunchy, I love them soft all the way through.

Once they cooled we debated whether or not to frost them because they just looked too delicious!

When we pulled out the cookies we couldn't believe out eyes!  These cookies shot up in the oven!  We took a bite out of the first batch and realized the cookies were very bland and that we needed to try them with frosting.  Although they tasted bland, the TEXTURE was unlike anything we've ever experienced with cookies!

The first bite makes you think you are taking a bite out of a white fluffy cake.  It was so air-y and light I couldn't believe it was a cookie!

So after eating the first cookie, we decided to make the frosting.  This recipe's directions seemed a little too much work, posted below is the actual recipe and directions.

RECIPE:

1/4 c. butter
1-1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. Milk

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns golden.  Watch carefully as this will happen quickly. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and enough 

milk to make a spreading consistency.

To make is easier on yourself I recommend just melting the butter in the microwave, don't worry about browning it. 

So we started out melting the butter in the saucepan

After, we poured the butter into a mixing bowl and added the recommended amount of milk and powdered sugar.  Now we tried the exact measurements 

and I found that it just tasted like butter. Definitely not what we expected.. haha.

SO we decided to just keep adding until we liked the taste!

We added a LOT of powdered sugar and just added enough milk to mix it to a thick icing consistency.  I can't give you an exact measure sadly because we did it to taste.  It is very simple and even though you think you are adding a TON of 

powdered sugar, it ends up being enough to cover all the cookies!

Once the frosting was done, it was time to ice the cookies! :D

My sister did the honors since these were her idea!

 Don't they look DELICIOUS?!

Sorry for the bad lighting!

Once they are iced you can let them dry or just eat right away.  Obviously we didn't wait! :)

Mmmmm enjoy! :)

What cookies are your favorite?

Diet Coke Brownies

Hello everyone! Once again, it has been a while since I've blogged.  I finally tried some new recipes worth sharing!  My sister came home from college to visit this weekend and she had some recipes she wanted to try from Pinterest.  That website is taking over.. literally.  Since she had a recipe to try, I remembered there was one that really intrigued me that I wanted to try for a while; Diet Coke Brownies.  Yes, you read that correctly. Diet Coke Brownies.  Now I thought this was really strange that you replace the eggs, oil, and water with a can of diet coke.  I was curious and it was simple and quick so why not try it?  All you need is a box of brownie mix and a can of diet coke.

Once you pour the mixture into the bowl, you slowly add the can of diet coke.  I say slowly because it will foam up, a lot.

After you add in the diet coke, it will be very fluid.

 Once incorporated, get a baking pan of your choice.  I used a 9 x 13 I believe and greased it with PAM.  Add the mixture to the pan and it is ready to go in the oven to bake!

Place the pan in the oven for about 20-25 mins at 335 for a convection oven (350 for traditional oven)  I always test with a tooth pick to determine how cooked they are.  Depending how you like your brownies, you can leave them in longer or less time.

I took mine out a little early because I thought the carry over cooking would be perfect, which it always is. (you can totally see my toothpick marks =P )  This time however, I did not know that the brownies would be so incredibly moist that the carry over didn't do too much.  I suggest leaving them in a little extra to really soak up the liquid.  These brownies are perfect for those who love uber moist, and fluffy brownies.

After they have cooled, I always dust with a lot of powdered sugar, my favorite! :) I apologize for the lighting in this picture!

You can see the very fluffy and moist texture in the brownie slices.  Once you take a bite of the decadent chocolate-y brownies, your head will spin.  The texture when you first take a bite is like a light fluffy cake but then turns into a rich fudge consistency in your mouth.  The chocolate takes over your mouth and the powdered sugar compliments the rich, dark chocolate perfectly!  It is unlike any brownie I've ever had!  I am a HUGE brownie lover.  Brownies are one of my favorite desserts!  Although I was thrilled to try a new recipe, I was not as thrilled about the results.  I did notice the following day, the brownies were still in the baking pan and the edges had shrunk away from the pan and the bottom of the brownies were wet.  As I previously stated, I took them out a little early (I like mine so the edges are crispy!) so I highly recommend leaving them in a little longer due to all the liquid.  These brownies are definitely worth trying out on friends, family, and even boys :)  You will not be disappointed with the fabulous flavor in your mouth or the texture! A must try for brownie and chocolate lovers!

Happy Baking!

"Childhood smells of perfume and brownies"

~David Leavitt