Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

Eric and his dad were kind enough to take me fishing again the other day. This was my second time fishing on Table Rock Lake; the first time was back in May. Remember? I've decided fishing is one of my new hobbies. I like riding in the boat, looking at things on the water, and just sitting and relaxing while I wait for a fish to bite. When it comes to actually putting bait on the hook and taking the fish off of it, I leave that business to oh-nuts Eric. (He's quite the catch. Heh heh heh)

Table Rock Lake.


The bait tank on the boat.

Apparently the fishing has been incredible for August, since we've had cooler temperatures and rain. We caught more fish than last time - including a few kinds of catfish and bass. Can you believe I had to wear a hoodie in August? It was freezing that morning.


(Same awkward fish-holding pose as last time. I'm scared of their teeth!)

This was my first catch of the day. It's some sort of bass. I of course threw it back in the water, because I don't eat bass, or any other fish... except for one.
I only eat tilapia these days. It's my favorite fish. I find the mild whitefish to be delicious and nutritious, and it's great to cook with. I love tilapia.



When I'm not bird watching or cooking tilapia, I'm making ice cream cakes.



I made this one for my sister's birthday a few weeks ago. I really think it's my favorite cake I've ever made. I don't know how in the world it can get better than this. Let me explain; I baked up two layers of gourmet chocolate chip cookie dough, and two layers of chocolate cake. Then, I layered them with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (my favorite!) and topped the cake with chocolate ganache.



I know this looks like kind of a pain to make, but it's worth it! I would definitely make this again. I felt like crying when I was eating it, because it was that good.
Happy Labor Day! Just kidding.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate

Chocolate Cake Layer
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon1 baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup yogurt or sour cream

1 quart chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, softened

Ganache
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the chocolate chip cookie layers, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; continue to cook the butter, whisking frequently, until it starts to brown and foam, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat browned butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined and grainy, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined; stir in chocolate with a wooden spoon until combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator, lightly covered, for 1 hour. (You could speed up this process by placing the dough in the freezer for about 45 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans.

To make the chocolate cake layers, in a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together oil, butter and granulated sugar until well combined and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in egg, vanilla and yogurt until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until combined, about 1-2 minutes.

Divide batter into cake pans. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cakes comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; run a knife around outside edges and invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Butter the cake pans again, and line with parchment or waxed paper circles; butter paper.

Divide cookie dough and pat evenly into pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan before running a knife around outer edges and lifting out paper-lined cookies; remove paper.

Spread the ice cream evenly between cookie and cake layers; freeze for 10 minutes before covering with ganache. Meanwhile, to make the ganache, bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Cool to a good consistency before pouring over ice cream cake.

Makes 12 servings

Stone Fruit Pie

I think the perfect way to showcase summer fruit in a dessert is by using it in a pie or pastry. Fruit in cakes doesn't always do it for me... the day after you bake the cake it usually ends up soggy. Fruit in cookies is nearly impossible. Fruit in breads and muffins sometimes works, but you usually end up with the same problem as the cakes.

I would rather have a blueberry pie, strawberry pie, peach pie, or cherry pie, than any other fruit dessert, I think. It took me a while to like peach desserts, which I think is crazy now, because I LOVE peaches. I used to think peaches smelled like feet. I'm not sure where I got that from. Actually, I know; it was the smell of canned peaches that smelled like feet. I was never a fan of fruit cocktail.

I know... let's stop talking about feet and talk about pie, because that's disgusting.



I wanted to bake something with peaches or plums in it, so I thought I could use them both in a pie, along with cherries, and make a stone fruit pie. Stone fruit is a fruit with a single seed, in case you didn't know.

I used my basic double-crust pie dough recipe, and kept the filling pretty simple: peaches, plums, cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and a little lemon zest. Interestingly enough, I browned the butter in my pie dough recipe this time and let it solidify before working it into the flour. I'm not sure the extra step made a significant difference though.

That's all for now. Have a happy Labor Day weekend!
(Update) It's not labor day weekend. Hahaha. Oops.

Stone Fruit Pie (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

Pie Dough
2 1/2 cups cake or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
11 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
5-6 tablespoons ice water

3 1/2 cups thinly sliced peaches (peeled, pitted)
2 cups thinly sliced plums (peeled, pitted)
1 cup cherries, stemmed, pitted, halved
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the crust, in a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Work the butter in, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until pea-sized lumps form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

Using floured hands, pat the dough into two smooth, flattened discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling out.

Meanwhile, stir together peaches, plums, cherries, 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and vanilla until well combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll one dough disc out thinly on a floured surface, using a rolling pin, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate, place on a cookie sheet; fill pie shell with fruit mixture. Roll out additional dough disc and top fruit mixture; trim and flute edges. Slice some cuts in the center of pie. Brush a little cream or milk evenly over pie dough and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.

Bake for 1 hour or until deep golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 8 servings

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

I thought maybe you were still in the mood for some peanut butter & jelly baked goods. I know I am. I kind of looked around and I'm surprised there aren't more recipes out there. And why aren't there more packaged peanut butter & jelly snack cakes and bars? Doesn't that seem like something Little Debbie would make?
Oh wait! They do - they make PB&J Oatmeal Pies.

You might have noticed I mentioned Nutty Bars in the previous post. They were often packed into my lunch when I was growing up. Taking them apart layer by layer is the only way to truly enjoy and savor them.

I kind of have this small obsession over Little Debbie that I've never told anyone about. I always gaze over and admire all of the varieties of snack cakes, cookies and bars whenever I'm in the grocery store. I never buy or eat them because they aren't healthy and have all kinds of preservatives in them.

But say someone opens up a package of Chocolate Chip Snack Cakes, or, oh gosh, Christmas Tree Cakes, and I'm sitting near them and catch a whiff of that frosting and artificial goodness, I think, "Wowww. Those smell incredible."

So I think Nutty Bars are my favorite Little Debbie, but that's a tough call because they have quite the variety. I'm curious what everyone else's favorite is, so let's take a poll. Tell me what your favorite is in the comment section! It'll be fun times! Here are a few of my favorites:

-Cosmic Brownies. They're out of this world!

-Fancy Cakes. They're just plain fancy. You can serve them as dessert for dinner parties.

-Swiss Cake Rolls. These get smashed in your lunch easily.

-Zebra Cakes. YEAH! I forgot about these. Look at that rad zebra on the box.

-Oatmeal Creme Pies. True fact: Oatmeal Creme Pies in Las Vegas are smaller than the ones in Springfield, Missouri.

-Star Crunch. Ohhhh I don't know. I really like these too. These might be my favorite. These hold up well in your lunch, but they leave an unappealing brown smudge on the wrapper.

Little Debbie should start selling Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes, don't you think? They would make a killing.

These are pretty simple, but I received good feedback on these. A light peanut butter cake batter is divided into muffin cups, a teaspoon of jelly is spooned into the center, then topped with the additional batter and baked. Then they're dipped into a peanut butter glaze to finish.
I love glazes and ganache. It's so much easier than frosting and decorating.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
12 teaspoons grape jelly

Peanut Butter Glaze
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, peanut butter and brown sugar, until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined; reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined, alternating with milk.

Divide about 1/3 of the batter into muffin tin. Place a teaspoon of grape jelly into the center of each cup; evenly top with remaining cake batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until well risen and golden. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack before running a knife around outer edges and inverting out. Cool completely on wire racks.

To make the peanut butter glaze, whisk together heavy cream and brown sugar, in a small saucepan, over medium heat, and bring to a simmer; remove pan from heat and whisk in peanut butter until combined. Cool mixture for a few minutes until a good consistency is reached to dip the cupcakes in. Dip tops of cupcakes into peanut butter glaze and allow to dry. Double dip for double the pleasure.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

This is the sad time of year when kids have to go back to school. I feel for them. It's tough going from a fun-filled summer to being stuck in school all day. No more sleeping in. No more time at the pool. No more hanging out with your friends every day. No more ice cream novelties and riding your bike and playing in the sprinkler. No more staying up late and watching Nick at Nite.

No more going to the bathroom whenever you need to go.

Yeah, I said it. It was always a HUGE deal if you needed to use the restroom during class in grade/junior/high school. You got in trouble for it! I was always afraid to ask to go the bathroom. That is so, so wrong. If I ever have a kid and he or she gets in trouble for having to use the restroom during class, I'm going to barge my way in to that school and be a raging bitch to the teacher.

It's going to be tough adjustment for those poor kiddos. It's a stressful time of year for them. Quizzes, spelling bees, essays... they deserve a break every now and then. If I had kids going to school, I would be very nice to them and support them in any way I could.

I would also feed them talking shredded wheat for breakfast, and pack them a good lunch. Because everyone loved lunchtime! It was a time when you could relax, cut loose, and enjoy some Capri Sun, Funyuns and Nutty Bars.

My mom always packed me a good old pb&j. Oh yes, those were delicious. I love the combination of peanut butter and jelly. If you aren't aware of how to construct a pb&j sammich, please watch this helpful guide I found you:


Whaaaat?! You're supposed to wipe the knife clean before you dip it into the jelly? NO! I think not.



I once made a peanut butter & jelly bar by Ina Garten, but this was years ago. I remember them being very good, so I wanted to come up with my own recipe. The bars consist of three layers; a peanut butter cookie dough with crushed up crackers in it is baked, then topped with grape jelly. Then the remaining same dough is sort of crumbled up and sprinkled over the top for an interesting texture.

I hate to repeat myself, but these bars were pretty good, and I received rave reviews on them. Make them and pack them in your kid's lunch! He or she will be delighted, and also have energy to get through the rest of the monotonous day.

I like to use Smucker's grape jelly. It's cheap and good!





I baked these bars at Eric's apartment, and he was my assistant. It was a grueling job, sitting on the couch and watching poker, and then taking these out of the oven (using Christmas mitts) and sampling them, but he did just fine. I think I could use his assistance again in the future.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely ground buttery crackers
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup grape jelly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or an 11x8-inch.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt, whisk in cracker crumbs until combined.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together peanut butter, butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 1-2 minutes; beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined. Evenly spread half of the cookie dough into prepared baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around edges.

Remove dish from oven and evenly spread jelly over the surface. Dot the top evenly with remaining cookie dough. Return dish to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 15 bars

Toasted Coconut-Banana Cream Pie

The summer is starting to wind down, and in some ways that makes me sad, but in other ways I am grateful. We're starting to slow down at work, and that leaves more free time for me! That means more blogging time, more boyfriend/family/friends time, more baking time, and Top Chef time.

I'm looking forward to September and fall. Which is funny, because I hated September growing up. Which is the case for most kids heading back to school.
I'm looking forward to cooler weather, apple pickin', and leaves falling. I don't know... something is just in the air today. I'm in a very optimistic, happy mood.

Anyway, the last few nights I have been baking non-stop. I'm finished for a couple of weeks. I have to stop baking. Do you know why? I looked through all of the recipes I need to post, and I have seventeen recipes. Heh.

Here is the first: Toasted Coconut Banana Cream Pie. I have trouble deciding which pie I like best - coconut cream or banana cream. So why not combine the two and make a perfect pie?

The pastry is a graham cracker pastry dough recipe I created, it's good, but it's a little tricky to work with. When I make this pie again I would probably use a graham cracker crust or regular pastry dough. The filling is a creamy and smooth banana-coconut custard, and it's topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut.

I received quite a few good reviews on this one. Let me know if you try it. I'll be back soon with some back to school treats.

Toasted Coconut-Banana Cream Pie (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

Graham Cracker Pastry Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3-4 tablespoons ice water

2 large bananas, peeled and mashed
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
7 teaspoons granulated sugar

To make the crust, in a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt. Work the 6 tablespoons butter in, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until pea-sized lumps form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

Using floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth, flattened disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling out. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll disc out thinly on a surface lightly covered with graham cracker crumbs, using a rolling pin, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate; trim and flute edges. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown; cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling, whisk together banana, yolks and cornstarch, in a large mixing bowl, until well combined.
In a large saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together evaporated milk and 3/4 cup sugar, and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently; whisk half of hot milk into yolk mixture, until combined. Whisk yolk mixture back into saucepan, and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, until it thickens up and coats the back of a spoon. Strain custard into a medium mixing bowl, pressing well through a sieve. Whisk in 2 tablespoons butter, coconut extract and vanilla extract until well combined. Set aside 1/4 cup coconut for topping, but process remaining 1 3/4 cups in a food processor until finely ground; whisk into custard. Pour custard into cooled pie crust. Lightly cover and chill completely in the refrigerator, about 2 hours.

When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream: Place heavy cream and 7 teaspoons sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat together using a mixer on high speed, until stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Spread whipped cream over pie, top with additional 1/4 cup coconut, and serve.

Makes 8 servings

Thunder Cake

I loved the book "Thunder Cake" by Patricia Polacco, when I was a kid. I loved the story, I loved the pictures, and I always wanted to bake a thunder cake.

In the story, a little girl and her grandmother gather all of the ingredients for a chocolate cake, and they have to bake it before it storms or it won't be a true Thunder Cake.



I always thought the pictures of the cake with strawberry slices on it looked SO good. One of things I wasn't sure about was the grandmother using tomatoes in the Thunder Cake. Now that's just crazy! But I always wanted to try it to see what it would taste like.

So, last week, I finally got around to it.



An abundance of fresh tomatoes are coming in from our garden, and it's overwhelming, so I decided to puree some of them and bake up a Thunder Cake. My recipe is adapted from the book. For mine, I didn't use shortening; I used oil. I also eliminated the water and increased the tomato puree. If you're going to put tomato in a cake, I say go for it! I also switched the flour to all-purpose and increased the leavening.

The result? A fabulous, fabulous Thunder Cake. Absolutely delicious and moist, and I couldn't taste the tomato at all. I think the tomato provided moisture and contributed to the cake's color. I made a simple ganache to pour and spread over the cake, because there isn't anything better than chocolate ganache.

Thunder Cake (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pureed tomatoes

Ganache
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans.

In a medium bowl, using a mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites (reserving the yolks) until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes; set aside.

In an additional medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together oil, butter and granulated sugar until well combined and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in yolks, vanilla and tomato until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until combined, about 2 minutes; fold in egg whites until combined.

Divide batter into cake pans. Bake 33-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cakes comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool pans on wire racks for 12 minutes; run a knife around outside edges and invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

To make the ganache, heat cream in s small saucepan over medium-low heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and whisk in chocolate until melted; whisk in butter, corn syrup and vanilla until combined. Pour and spread ganache over cooled cake layers.

Makes 10-12 servings

Carnivals and Cocktails

I went to the fair the other day. It was the first time since I was twelve. I'm not sure why it took me such a long time to go back. I guess I've been busy the past twelve years.

I have fond memories of going with my family; we would ride the ferris wheel, Tilt-a-Whirl and the Scrambler together, play games, and eat fair food.
Mmm cotton candy.


I used to hate walking through all of the produce, baked goods and art exhibts. But it's funny now, because that was my favorite thing we did this year.
I could pass on everything else. My opinion on the fair has completely changed now. Carnivals are different when viewing them through adult eyes.







There was some interesting food at the fair. However, it's funny, because I didn't have much of an appetite. But they had just about every fried food you could imagine.


I did settle for some Pineapple Whip later on. It's like a non-fat whipped pineapple ice cream. Delicious.


I wish I could take in all of the fair aromas, sights and sounds and enjoy myself, but I just can't. It's not for me, but I'm boring. I would rather be relaxing at home and enjoying a cold beverage.


There are many versions of of the lemon drop cocktail, but this variation is composed of lemonade, club soda, champagne, Tuaca liqueur and lemon drop candy.

Tuaca is an Italian brandy flavored with orange and vanilla, it runs a little under $30 a bottle. If you're feeling a little cheap you can substitute a less expensive brandy with a splash of orange juice and vanilla, which is what I did. I mean, I don't know the difference between a good brandy and a bad one.


Yes, yes E&J, you will do just fine.


Lemon drop candy. This is the best part - you get to eat candy while you're drinking alcohol.



This was a delicious, summery cocktail that I would definitely make again. There isn't anything more refreshing than lemonade, brandy and champagne.

Lemon Drop Cocktail (As Adapted by Me)
Printable Recipe

1 can lemonade concentrate
1 can club soda
1 bottle champagne
3-4 shots Tuaca
Crushed lemon drop candy
Ice

In a pitcher, stir together lemonade, club soda, champagne and Tuaca. Wet the rim of glasses and dip into candy. Fill with ice, pour beverage over and serve.

Makes 4 servings