Ice Cream Cookie Cups

Doesn't this look delicious? We try to do a movie/pizza night at least one Friday a month & tonight was that night. It drives KC nuts, but I like to make a special dessert. Tonight, I surprised the boys with this fun treat. The idea is originally from Family Fun. They are really easy to make, but you do need to plan a little ahead. I was running out of time, so I put our cookies dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes. I topped our ice cream with some hot fudge & caramel sauce. They were so yummy!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. To make the cookie cups, beat together the shortening, butter, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, baking powder, and flour, then gradually stir them into the batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flat disk, and wrap it in plastic. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

4. Heat the oven to 375°. Turn two 12-cup muffin tins bottom side up and cover 10 of the cup bottoms with squares of aluminum foil (use every other cup so there's some space between them). Grease the foil with shortening and set it aside.

5. Unwrap 1 disk of dough, place it between 2 sheets of waxed paper, and roll it out to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 4-inch circles of dough and place each one over a cup bottom, smoothing out any cracks. Repeat with the other disk, rerolling and reusing any scraps.

6. Bake the cookie cups for 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and cookies together from the muffin pan. Peel off the foil and let the cups cool completely on a rack. Just before serving, fill each cookie cup with a scoop of ice cream. Makes 10.

Frame Makeover

Earlier in the week I found a frame on clearance for $.70. I was so excited. The glass was intact & there were no dings on the wood. I left the price tag on there to show you the SCORE!!! Thank you TJ Maxx!



Here is the "finished" product. I think that it still need a little something to embellish it & I need to get a picture for it, but I love it. One thing that I recommend is distress your edges with ink..it really makes a HUGE difference on your project. I usually use brown or black.

As Promised...

Here is the BEST EVER buttercream frosting recipe as promised. You can see the picture on the superman cupcake post. I get so many compliments on this frosting. Try it & you won't be disappointed! I found it over a year ago while watching The Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. The original recipe makes a ton of frosting, so here it is cut down to frost about 1 regular size cake (or 24 cupcakes with cute frosting swirls).

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 pounds confectioners' (powdered) sugar, sifted (I usually don't sift it)
6 Tbsp milk
3 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the butter in a bowl with mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the confectioners' sugar, milk, & vanilla. (I like to alternate the wet & dry in smaller increments.) Mix on low speed for about 2 minutes until thickened. Then, add your food coloring of choice.

Here are a few tips:

You may need to add a little more milk (about another 1-2 Tbsp depending on the consistency)

Let this mix for 2 minutes or more. It gets really fluffy.

Use a big decorator's tip & a piping bag to frost cupcakes. If you don't have a piping bag--use a ziploc baggie with the tip cut off..then insert your decorator's tip & start frosting.

One more day...

Sorry, the frosting recipe will have to wait. It is super late & the family is all asleep, so my recipe book is off limits until the morning. I could probably relay the info from heart, but I'd feel better if I had the recipe in front of me. Tomorrow I will post it, I promise! Forgive me for my tardiness.

Homemade Oreos

I made these over the weekend & they were so yummy. I have had a few people ask for the recipe, so here it is:

Homemade Oreo Cookies

2 (18 ounce) boxes devil's food cake mix
4 eggs, beaten well
2/3 cup oil
1 TBSP vanilla


Filling:
1/2 cup butter
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


1. Mix eggs, cake mix, vanilla & oil together well.

2. Shape into small balls.

3. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.


Inside Cream Filling:

1. Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar & vanilla together.

2. When cookies are completely cool frost the flat side of one cookie**, place another cookie on top of the frosting (flat side to flat side).

**I used a big decorating tip to pipe the filling onto the cookie. I tried my best to match up the same size of cookie.

Salsa Chicken

This is probably our favorite recipe because it is so tasty & beyond easy. What could be better? Here is what you need:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa (the bigger jar...I think that it is 16.5 oz)
1 cup sour cream

Place the chicken breasts into your crockpot (the best part...they can be FROZEN). Pour the salsa over the top of the chicken & cover with the lid. Cook on high for 6-8 hours. About a half & hour before serving, shred the chicken. It should shred really easy! Mix in the sour cream & cover for another 30 minutes. This is great for quesidillas, burritos, tacos, & salads.

Superman Cupcakes

I saw this a while back (but I can't find it again to give you the link). The boys have just recently discovered Superman ice cream & they love it. We love the colors all swirled together. I saw this & knew that I just had to make them! Yum! They are really simple to throw together!

I think they look tasty from the outside...


But the inside is my favorite!


Here is how you make them:

Start with a vanilla cake mix. Mix it up according to the package directions. Once it is all mixed together...separate the mix into 3 bowl (as equal as you can). Then add your food coloring. I used the Wilton food coloring. You can find the little jars in almost any cake decorating section (Walmart, Michaels, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby, etc). The blue was Royal Blue. The yellow was Lemon Yellow. The pink was Rose. Prepare your cupcake tins (muffin tins) with liners...you will need about 24. Now, spoon a little less than 1 TBSP of one color into the bottom of each of your cupcake liners. Once you have evenly distributed the first color & used it up...move onto the next color. Then do the same with the last color. I didn't swirl my together, but I think that I might take a toothpick & swirl the colors a little more. Then, bake your cupcakes according to the package directions. Stay tuned...tomorrow I will give you the BeSt EvEr buttercream icing recipe. (pictured on the cupcakes)