the.yellow.page

who needs toys when there is a tail?

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 11:11:00 -0400

who needs toys when there is a tail?

wylee’s first time at home!

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:13:14 -0400

wylee’s first time at home!

i’m still here… my heart is in California today. be...

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:32:16 -0400

i’m still here…
my heart is in California today. be back soon.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:17:00 -0400

This was the first meal we ate in our new apartment, about one month ago:

And the very first thing I baked in our new place?

SCONES. Of course. Whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones.

I hadn’t even unpacked all the dishes into the cabinets, but managed to find my flours, pastry cutter, and baking sheet.

I only let myself bake off a few because I have been known to devour a whole batch of scones (equivalent to a stick of butter) entirely by myself. And even though we DID move an entire apartment worth of possessions and furniture from a 5th floor walk-up with just a subaru outback and our own hands, during which I most DFINITELY burned off more than a stick of butter’s worth of calories (yes, this is how my mind works), I convinced myself to exercise some restraint and freezed half the batch. The promise of freshly baked scones in the near future (without the prep time and clean-up!) somehow outweighed the desire to eat 9 scones.

But now that berry season has sadly passed (unless you want to shell out $5 for a tiny box of raspberries), I am even more glad that I decided not to eat the entire stick of butter that day, but rather, allowed myself the chance to enjoy a raspberry scone when raspberries cannot be found in any grocery store for ANY amount of money. Which is rapidly approaching faster than I’d like.

These scones are terrific, and whether you decide for yourself that you’d like to eat them all or save a few for later is really up to you. Whole wheat lends a certain heartiness that makes just one scone feel filling. The combination of the ricotta, butter, and heavy cream lends to a wonderfully moist crumb, almost calling into question the validity of calling this a “scone.” Unique to this particular recipe, the raspberries are cut in, like butter, which delivers various sizes of jammy berry pockets and streaks throughout the scone.

I’m still working on getting the hang of the lighting in the kitchen; the sunlight is significantly obstructed compared to the previous apartment. I brought my breakfast to the living room for some more natural light- and here’s a look at how our living room looked that first week. Unfortunately, not too much has changed in the last month in that corner of the living room!

Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

from Smitten Kitchen
makes 9 scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tbs cold unsalted butter
1 cup (4 3/4 oz) fresh raspberries
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.
With a pastry blender: Add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. Toss in raspberries and use the blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.
Without a pastry blender: Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Roughly chop the raspberries on a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.
Both methods: Add the ricotta and heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula. Using your hands, gently knead dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl. Don’t fret if the raspberries get muddled and smudge up the dough.
With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall. With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares. Transfer the scones to prepared baking sheet with a spatula.
Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.
I found, as Deb suggests, that allowing the scones to cool really allows the scones to achieve their ideal texture. It’s so hard to wait.. but so worth it!

dear whole foods, thank you for arranging your multi-colored...

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:14:40 -0400

dear whole foods, thank you for arranging your multi-colored cherry tomato bounty in such a pleasing display for those who love to organize by color and size, such myself.
i heart you, crystal.

Where did the summer go?!

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 01:07:00 -0400

I’ve spent the better part of the summer months tackling a thesis and a defense, figuring out the next step post-PhD (a.k.a. finding a job), moving out of a 5th floor apartment (sans elevator service) into our first property without the aid of movers or even a moving truck, and discovering the joys of speeding in our new (to us) german driving machine. It has been an incredibly exhausting and stressful time, but, there were many celebrations, and I finally feel, for the first time maybe ever, that I am finally LIVING. Unfortunately, all the hubbub didn’t leave much time for cooking and blogging. oops.

The summer months are already behind us, and I feel a bit cheated in having missed out on trying new recipes with my favorite summer produce (farm-fresh tomatoes, zucchini blossoms, corn, stone fruits, and berries). However, after 6 years of living in New England, I FINALLY managed to organize a blueberry picking trip in late July! Although we arrived with the summer berries on the brain, it was a pleasant surprise to see that even though it wasn’t apple-picking season yet, there were still home-made, fresh, apple-cider donuts available!

A historical looking donut-making machine… I only had one question: where could I get one!?!?

And this is the hero who tossed freshly fried apple cider donuts into a bath of cinnamon and sugar… what an amazing job. Do they hire recent PhD graduates?

It was a lovely summer day for berry picking.

Although for Andreas, there were probably more blueberries that went straight into his mouth than into our picking containers. He defended his blueberry-picking technique, claiming it as a quality control measure.

We left the farm happy, with donuts and a few pounds of fresh plump blueberries in hand (and in our tummies!). You would think that with this bounty, I’d have a slew of blueberry recipes bookmarked away for just this opportunity… and I DID.. except by the time I had gotten around to picking a recipe, the blueberries were long gone!

Kind of like the summer….

So before the rest of 2011 slips away without new recipes, I am jumping back into it and vow to be back with new recipes soon!

I would never have made it through grad school without the love...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:37:52 -0400

I would never have made it through grad school without the love and support from all my family and friends. Love you all.

Fig Hazelnut Spread, Brie, and Prosciutto Panini

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:21:06 -0400

My thesis defense (a talk about the last 6 years of my life) date has shown up in the 10-day forecast. Does anyone else measure their life by the 10-day forecast?

Upon this realization, the first thought that jumped into my mind was, “what am I going to WEAR?!”. And the second thought: “I guess I should start on my talk soon.”

But before I start, I wanted to tell you about the only new recipe I tried while I was writing my thesis. I hadn’t been doing very much cooking, but after glimpsing Giada make this during a “writing break,” I immediately went out and bought ingredients!

It starts with a spread, made from toasted hazelnuts and dried figs, thick and slightly sweet, and you will just want to smear this on everything.

Thin slices of prosciutto are baked to a crisp (the original recipe calls for pancetta), and soft, creamy brie completes this delectable sandwich. I have a good feeling goat cheese would work just as well.

Got my fancy schmancy panini press and grilled the panini until the cheese gets nice and oozey.

Giada may have called this a breakfast panini, but this is really an ANYTIME panini.

Breakfast Panini
adapted from Giada at Home, Food Network

Vegetable oil cooking spray
thin slices pancetta (or prosciutto, baked at 375F for 10-15 min until crisp)
Fig Hazelnut spread (recipe following)
Ciabatta rolls (or sliced bread)
Brie

Preheat a panini press.
Spread the bottom half of each roll with the jam.
Place 2-4 slices of cooked pancetta on top and add 2 slices of cheese. Place the top half of the roll on top of the cheese.
Grill in a panini maker until the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

Fig Hazelnut Spread
makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
12 dried black mission figs
3 tablespoons brandy or apple juice
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, figs, and brandy (or apple juice) over medium heat.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
Pour into a food processor and add the hazelnuts. Blend until smooth and thick.

A little breather.

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:11:00 -0400

I feel like I have been running at break-neck speed non-stop for the last two and a half weeks, and only a few days ago did I finally get to stop and take a breath. After pouring all my energy and waking moments into making some sense of the last 6 years of research and trying to organize it into words and pictures to resemble a cohesive thesis, AND closing on our first property and taking a gazillion trips to home depot to ready it for its debut on craigslist, I spent the last few days post-thesis-turn-in recovering either breaking personal sleeping records or couch potato-ing it. After all THAT, it feels weird to wake up in the morning and not have to write 10 pages in the next few hours before going to our house to paint the living room. It feels weird to feel like I have the time to go to the grocery store and to think of what I want to eat, and even more strange to have the luxury of the time to cook whatever I want. It’s like I have to relearn how to be NOTat DEFCON 1 all the time. But, I have to admit, it feels AWESOME going to bed, knowing I am one day closer to getting the

Well, so long as nothing goes horribly wrong during the public defense and they don’t absolutely hate my thesis (knock on wood). For the first time, in a very very long time, I am totally excited about what the next few months will bring, even though there will be a lot of change, a lot of new things, and a lot of unknowns (like a J.O.B.), but that’s OK, I’m just beyond glad to see an end to the graduate school chapter of my life.

For now, I’m focusing on remembering that it’s SUMMER (before we slip into fall and then into the season who shall not be named). You would think that last week’s FIERCE heat would have been sufficient to remind me, but you would be surprised what you can ignore when all your faculties are focused on the computer screen(s) in front of you for 18 hours/day. Anyway, this means eating all the fresh summer fruit that I can, walking everywhere instead of taking the T, grilling, evening walks to get fresh peach ice cream, and hopefully, a trip to a pick-your-own-fruit farm this upcoming weekend!

Meet my thesis-writing wingman.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:41:45 -0400

Meet my thesis-writing wingman.

Braided Lemon Bread

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:23:00 -0400

My dad has taught me a lot over the years. He taught me how to drive stick and made me drive from a full stop up a hill, over and over until I didn’t stall. He educated me in the rules of NFL football, quizzed me about team names, coaches, and quarterbacks, and taught me to love the Niners (in good times and bad). And, he taught me how to be resourceful in the kitchen.

In my dad’s kitchen, nothing is wasted. Food ingredient OR time. Leftover odds and ends of onions, peppers, and last night’s pork chops go into Sunday morning omelettes. Prep dishes are washed as the meal is being cooked or dessert is being baked, so that after you’ve finished eating or baking, all that is left are the dishes you ate off of. These are practices that I’ve happily brought into my own kitchen, and just one of the infinite ways that my dad has shaped and influenced my life. Thanks Dad, I hope you had a fantastic day!

So remember that lemon curd? We didn’t come close to finishing it off with the pavlovas, but I used the rest in this tasty breakfast “brastry” (bread pastry? no??)! A soft sweet dough is filled with a cream cheese and lemon curd filling, and when baked, will fill your kitchen with the most lovely smell; you’ll be able to close your eyes and imagine that you’ve opened that little coffee pastry shop you’ve always dreamed of.

Braided Lemon Bread
from Smitten Kitchen

Sponge:
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough:
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing bread
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Pearl sugar* or sparkling white sugar for sprinkling

Lemon cream cheese filling:
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons (5/8 ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (2 ounces) homemade or prepared lemon curd

Make sponge:

In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.

Make dough:

Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl if making by hand.
Add flour and mix (with the paddle attachment or spoon or hands) until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 5-6 minutes, or by hand 5-10 minutes, until a soft, smooth dough forms.
Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.

Make the filling (while dough rises):

Combine all the filling ingredients (except the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and lemon curd until ready to fill the braids.

Prepare bread:

Gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle.
Transfer rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Spread the cream cheese filling down the center section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling. Spread the lemon curd over the cream cheese filling.
To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of you dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal amount of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Be careful not to cut your parchment paper; if you have a bench scraper, this is a great time to use it. Remove the four corner segments.
To “braid”, begin by folding top flap down and bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hand off decoratively under the end of the braid.
Carefully transfer the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.

Bake bread:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash, and sprinkle with pearl or coarse sparkling sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and your apartment smells like a doughnut factory. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

dear new coffee shop on the way to lab, thank you for always...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:35:58 -0400

dear new coffee shop on the way to lab, thank you for always putting cool designs in my soy lattes, different every time. it makes my day. love, crystal

Pavlovas with Meyer Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:25:00 -0400

It seems that the warm summery weather we experienced two weeks ago was just a cruel, cruel joke. Not funny Boston. Not at all.

Over a month ago, when the weather was much like it has been the last week (dark… gloomy… wet… depressing…), I was using happy meyer lemons to substitute for the absent SUN, and I made these pavlovas and a meyer lemon curd. They were fun, light and bright, and rather uncharacteristic for me since they weren’t a cookie and didn’t have a crust! Pavlovas are meringues that are crispy on the outside, but fluffy and marshmallow-y inside, a textural dream. The tart lemon curd is rich and lemony; a little goes a long way because the pavlovas and whipped cream are just ever so lightly sweetened. Now that the berries are really coming into season and I’ve taken a peek at the 10 day forecast (more un-summer-like weather), I think I should make these again SOON!

For those that hate wasting anything in the kitchen like me (it’s my asian-ness), you’ll be happy to see that the number of egg WHITES in the pavlovas corresponds exactly to the number of egg YOLKS needed for the lemon curd… serendipity! I was left with quite a bit of lemon curd left over- which would seem to pose another kitchen conundrum- but stay tuned for how my resourcefulness prevailed!

Pavlovas
adapted from Piece of Cake Blog

makes 4, can double the recipe for 8

2 eggs at room temperature, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form, then slowly rain in 1 cup of the sugar. Beat on high until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
Beat in the vanilla extract.
Portion the meringue into 4 mounds on the baking sheet, a generous 1/4 cup full each (a standard ice cream scoop works well to keep things even). Using a spoon, shape each mound into a little meringue nest, each about 4 inches in diameter. To create a small well in the center of each meringue shell, first rest the bowl of the spoon in the center of each meringue, horizontal to the baking sheet, then hold the spoon by the very end of the stem and turn it in a circle as you pull it up and off the meringue.
Bake the meringues in the center of the oven until they are firm and lightly golden, about 1 hour (next time I would try 20 or 30 more minutes). Let them cool completely on the baking sheet in the turned-off oven with the door open.

Meyer Lemon Curd
adapted from David Lebovitz

makes 1 cup

1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup (65 g) sugar (or 1/2 cup, 100 g, if using regular lemons)
2 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cubed

Place a mesh strainer over a bowl, and set aside.
In a medium saucepan (or in a double boiler), whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt.
Add the butter cubes and set the pan over low heat, whisking constantly until the butter is melted.
Increase the heat and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and just begins to become jelly-like. It’s done when you lift the whisk and the mixture holds its shape when it falls back into the saucepan from the whisk.
Immediately press the curd through the strainer. Once strained, store the lemon curd in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to one week.

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:21:00 -0400

So…….

it’s been really hard to break the silence.

I’ve started and stopped and erased posts at least 5 times since we last spoke about absurdly excessive cookies, which was 2 whole months ago!!! And as more and more days passed, the more I felt that I had to present a worthy post to compensate for the length of silence… which at this point, would have required something made with several pounds of butter, deep-fried, covered in dark chocolate and gold leaf, with unicorns and rainbows shooting out of it.

But I didn’t want you all to think I was giving you the cold shoulder or that my kitchen had burned down, it’s just that as I’ve ramped up productivity and increased hours in the lab in hopes of being able to schedule a thesis defense date (WHICH I NOW HAVE!!!!), the rest of my life has suffered as a result. It’s not all Lab’s fault. I also have been attempting to plan a wedding of some sort. And have been house-hunting. And have been looking at cute puppy pictures. And trying to figure out what to do with my life post-Ph.D. (read: find a JOB). Which pretty much has left my kitchen devoid of ingredients for dinner and cookies, or even PIECES OF FRUIT!

I also reached that time of the year, as I do every year, when I get tired (so very very tired) of the painful elusiveness of spring/summer and consecutive days over 70 degrees F. Apparently it wasn’t enough that we suffered through record amounts of snow in all of January, we were also tortured by snow on April Fool’s and had to endure a soul-sucking, rainy, gloomy, gray May, which in addition to extended hours in lab, only succeeded in making me more cranky and restless, unable to focus on updating tumblrs with non-depressing posts.

But now we’ve FINALLY had a week of consecutive days of over 70 degree weather and sunshine (well, except that freak tornado-induced thunderstorm on Wednesday, what WAS that?!), and my mood has lifted considerably. I want to spend every minute I can outside, thawing out, ridding my body of any memory of the last 6 months, and soaking up the sun’s Vitamin D-filled rays to replenish the severe deficit from winter. And warmer weather means spring/summer produce- some of my favorites: berries berries berries, peaches, apricots, rhubarb, and barbeque. Yes, I know that barbeque is not a produce, but I just want to grill everything in sight and eat it IN or WITH a salad.. which kind of makes it produce, right?

Anyway, because the weather has changed and my demanding stomach no longer craves heavily sauced pastas, braised meats and mashed potatoes, we have been slowly transitioning to lighter dinner fare, such as this lemon olive oil spaghetti with shrimp. It’s still satisfyingly carby and just creamy enough, but made lighter from an ample amount of fresh lemon zest and juice.

I went on a real lemon kick, as you’ll see in the next few lemon-centric posts as I work my way from a backlog of April and May recipes, since the bright zing of lemon citrus can really brighten any uncharacteristically gloomy and cold in-between-winter-and-spring/summer day!

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 pound spaghetti or linguine
Salt
3 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus additional for serving
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus additional for serving
Ground black pepper
Small handful fresh basil or arugula leaves (or both!), shredded

Cook linguine or spaghetti in well-salted water to your al dente tastes in a large, wide-bottomed pot.
While pasta is cooking, zest lemons until you have a little shy of a tablespoon of zest. Juice lemons —about 1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice.
Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water.
Dry out your pot, then boil the olive oil, cream, zest and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water together for two minutes over high heat.
Return pasta to pot and stir until coated.
Add the cheese and 1/4 cup lemon juice and toss, toss, toss everything together.
Add more pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, if you’d like your dish a little looser. Quickly taste a strand of pasta and see if you want to add the remaining lemon juice.
Stir in basil or arugula and season generously with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, drizzling individual portions with a bit of extra olive oil and sprinkling with extra Parmesan.

it’s gloomy and rainy outside (where are those darn may...

Tue, 17 May 2011 16:29:17 -0400

it’s gloomy and rainy outside (where are those darn may flowers?!), so we’re hard at work in lab…

this was right outside my apartment building door this morning....

Fri, 13 May 2011 09:00:56 -0400

this was right outside my apartment building door this morning. not a very auspicious start to a Friday the 13th, right?

California Dreamin'

Fri, 06 May 2011 23:51:51 -0400

Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to take a much needed break in ~~warm~~ hot, sunny, Southern California. I ~~napped~~ frolicked on the beach…

and fervently prayed that my pasty skin (which has had practically NO exposure to the sun’s rays in over 6 months) would NOT burn.

I relaxed and did some yoga (combined with weights and cardio) that left my abs and butt screaming for days…

ate “Tijuana” tacos with endless tortilla chips and salsa, and Korean fusion tacos from a truck…

indulged in egg bennys (with braised pork belly and crabcake- don’t worry, it was two separate meals) and those obsession-inducing warm raspberry millet muffins…

hung out with wonderfully dear old friends, caught up with cousins, celebrated the union between two deeply in love, and bonded with a new (canine) friend (cutie!).

I was having SUCH a good time driving around with the windows down (at 80 mph! which was often JUST ENOUGH to keep up with the cars around me, making it very easy to rack up 800 miles on my rental) and soaking up as much vitamin D as possible that I was a bit reluctant to return. When I arrived, I was greeted by a Boston “spring” day: gloomy skies, occasional downpour, and a 30-degree drop in temperature compared to California. This, in addition to the reality and responsibilities that I had blissfully pushed out of my mind while in California rushing to the forefront of my consciousness, suddenly put me in a post-vacation funk of intense homesickness.

Andreas, the ever wonderful mediator of my less-than-jovial moods, decided to cheer me up by presenting an early 5th anniversary gift…

for which… I had no words..

just high-pitched squeals of excitement!

I am loving the unique vintage pistachio color and am already envisioning a color-coordinated future kitchen!

driving with the windows down. tunes blasting. beginnings of...

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:41:25 -0400

driving with the windows down. tunes blasting. beginnings of “driver’s tan” already on my left arm.

hello california. i miss you so.

fallen fries. probably one of the saddest things i’ve...

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:59:33 -0400

fallen fries. probably one of the saddest things i’ve seen, second to fallen ice cream cones.

i know there’s been a bit of radio silence here lately; i promise to post some food soon!!!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 23:53:00 -0400

April Fools’ Day is not quite over. I present to you these humongous chocolate chip cookies…

that are not quite exactly what they seem because…

there are OREOS inside of them!!!

If only all April Fools’ jokes could be this… sweet.

These cookies were not originally baked with the intention of fooling anybody. They were actually baked for a lab function where the theme was “Tastes From Around the World.” Everyone brought something from their home or adopted countries/states, like ice wine from Canada and home-made plum schnapps for Romania. Funny enough, out of a lab of 13 members, I am actually the only uni-lingual American-born citizen. To represent my home state and country, I brought wine from California and cookies that embody American excess (and propensity for obesity)- Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies!

They’re truly gigantic, but SO fun to make and eat. They are truly at their best when still slightly warm… dunked in a refreshing glass of milk!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Picky Palate

makes about 2 dozen cookies

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag Oreo Cookies (I can see Double Stuffed being extra awesome)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined.
Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda.
Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
Using a cookie scoop (or tablespoon) take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie.
Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie.
Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.
Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking.
Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.