TWD: Chipster-Topped Brownies

Yet again, this week's TWD recipe was AMAZING. Though, I was not surprised. I mean, how can you honestly go wrong with a layer of chocolate chip cookies baked ON TOP of a goey, chocolate-y BROWIE?! This was HEAVEN. I'd just like to give a HUGE shout out to Beth of Suppilicious for a great pick!

Since I had so many different baking chips I needed to use up, I just threw in handfuls of peanut butter chips, white chocolate chunks, and butterscotch chips along with the chocolate chips.

To say these were DEVOURED when they hit the table was an understatement. People were FIGHTING over them! It was actually quite hilarious to watch my friends and family go at it.

I will of course be making these again!..gonna try topping a square with some ice cream...oooh i'm baaaaad !

Mmmmmm...SO good.

CIA'S Key Lime Pie

We were entertaining some family friends the other night for dinner. And my mom asked me to make some sort of fruity dessert. "Maybe a Key lime pie? or something?", she said.

I've never made anything out of my "Culinary Institute of America" baking book before, and when I saw how easy their Key lime pie recipe was, I decided on that.

This was absolutely the EASIEST pie ever to put together, and I couldn't believe how good it tasted! The key lime filling was perfect and had that sweet, yet tangy taste of key limes. Everyone loved it, so much so that they were all licking the pie plate after we'd finished it! If you need an easy, go to pie recipe. This is it.

Key Lime Pie

Baking at Home w/ The culinary institute of America

Graham Cracker Crust

10-12 graham crackers

2 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Key Lime filling

4 large eggs

one 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh lime juice, preferably from key limes

1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. lightly spray a 9inch pie pan with cooking spray.

Crumble crackers in a food processor to a fine crumb. Or in a plastic bag. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of crumbs. Stir together crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Use bottom of a glass or flat surface to press into a compact layer in pan covering bottom and sides.

Bake crust for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool while preparing filling.

Separate eggs into whites and yolks.

Combine condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks and blend. Pour filling into crust and bake  until filling is set, about 15 minutes. Prepare meringue while filling bakes.

Beat egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl just until blended. Heat this mixture over simmering water until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture reaches about 110 degrees on a candy thermometer. remove from heat. whip the warmed egg white mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Remove the baked pie from the oven and increase oven temp. to 450 F. spread meringue over the filling while the filling is still hot. make decorate peaks and swirls over surface.

return pie to the oven just long enough to lightly brown the meringue, about 5 minutes.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve chilled.

Happy Mothers day!

For this years Mothers day, the fam and I went down to my aunts, in Newport beach for the day. And I was asked to provide dessert. So I made this Oreo Pound Cake, with Oreo Mousse.

The pound cake recipe, ill have for you later, but I will post this absolutely AMAZING Oreo Mousse topping that I serve, literally, ontop of EVERYTHING. My favorite use for it is on top of ice cream..but it's fantastic on whatever else you'd like!

Oreo Mousse

1 package oreos

1 8oz. pkg cream cheese- softened

1 lg tub cool whip

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and sugar till smooth. Add whipped cream and stir till combined. Crush oreos in plastic bag. They shouldnt be ground into a powder, chunks are best. Add oreos to cream and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. This will also frost 30 regular cupcakes, or 1 layered cake.

I also made lemon bars, and my smores bars.

Everything came out great! And my whole family devoured everything!

Hope everyone had an amazing Mothers Day!

Me and my adorable little cousin. Yes, she's a crack up =]

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! We had a spanish FIESTA in my Spanish class today in honor of this famous "Mexican battle"! My teacher brought in her indoor grills, and made us ALL cheese quesadillas, and we had chips and dip, and more great mexican food.

I brought dessert! I made Martha's Mexican Wedding Cookies, as well as her Tres Leches Cake.

Everyone loved them! Even my spanish teacher( who i'm CONVINCED totally does NOT like me) gave me so much praise! Yay for mexican food!!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book

1 cup whole blanched almonds, plus 40 more

for decorating

2 cups plus 2 tblsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup(2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.

2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 large egg white, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread 1 cup almonds on baking sheet, toast until fragrant, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to bowl and set aside to cool.

2. Place almonds, flour, salt, and cinnamon in food processor, process until nuts are finely chopped, about 1 minute.

3. Beat butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and almond extracts; beat until combined. Add chopped-almond mixture; beat on low speed until dough just comes together.

4. Roll dough into 20 1 1/2 inch balls; place on 2 clean baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.

5. Place 40 remaining whole almonds and 1 tblsp. beaten egg white in small bowl. toss to coat. press 2 almonds into top of each cookie.

6. bake cookies until lightly browned around edges, about 25 minutes, rotating halfway through. transfer sheets to wire rack; let rest until cookies are cool enough to handle.

7. place remaining 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar in a fine mesh sieve. sift sugar over cookies, reserving any remaining sugar. return cookies to baking sheet. let them cool 15 minutes, and coat with sugar again.

I apologize for the horrible pictures, but i forgot my camera today!

But that's the sliced cake, with one of my cookies.

My plate..haha I like chips =P

Here's the recipe for Martha's Tres Leches Cake.

Hope everyone has a great Cinco de Mayo!

Olay!!