Why This Puke-y Feeling is Totally Worth It

I currently feel like I might throw up. But it's okay. There's a good reason.

Let's go back to the beginning.

Sam and I are easily amused (you should see how excited we get when our pet fish, Leo, swims into his little Spongebob pineapple house in his tank. You would think someone had handed us one million dollars). Yet, we also become bored after a while. Especially when it comes to dessert. We go through phases-for a while we loved Moose-Track ice cream, then Chocolate-Pudding Pie, then TDR (our dining hall) cookies (pictured below are snickerdoodles, a common favorite, laying on top of my Intro to Political Research homework).



But after a while, the cookies weren't enough. I mean, they're still delicious, but they needed a little something to push them over the top. Like melted icing. And peanut butter. And m&ms. And candy bars. And cinnamon sugar. And the kitchen sink.

Basically, we started making cookie sundaes last semester when the cookie itself no longer excited our fancy. And they're back!



Sam made her first creation of the semester the other day using two chocolate chip cookies, whipped cream, and melted chocolate chips (as we hadn't picked up our Betty-Crocker icing from the school store yet).



Then, I requested one today and she simply outdid herself. Pretending she was a competitor on Chopped, Sam went for presentation as well as taste. I received two chocolate chip cookies sandwiched together with chunky peanut butter and chocolate frosting, topped with whipped cream, surrounded by a moat of peanut m&ms and garnished with chopped peanuts. I'd say this deserves the $10,000 prize, and a bucket for whoever eats the whole thing (me!), because that person may be in need of it later.



Now, you might be thinking, "what on earth is a foodie doing with Betty-Crocker icing, mass-produced cookies, and processed candy?" Well, even I enjoy me some processed food once in a while. If I had the time to make myself breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert from scratch every day, I would. But that's simply impossible at the moment, so I'll enjoy my heart attack cookie sundaes for now.

As for the recipe, there isn't one. Seriously, we've made sundaes with cinnamon buns as a base. Anything can go into your sundae. Just throw your favorite desserts into a bowl and microwave it if it feels right. I always love something melty and gooey for dessert, especially if it's chocolate related.



So go through your cabinets and get crackin'! You won't regret it (even when you feel like that sundae might make a reappearance)!

-Meri

Going "Round the Bend"

Sometimes, I get a little ahead of myself. I bight off more than I can chew. I get too ambitious. And thus, I occasionally need someone to tell me-or yell at me-to stop.



When someone goes over the top in my family, we usually call it "going 'round the bend," because, well, we like to make as many West Wing references as possible in our day-to-day lives to make it seem like that world actually exists (oh, and Donna tells Josh that he's gone 'round the bend after he becomes obsessed with Lemonlyman.com-a website dedicated to him. Do I know to much about this show?).



So, I got the "round the bend comment" two days before Christmas when I was about to start my 14th batch of cookies. It was about 10 o'clock (I had been making cookies until midnight all week) and my mom asked what I was doing next. When I casually mentioned making Jeff Mauro's sandwich cookies, she made a face. And when I say my mom made a face, I mean a face that said "Are you f---ing insane? How many cookies have you made so far? I can't even close the kitchen closet anymore! Meri, you've gone 'round the bend" (it said more, but I would need more than one post to list everything that face radiated).



I guess that meant I should stop. Yes, I reasoned with myself. I made 13 different kinds of cookies. Maybe I don't need another. Maybe I can make it later when the other cookies are gone (judging by the look of my kitchen, it will take approximately four months to devour the food gifts we've received so far over the holidays...and there are still some of my cookies left...).



I stopped making cookies.(Don't worry, I'll be sure to top this year's bounty next time.)
And here's what I made:
Flourless Chunky Monkey Chip Cookies
Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies (these might have been my favorites)
Gingersnaps
Chocolate Crackletops
Cinnamon-Spiced Hot Chocolate Cookies
Hazelnut Chewies
Cashew Butter Balls
Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
Czech Squares
Pistachio and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy Flourless Chocolate Cookies
Sugar Cookies



My mommy made:
Walnut Puffs
Elfin Squares
Chocolate Coffee Ribbons



My sister made:
7-layer cookies
Gingerbread cookies

18 kinds total. I'm not sure if it was enough...



P.S. My kitty likes to help me bake sometimes.



-Meri

Why I Love the Holidays

There are so many things about the holiday season that make it fabulous. Some of my favorites are the decorations, seeing my family from the west coast, eating an absurd amount of food, watching "A Christmas Story" for 24 hours straight, and the many twelve days of cookies lists that arrive. I mean, it's just an excuse for me to look at the food porn on various websites for hours at a time.



These beauties are a result of one such twelve-day list. They came from tastingtable.com and as soon as I saw the title I knew they had to have a spot on the Christmas table this year. Cashew Butter Balls. Does the name not make your mouth water? It should. Otherwise, there must be something wrong with you and a trip to the doctor may be in order.



My mommy makes two cookies similar to these every year: walnut puffs and pecan sandies. They're the same idea, but hers simply have finely chopped nuts in them. For these, the cashews morph into a fine powder in the food processor and then get mixed in with the flour and other ingredients.



They are delicious, melt-in-your-mouth delicacies that are sure to run out quick. The only problem I had was dipping the balls into the powdered sugar. The recipe asks you to dip them in sugar while still warm from the oven. I think I dipped too early though because the first few completely fell apart (not that this is a bad thing--perfect excuse for a little taste test). I'd say wait at least two to three minutes before the first dip.

Otherwise, these Cashew Butter Balls are perfect! Enjoy!

Cashew Butter Balls

INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups raw cashews

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

Pinch ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

⅓ cup granulated sugar

1½ cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the cashews on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Bake until the cashews are toasted and fragrant, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the cashews from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Once cool, place the cashews in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground cashews, flour, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

3. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and the granulated sugar until lightened and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture and mix until a dough just begins to form. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 300°. Using your hands, roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet spaced about an inch apart. Place in the oven and bake until just firm to the touch, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool slightly.

5. In a medium bowl, add the confectioners' sugar; roll the warm cookies in the sugar mixture. Transfer the cookies back to the cooling rack and cool completely. Gently roll in the sugar mixture once more. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

-Meri