kim, Author at Lovin' From the Oven

Double Chocolate Espresso Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

February 28, 2011 by kim 22 Comments

I went to Chuck E Cheese yesterday for a 3 year old birthday party and had a blast! Granted, I spent most of the time chasing my DB’s niece around and helping her push buttons… but I still had fun (especially with the instant photo sketch machine)! It’s amazing how kids are so easily entertained. I was overloaded with plenty of cupcakes, cake, and brownies yesterday since we celebrated multiple birthdays, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get any cotton candy! I may or may not have gotten a little sick last night from all that sugar and fell asleep at 6 PM. So that’s what it feels like to be a kid again… Oops.

Now these cookies tasted alright.. but the texture was all off. The cookie reminded me of Dorie’s World Peace Cookies, but not nearly as good. The frosting was too thick and practically un-spreadable even though I added quite a bit of milk to it. The cookie itself was dry and hard, but the instant espresso powder was a nice touch since it brought out the chocolate flavor. A little tweaking to the cookie recipe and a new frosting altogether would do it!

Oh, these cookies were practically impossible for me to cut into discs out of the refrigerator, so I just molded them myself using my hands. That would explain the uneven, semi-circular shapes that I’ve got going on.

From Jules Food

1 cup flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips
1 tsp instant espresso powder

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars. Stir in the egg and vanilla.
Gradually mix in the flour mixture to the wet mixture, until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Separate the dough into two and roll them into 2 uniform logs about 12 inches long. Refrigerate it until firm enough to slice.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the logs into 1 inch slices and place 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough looks just baked. The cookies should be tender, so do not over bake.

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

2 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp milk

Cream all the ingredients together until well mixed. Use immediately.

Food Review: Curry House

February 25, 2011 by kim 2 Comments

My DB is obsessed with Japanese curry. When I say obsessed, I mean he’ll eat it every day of his life if it was an option. Although I do admit that it’s good, I’m just not that crazy about it. But since I love my DB oh-so-much, I let him indulge on his favorite whenever he can.

I used to live five minutes away from Curry House when I was living in Westwood, but now that I’ve moved back home, it’s more of a drive. That doesn’t stop us from going, though (It’s the DB’s favorite place for curry)! We went with a couple of friends this time, meaning more dishes to take pictures of! 🙂

Chris’: Chicken Katsu Curry

Eddie’s: Gratin plate

Mine on the right: Beef curry extra hot

DB on the left: Chicken curry super hot

(they both come with the rice and salad pictured above)

Can you believe that I never tried this until I met my DB? And I’m the one that’s Asian! Funny how that works out.

The curry here is delicious. No doubt about it. You can even get it super spicy, which is a must! I’m hungry just looking at the pictures.. but that’s probably cause it’s past two in the morning and I should be sleeping. Good night!

Curry House

2130 S. Sawtelle Blvd. #200
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-8477

Mon-Thurs: 11:45 am – 10:00 pm
FriL 11:45 am – 10:30 pm
Sat: 12:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 23, 2011 by kim 23 Comments

Hmm… I wonder what could possibly be under that bump?

Ah-ha!

I’ll be moving out this summer and cannot stop looking at Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, and Ballard Designs online. I envision elaborate drapery, huge comfy sectionals, and pillows galore, when really, I should be envisioning a 100 square ft room with recycled orange floral couch, a piece of wood as a side table, and a 20 inch TV on top of a tree stump. I have color palettes for each room determined in my head, but really I’ll probably only have one room to decorate. Oh well. A little looking never hurt anyone…

Yet another cookie in a cookie recipe, yet another huge hit. Oreos and chocolate chip cookies are just meant to be together. If you wanted a plain chocolate chip cookie, this would make a great one. Just omit the whole Oreo part. The cookies stayed soft and the oreo stayed crispy even after being baked. Lovely.

I halved this recipe and got about a dozen HUGE cookies. Yes, my cookie dough to oreo ratio might have been a bit high, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. You can use less cookie dough per oreo if you want to make more cookies than I did. From Buns in my Oven.

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package Oreo cookies

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Refrigerate the dough for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Scoop a ball of cookie dough on top of the Oreo and another below, sandwiching the Oreo in between. Flatten the cookie dough and seal the sides, completely covering the Oreo.
Place the cookies at least two inches apart on a baking sheet and bake for 9-13 minutes.

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