Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Triple Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies.

2012. We're one month into this thing. 

... can we talk about New Year's resolutions for a second? Yeah I said it. On the thirty-first of January.

Did you make any resolutions this year? Let's be honest: have you broken them already?
I have. 

I've laughed. I've cried.

I've lost two pounds... then split a brownie fudge sundae with my boyfriend. It happens. 
Luckily broken resolutions are the very best kind. 

January always feels a little like everyone's holding their breath, doesn't it? Like this is your last shot at being the very best version of yourself or the entire year is shot and I guess we'll just try again next year. 
Whatever.

I'm going to tell you a secret. It's top secret and I've sort of just figured it out for myself.  

Breaking a resolution doesn't set you up for 365 days of failure; it sets you up for hard work, second chances,  and chasing after something you passionately want for yourself or in your life. 
Also: it really is still January. 

And no big deal, but this is your year. Because whether you like it or not, you're doing it. Right now actually! You're here. You're living it. I say figure out what you want to see when you look back on 2012 this December and get out there and make it happen for yourself. We got this!
And in the meantime... cookies. Cookies filled with crushed Oreos and white chocolate and chocolate chips and ribbons of Oreo filling. Because some things should never change, no matter what year it is.

Triple Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies


1 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips or chunks
12-15 Oreos, roughly cut into quarters
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside. 
In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to the sugar mixture and beat until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, Oreo chunks, and white chocolate chips until incorporated. Scoop out dough and roll into 2 tablespoons-sized balls. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and slightly flatten with your hand. 
Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until done. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely.
Source: Barely adapted from my Double Chocolate Chunk Oreo Cookies and How Sweet It Is. 

Friday, January 6, 2012

Serve Giveaway Winner!


Congratulations, Lisha! You've been selected by American Express to recieve a $100 credit to your Serve account. 

Please contact me at bakergirlblog (at) gmail (dot) com with your full name and a valid email address. 

After this information is collected, you will hear directly from AMEX Serve with an email that describes the process necessary for collection of the $100. You will have 7 days to collect the funds. Please expect the email from Serve in the next 4-6 weeks. 

If I don't hear from you in the next two (2) days, I will select an alternate winner for this prize.

Again, congratulations and thank you for commenting! Google Earth/GPS = <3. Fact.

Friday, December 30, 2011

MY Top Ten Recipes of 2011.

Because I love:

- New Year's Eve

- Making lists

- Posting excessive pictures of sugar

... aaaaand refuse to make, eat, or look at another cookie until 2012, here are my top ten favorite recipes from 2011 (your favorites are here). Get on this!

10. The Baked Brownie.
Honorable Mention: Chocolate Cauldron Cakes. You were delicious and whimsical, but oh so much work.
Happy 2012!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Top 10 Recipes of 2011.

These were the ten most viewed recipes this year... did you try any of them? What was your favorite? 

9. Graham Cracker S'mores Candy.
4. Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling.
2. Chewy No-Bake Cookies & Cream Treats.
Thank you to everyone who's stopped by this year, supported me, baked things, left comments, and basically just been awesome. Love to all of you and wishing you lots of sugar and happiness in the new year! 

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Christmas Things.

1. Remember this list of four thousand stocking stuffers?

On Christmas Eve, my boyfriend handed me a fancy purple water thingy thermos which, at first, I thought was man-code for babe, you should start working out again... until I opened it and found it filled with candy. "It's full of peanut butter cups!" Three second pause. Gasp. "... oh no. YOU READ MY BLOG?!?"

"#11. A new coffee cup, thermos, tumbler. Bonus points if filled with Hershey kisses or peanut butter cups."

He then proceeded to hand me a bag full of...

#5. Mini bottles of wine. <-- Totally drinking them now.

#19. Hair ties & bobby pins.

#34. New razor.

#44. Heat-protectant hair spray.

#46. Pepper spray. No really.

#47. A strawberry slicer.

#48. A manicure gift certificate.

But I think the greatest part was knowing that he cares enough about cookies cupcakes sugar me to stalk me on the Internet. "Why didn't you just tell me you read my blog?" "Because you get so angry when you catch me on there!" 

Yeah. That's probably true. 

... and now that I've re-read that list, I'm kind of permanetly mortified over the fact that he probably read #17, in which I stated that I would "marry him immediately" if he put a tiny framed picture of us in my stocking. I can't even deal.

Wait.

He didn't give me one. What does that mean? Oh geez.

2. I may be 24, but I still sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to see if Santa's come yet.
... this year he kind of failed at the "under the tree" concept. 

3. I think you know. 
What did Santa bring you this year? 

Monday, December 26, 2011

Why Did I Take a Picture of That?

Photos from the vault, the 2011 edition. 

How to make cinnamon doughnut holes and FAIL.
Either you really love peanut butter cups... or you've just made these. Either way, this is just an artfully-arranged Christmas pile of trash.
How to make pumpkin pie spice. Or Bing it, really.
 World's most ugly cookie batter.
Because the best way to showcase a cake is with a dog's face up in it.
Ready to be filled with chocolate mousse!
 Because normal people pre-sketch out their Easter cupcakes, right? Don't answer that.
 The tiny monster that follows me around while I bake.
What happens when you try to sprinkle fancy coconut on a cupcake and take an in-focus picture at the same time.
P.S. You miss completely. 

A political sugar cookie. It happens. Don't judge me. 
S'morestown. Chances are, no matter what I'm making, if there's chocolate melting, I'm going to take a picture of it. It's just a fact.
I think I was attempting to show the gooeyness of the peanut butter half? Either that or zoom completely inside the dough.
Making delicious cherries. I must've thought this step was important because I took at least eleven pictures of it. 
How to add flour and cinnamon to pumpkin cupcake batter. Very complicated. And orange.
I AM A BROWNIE. 
Sorry. It's just this is so in your face it's practically yelling. 

Chocolate-dipped cookies? I don't even remember these happening.
If I could have zoomed all the way into this buttermilk biscuit, I probably would have. Clearly I really wanted you to understand that they are flaky and delicious.
Annnnnd... a chocolate chip. Like... just one. Very important things happening here. 
What are you looking forward to baking in 2012?