Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cake

My twin brother and I celebrated our 20th birthday this past Sunday. In the days leading up to my birthday, I was on the hunt for the perfect birthday recipe (because, naturally, I decided to make my own birthday cake). I came across this recipe for Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cake on Sally's Baking Addiction. I thought it looked easy and fun so I enlisted the help of my little sisters and got to work!

The finished product was delicious and really cute! There's a vanilla-almond buttercream that is light and airy and really tasty. The sugar cookie itself is the perfect texture, and I think the white chocolate chips had a really nice flavor that's perfect with a sugar cookie. Plus, sprinkles galore added a ton of color that made the cake look festive. To add more color, we dyed out icing a pinkish purple with a few drops of food coloring. Additionally, I wrote a message on the cake with sparkle gel. I was really happy with the finished product. Enjoy!

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

for the frosting-
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 and 3/4 cups (150g) confectioners' sugar
2 Tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream or half-and-half*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
salt, to taste
optional- food coloring
extra sprinkles for decorating on top

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Using a  mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick. Once combined, gently fold in the white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup sprinkles using a rubber spatula (or by mixing on low speed).

Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until very lightly browned on top. You want the cookie cake to be extra soft in the center, so careful not to overbake. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy  (2 minutes or so). Add confectioners' sugar, cream, vanilla and almond extracts with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.

Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.

Frost the cake as desired; I frosted mine by piping little waves as a border. You can also add food coloring to the icing before you ice if desired. Enjoy!

Blackened Salmon Tacos with Avocado Corn Salsa

 

Oh. My. Goodness. These tacos were so good. Like, maybe the best tacos I've ever eaten. I love salmon, and I'm always looking for new ways to cook it. So when I found this recipe for Blackened Salmon Tacos I knew that I had to give it a try. I was not disappointed; the blackened salmon is perfectly spicy, the corn salsa is deliciously sweet, and the Mexican parmesan adds the most subtle salty flavor.

 

I also used uncooked tortillas that I grabbed during a recent Costco run. You could really tell the difference! They were fresh, soft, and everything that a flour tortilla should be. I also omitted the cilantro ranch dressing that the original recipe used, because I hate cilantro. I just spread a bit of sour cream on the tortilla for a creamy, cool flavor. I also changed up the salsa recipe just a bit by adding some hot sauce and subbing the yellow onion for green onion.

 

This one is a keeper. Seriously, you're going to love it!

 

BLACKENED SALMON TACOS

1 pound salmon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 

For the salsa:

1 ripe avocado, finely chopped

2 ears of corn in husks

1 tomato, seeds removed and diced

3 green onions, diced

juice of half a lime

salt and pepper to taste

For the assembly:
Mexican cotija cheese
lettuce
flour tortillas
sour cream

 

Directions:

For the Salmon:

Rub salmon with olive oil. In a bowl, stir together the flour, chili powder, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

 

Coat the salmon with the blackening spice. Place salmon in hot skillet. Cook about 3-4 per side, or until coating is blackened and forms a nice crust and salmon is cooked through. Flake with fork after it is cooked. Set aside.

 

For the Salsa:
Place corn directly on oven racks with husk still on. Let roast for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and remove husks. Place cob in hole in bundt pan and use knife to cut kernels off the cob.
 

In a bowl, mix together the avocado, corn, tomato, green onion, lime, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Assemble your taco, fold it in half, and enjoy!

Cherry Almond Coconut Scones

Yesterday, I was at the grocery and spotted bags of fresh cherries at a great price. Immediately, I pictured scones (big surprise) with fresh cherries. I'd never made scones with cherries, but cherries are one of my very favorite fruits, and I was eager to give it a try. Plus, I've been wanting to try the cherry pitter that my mom bought last week (which I'm IN LOVE WITH; that thing is magical!). So I took to Pinterest and found a recipe for Cherry Almond Scones from Tutti Dolci.

I made some changes to the recipe I used. First, I thought that some toasted coconut would pair nicely with the cherry and almond flavors, so I added some to the dough. I also doubled the amount of almond extract, because I just love that stuff. Then, I whipped up an almond glaze (the same one I used for the Raspberry Almond Scones I made last week) to drizzle on top.

These are seriously some of the best scones that I have ever eaten. Cherries and scones are a match made in heaven! Plus, the coconut and almond flavors are subtle but they work really well with the tartness of the cherries. MAKE THESE SCONES. You won't regret it. Well, you might regret it if you devour all 12 scones within 5 minutes of them coming out of the oven. Which is a very real danger. 

CHERRY ALMOND COCONUT SCONES
2 cups plus 1 Tbsp flour, divided
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter
1 cup cherries, pitted and quartered
1/2 cup toasted coconut
 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
for the glaze-
1 cup powdered sugar
4 T heavy cream
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Dice butter into 1/2-inch pieces; sprinkle over flour mixture and use a pastry cutter to cut in evenly until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Place cherries between layers of paper towels and press gently to remove moisture. Combine with 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl; toss with a fork to coat. Add cherry mixture to flour mixture, folding in gently.

Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and almond extract in a small bowl; add to flour mixture and fold in just until moist. Add in coconut.

Scrape dough out onto prepared baking sheet; lightly flour hands and pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Score into 12 wedges. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. 

After scones have cooled down a little, drizzle on your glaze and eat those babies up. Or share with your family, if you can resist the urge to inhale the whole batch. No judgment here. In any case, enjoy!

Fresh cherries are so pretty!

I have a crush on the new cherry pitter. I'm convinced that it works using witchcraft.

Dirty Banana

I'm at my grandparent's house for the weekend, and if there's one thing they know how to do, it's cook. So I've been eating NON-STOP for the past few days. There's just nothing like grandma's cooking, especially when your grandma is a superb cook and true master of Southern comfort food. We capped off the weekend with a big dinner and finished everything off with this frozen cocktail.

I found the recipe on Wanderlust and Lipstick, and we were really excited to give this Barbadian cocktail a try. The original recipe calls for Bajan Dark Rum, but we used Malibu Coconut Rum for more of a tropical flavor.

DIRTY BANANA
1 frozen banana (peel banana before you freeze it!)
2 oz Malibu Coconut rum
1/2 oz Kahlua
2 oz milk
nutmeg
Blend frozen banana with the rum, and Kahlua in the blender. When the mixture is smooth add milk and continue blending for a few seconds. Serve in a chilled wine glass and garnish with ground nutmeg.
Take a sip and transport yourself to your tropical happy place. YUM!

Raspberry Almond Scones

Scones might just be my favorite food. I like them so much that I named my blog after them. They are simultaneously flaky, buttery, crumbly, and delicious. Plus, there are SO many variations. Let's have a moment of silence to reflect on how magnificent scones truly are...

Sorry, but I'm not even ashamed. I love them that much. At my house, there's a running "Scone of the Week" in which I (you guessed it) make a different kind of scone each week. This week, I made Raspberry Almond Scones that I found on Two Peas & Their Pod.  

They were some of the best I've ever made. I doubled the amount of almond extract in the scones and the glaze, and the almond flavor was killer with the fresh raspberries. Plus, they were SO pretty (trust me, my pictures don't do them justice)! Try these scones; you won't regret it. 

RASPBERRY ALMOND SCONES

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 T baking powder

3 T sugar

1/2 t salt

6 T butter, cold and cut into chunks

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 t almond extract

1/3 c sliced almonds

1 c raspberries

for the glaze-

1 cup powdered sugar

4 T heavy cream

1 t almond extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add in chunks of butter and cut into flour mixture with fork or pastry blender. 

Once mixture resembles course crumbs, pour in heavy cream and almond extract. Stir just until batter starts to come together; don't overstir. Stir in almonds and rasberries until incorporated into the dough.

Place the dough onto a floured surface and pat into a circle about 3/4 inches thick. Use a flour-dipped knife to cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to a cookie sheet (but make sure to flour your hands first; the dough will be sticky). Brush the top of the scones with a bit of heavy cream. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until scones are golden and beautiful!

While your scones are baking, whisk all the glaze ingredients together. When it's time to glaze the scones, pour glaze into ziploc bag, cut a tiny hole in the corner, and pipe onto scones. You can also use a fork to swirl glaze on, or just dip those bad boys straight in the glaze; I was making them for company so I was feeling a little fancy. Then marvel at the beauty of your creation and eat up!

Turkey Taco Salad

This was delicious. And easy. And healthy. A triple threat. Plus, it's very versatile. You can use whatever type of meat, lettuce, or toppings you want. But ground turkey is healthy and has a light flavor that is really nice in the salad. 

I made my own taco seasoning and guacamole, and they were perfect on the salad. I also roasted corn on the cob, and it turned out sweet and salty and delicious. Yum. 

TACO SEASONING

1 tablespoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano Put all ingredients in a plastic sandwich bag and shake until combined.  GUACAMOLE 2 avocado 1 lime sea salt to taste 2-3 cloves of garlic 1 T white onion, diced 1 T sour cream dash of hot sauce optional: cilantro Mash avocado with the bottom of a plastic cup, leaving in some larger chunks. Squeeze in lime juice and give it a little stir. Mince garlic or put it through a garlic press. Add to avocado mixture, along with onion. Add sour cream and hot sauce. Grind in a bit of sea salt and stir together.  TACO SALAD 1 recipe for taco seasoning 2 lbs ground turkey 1 red pepper, diced 1 yellow onion, diced 1 T olive oil 5 corn cobs with husks on 2 tomatoes 1 bunch green onions 1 can black beans 1 recipe for guacamole low-fat cheddar cheese Doritos 1 big package spring mix lettuce optional- dressing of your choice (I drizzled my salad with Jalapeno Ranch and it was perfect) Place corn (with husks still on) in the oven and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. When they're done, peel husks off and cut corn off the cob; I place the cob in the hole of a bundt pan and slice downwards. Put olive oil in large skillet and add ground turkey, onion, red pepper, and taco seasoning. Cook on medium-high heat until browned, stirring consistently. Remove from heat and drain grease of necessary.  Chop up green onions, dice tomatoes, and drain black beans. Place all toppings in their own bowls.  Place lettuce in a bowl. Top with turkey, corn, tomatoes, black beans, a few crushed Doritos, a bit of cheese, guacamole, green onions, and dressing if desired. Enjoy. Yields 8 servings.

1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper

Chorizo Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. It takes so many forms that are, in my humble opinion, delicious. I especially love breakfast burritos. You can do so many great things with them! Last night, I was feeling breakfast-for-dinner and had some chorizo, ripe, avocado, and fresh tomato on hand. Breakfast burritos were a natural choice. The ones I made were fairly simple. But they were absolutely delicious!

To ramp up the flavor of the scrambled eggs, I made them in the pan I had just used to fry my chorizo. The sausage grease adds this delicious flavor that takes the burritos over the top! I also chopped up some avocado and tomato for the top. The acidity and creaminess were so fresh, and paired perfectly with the slightly spicy chorizo. YUM. 

The best thing about breakfast burritos is the variation. You can add fresh salsa, homemade guac, sautéed onions and/or peppers, different kinds of cheese, or anything else that might suit your fancy. The possibilities are endless!

CHORIZO BREAKFAST BURRITOS

1 lb chorizo

8 eggs

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper

1-2 avocado, sliced into chunks

1-2 tomatoes, diced

4 whole wheat flour tortillas

2/3 cup shredded cheddar

Put chorizo in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Remove from skillet, taking care to leave some of the grease in the skillet.

In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, and salt/pepper/ Pour into skillet with grease and scramble. Take off the heat.

Wrap tortillas in paper towel and microwave 30 seconds, until warm and soft. Remove and place each tortilla on a different plate. Place eggs, sausage, avocado, tomato, cheese and any other desired toppings on tortilla. Wrap up and enjoy!