Thursday, August 25, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Do N had to leave fantastic Texas last week =( But it wasn't all bad! When back in Indiana N's boyfriend surprised her with some super fantastic flowers! 
Lillies from N's boyrfiend :)

So of course she decided to pay him back with some DELICIOUS treats. And these aren't just normal treats, these are a combination of two of the most delicious desserts EVER!! And a special addition of N&A's favorite candy :) 
So brownies are N's boyfriend's favorite dessert, and he loves cookie dough! N has made cookie dough cake and cookie dough cupcakes and just plane cookies for him before! Now she discovered this recipe for the most amazing dessert ever. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough  Peanut Butter M&M Brownies. A combination of fantastic fudgy brownies, peanut butter M&M perfection, and the most delicious cookie dough ever slathered on top of it all!! so without further adieu, here's the recipe :)
 Apologies there aren't that many pictures! But the baking process was rushed! 

Brownie Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium bag Peanut Butter M&M's

Cookie Dough Ingredients:
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups mini chocolate chips

Instructions:
Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.
. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil, with enough to hang over all four sides. Butter the foil. In a medium glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the melted chocolate until combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Stir in the m&m's with your spatula, try not to break them up too much! Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
To make the cookie dough, in a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the butter and both sugars. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips. 
Spread all this delicious mixture on top of the cooled cookie dough! Then put it in the fridge or freezer until the cookie dough is firm enough to cut with a knife. It makes the treat easier to cut if its colder and firmer! Then try not to eat all of it, although N couldn't resist having one....or 5....

<3Luvyerguts<3
N&A

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Animal Cupcakes!

 So both N&A are working at a lovely summer camp at the YMCA. We are both counselors for a "theme camp" and last weeks theme was "Wild Kingdom". Now being as awesome as we are, N&A decided to make some scrum-diddily-umptious cupcakes for the little kiddies for the "Fun Friday!" Now being an animal themed week we wanted to do something related, and decided to do animal cupcakes! Of course we didn't exactly have all the materials to do the decorating since N is the one who has all the cake decorating supplies in Indiana! But we tried to make-do with what we had! 
So we went over to the Wal-Mart and bought some delicious Nutter Butter cookies, Swedish Fish, Marshmallows (big and little!), and some starburst! These delicious supplies were used to decorate our awesome cupcakes! We had to use ziploc baggies to pipe out our icing too! But it still looked half-way decent! 
Now when we were doing this, our favorite cupcakes were the hippos! And we thought for sure that they would go first with our campers! Of course not all goes as we think, since we also thought our cupcakes would be about ten times cuter! But oh well! We thought they were adorable! So here ya go!
Cupcake Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter
2 Cups Sugar
5 Eggs
4 Large Egg Whites
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/4 Cups Milk

Cupcake Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350° and line your cupcake pans! Its a lot of cupcakes for this recipe! 
Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Put your egg whites in a separate bowl  and whip until medium peaks form! Set these aside for later!
Start of by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing completely before adding the next egg! Then you need to mix in your 1 1/4 c. milk and the flour mixture alternately, mixing very well after each. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes after all the stuff is mixed in. :) Last you need to fold in your stiffened egg whites! Make sure you don't deflate your egg whites when doing this! be nice and delicate =) 
Put these in your cupcake pans, filling about 3/4 full and then pop them in the oven for about 20-21 minutes! Then they are done! Yay! Let cool completely before decorating with your awesomeness!
Beware the delicious Cake Batter!!!


Easy Vanilla Buttercream:(adopted from Annie's Eats)
2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. heavy cream 


Directions:
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.  Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds.  Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds.  Scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds.  Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.   
Separate your icing into smaller bowls and dye each bowl different colors. we used green, yellow, orange, blue, and pink!

Licking the Beaters of the Icing! The best Part! <3

Decoration List:
Mini-Marshmallows
Regular Marshmallows
Red and Pink Starburst
Swedish Fish
Red and Pink Sprinkles
Nutter Butter Cookies

To decorate, choose what animals you want to do. Here is what we did!
Alligator:
 Ice the whole cupcake with green icing, Stick on a Nutter Butter cookie with about half on the cupcake and half sticking off of it, and place about a tsp. of green icing on top of that, make sure you can see the lines of the cookie through the spread out icing so that it looks like scales! Cut a mini marshmallow in half and squish it on the long sides to make it a little more rounded, and stick this on the top of the Nutter Butter thats on the cupcakes for the eyes! Use a small round tipped piping bag or ziploc bag with a very tiny piece of the corner cut off, to cover the sides of he cookie and around the back and tops of the eyeballs! Take white icing and pipe small lines on the 'mouth' of the gator, for sharp teeth! Then add dots to the middle of the eyes, and sprinkle with green glitter! Tada! You're done!
Hippopotamus:
Pretty much the same as the alligator, but use pink icing, or whatever color you want to use, and use cheerios for the ears and nose. Pipe small round white dots for eyes on the Nutter Butter and another small colored dot in the middle of the white for the pupil. Then it's done!
A's Finished Hippos!

Lion:
Cover your cupcake with whatever color you want your Lion, then pipe the 'mane' on the outside of the cupcake with a small star tipped piping bag. Use a darker color than the one you used for the lion color. Use a mini-marshmallow that is cut in half diagonally and dip the sticky side in red/pink sprinkles. Stick these in the mane so they are slightly sticking out. for the nose use red starburst, cut into pieces and then rolled into the cat-like shape of a nose. It should look kind of like a heart, but not such a crease on the top of the heart. Use icing or rolled starburts pieces to make the mouth and whiskers! Pipe the eyes on with white and another color of icing.
N Decorating the Lion!
Pig:
The pig cupcakes are so cute! All you need to do is cover your cupcake in pink icing, cut a regular marshmallow in half and stick it on the pick cupcake. Cover that with the icing too. Use the cheerios as the pig ears and cover with icing.Pipe on eyes and the dots on the nose! So easy and super cute!
Penguins:
The penguins are N's personally favorite! She LOVES penguins! So using white, pipe a semi-circle on the bottom of the cupcake. Fill with the white icing. Using black/blue icing cover the rest of the cupcakes. Pipe big oval eyes on the blue part, then using a starburst that has been cut in half diagonally into a triangle, stick it on the cupcake a little lower than the eyes! And you're done!


So there are a lot more animals you can make, and we made a couple more but they didn't look as good! These were are favorites, and the kids favorites too! Out of all the cupcakes, the lions went first, then the pigs, then the penguins, then the lions! The Hippos were last! But it was ok because N&A got to eat their favorites!


Luvyerguts<3
N&A

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Texican Turkey Tacos



We are all about ground turkey at our house-turkey burgers, turkey tacos, turkey spaghetti, turkey casserole, turkey sausage-we adore it!  Daring the recent ground turkey salmonella incidents, we decided to use ground turkey twice in one week (I know, I'm sure you're all shocked).  This time we went with turkey tacos, with a Texican twist! :)

Taco Meat:

1 lb ground turkey
2 tablespoons red pepper
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste (A used about a tablespoon of each)
1-2 teaspoons each chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper
We also used about a tablespoon of a premixed fajita seasoning that we have that was picked up from a local vendor



Put all of these things into a large bowl and mix them up-use your hands (wash 'em first!) and don't be afraid to get dirty because ground turkey gets quite sticky! Another way to do this would be to put the turkey into a pan, and sprinkle the seasonings onto it as it cooks.

To garnish our tacos we used chopped iceberg lettuce, diced roma tomatoes, diced red onions, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, and chopped green onions.


Add or subtract toppings to your liking, and most importantly: DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE CREATIVE!

Because a taco is pretty much a complete dinner in a shell, we paired ours with tortilla chips and salsa and called it done! Enjoy.:)

Loveyerguts<3

A&N

Cheddar Cheese Turkey Burgers

So a few nights ago, N&A decided to make turkey burgers! But A ended up having a fancy date with her boyfriend. So N decided to go ahead and make the burgers for the rest of the fam! We had some lovely ground turkey from the H.E.B, nothing fancy, just some lean ground turkey. And N wanted to spice it up a little! So she went ahead and grabbed a few rando things from the spice rack/cabinet and began throwing some delicious mixtures into the ground turkey! Now N is not the biggest measurement taker when she makes main dishes, but she tries to remember how much she added when making the recipe! So you can change up the spices in the recipe as much as you want, make it to your liking!! N certainly likes things spicy, so if your not big on that, you can go ahead and subtract that red pepper! 


Recipe:
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 tbs. Ground Red Pepper
2 tsp. Chopped Parsley
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Paprika
1 cup Shredded or Very Small Cubes Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese



Instructions:
Take all your ground turkey and toss it in a big bowl! Mash it all up with your fingers to get it all mushy and nasty. =p
Next throw all the spices into your turkey and mix it up, thoroughly! You don't want any big clumps of spices in one burger! Then toss in your cheeses and mix them in so the cheese is in every bite! 
Form patties using a patty maker or just get a ball of turkey in your hands and mash it into a patty! Either way works! I did the later! 


Throw on the grill, we have a nice Master Griller, Marty, who is in control of cooking such delicious entree's as these burgers! 
Our Master Griller!


Then just top it off with whatever you want on your yummy burger! I used spinach and tomato! Then had a honey dijon dressing instead of ketchup or mustard! Enjoy!

Loveyerguts<3
A&N

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Red Wine Marinated Steak with Strawberry Pecan Salad & Baked Asparagus


Last night both of us worked together to make a delicious dinner! It was supposed to be made by A...but she started it and then proceeded to fall asleep on the couch. (Oopsies!) A's awesome boyfriend brought home some fabulous looking sirloin steaks from the Dutchman's meat market in Fredericksburg, TX and they were just dying for A's own red wine marinade. There is one little thing you need to know about her cooking style: She doesn't follow recipes, nor does she write them down. She will, however, do her best to write them down as accurately as possible for our dear readers!




Red Wine Marinade:
(We had five pounds of meat, so this recipe is for a bit more than I would normally make, and remember-I don't measure so this is all to taste and an approximation)
2 cups your choice Cabernet Sauvignon (I used Barefoot-its budget friendly)
Approximately 6 sprigs fresh rosemary (or about 3 teaspoons dried)
Aprroximately 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or about 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 of a red onion, diced

Pour wine into a bowl, add garlic, black and red pepper, salt, and onion. Remove rosemary and thyme from half the sprigs, add to bowl (I cut mine a little first, to release the flavors). Pour marinade on steak and allow to marinate for about an hour (if you marinate it too long, the red wine flavor will overpower the steak). When grilling the steak, be sure to occasionally pour a bit of marinade onto them.



Strawberry Salad:
Salad Mix
Strawberrys
Dried Cranberrys
Sliced Almonds
Pecan Pieces (We used a Paula Deen brand Glazed Almond/Pecan mixture, to make it easier)
Raspberry Pecan Salad Dressing (Ken's Steakhouse brand)

As simple as a recipe could be: toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and enjoy! :)




Baked Asparagus:
Lay asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with foil. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper and sea salt. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, rolling them over half way through.




This is overall a pretty simple dinner to make, and is absolutely one of my favorites!
We hope you enjoy :)
Loveyerguts
A&N

Monday, August 1, 2011

Reese's Cup Cupcakes

So for my first post (this would be Nikki :D ), I am going to show you guys one of my favorite cupcakes, and this is one of the most chosen by friends for their birthday cupcakes! I don't know how many different recipes I've used for this but I finally came up with my own perfect chocolate cake! These delish cupcakes are simple and delicious! Chocolate cake with a peanut butter filling and a yummy peanut butter buttercream! To start with, the first time I made these I didn't fill them with peanut butter =( it was a sad decision on my part! but I learned my lesson. The more delicious peanut butter the better!! I'm like the Paula Dean of peanut butter, you can always use more!! ;)
These are soooo super easy to make. I mean, who hasn't made buckeyes before?!? All the filling is in these yummy concoctions are the buckeyes without the chocolate coating, and instead a coating of chocolate cupcake!!! Soooo much better than just plain old chocolate, don't ya'll think!?! :)




Ingredients for Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup Confectioner's Sugar
3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
6 tbsp. Softened Unsalted Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake:
21/2 cups Sugar
1¾ cups All-Purpose Flour
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
1½ tsp. Baking Powder
1½ tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 Large Eggs
1 cup Whole Milk
½ cup Vegetable Oil
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  3/4 cup Boiling Water

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Frosting:
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
11/2 cups Powdered Sugar
3-4 tbsp. Heavy Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Instructions:
To make the peanut butter filling, cream your peanut butter and butter in a stand mixer until they are nice and smooth and there are no lumps of butter left. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until the mix is a medium-thick consistency. Add the vanilla, just until it is incorporated. Use a mini ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon to scoop out the peanut butter and form balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Set these on a cookie sheet and set aside.
For the chocolate cake, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. (I usually just whisk together since sifting always hurts my hands! it works just as well!) Blend the eggs, whole milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract just until incorporated. Slowly add the dry ingredients to this wet-mixture. Mix at low speed until it is all incorporated and then mix at high speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water, the batter will be pretty thin! 
Fill your cupcake liners about 3/4 full. I use a ice-cream scooper, it makes life so much easier and less messy!! Bake at 350° F for about 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean! Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!
To make the peanut butter frosting, cream the peanut butter and butter until it is all smooth. Then slowly add the confectioner's sugar. Add the heavy cream and then turn your mixer on high and let it fluff up for about 3-5 minutes, depending on how fluffy you want your icing! I usually do about 3 minutes. After its fluffy, blend in the vanilla extract! 
Frost your yummy cupcakes with as much frosting as you want. I use the Large Star tip to decorate mine! I LOVE my frosting!! And top with a mini Reese's Cup! Unless of course, you're like me and eat them all from the bag before the cupcakes finish.... *drools* peanut buttery deliciousness..... :o

Loveyerguts<3
A&N

Welcome to Cutie Pies & Sweet Cakes!

So this blog is basically for everyone who LOVES food. Any kind of food. Desserts, snacks, dinners, lunch, appetizers, and anything else you can think of! We are two sisters, Angie & Nikki, from Austin, Texas. Nikki is more of the baker and Angie is more of the cook in our little duo. But we both dabble in the others' specialties! We will be posting our random recipes we think of and pictures of our awesome cooking process whenever we can! Nikki lives in Bloomington, Indiana during the year to go to school for her awesome photography BFA and Angie stays in Austin, Texas finishing up her fantastic Education degree! 

We both hope you guys will love our recipes and pictures! Because we sure love making (and eating) them!
Loveyerguts<3
N&A