american flag cookie cake

the goods:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 cup blueberries

2 cups strawberries, hulled, and halved

1 can whipped cream

Beat 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer one medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar, and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla, and beat until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture while mixer is on low speed. Beat until completely combined, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch baking sheet with cooking spray. Press dough evenly into baking sheet, forming a slight edge on all sides. Bake until edges are very lightly browned, 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons cream; beat 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and tablespoon of cream. Beat 1 minute. Spread in a thick layer over cookie.

Arrange blueberries in a square in the top left corner of the cookie. Arrange strawberry halves in parallel horizontal lines, leaving about an inch between each row. Then squirt whipped cream stars in between each strawberry row. Slice and serve.

cannoli bites

the goods:

2 cups all-purpose flour. plus more for dusting

2 and 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg white

6-8 tablespoons apple or grape juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

filling:

12 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, strained

8 ounces marscapone cheese

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped, shelled, pistachios

For the cannoli cups: Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to a food processor and pulse until blended. Add egg white and melted butter and pulse to incorporate. In a bowl combine juice and vinegar, with processor running, slowly pour in juice mix and pulse just until mixture begins to come together. Divide dough into 2 pieces, shape into balls and transfer to a zip-top bag. Chill in the refrigerator 30 minutes to an hour.
Prepare filling: In a mixing bowl, using a rubber spatula, blend together ricotta and marscapone while pressing mixture along the bottom of the bowl to remove any lumps. Fold in confectioners' sugar. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll each chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface, dust top of dough with flour too. Roll to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into circles using a 2 and 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter. Transfer rounds to an ungreased mini muffin tin, pressing evenly into sides and bottom of muffin well. Spray tops evenly with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 11-13 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Once cool, dip tops in melted chocolate, then pistachios and mini chocolate chips and allow chocolate to set.
Remove cannoli filling from the fridge and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a tip. Pipe filling into cups and sprinkle with chocolate chips or pistachios. Serve within 2 hours. Store in refrigerator.

sopapillas

the goods:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

honey, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Unfold thawed pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet into squares using a pizza slicer. Bake for 12-15 minutes on a silpat-lined baking sheet until the pastries are golden brown. Meanwhile, combine cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl. Add your hot pastries in batches to the bowl and gently shake to coat in the sugar mixture. Drizzle with honey to serve.

swig sugar cookie bars

the goods:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of baking soda
1 tablespoon additional sugar for sprinkling

frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
pinch of salt
dash of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside. Using a stand mixer, thoroughly cream butter, oil, granulated sugar, and confectioners' sugar until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and add egg, water, and vanilla; mix until combined. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; mix until completely combined.
Spread/press cookie mixture evenly into the prepared pan (helpful trick: put your hand inside a sandwich bag and lightly spray it with cooking spray). Evenly sprinkle sugar over bars before baking for 14-15 minutes. Let cool completely.
In a stand mixer, combine butter, sour cream, confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Add in the cream until frosting is smooth. Frost bars and refrigerate until ready to cut and serve. Bars are best cold.

cadbury egg cookies

the goods:

1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 bag of cadbury eggs, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and shortening and mix until well combined. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in cadbury eggs. Scoop heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet, 2-inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

key lime pound cake

the goods:

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup fresh key lime juice

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

green food coloring

glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 tablespoons fresh key lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in lowest position. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and lime juice. Set aside. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate each egg. Add flour in 3 additions, and buttermilk in 2, alternating. Beginning and ending with flour. Do not overmix. Add a few drops of green food coloring (depending on how green you want it), and stir to combine. Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooking rack to cool completely.
To glaze, combine confectioners' sugar and key lime juice and drizzle over cooled cake (tip: place a piece of wax paper under the cooling rack to catch all the glaze drippings.).

triple chocolate fudge brownies

the goods:

10 ounces dark chocolate chopped

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted. Remove from heat, add the dark chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Whisk in the sugar and brown sugar. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks one at a time, then add the vanilla and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour and cocoa powder until evenly combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread into an even layer in the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until brownies no longer wobble when pan is giggled, top has a shiny papery crust, and sides are just beginning to come away from pan. Remove from oven and cool for an hour before slicing, removing from pan, and dusting with confectioners' sugar.