"Subway" White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie

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by Cindy

Subway is one of my favorite sandwich and salad places to eat.  They make it easy to eat healthy and I love that, but their cookies don't really go along with the healthy eating idea.  I don't buy cookies there regularly now, but there was a time when as a family we would buy the 3 for $1 deal.(See that was a long time ago lol) We would split them up so that there wasn't too much damage to the diet.  I love all of their variety of cookies but my favorite is the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie.

 

I have tried several different recipes looking for the one that tastes the most like the White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie, and I think I've found it.  This recipe is very similar to any regular chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I loved the way they turned out.  They are soft and chewy and totally yummy.  I'm going to have one with my morning coffee as soon as I post this, but I'm giving the rest away so that they don't tempt and talk to me all weekend.  

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend! 

"Subway" White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 lb butter

1 2/3 cups brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 T vanilla

4 1/4 cups unbleached white flour

2 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups macadamia nuts, chopped

1.  Make sure oven keeps the right temperature.  The cookies may need a minute or two more or less than stated.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper (no need to grease).

4.  Measure flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and blend together.  Set aside.

5.  In a large mixing bowl, preferably a heavy-duty mixer, and using the paddle or beater attachment, beat butter until creamy.

6.  Add brown sugar and beat again.  Scrape down the bowl and add the granulated sugar.  Beat until fluffy.

7.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

8.  Add vanilla, beat and scrape again.

9.  On low speed, add flour mixture 2 cups at a time, and mix well.

10. Mix in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Mix only until blended.

11.  Using a cookie scoop, place dough on prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly to allow for spreading.

12.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Do NOT over bake these cookies.  They continue to bake for a few minutes after they are removed from the oven.

13.  Transfer to cooling racks.  Store in air tight container or plastic bag to stay soft and moist.

14.  Makes 48 warm and gooey cookies.

recipe by

Gingerly J on

www.food.com





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Vote 'Best Food Blog' of Nashville

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Calling all readers and followers from Nashville! It is that time of the year in the great city of Nashville when we get to vote on "the best of Nashville" for the Nashville Scene. This survey covers every possible facet of the Nashville market, which of course includes Nashville's best food blogs. Even though our site is comprised of women from 3 different states, I am proud to represent Nashville on our site and we would LOVE your vote for the Best Food Blog!

Follow the link and under the media/politics to find the the Best Food Blog category and enter Buttercream Baker!

Thanks!!! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

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Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

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by Cindy

I've really wanted to make homemade ice cream this summer and haven't found the time until this last week.  Christy has spoken about our homemade ice cream memories, but I have a whole lot more of those than she does.  When I was growing up, we made homemade ice cream several times during the summer and it was always a big deal.  We would all sit outside and watch Dad pack in the ice and salt, and wait and wait and wait. When it was finally done, Mom would give us a big mixing bowl to put the mixing beater in.  We would take spoonfuls off of it.  It was soooo good.  It sounds like Christy enjoyed our ice cream making experiences, but I wish that we had made it more often.   I have never been able to replicate the ice cream my mom made.  I think it's just something about the memory of it that can't be replicated  If anyone out there has one of those old fashion custard ice cream recipes, please send them my way. 

I've been on a blueberry and cream cheese kick for the last month, and I saw this recipe a while back and tried it last week. It's a simple recipe, but takes a little time for some of the mixtures to cool before freezing the ice cream.  I made the graham cracker crust and the blueberry sauce the day before, and then I made the ice cream mixture the next day and froze it.  It taste delicious and I like the cheesecake flavor and blueberries together.  After putting it in your freezer, it freezes really hard so I would suggest taking it out of the freezer at least 30 minutes before trying to serve.  With all the new kitchen ice cream makers, it's so quick and easy to make.  Making the ice cream only took 30 minutes, so give it a try and make some memories for your family. 

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1-1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• GRAHAM CRACKER MIXTURE:
• 2-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 36 squares)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• ICE CREAM:
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix
• 1 quart heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Stir in blueberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

• In a large bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in butter. Pat into an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the ice cream ingredients. Fill ice cream freezer cylinder two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Whisk before adding to ice cream freezer (mixture will have some lumps).

• Crumble the graham cracker mixture. In a large container, layer the ice cream, graham cracker mixture and blueberry sauce three times; swirl. Freeze. Yield: 2 quarts

recipe from

Taste of Home

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New Resturant in Nashville : Silo

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By Christy

I promise I haven't given up baking and trying out recipes but I have been more on the social scene in Nashville the last couple of weeks. Last night was girls night, which for us is the perfect excuse to try out a new restaurant among the always evolving Nashville scene. A restaurant that has been high on our list to try as soon as it opened was Silo in the Germantown area of Nashville.

Last night was the first night the restaurant was open to the general public and sure enough we got our ressie for 7:45. Upon walking in this restaurant, I was instantly impressed by the very architecturally and aesthetically pleasing decor. The restaurant has a very warm and modern ambiance but has a touch of vintage class.

Now for the most important part.... the food! Silo focuses on a farm to fork menu, which basically means they use fresh local products to prepare their food. We covered our basis pretty good ordering wine, first and second courses, getting extra sides and we tried all of the available desserts. I am pretty sure there wasn't anything we had we didn't like.



My entree was the gulf shrimp, tasso "dirty" grits, tomato & okra stew and it was down right amazing! 



The menu was very unique, delicious and you could tell how fresh all the ingredients were. Most entrees were around $18 but the bang was worth the buck. I have no doubts that Silo will do well and if you are looking for a great new place for a date or a girls night put this on your to do list!

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East Nashville Tomato Festival

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Happy Birthday to me!!

This weekend marked yet again another year under my belt as I  turned 27. Besides a romantic dinner with Big Cat, we also decided to attend an East Nashville tradition: The Tomato Festival. The Nashville Scene said it perfectly, "East Nashville is known for many things — exceptional restaurants, fun bars, fabulous old houses, lost dogs, and a vibrant and vocal community. Since 37206 — and 37216 for you Inglewood dwellers — is bursting with creativity and diversity, it's no surprise this area would embrace an event that celebrates an inanimate object that is a uniter, not a divider."

This was my 3rd summer living in East Nashville and all the hype (it has been polled the best Nashville festival since 2007 ) about this festival was so fun and exciting I broke my almost nearly decade tradition of going to KY lake for my birthday to attend this 9 year old Nashville festival. The Tomatofest was exactly what I pictured of a festival in East Nashville-Very Original. There was a 5k, a parade, tons of (tomato) art, live music stages throughout, tomato costume contests, best bloody mary contest, super dog friendly, fashion show of vintage clothing and animals to adopt, delicious food, unique shopping booths, about 20000 hipsters all in one place and tons more. I even had a friend that participated in Nuvo Burritos wet burrito contest- which as crazy as it sounds is actually a contest to see who can eat a burrito the fastest while getting sprayed with a water hose. Anything really does go in East Nashville! lol

If you are interested in the Tomato Festival, please check out their website for more information. Also, if you went, leave some comments about your favorite part!

Barkley, my 5 1/2 month old Goldendoodle also attended the event with Big cat and me and he LOVED it. Turns out my little guy is a big ladies man. ;o)

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Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

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by Cindy

Well we're celebrating two birthdays at the office today, so I made a blueberry coffeecake for our potluck breakfast.  It is more like a blueberry cheesecake because it turned out to be more dense than a regular cake.  It's kind of a combination leaning more toward the dense texture.  I followed the recipe as printed but when it said to pour the batter, my batter was not pourable.  When it said to drop the cream cheese on top of the cake, I had to pour the cream cheese mixture on.  I don't really know why this happened, but I just went with it and it worked out.  I didn't use the almond extract or dust it with powdered sugar, and I used pecans instead of almonds (and only put them on half of the cake as you can see in the pic).  It's not too sweet but sweet enough and tasted great with my coffee.  ;)

Blueberry Cream Coffee Cake

Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 t vanilla extract

1/2 t almond extract

1 cup fresh or frozen thawed blueberries or raspberries

1 cup sliced almonds

 1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter and flour or use Bakers Secret Spray on a 10-inch spring form pan.

2.  To make the filling, combine cream cheese, sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.  Set aside.



3.  To make the cake, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

4.  Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

5.Gradually add the flour mixture on low speed until just blended.  Stir in 3/4 cup blueberries (or other berry) and 1/2 cup almond into the batter.



6.  Pour half the batter into the pan.  Drop spoonfuls of the filling over the batter and swirl it with a knife.

  Add the remaining batter, then top with the remaining blueberries and almonds.



7.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan.  Dust with confectioner's sugar before slicing. 

adapted from Crazy About Cakes by 

Krystina Castella "Raspberry Cream Coffeecake" 

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Cake Boss Tour

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by Cindy

The Cake Boss came to Evansville last night and I was in the audience.  There was quite a crowd and it was a very diverse group with women, men and children.  There were vendors set up on the second floor showing and giving away samples of their tasty cakes and delights.  There was one cake that was especially Cake Boss worthy and it was done really well.  It showed many important features about Evansville. 

 All of the samples were delicious and right on spot.  I also took a picture of a cake that I thought was super cute and hope to copy myself someday.   

The Cake Boss came out a few minutes late just like a rock star.  He's looks exactly like he does on TV.  He talked to the audience about his beginnings and how he got started in the business when he was just 17 years old.  His father was sick so he quit high school (hoping later to return to finish high school when his father recovered)  and he started there by filling in for his father at the bakery.  His father didn't recover and that's how it all began.  It was a very inspiring and motivating story.  He said he's working harder now than ever and that he loves what he does.  He used audience participants to have 3 competitions, with the last prize being a cake from his bakery, which is going to start selling cakes nationwide soon.  I would love to taste one of his cakes, but I'm sure they are a little too pricey for my pocketbook. 

I do love watching cooking and baking shows on television so I think I'll put him back on my DVR list because he is a lot of fun to watch. 

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Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Bar

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By: Christy

One word for this dessert: SINFUL! It is this amazing ooey gooey bar filled with pecans, coconut, chocolate, and bourbon on top of a dense brown sugar shortbread cookie. Is your mouth watering yet? Even though this treat is super rich, the flavors combined make a very finger licking good dessert that you just want more of. The bourbon really does complete the dessert and actually really compliments the sweetness of the filling.  I had a piece of pie bar this morning with a big cup of hot coffee and I think the quote "eat dessert first" finally made complete sense to me. Amazing!



Big Cat and I at the Jim Beam Bourbon Distillery



Ingredients:

Crust:

1 and 1/2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt (leave out if you used salted butter)

Filling:

1/3 to 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate

1 tablespoon butter

4 large eggs

3 cups packed light brown sugar

1/8 cup bourbon

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt (leave out if you use salted butter)

1/2 - 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. This will be a messy dessert once finished, so I recommend lining your pan with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Also this recipe calls for a 10 inch square pan.

Start by making the crust. Using a mixer (I recommend the paddle attachment), beat the softened butter until nicely whipped. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until evenly incorporated but still crumbly. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust until it has turned golden brown (about 20 minutes)

While the crust bakes and cools, start on the filling. Place the chocolate and 1 tablespoon of butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds, then stir, and follow with 10 second increments until the chocolate has fully melted and is creamy. Let this mixture cool slightly while you mix together the eggs and brown sugar in a separate large bowl.  In the egg/sugar mixture, stir in the chocolate mixture, bourbon, butter, vanilla, flour and salt. When the mixture is well combined, add the chopped pecans and coconut.

Pour the filling over the cooled crust and bake until set (about 30 minutes). Cool bars, and then refrigerate them before slicing (if not the filling will run everywhere!). Keep bars stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen

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