My goodness! Too much cooking/blogging, too little time. No matter. I’ve been keeping track of new tasty treats in my handy dandy notebook, and I hope to spend the next week or two getting caught up on what I’ve missed. Alas, there are very few pictures involved, as I keep forgetting, but I’ll supplement with stock when I can. On to the food!

I was having a very, very crappy day when these cookies came into my life. Cobbled together from several recipes, they’re incredibly decadent but incredibly simple. I’ve made these several times since that day, and have managed to blow through a good portion of our frozen butter supply in the process (which is impressive, considering the quantities in which I buy butter.) These are officially fighting the Magical Mint Cookies for my all-time favorite. I think I might go make some now… Anyway, I hope that these brighten your day!

Butter Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter (at room temperature)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a medium bowl, whisk togetherflour, leavenings, and salt. Set aside. In a separate, larger bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Add vanilla. Alternately add milk and dry ingredients, by thirds, until batter is smooth and homogenous.

Using a small disher or spoon, drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto non-stick sheet pans. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool on pans for 10 minutes before moving to rack.

Makes 6 dozen.

This traditional Penna. Dutch cake within a pie shell is dense, chocolatey, and oh-so-yummy. (I’ve yet to find anything funny about it, though.) Without fail, this cake always overflows its shell during the baking process every time I make it – you might want to stick a sheet pan on the bottom rack just in case you have the same luck.

Funny Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 9″ pie shell (store-bought or your favorite recipe)
• 7 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
• 1 -1/4 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 pinches salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk or light cream
• 1 egg, beaten

Melt 7 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa, 1/2 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Whisk in water. Continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside and preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine flour, baking powder, and remaining sugar and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Cut in remaining butter with fingers. Stir in milk and vanilla. Stir with wooden spoon or electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add egg and continue to beat for 45-60 seconds. Pour into pie shell. Gently reheat fudge sauce if necessary and pour evenly over batter.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean and cake is springy to the touch. Serve warm or room-temperature.

When I’m not craving fresh vegetables (as is my habit during the summer), I’m lured to the comfort of my favorite classics. Crème brûlée whips up easier than one would think, and this one has a special surprise – a layer of molten chocolate under the crispy sugar crust and smooth custard.  It’s not as fast or as easy as microwave comfort cake, but it’s well worth the extra effort.

Vanilla Crème Brûlée with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp simple syrup
• 1/2 cup grated bittersweet chocolate
• 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 11 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Melt the chocolate in a small glass bowl, either over a double boiler or in the microwave. Whisk in simple syrup and pour into the bottom of 6 ramekins. Chill. Preheat oven to 300° F.

Place the cream and half and half into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the scrapings and shell of the vanilla bean. Set heat to medium and slowly bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and 5 tablespoons sugar. Remove vanilla pod from cream and slowly whisk into the eggs, a spoonful at a time until the eggs have come to temperature. Set cream and egg mixture inside a larger bowl that is half-full with ice water and continue to whisk until mixture has cooled.

Pour custard into prepared ramekins.  Lay a cotton towel in a large roasting pan and arrange ramekins in pan so that sides are not touching.  Set pan onto oven rack and carefully pour water around ramekins so that the final water level reaches halfway up the side.  Gently slide pan into oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until just set.  Remove from water bath and chill 3 hours or overnight.

To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar on top of each custard and caramelize with a kitchen torch.

Makes six custards.

This delightful twist on a classic treat is easy (and inexpensive) to make, but is a definite crowd-pleaser.

Root Beer Float Parfait

Ingredients for root beer gelatin:

• 1 1/2 cups root beer
• 1/4 ounce unflavored powdered gelatin

Ingredients for vanilla panna cotta:

• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean*, split and scraped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 ounce unflavored powdered gelatin

Ingredients for root beer water ice:

• 3/4 cup root beer
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For gelatin:
Pour 1/2 cup root beer into a large, wide bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and allow to bloom for 5 minutes. While gelatin blooms, heat remaining 1 cup root beer to just shy of the boiling point. Whisk into gelatin mixture. Divide equally between 6 decorative glasses and chill for 35-45 minutes, or until set but still slightly liquid.

For panna cotta:
While gelatin layer sets, prepare panna cotta. Heat 1 cup half and half, 1/2 cup cream, and vanilla bean (seeds and pod) to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bloom gelatin over remaining 1/2 cup half and half. Strain vanilla infusion and whisk into gelatin. Pour into glasses over root beer gelatin and chill 4 hours or overnight.

For root beer water ice:
Combine root beer and vanilla. Pour into a shallow, freezer-safe container. Freeze for 3-4 hours, stirring with a fork every 15 minutes to create a smooth but crystalline texture.

To serve:
Gently mound water ice on top of panna cotta. Garnish with cocktail cherries, if desired, and serve immediately.

Makes 6 parfaits.

*We buy our vanilla beans in bulk, from reputable sellers (on eBay of all places). Good vanilla beans are incredibly pungent and sticky, while beans from your local grocer can be stale and dry.