Tag Archives: baking soda

Cardamom Tea Cookies

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Recently, our good friend Tara had a birthday, and you know how much we LOVE birthdays. She also happens to be fan of all things “spice”, particularly cardamom. So for a gift, I thought I’d be clever and make her something with cardamom in it! The problem? Other than our cardamom iced tea I had no idea how else to use it. Turns out, you can “spice” up just about any old cookie recipe to taste exotic. Enter in – cardamom! Not to mention, these little puppies make your house smell ah-mazing.

*Disclaimer, this recipe isn’t instant. You need time to chill the dough. (Just thought I’d point this out. I find it so annoying when I start making something and find out I have to wait! #impatientmuch?)

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom (feel free to add more if you’re really in to the flavor)
  •  2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Dash of salt

Whisk the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add in the sugar until fully blended. Finally add in the egg yolk, cardamom, baking soda, and salt. Once combined, add in the flour. The whisking will get tough and eventually turn in to one big ball of dough. Chill the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

When ready to shape the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough in to small 1 inch balls and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Hot out of the oven, sprinkle the cookies with sugar. And remember – pinkies up!

 

Cardamom Tea Cookies

Happy Eating, XO.

I <3 You, Cupcakes

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It’s no secret by now – I love food, and I especially love baking. So it’s only right this Valentine’s Day I bake some yummy cupcakes! Some people go for chocolate covered strawberries, I go for chocolate on chocolate cupcakes. #NoShame. I bought a chocolate mold a few years ago just for the hell of it (shout out to Michael’s!), and as it turns out it makes perfect little hearts for cupcake toppers!

Chocolate Heart Toppers

  • 1 cup melted white chocolate
  • 2-3 drops of red food coloring (add more or less depending on the color you want)

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 packet chocolate pudding powder (I replaced this with unsweetened cocoa powder bc, let’s be real, you’ll never use unsweetened cocoa for anything after this recipe.)
  • 1⁄8 tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 1 1⁄2 cup white sugar
  • 2 egg
  • 3⁄4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk

Icing

  • Pillsbury’s frosting in a can = no mess and just as good

Start on the chocolate hearts about an hour before hand so they have time to harden. Melt the white chocolate slowly in a sauce pan. Once it’s liquidy, add in the food coloring. (If it starts to score/harden after it’s already melted add a tiny bit of water to it and it will smooth right out again.) Pour in to the mold and stick in the freezer.

For the cupcakes, do the usual prep work: preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line the muffin pan with cupcake liners. Then sift together all of the flour, baking powder & soda, chocolate pudding powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Follow up with the eggs and vanilla. Then slowly add in the flour mixture and milk until completely combined. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Valentine's Day cupcake

Happy Eating (and Valentines Day!), XO