Cookies and Creme

Most summer nights give way to ice cream, frozen yogurt or italian ice. But last night I was looking to use up some ingredients in my house while also satisfying my sweet tooth and decided to whip up these cookies using a recipe I found online.

The mix of chocolate chips and Oreo's remind me of another summertime favorite - Cookies and Creme ice cream. Dunk these in milk and you've got a great twist on a classic treat.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick softened butter
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¼ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 11 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.

3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth [DC Summer]

Since starting my internship, I have come to realize that weekends have one purpose: to explore all of DC's incredible offerings (which can usually be narrowed down to food, monuments, and lots and lots of walking). This past weekend, Lauren, Stef and I covered a lot of ground in the NW quadrant of the city and came across some incredible restaurants and events that made this a truly unforgettable weekend.


Our unintentional discovery of The Taste of Georgetown is what led us to checking out Baked and Wired. Located at 1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Baked and Wired offers a decadent array of cookies, cupcakes, bars, pies and other baked goods that are guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.


We were lucky (and hungry) enough to sample a few of Baked and Wired's treats. Here's how it went:

An assortment of Baked & Wired cookies

Strawberry Cupcake.
Vanilla cake with fresh strawberries folded in the batter finished with a swirl of pink buttercream.

O.M.G. 

A graham cracker crust is layered with homemade caramel, marshmallow and a bittersweet chocolate glaze. 

Blueberry Pie. 

Blueberries with a dash of cinnamon in a double crust.

Berthas. 

Soft oatmeal cookies filled with cream cheese frosting. 

Banana Nut Bread. 

Sweet and moist banana loaf with walnuts and mini chocolate chips.

Best bite? Without hesitation, the Strawberry Cupcake. Each bakery in Georgetown has it's own take on this classic dessert - but it is Baked and Wired's fresh, creamy frosting layered on top of a fluffy, sweet cake - that make this dessert a true winner.


Not in the mood for a cupcake? Try out the O.M.G. bar. With layers of gooey caramel, crunchy graham cracker, fluffy marshmallow and semisweet chocolate - this bar lives up to its' name...and then some.


If you want to check out a full list of their baked offerings before heading over, visit:
http://bakedandwired.com


Baked and Wired
1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW
Washington, DC 20007

Ann Arbor's Best Scoop

Looking for a delicious way to end last Saturday’s meal, my mom, brother and I only had to walk so far as one block to find the perfect fit. Kilwin’s, located at 107 E. Liberty Street in Ann Arbor is hands down Ann Arbor’s best homemade ice cream shop.

Although I’ve always been more partial to soft serve, Kilwin’s serves hard ice cream that can’t be beat. They have enough flavors to suit every ice cream lover’s palate, but my suggestion? Try Toasted Coconut.

This flavor is truly no-fail. If you allow it to soften for a few minutes after it is scooped, you’re in for a real treat. Imagine a Caramel Delight Girl Scout Cookie or Mounds bar in ice cream form – a vanilla ice cream base with toasted coconut that has been allowed to caramelize, creating a caramel-chocolately flavor that’s consistent until the last bite.

So if you’re looking for where to go for Ann Arbor’s best scoop, take an adventure down towards Main Street and stop into Kilwin’s. What if ice cream isn’t your thing? Next door to the ice cream shop is Kilwin’s homemade chocolate store where you can choose between any of the incredible chocolates, toffees, caramels and candied or chocolate apples that they have to offer.

Location: 107 E. Liberty Street Ann Arbor, MI

Cost: Small ice cream is around $3. Chocolates, Truffles and Caramels average $14 for 8 oz.

Website: https://www.kilwins.com/annarbor

Summit Welcomes "Pizza Vita" with Open Arms and an Eager Appetite

Watch out Summit pizza lovers, there’s a new pizza place in town boasting it’s own twist on everyone’s favorite Italian classic. Located at 7 Union Place in Summit, NJ, Pizza Vita offers a variety of antipasti, pizzas, salads and pastas inspired by the traditional pizzerias of Naples, Italy. Owners Rocco and Adele DiBiase opened the restaurant’s doors on July 18, 2011 and since then, it has proved to be a roaring success. Driven by our eagerness to eat at the newest local cuisines, my dad, brother and I decided to check out what it is that makes this place so popular.

Here’s how we did it:

Starters:

Mozzarella en Carozza (translation: Olive oil poached mozzarella). Breaded, lightly fried and topped with a fresh, sweet tomato sauce, this appetizer is on the top of the menu for a reason. It is the perfect balance of sauce and lightly fried-cheesy goodness that is a necessity to have on your table prior to ordering any other item on the menu. Take it from someone who is normally not a cheese lover, these are a must-have item.

Meatballs: I’m normally hesitant about ordering meatballs because they tend to have a lot of filler and only a little bit of meat. However, these baseball sized-meatballs, which are impeccably seasoned and incredibly moist, have far exceeded any previous expectations I may have possessed. Served with an absolutely delicious and flavorful homemade sauce, this appetizer will make any meat lover a very happy diner.

Pizza:

Before getting into the pizzas that we ordered, I must mention what it is that sets Pizza Vita’s pizzas apart from all the others. Pizza Vita strictly uses ingredients in accordance with the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association (VPN), which was established to protect and promote authentic Napoletana pizza. Consequently, as a member of the VPN, Pizza Vita only serves D.O.C. pizza, which means that their pizza is made with only soft grain flour, water, all natural fresh yeast, sea salt, San Marzano tomato and Mozzarella di Bufala or Fior di latte Mozzarella.

So what does this all mean? It means that Pizza Vita uses only the freshest and finest ingredients (with many imported right from Italy) in order to serve up their original homemade pie! Once prepped, the pizza is cooked in a 100% wood fired oven for just 90 seconds due to its constant 900-degree temperature.

Margheritta D.O.C.: A classic margherita pizza with a chewy, lightly burned crust that is absolutely to die for. Though simple, this pizza will win over any classic pizza lover.

Padrino: Crushed tomato, hot soppresata (Italian cured dry salami), olives and provolone. A different take on the traditional meat-lovers pizza, however, it is equally satisfying and delicious. You may want to ask for extra bread to dip in the oil that drips off the pizza because I can guarantee you will want to savor every last bite.

Desserts:

All of the desserts are prepared by owner and chef Adele DiBiase, whose pastry background provided a delectable ending to this already incredible meal.

Doughnuts filled with melted chocolate, served with homemade caramel sauce: These doughnuts were light and fluffy, dusted with sugar and served hot. The melted chocolate inside is what made these doughnuts extra special and irresistible.

Despite sampling the restaurant’s many options, we barely made a dent in the menu, and left wanting to come back for more. So head on over soon to Pizza Vita and check it out for yourself! I promise you won’t regret it.

If you want to see their menu and other information before heading over, visit:

 www.pizzavitanj.com

Oh Fudge!

Although I’ve left Ann Arbor for the summer, the blogging adventures are sure to continue. It’s only Day 3 at home and I’m already starting to get a little stir crazy here in suburbia. With no job, yet, and no friends at home, yet, my only solution was to break out the baking goods and make one of my favorite classic and easy recipes, chocolate fudge. This “Never Fail Fudge” is fool-proof and makes enough to share with family and friends.

Here's what you'll need:

-2 ½ cups of white sugar

-5 oz. evaporated milk

-2 tbsp. butter or margarine

-1 7oz. jar of marshmallow creme (or Fluff)

-½ teaspoon salt

-¾ teaspoon vanilla

-½ cup of walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

-1 12oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

And here's how it's made:

1. Combine the first five ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat until blended.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then boil slowly, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate, vanilla and walnuts (optional) until the chocolate is melted entirely.

4. Line a 9x13" pan (or 9x9" if you prefer thicker fudge) with aluminum foil, pour fudge in and allow to cool.

5. Once cooled, cut a slice for yourself and enjoy!

Note: I've found that the best way to store this fudge is by wrapping it in parchment paper and storing it in a tightly sealed container in order to ensure freshness.

Little bites of heaven.

When making baked goods in your dorm becomes the norm on a weekday night, you know you’ve reached procrastination at its finest. What sets this recipe apart from others is that it requires no baking and only three, easy to find ingredients.

Jessie, Susie and I made a dorm-friendly version of this recipe earlier this week using cream cheese from the dining hall and Hershey kisses as a substitute for milk chocolate chips. Hershey kisses are great on their own, but their distinct flavor overpowered the rest of the dessert. While the end product was still delicious, I would advise sticking to the original recipe for best results. Feel free to any variations of milk, semisweet and white chocolate to dip the truffles. I’ve tried many different combinations and the most popular have been milk and white chocolate.

Either way these treats are quick to make and will impress anyone whose lucky enough to get a bite.

Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

Yields 3 dozen truffles

1 (16 ounce) package of Oreo sandwich cookies

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

16 ounces of baking chocolate (milk, semisweet or white), melted

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate completely. This can either be done with a double-boiler on the stove-top or in a microwave.

2. Remove 9 Oreos from package and crush finely in food processor. (Cookies can also be finely crushed by placing them in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin)

3. Crush remaining 36 cookies into fine crumbs, place in medium bowl and add cream cheese until well blended. Mixture will be moist when done.

4. Roll cookie mixture into balls approximately 1-inch in diameter.

5. Dip balls into melted chocolate, place on wax paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle on reserved crushed cookies or drizzle extra chocolate over the top for decoration.

6. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Then, eat up!

Trick:

How to easily dip the truffles: place truffle in melted chocolate and roll, if necessary. Lift truffle from chocolate using 2 forks (allowing excess chocolate to run off) before placing them on wax paper.

Cost:

About $12 for entire recipe