Key Lime White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recently, we took a weekend trip to the Sarasota area.  It's only about 2 1/2 hours away, yet we had never made the relatively short journey over.  I'm glad we finally decided to spend some time there because we loved it there.  In just a few days, we visited Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Siesta Key, and Longboat Key.  Some of our favorite things from our trip involve food (obviously).  First, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting The Lollicake Queen and Perq, and meeting the wonderful, kind, creative minds behind the two establishments (more on that to follow in a later blog post).  We're a bit jealous of people who live in Sarasota and get to have their lollicake cake pops whenever they want!  

As you can see, we enjoyed our fair share of lollicakes :)

We also enjoyed wonderful dinners at Indigenous, Owen's Fish Camp, and breakfast at Station 400, all of which we'd love to go back to again! 

Second, we loved shopping at the Sarasota farmer's market.  WOW!  I wish we had something like this in our immediate area, I'd visit all the time!  It was bustling with friendly vendors, tons of customers, and lots and lots of goodies.  One thing we just couldn't resist was a pound of fresh key limes.  With them, we whipped up this batch of soft Key Lime White Chocolate Chip cookies.  These didn't last very long... always a good sign :)

PS - Do you follow us on Instagram yet?  Whenever we go on Foodventures like these, we always post pictures along the way!  

Soft Key Lime White Chocolate Chip Cookies, adapted from Cookie Madness

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 large yolk, room temperature

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons key lime zest

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.  Then, add the egg and yolk.  Beat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and sea salt to combine.  Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture.  

Next, add the lime juice and zest.  Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined (do not over mix).  

Roll dough until 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and arrange on parchment lined baking sheets approximately 2 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for around 10 - 12 minutes or until edges just barely begin to brown.  

Berry Key Lime Cheesecake with Greek Yogurt

Sometimes, you just need a cheesecake.  Wouldn't you agree?  It's great when said cheesecake is made with Greek Yogurt, so even when you're indulging you can feel just a little bit better about it.

I'm kind of picky about my cheesecake.  I'd rather not eat it if it's not amazing.  Mediocre cheesecake isn't really worth it for me.  Next time I'm feeling cheesecake, I think I'll go the Greek Yogurt route again because it lent the cake such a wonderful texture.  It was nice and light, unlike some heavy dense cheesecakes I've eaten.  The flavor from the flavored greek yogurts (raspberry and key lime) was noticeable but not over the top strong.  Overall this was a great (and SUPER SUPER easy!!) dessert.  We had no problem getting rid of the left overs.

Berry Key Lime Cheesecake, from Oikos
Ingredients:
Crust -
9 Graham Crackers
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
4 Tbspn butter, melted
Filling -
2 (5.3 oz) single serve containers of Dannon Oikos Key Lime Greek Yogurt
2 (5.3 oz) single serve containers of Dannon Oikos Raspberry Greek Yogurt
4 eggs, rom temperature
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 Tbsp All Purpose Flour

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse graham crackers, sugar and butter.  Pat the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine key lime yogurts with 2 eggs, 2 Tbspn flour and half of the sweetened condensed milk.  If desired, add food coloring.
In a separate bowl combine raspberry greek yogurts with 2 eggs, 2 Tbspn flour and half of the sweetened condensed milk.  If desired, add food coloring.
Pour Berry mixture on top of the crust.  Then slowly pour the key lime mixture on top of that.  Swirl with a knife if desired.
Bake a 250 F for 30 - 40 minutes, until the center of set and edges are fully cooked.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or over-night before serving.

Key Lime Meltaways

Sorry I missed last week's Sweet Melissa Sundays! I am quite the busy girl right now. First, I wanted to show you all the new website we have for the aprons, Woo! Check it out here! Right now, the site up is just a temporary one until we really figure out what we want to do there, but I just thought I would share it with you. What do you think??

Last week, I had a few moments to kill. The week's homework was done already, so I thought I would whip up a batch of cookie's I've had bookmarked for about 989 years. We had some key limes sitting around on the counter, so I figured I'd put em to good use in this Martha Stewart recipe (which ALL user comments raved about, by the way...always a good indicator for me). I made some slight adaptations because I wanted to use Key Limes instead of regular ol' lime, and I really them wanted to pack a limey punch.

These came out really really good. We tried one about a half hour after they came out of the oven, and they were totally disgusting. Totally. I think the combo of sweet, lime, and WARM but a Baddd, Badd combo. It was too tart, and honestly was just really weird. I feared I'd have to toss the whole batch. But a second taste test the next day fixed all that - it seems they just needed some time to relax before they'd become yummy. These are perfectly sweet, limey, and crumbly. I can't imagine any lime lover not enjoying these. here is the original, and below is my adapted version.

Key Lime Meltaways, adapted from Martha Stewart's Lime Meltaways

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar + Extra for rolling cookies in
Grated zest of 4 Key Limes
3 - 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed key lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon Sea salt


Yummm, flecks of key lime zest

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar until fluffy. Add the key lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add this to the butter mixture, and beat on low until combined. Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 to 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour. (I chilled mine for a few days...I told you I've been busy! The dough was just fine)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mat. Fill a small to medium sized zippy bag about half way with powdered sugar. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/8-inch-thick rounds (I find it easy to slice the dough with thread - just wrap it around the log, tie a knot, and pull tight to cut a slice). Place the cut rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart (AND DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE I DID WITH THE FIRST TWO COOKIES... for some reason, my sleepy brain tossed them in sugar BEFORE baking... they actually came out pretty normal. But it's much easier to toss them after they're baked, hehe :)
Bake about 15 minutes, or until barely golden at the edges and sides. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar bag; shake the bag to coat. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Key Lime Sorbet

The ice cream maker has been back in action. I let DR choose the recipe this time, so out came the marvelous Perfect Scoopby David Lebovitz. DR’s selection was David’s recipe for Lime Sorbet. We followed the recipe to a T, besides substituting half of the lime juice called for with Key lime juice, and the omission of the optional champagne. It came out deliciously sour and addictive. I won’t post the recipe because I made it according to the book, but you can buy it (totally worth it) or browse it online at Google Books.

Easy Key Lime White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these cookies almost a week ago, but haven't posted them yet. Like always, I've been a busy girl. Last Thursday afternoon, my father and sister arrived in FL to go to my graduation and honors banquet. Every day they were here we had a busy schedule, including the banquet where I received my honors medallion, going to Downtown Disney, dinner with the whole fam, my graduation ceremony, doing art projects with my sister, etc etc. It was a lot of fun having them here in FL!

So now I am a college graduate. I've been sending my resume out left and right trying to find a job, which is quite nerve wracking. I hope hope hope something will come my way soon. All I can do is keep trying and wait and see. For now, here is one of our favorite recipes. It is one of my few 'cheaty' recipes, where I do not make them entirely from scratch. Instead of flour, baking soda or powder, etc, the recipe calls for Bisquik... which makes the preparation part go nice and quick. The recipe is everywhere on the internet and I use the standard one, with the only changes being an increased amount of lime zest, the addition of 1 tsp of freshly squeezed lime juice, and substituting white chocolate chips for the chopped white chocolate bar. Also, my recipe made only ~23 - 26 cookies per batch with a tablespoon sized cookie scoop. It is an easy, reliable recipe that always turns out super soft, flavorful cookies.



Key Lime White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Betty Crocker
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C Packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 1/3 C Original Bisquik
6 oz white chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon lime zest (but I would up this to 1 1/2 or even 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Preheat to 350ºF. Beat butter, sugars, vanilla and egg with electric mixer until well mixed. Stir in Bisquick mix. Stir in lime juice, white chocolate chunks and lime peel.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool 1 minute; slide parchment from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Ci Vediamo, America!

This will probably be my last post for a little bit, as tomorrow I'm off to New York, and the following day, I'm hopping on a plane to Italy for a months worth of on-site art history lessons. 26 days, the first two thirds in Florence, and the last few days in Rome. So I must kiss Daniel, my beautiful puppy & my beloved kitchen goodbye for a while. It will be sad to leave, and I will be very homesick I'm sure, but hopefully it will be a wonderful time. Hopefully I'll be able to use the internet cafes to make some posts with pictures and maybe even some cooking me and the girls do in our apartments, but we'll see how that pans out. For now, here is my last post before I depart...

I made another batch of those key lime stuffed cupcakes and they came out too beautiful to not post pictures of. Much prettier and softer the second time around. I know you've seen these cupcakes before, but who doesn't appreciate pretty pictures, eh?






Also, I made some homemade granola to bring to New York for my mom for mother's day. My family hardly ever gets to taste my goodies, since they're all the way in New York, and since I'm going anyway I figured I'd make her something special. She told me recently that she puts it in yogurt in the morning for breakfast.
I scaled the recipe down to only a quarter of the original, since I didn't think I needed to bring her 8 cups of the stuff. This recipe was wonderful. It seems like it would be easy to customize. It was a wonderful recipe, my only recommendation is that you start checking it earlier than the website states, I think mine was overcooked a little bit.

Mine went like this...
Homemade Granola with Vanilla, Almonds, Raisins and Cinnamon
1 C Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C sliced almonds
1/8 C Packed Brown Sugar
Pinch of Salt
Cinnamon to Taste
4 tsp oil
1/2 Tablespoon white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tsp honey
+ I added 1/3 small box of raisins

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300°F. Lightly spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Combine oil, honey, and sugar in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well. Using hands, toss mixture until thoroughly mixed.
Spread granola on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool granola completely. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)


Pre-Bake


Post-Bake... got all golden and toasty




I even included nutrition information for my health conscious mother!



FINALLY, the third baking activity as of late...
Since I'm leaving for Italy, there will be no one to bake the cupcakes for parties. I have heard often that cupcakes freeze just fine as long as it is without frosting, and they are sealed air tight. So, I made two batches & convinced Dan to make the frosting if they are needed. Unfortunately... well...


Good Cupcake


Bad Cupcake

So half of them, I tucked away in zip lock bags - careful to not let the tops touch anything. And then, double air-proofed them in tupperware...


With the other ones... well... I dumped them in a bowl and decided to make more ballies with them.
I just can't stand to see my precious time and effort thrown away! Especially since they TASTED good, they were just ugly! Its not nice to throw something away just because its ugly! I made another batch of that disaster strawberry non-frosting to go with it because it worked out so nicely this time.


I stirred it all up, rolled it into ballies and froze them


but this time I dipped them in vanilla flavored Candiquik.


Bellisima, no???

Anyway America, that is all for now. I shall see you hopefully from a cute little Italian internet cafe, and if not, I'll see you in June. Ci Vediamo, America!

My Key Lime Pie Cupcakes are STUFFED!

I wanted to give my favorite Key Lime Cupcakes recipe another go - except do more with it this time. I started with the same recipe for the cupcake itself.



After the limes were zested, the batter was made, and the cakelets were baked, I chopped their hats off again.


I took Lucky Leaf Key Lime Pie filling and put about a heaping teaspoons worth of the custardy stuff inside each cupcake.


Then, I tried a different frosting recipe this time. I want a vanilla frosting recipe that can be piped, but is stiff and keeps the piping lines. Even better, I'd like it to be cooked so its more stable. But this time I tried a different non-cooked recipe because the picture made it look so convincingly stiff. Unfortunately, I can't find the link to where I got the frosting recipe, but it is just your basic frosting, just with different proportions of the ingredients...
1/2 C butter, soft
3 C sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (i used clear to keep it white)
3 Tablespoons milk

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and 3 tablespoons of milk on low.
Add more milk if necessary to get it smooth and creamy.


Well, I didn't need to add any additional milk, yet mine was still very very smooth. Probably too much so. This actually resulted in a less stiff frosting than I usually use. For now, until I discover that perfect vanilla frosting recipe, I suppose I'll go back to my trusted CIA recipe.


I sprinkled some graham cracker crumbs on top, to get that little bit of crust taste you normally have in a key lime pie.


And finally, put some little candy jelly lime slices on top.


Yum.

Overall, the key lime flavor in the cupcake itself was a bit subtle, but it was there. Combine that with the creamy vanilla buttercream, a few graham cracker crumbs, and the teaspoon of tart key lime custard, and it was a winning combination.

Key Lime Cupcakes

Originally uploaded by icecreamb4dinner

Ok, I made these a very long time ago. A million years ago to be exact. But I've been super busy. I figure, better late than never, right? Especially with these cakies, it'd be doing them a horrible injustice to not post them. They were absolutely delicious, and stayed moist. One of Daniel's coworkers said, "This is the best thing I ever put in my mouth". They were that good.

We had still never used any of that beautiful key lime juice from my trip to Key West in the beginning of September, so when searching King Arthur Flour's website (our new bible for baking) for a recipe to make, we kept key lime juice in mind. We stumbled upon these "Fairy Cakes" as they called them. The only thing we did different from
the original recipe was to make it key lime instead of regular lime, and make the frosting key lime flavored as well.

"Fairy Cakes" or Key Lime Cupcakes:
3/4 c butter, soft
3/4 c sugar
1 Tablespoons lime zest
1 1/2 c King Arthur unbleached ap flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tablespoons key lime juice
1/4 c milk
3 lg eggs

Preheat to 375
Lightly grease cupcake pan, no paper liners.
Cream the butter, sugar, and zest until fluffy.
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together, and beat into butter mixture until a paste forms.
Stir in key lime juice and milk.
Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between each one.
Final batter should be nice and light and fluffily.

Bake ~18 minutes, or until slightly golden brown, tops spring back when touched lightly or until toothpick test comes back clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.

Here is our version of the
Vanilla Key Lime Frosting:
2/3 c butter, soft
1/8 tsp tsp salt
4-5 c confectioner's sugar
~1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp key lime juice
1/4 - 1/3 c milk
green food coloring

Beat butter and salt until fluffy.
Add 2 c of the sugar and beat slowly until well blended.
Add the vanilla, half the milk, and the key lime juice. Beat.
Continue mixing in sugar and milk alternately until completely mixed in.
Add green food coloring and beat until light and airy.

One of the funniest things happened as a result of baking these cakelets. My father is a food broker and has Betty Crocker as one of his clients. The green food coloring I used was a new item of theirs, neon food coloring, and the sprinkles were from a Barbie line of cake/cupcake decorations they had put out a while ago. I sent my Dad a picture of the cupcakes for fun, showing the products of theirs that I used. The picture got sent around to various peoples at Betty Crocker, and within a week I got a nice little certificate of achievement for creativity and skill in decorating with a little picture of my cakeys on it.