Strawberry White Chocolate Cake Cookies

Sometimes, I have an idea in my head for a recipe and it totally disappoints me. Either it's not the consistency I was looking for, the taste is "meh," or it just doesn't grab my attention. If I don't immediately go back for more, it's probably not a recipe I'll make again (unless of course a family member or friend raves about it - then I might make it specifically for them).

Luckily, that wasn't the case with this recipe. These little cookies are so soft, and the fresh strawberries add a hint of tartness that balances out the sweetness of the cookie and chocolate chips. I loved the white chocolate and strawberry, but if you're a fan of milk or dark chocolate, feel free to substitute that. Or, you could use a chocolate cake mix in place of the white cake mix and really change it up. And, if you want an extra kick of strawberry, you could use a strawberry cake mix instead of white. But, the recipe, as-is, is really delicious. I wanted to use almond extract, but apparently I ran out (hate when that happens!), so I used vanilla instead, which was still tasty. There are probably a hundred different ways to change up this recipe, so have fun with it!

Strawberry White Chocolate Cake Cookies
1 box white cake mix
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped, fresh strawberries
3/4 c. white chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla, by hand. Don't do this with a mixer or you'll overmix the dough and get a weird cookie texture.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips until just combined, then gently fold in the strawberries. Don't worry about distributing them evenly. You don't want to overwork the dough or it'll turn pink!
4. Drop by tablespoon onto greased baking sheet and bake about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies look set in the middle and the bottoms are light brown. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
*These are very soft cookies, so make sure you use a cookie spatula to remove them from the pan or they might fall apart before they've cooled. I also think they're best when eaten within a day or two.

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I got to make wedding cupcakes again this summer! It was so much fun working with the bride to figure out flavors, colors, etc., and one that we were both really excited about was this Strawberry Lemonade cupcake. There are a lot of these types of recipes floating around on the internet, and all of them are different. The cupcake recipe I ended up using came from my Betty Crocker cookbook, with a few tweaks of my own; the cream cheese frosting recipe was from Cupcakes! from the Cake Mix Doctor.

The combination of the light, moist, lemon cupcake with a not-too-sweet strawberry cream cheese frosting is  amazing. In fact, one of my sisters said it was the best cupcake she'd ever eaten! I'll put that compliment in the books. ;) The cupcakes themselves are very tender, yet they hold up nicely freezing and traveling; the lemon flavor is just the right amount - it doesn't slam your taste buds as soon as you bite into it, but as you chew, the flavor develops in your mouth. And strawberry cream cheese frosting? Enough said.

*On a super-exciting note for me, this cupcake recipe would also make a phenomenal yellow cake. From scratch. I've been searching for years to find one that's moist and flavorful. All the ones I've tried are either too dry, not flavorful, or both of those things. With the few changes I made to the original recipe, this is it! Just make sure you substitute vanilla extract for the lemon and leave out the lemon zest if you just want a yellow cake. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Lemon Cupcakes (adapted from Betty Crocker's Starlight Yellow Cake)
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. milk
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon flavoring
3 eggs
zest of one lemon
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with liners (should get between 24-28).
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat all ingredients on low speed 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Beat on med./high speed an additional 3 minutes.
3. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full, and bake approximately 18-22 minutes, or until cupcakes are light golden brown on top and spring back went gently pressed with your fingers.
4. Allow cupcakes to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor)
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. mashed, drained strawberries
1/2 tsp. strawberry extract
1. Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed 1 minute.
2. Add powdered sugar, extract, and strawberries and mix on low 1 minute until combined. Scrape down bowl, and beat again on med./high speed 1 minute more. Add additional powdered sugar to thicken it if needed, or milk, 1 tsp. at a time if you want it a little thinner consistency.

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Strawberry Shortcut Cake

Nothin' says summer like a strawberry cake with whipped cream frosting! The cake is light and moist with a layer of strawberries on top, followed by dollops of fluffy whipped cream. It's definitely one I would make again, and I might even try a white cake mix with raspberry jello and fresh raspberries next time . . . Hmm, that's enticing.

The whipped cream as the frosting is wonderful - it's not overly sweet, which is a nice complement to the sweetness of the cake and strawberries. Bring this to your next picnic or get-together and it'll be a hit! (And so will you.)

Strawberry Shortcut Cake (original recipe here)
1 box strawberry cake mix
eggs, oil, and water as called for on cake box
3 c. fresh strawberries, sliced
1 Tbls. lemon juice
2-3 Tbls. sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin
1. Prepare and bake cake in a 9x13 pan as directed on cake box. Allow to cool.
2. Dissolve gelatin in 1 c. boiling water, and stir in 1 c. cold water. Place in refrigerator until cool, but don't let it set up into jello - it should still be liquid.
3. Mix together sliced strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar. Allow to macerate for 20 minutes.
4. Poke holes all over cooled cake with a straw. Slowly pour the liquid gelatin over the entire cake.
5. Spread strawberries over the top and place in the refrigerator.
6.Whip cream and powdered sugar together on med.-high speed until stiff peaks form. Don't overbeat or you'll get butter! Spread over cake and refrigerate cake at least 4 hours before serving.

 This is what the cake looks like after the jello and 

strawberries have been added - so summery!

Hope you're all enjoying the summer so far!

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

12 Days of Goodies - Day 3: Raspberry-Strawberry Almond Bars

As much as I love chocolate, for the holidays it's always good to include a treat that has some type of fruit. I saw these bars here and figured I can't go wrong with Ms. Betty Crocker. I made a few changes to the recipe because it says to bake it in a 9 in. square pan, but I knew that wouldn't be large enough for my needs. So I doubled the recipe, baked it in a 10x15 pan, and used half strawberry and half raspberry for the preserves and fruit required. I was pretty happy with the results - they're chewy and sweet, but slightly tart from the fruit. It was a really nice combination, and a recipe I'll definitely keep in my repertoire!

Raspberry-Strawberry Almond Bars
3 c. flour
3 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. cold butter
2 eggs
3/4 c. each strawberry jam and raspberry jam
1 c. each strawberries and raspberries (I used frozen - I thawed and drained them)
1 c. slivered almonds, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 10x15 pan.
2. Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Reserve 2 cups for topping. 
3. Stir in eggs to the remaining mixture in bowl until moistened. Press into bottom of pan.
4. Stir jams together, then spread over the crust. Sprinkle with the fruit.
5. Stir almonds into reserved crumb mixture, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until light golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.