Author: thecookiefilesblog

So the Agents went to Crumbl Again…

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Hello! Blondie and Danish are here to report another investigation that has been done. We’ve been to Crumbl this week.

The rotating flavors of this week are: pink velvet, hazelnut mudslide, mom’s recipe, raspberry butter cake, and lemon cheesecake.
Considering that Agent Blondie does not like peanut flavored things, we decided to take mom’s recipe out of our options, because it has peanut butter chips. That being said, we picked the remaining four.
Here’s what we think about each one of them:
Pink velvet:
A. Blondie: It’s okay. If you like red velvet, you are going to like it.  It’s just a red velvet without cocoa powder. The concept of pink velvet is still strange to me. 6/10
A. Danish: It’s not bad. Most of the taste comes from the cream cheese frosting. 5/10
Hazelnut mudslide:
A. Blondie: This one is pretty good. If you are a Nutella fan, go for it. 8/10
A. Danish: Mmmmm… Nutella 8/10
Raspberry Butter Cake:
A. Blondie: I don’t like the raspberry jam that they put on top of it. It’s too tart for me, and not very sweet. The cookie itself is good, though. 4/10
A. Danish: I like the tartness of the raspberry jam it pairs nicely with the cookie. If you’re fan of tart fruit pies like strawberry rhubarb you will probably enjoy this too. 7/10
Lemon Cheesecake:
A. Blondie: So, when I first got it, straight from the store, I really did not like it. When it’s cold, it’s really doughy. Whenever I don’t like lemon flavored things, it’s really upsetting. I really love lemons. However, I had a bite hours later, when the cookie was at room temperature, and my view on it completely changed. At room temperature, this cookie is great. So, I’m gonna give this one two ratings, one while cold and another one at room temperature. Cold: 3/10 Room Temperature: 9/10
A. Danish: I did not enjoy the doughy texture when this was cold either. I think it’s better when it’s close to room temperature as well but not much better as I could taste more of the bitterness of the lemon. Cold: 3/10 Room Temperature: 6/10
Alright, those are our reports. See you guys soon!

Brazilian Stroganoff Sauce

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How are you guys doing? Today we are bringing you a stroganoff sauce recipe for your pasta, but with a twist. Some differences that you can clearly see is that the Brazilian stroganoff doesn’t have any flour as thickening agent and also doesn’t have any sour cream in it. Those two ingredients are going to be replaced by table cream, which has a somewhat thick consistency. Do not switch the table cream for any other cream, because the consistency will get messed up.

Let’s get to it.

You’re gonna need:
-Stove top
-A big pot

Ingredients:
-4oz yellow onions, chopped
-1Tbsp unsalted butter
-1lb ground beef
-1 packet of beefy onion soup powder
-8oz (1 can) of table cream
-1/4 cup Ragu (or any other “basic” spaghetti sauce you like)
-1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 cup canned white sliced mushrooms (optional)

Instructions:
-On low heat, cook the on onions with the butter until soft.
-Add in the ground beef. Cook it for 10 minutes, or until it’s not pink anymore. Add in the soup powder, and cook it with the beef for a couple of minutes, this time with the lid on.
-Take the lid off and add in the table cream, the spaghetti sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and (optional) mushrooms. Stir and cook it for another couple of minutes.
-Serve your stroganoff sauce with whatever pasta you like.
That’s it
See you guys soon!

Banana Bread Blondies with Chocolate Chips

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Today we are bringing to you guys an easy recipe that will definitely make everyone happy.

You’re gonna need:
-Food Processor
-Oven
-Square 8×8″ pan, at least 2 inches tall
Ingredients:
-160g (5.64oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
-250g (8.8oz) light brown sugar
-1 whole egg+ 1 yolk
-1tsp banana extract
-180g (6.34oz) all-purpose flour
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp cinnamon
-220g (7.76oz) (approx 2 medium) bananas
-150g (5.3oz) dark chocolate chips + 40g (1.4oz) for the top

Instructions:
-Pre-heat the oven to 340ºF. Line your baking pan with foil. Set aside.
-In a bowl, combine flour, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
-In the food processor, beat the banana into a cream. Add the butter, and after that the sugar. Beat those ingredients for about 2 minutes. Add in the egg and yolk, and beat it for another minute or so. Scrape the sides to make sure everything is well combined.
-With your food processor on low, slowly add in the dry mix. Beat just enough to combine everything. Pour the batter into a big bowl and make sure that everything is very well combined before adding in the 150g of chocolate chips. With that added in, pour your batter into the lined baking pan. Add the remaining 40g of chocolate chips to the top of your batter.
-Bake your blondies for about 37 minutes (in case you have the same exact baking pan we have here, which is unlikely), or until you see the edges becoming just a bit tan and the center isn’t jiggly and wet anymore. You do not want to over bake them, otherwise they might get too dry.
-Let it cool down to room temperature and cut it into squares. That’s it!

See you guys again soon!

S’mores cookies

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Summer is coming (a bless for many, a curse for a few, including the agents). Along with the bugs and the heat, chocolate and marshmallows are paired up during the season for our famous American snack, s’mores.

But what if you don’t like the heat? Or the bugs? Or even going outside, even if it’s just out to your backyard?
Fear not. We have a summer snack for you. S’mores cookies.

Let’s get to it.

You’re gonna need:
-Stand mixer
-Refrigerator
-Oven
-Food processor (for making the graham cracker crumbs)
-3 Tbsp measuring scoop

Ingredients:
-1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (assuming your room is air conditioned or at least not hot enough to melt the butter, the joys of summer)
-1 1/2 cups brown sugar
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 Tbsp light corn syrup
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs (use your food processor to make these)
-2 tsp cornstarch
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1 cup milk chocolate chips
-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-100g mini marshmallows

Instructions:
-In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and graham cracker crumbs. Set aside.
-In the stand mixer bowl, beat butter and both sugars for about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla. Beat for another couple of minutes. Don’t forget to scrape the sides.
-With the mixer now on low, add your dry mix to the butter mix, little by little. Mix it just enough for the flour mix to be incorporated. Again, don’t forget to scrape the sides. Turn the mixer off and use a spatula to make sure everything is well combined.
-Manually, stir in the chocolate and marshmallows. You might have to use your hands for this step. Or the spatula. Whatever you think is best. Just make sure that those ingredients are mixed well into your cookie dough.
-Use your cookie scoop to make balls of cookie dough. Put the cookie dough balls in a container and let them refrigerate overnight.
-Bake your cookies at 340ºF, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for about 17 minutes. When setting them on your baking sheet, give your cookies at least two inches of a gap so they can spread while baking.

That’s it!

See you guys soon!

Pesto meatballs

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Today the agents are bringing to you guys some meat. Some balls. Some meatballs. Serve them with whatever you think it’s best. We suggest something like a cheese/alfredo sauce, because you do not want to overpower the meatball flavor.

What you’re gonna need:
-Oven
-Stove top
-2 Tbsp measuring cookie/ice cream scoop
-Baking sheet that has edges/sides (Please DO NOT bake this in a completely flat baking sheet).

Ingredients for the meatballs:
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1 Tbsp unsalted butter
-220g yellow or white onions, finally chopped
-1 Tbsp minced garlic
-2/3 cup pesto
-1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 egg
-1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp ground black pepper
-1 1/4 lb ground beef

Instructions:
1- Over low heat, cook the onions, minced garlic, olive oil and butter. Cook it for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are very soft. Set it aside and let it cool down to room temperature before you do the following steps.
2- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a big bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, egg, salt, pesto and pepper. Make sure that everything is well combined. Add in the beef and the sautéed onions. Mix it thoroughly, again, until very well combined.
3-Using a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop, put the meatballs on the baking sheet. You don’t have to give them too much space between them, one inch of a gap will do.

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4- Bake them for about 25 minutes. If you are not absolutely sure that your meatballs are done, just cut one of them open. If your meatball is not pink on the inside anymore, that means that it’s done. Move them away from the oil that seeps out while they are baking. Serve them with whatever you want.

That’s it for today!
We’ll see you guys soon!

Brazilian Carrot Cake

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Today we are bringing you guys a recipe for Brazilian Carrot Cake. Similar to the Italian one, the Brazilian version also doesn’t have those big pieces of carrot that we can see in the American version. However, the biggest difference between the Italian one and the Brazilian one lies in the frosting, this one is covered with chocolate.

Let’s get to it.

What you’re gonna need:
-Food processor
-Microwave or stove top
-Oven
-Mixer
-9x9x1 3/4 inch square cake pan

Ingredients for the Cake:
-300g raw carrots, chopped, if possible
-1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil
-3 eggs
-320g granulated sugar
-Pinch of salt
-260g all-purpose flour
-1 tsp baking powder

Instructions for the cake:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 340ºF. Line your baking pan with aluminum foil or grease it and dust it. Set aside.
2. In the mixer bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In the food processor, beat the carrots and purée them as much as possible with it. With the food processor still on, add the eggs one by one. Beat them for a couple of minutes. Scrape the sides to make sure that everything is uniform and nothing has been left behind. Then add in the sugar, and beat it for a little while again. Then add in the oil, beating it once more.
4. Turn the mixer on low, and add the carrot mix to the dry mix little by little beating just enough to make sure that everything is uniform. Again, don’t forget to scrape the bowl.
5. Pour the batter into the baking pan, and bake it for about 37 minutes in case you have the exact same baking pan as ours. As usual, we’d advise you to trust the toothpick test more than the time (but it’s good to have an idea of when it’s gonna be baked, right?). Let it cool down to room temperature before making and spreading the chocolate frosting.

Ingredients for the frosting:
-3 Tbsp hot water
-3 Tbsp cocoa powder
-2 Cups powdered sugar
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
-Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Instructions for the frosting:
In a bowl combine powdered sugar, cocoa, and hot water. Stir until uniform. Add in the melted butter, and stir again. Spread the frosting on the cake. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles if desired.

That’s it for today!
See you guys soon!

Crumbl Visit

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The agents went to Crumbl this week.

Here’s our report on this week’s flavors:
Of all 6 flavors, we picked 4. Carrot Cake, Iced Oatmeal, Double Fudge Brownie and Lemon Bar.
Agent Blondie’s view on the flavors:
-Carrot Cake: Pretty Good. The Buttercream is a bit too much for me though. 8/10
-Iced Oatmeal: Delicious. Seriously. And no raisins (those misleading fiends…). 10/10
-Double Fudge Brownie: It definitely brings to the table what was promised. It’s extremely loaded with chocolate, to the point I have to eat it in little bites – no complaints about that. 10/10
-Lemon Bar: The cookie itself is a bit too “sandy” for me. I’m a fan of lemon curd (unlike Agent Danish), so that was fantastic. 5/10. And for a lemon aficionado like me, that says a lot.
Agent Danish’s view on the flavors:
-Carrot Cake: Not bad. It reminds me of carrot cake, but I also think the buttercream was a bit too much as well. 7/10
-Iced Oatmeal: Good, agent Blondie stole too much of this one for me to develop a complete opinion though.
-Double Fudge Brownie: Much cookie, very chocolate. This one was also the best texture, Nicely baked while still remaining soft. 10/10
-Lemon Bar: It doesn’t have a ton of the aftertaste I’ve experienced from other lemon curd but it’s still there. Also I’m not a fan of the ultra doughy/sandy texture. 4/10
Alright, time to go! See you guys soon!

Chocolate Orange Rum Cake

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Hello once again!

Today we are bringing to you guys a recipe for a layered cake. Blondie likes to make her cakes very well layered. 4 to 5 layers of filling is what you’re gonna get with this recipe here. Before we keep going, we strongly advise you to make the filling and the buttercream the day before, since we’ll have many steps (and dirty dishes) with this one. That being said, let’s jump to the recipe.

What you’re gonna need:
-Stand Mixer
-Oven
-2 7″ round pans. (3″ tall)
-A big cooking pot

For the cake, you are going to use this recipe, but ignore the baking time of it, since we’re going to bake this cake in a different pan size. Don’t forget to grease and dust the pans. Bake your cake at 340ºF for about 40 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Don’t forget that you have to wait until your cake has cooled down completely to room temperature before adding the filling and finishing it with the buttercream.

Ingredients for the filling:
-150g dark chocolate (90%)
-590g sweetened condensed milk (1 1/2 can)
-335g table cream  (1 1/2 can)
-6 Tbsp rum (any spiced/gold rum of your choice)
-4 1/2 tsp rum extract

Instructions:
In a big pot over low heat, cook all the ingredients, stirring constantly. Cook it until it reaches a thick pudding consistency. Let it cool down to room temperature before use. If you make it the day before, you can keep it either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Just remember to let it reach room temperature before using it.

Did you end up with filling that is too thick to be spreadable? You cooked it for too long. Don’t worry, you just have to stir in some table cream to make it a bit softer.

For this filling, it’s better to overcook it than undercook it. If you undercook it, you’ll have a filling that won’t stay put. Hopefully soon we’ll have a video for it, and whenever that happens, there will be a link right here.

Frosting:
For the outside, cover the cake with our Chocolate Orange Buttercream. One recipe of it will be enough for your cake.

That’s it for today! We’ll see you guys soon!

Vegan Italian Orange Carrot Cake

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This is the vegan version of the Italian Carrot Cake that we brought to you guys a couple of days ago. If you want to see the regular recipe, click here

You’re gonna need:
-Food processor
-Mixer
-Oven
-Baking pan (I used a 9x9x2 inch square cake pan)

Ingredients for the cake:
-2 cups pastry flour
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-7oz (200g) carrots, chopped
-3/4 cup salted vegan butter at room temperature
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3 1/2 tbsp egg replacer (we used Bob’s Red Mill)+ 5 tbsp water
-1 tsp orange extract
-1/4 cup orange juice (100% juice, no pulp)

Instructions for the cake:

1- Pre-heat the oven to 340ºF. Cover your baking pan with aluminum foil or grease it and dust it, your choice here. We always pick the foil. If you are going to grease it, we do not recommend the salted vegan butter, because that might make your cake too salty. Use Crisco for this step instead.

2- In a bowl, combine the pastry flour and baking powder. Set aside.

3- In a small bowl, combine the egg replacer and the water. Make sure that the powder is very well combined with the water. Set aside as well. This should rest for a couple of minutes before being used.

4- In the food processor, beat the sugar, butter, carrots, orange extract and juice. Keep beating until all the carrot pieces are gone and you have a somewhat well combined cream. Some tiny bits of carrots might be unavoidable, and that is okay. Add in the egg replacer mix, and beat some more, for maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

4- Pour the vegan butter mix into the mixing bowl, and with the mixer on low, add in the dry mix to it, little by little, mixing just enough until everything is well combined. Don’t forget to scrape the sides.

5- Bake it for about 25 minutes (if you have the exact same size of baking pan, of course), or until the cake passes the toothpick test (that is, when you insert a toothpick right in the middle of the cake and it comes out clean or with very few dry crumbs). Let the cake cool off to room temperature before covering it with frosting.

Ingredients for the vegan chocolate frosting:
-100ml coconut milk
-3 1/2 tbsp dutch cocoa powder
-3 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions for the vegan chocolate frosting:
-In a saucepan, on low/medium heat, stir all 3 ingredients constantly until all the sugar is dissolved. That’s it. Your frosting is ready to be used.

Alright, that’s it for today! We’ll see you guys again soon!

Italian Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Today we are bringing to you guys a carrot cake recipe. Not the American one, however. So, if you like giant chunks of carrots in your cake, this recipe is not for you. Open your heart to this smooth carrot cake and you will not be disappointed.

You’re gonna need:
-Food processor
-Mixer
-Oven
-Baking pan (I used a 9x9x2 inch square cake pan)

Ingredients for the cake:
-2 cups pastry flour
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-a pinch of salt
-7oz (200g) carrots, chopped
-3/4 cup butter at room temperature
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-2 whole eggs
-1 egg yolk
-1 tsp orange extract
-1/4 cup whole milk

Instructions for the cake:

1- Pre-heat the oven to 340ºF. Cover your baking pan with aluminum foil or grease it and dust it, your choice here. We always pick the foil.

2- In a bowl, combine the pastry flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

3- In the food processor, beat the sugar, butter, carrots, orange extract and milk. Keep beating until all the carrot pieces are gone and you have a somewhat well combined cream. Some tiny bits of carrots might be unavoidable, and that is okay. Add in the whole eggs and the egg yolk, and beat some more, for maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

4- Pour the butter mix into the mixing bowl, and with the mixer on low, add in the dry mix to it, little by little, mixing just enough until everything is well combined. Don’t forget to scrape the sides.

5- Bake it for about 25 minutes (if you have the exact same size of baking pan, of course), or until the cake passes the toothpick test (that is, when you insert a toothpick right in the middle of the cake and it comes out clean or with very few dry crumbs). Let the cake cool off to room temperature before covering it with cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:
-1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
-2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream

Instructions for the cream cheese frosting:
-In the mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and salt. Beat it until very well combined.
-With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, little by little.
-Switch to high speed. Add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, mixing very well after each addition, for about a minute. If you think the frosting is too thick at 2 tablespoons, add the third one (and if you still think it’s too thick after the third one, you know what to do). Now you just have to put it on top of your cake! 

Tip:
We always work on the frosting the day before we bake the cake. Just make the frosting, plop it into a plastic container and store it in the refrigerator until it’s time to be used. It might take a couple of hours to reach room temperature again, so keep that in mind when planning your cake.

Alright, that’s it for today! We’ll see you guys again soon!