Lemon Ginger Sandwich Cookies

No such luck with TWD vanilla ice cream today. I didn't get my ice cream maker into the freezer in time, didn't have enough cream, ran out of eggs, and I don't eat ice cream anyway.

I found these sandwich cookies at Costco not too long ago and even though they were really good, they still had that store-bought taste, so I decided to make some of my own that were better and homemade! I used the packaged gingerbread cookie mix from Betty Crocker and added an extra egg to make them chewier. I just love those packaged mixes! For the frosting, I did 1/3 C softened butter, 2 T milk, and enough powdered sugar to get the consistency where it just holds shape. I added some yellow food coloring and some lemon extract with some grated lemon peel and it was delish! When the cookies are completely cooled, frost one side and top it with another cookie. Store airtight if you have any left to store!

Kneaders Cream Cheese Lemon Truffle Pie

If you ever get to take a trip to Utah, put Kneaders on your must stop list. It is a cute little place with amazing bread, pastries, breakfasts, and sandwiches. I found this recipe of one of their pies a few years ago and make it every Easter and usually once or twice more throughout the year. It is rich and creamy and lemony and absolutely to die for!


Kneaders' Cream Cheese Lemon Truffle Pie

Baked 9” pie shell
½ cup water
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Zest of ½ lemon
1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup vanilla chocolate chips or coins
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 cup whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon toasted almonds

Toast almonds on a parchment covered cookie sheet at 350 degrees until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Put water, sugar, lemon zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
In a large mixing bowl, mix egg and corn starch.
Slowly add hot water to egg mixture in the bowl, and then pour entire mixture back into the pan. Stirring continually, heat until thickened.
Remove from the heat. Add lemon juice and butter. Stir until mixture has cooled to 100 degrees.

Pour ½ of the hot filling in a bowl. This will be used as the second layer of the pie. Add vanilla chips to the filling remaining in the pan. Stir until chips are melted. In a second bowl, place softened cream cheese. Add the hot vanilla chip mixture to the cream cheese and beat together. Spread this mixture in the bottom of the pie shell.
Spread the remaining lemon filling on top. Chill for two hours.

Top with sweetened whipped cream and garnish with toasted almonds. Makes 1 pie. Keep refrigerated until time to serve.

Lemon Berry Smoothies

Trying to create something sweet enough to satisfy me, but so I wouldn't feel any guilt after eating it, I came up with a lemon berry smoothie. It is simple and one of the more healthy desserts I have made, but still very refreshing.

It is perfect timing for a smoothie too. Tuesday was my BFF's birthday! I would have posted this then if it wasn't for Tuesdays With Dorie. But, we have been best friends since we were 12! I'm not super old or anything, but that's a long time! The reason why a smoothie is significant is because the first job we ever had was working together at a cute little bread and smoothie shop called Whole Grain. Smoothies were our favorite and I can remember more than one occasion that she would show up at my house when I was having a bad day or for no reason at all, with smoothie in hand. She is always so thoughtful! I have so many wonderful memories of growing up with her. I know we will be friends forever.

This smoothie doesn't even compare to the ones we had loaded with ice cream, especially when we had them with the good cookies or scones that we sold too, but still good nonetheless. Happy Birthday, La! I love you!

Lemon Berry Smoothie

1 1/2 C berries of your choice
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1 C water
2 C ice cubes

Blend together until all ice pieces remaining can be sipped through a straw.


I can't wait for summer fruits and veggies! Guess I should let spring come first though, right?!

Lemon Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

This is just as the name says it is...

Lemon cheesecake with gingersnap crust. Everyone has their favorite cheesecake recipes, and if you don't you need to get Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook and make her tall and creamy cheesecake. It is by far the best I have ever had...ever! Just add some freshly grated lemon peel and about a tsp of lemon extract to the mix and you have delicious lemon cheesecake.

I used the swedish ginger thins for the crust and just added a little sugar and melted butter. Again, follow your favorite graham cracker crust recipe, but substitute gingersnap crumbs for graham cracker crumbs.
This was a light and spring-ish little dessert. I made them single serving size, of course, because they are so cute and easy to serve and eat. I feel my lemon cravings come back...stay tuned for more!

Giveaway Winner and Lemon Chicken

We had so much fun for brownie week last week and I've had a great weekend of not making or eating brownies. I'm almost recharged to get going again!

According to Random.org's Integer Generator, the winner of the cookbook giveaway is...

#16

Colleen said...

yummy! can i lick the screen? those look mighty tasty. i also love coconut, chocolate, and almonds in them.

October 6, 2008 1:10 PM

(you can email me at beflinders@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can get this wonderful cookbook off to you! Congratulations and happy baking!)

Here is a list of more of my favorite brownie recipes from some other foodies:

Brownie Caramel Cheesecake from Yummy Dinners

Easiest Brownies in the World from My Kitchen Cafe

Frosted Marshmallow Brownies, and Strawberry Cheesecake Swirled Blondies from Baking Blonde

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie Cups from Picky Palate

Chocolate Caramel Brownies from Stephanie's Kitchen

Chocolate Toffee Brownie Bites from Two Peas and Their Pod

Mint Chocolate Crunch Brownies from Vanilla Sugar


On to the Lemon Chicken. I got inspired watching a friend cook dinner for her family a few days ago and came up with this lemon chicken idea. Growing up there was the best little family owned Chinese restaurant converted from an old house that I would frequent often for their lemon chicken. It was just perfect. Not too sweet, not too sour, and not at all spicy. After I got married and my husband and I went back to the Bay Area I tried to take him because Chinese food is his favorite. I was raving about this chicken and my mouth was watering and my heart racing with excitement as we were getting closer. We pulled into the quaint little parking lot only to find out the restaurant had burnt down just a few weeks earlier! Isn't that so sad?! I have tried lemon chicken at almost every other Chinese restaurant I have been to and am always disappointed but now I think I have recreated the memory of this little burnt down restaurant with this dish and I am really excited about it.


Lemon Chicken

4 chicken breast OR 12 chicken tenders cut in bite size pieces
2 eggs
1 C flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chopped green onion
cooking oil

Heat oil in frying pan for frying at about 375 or medium-high heat. You will need enough oil that is is about 1/2 inch deep at the bottom of your pan.

Whisk eggs in small bowl and set aside.

Combine flour, salt and pepper, and green onion in bowl and set aside.

Dip chicken in egg wash and then in flour mixture. Fry in oil until browned and chicken is cooked through, flipping half way.


Lemon Sauce (adapted from the A Pinch of Salt Lake cookbook)

1/4 C sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 C chicken broth or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 C boiling water
2 T soy sauce
1/3 C lemon juice
1/4 C sliced green onions
red pepper flakes optional if you like a little kick with your meal

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and broth. Cook until opaque (you can see through it). Add soy sauce and lemon juice and keep warm until ready to use.

Drizzle sauce over cooked chicken and sprinkle onions over top. Serve with steamed rice.

side note: I didn't use all the sauce. Just use as much as you would like!

Brownie Week, Day 2 and Tuesdays With Dorie

FIRST-The Brownie for Day 2: White Chocolate Blondies with Lemon and White Chocolate. That is an incredibly long name for a brownie, I know. I used the blondie recipe found in the Cookies, Brownies, and Bars cookbook that I'm giving away. (Be sure to leave a comment on Monday's post with what your dream brownie is to be entered to win!) I put a layer of the lightest lemon frosting over the blondie and topped it off with white chocolate. I cut these beauties into just 1 inch squares because they are so rich. The combination of the lemon and white chocolate is just heavenly!

White Chocolate Blondies with Lemon and White Chocolate Frosting

*start with your favorite blondie recipe (couldn't post the one I used for publisher rights stuff) and add 6 oz white chocolate chips before cooking.

Lemon Frosting

1/2 C butter, softened
2 C powdered sugar

Mix well

Add:
1 tsp lemon extract
1 T milk
2-3 drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

Blend until light and fluffy. Pour over blondies that are completely cool and refrigerate until firm

Topping
1/2 C melted butter
6 oz white chocolate chips

Melt together and spread over lemon filling. Top with lemon zest for garnish. Refridgerate until firm. Cut into 1 inch squares and keep in fridge until served.

TIP: Don't forget to cover your pan completely in foil before baking but be sure to spray that with cooking oil before pouring brownie mix in it. It makes it so easy to take out of the pan to cut the brownies afterward.

SECOND: Tuesdays With Dorie. This is my first Tuesday cooking with Dorie and it was absolutely perfect because the recipe was Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake. I know, perfect, right?! It was a fun new recipe to try and you can find it on pages 264 and 265 in the Baking from my home to yours cookbook by Dorie Greenspan.



The brownie rose a TON in the oven and then the middle fell. According to the recipe, I shouldn't be alarmed by that happening, except that the outside edges were way overcooked by the time the middle was cooked through. I cut those burnt sides off the level the cake and it all worked out just fine though. Also, I have a hard time cooking with nuts, especially when they aren't ground to fine pieces, so even though the topping called for whole peanuts smothered in caramel sauce and it looked beautiful, I just couldn't do it. Instead I covered the whole cake in about 2 cups of sweetened coconut, sprinkled it with about 1/2 cup of chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips and popped it back into the warm oven to melt the chocolate a little bit. Then I melted 10 kraft caramels in about 2 tsp of milk and drizzled that over the top. This cake was SO good! I had to cut it to take some pictures and just wanted to taste one bite so I could write about it, but within about 30 seconds the whole piece was completely devoured. I hate it when I do that! I will definitely be making this again though!

Lemon Pudding Souffle

I tried a souffle! I know, scary right?! It wasn't too bad at all! It raised all pretty and didn't even sink in the middle. I did have to go buy me a cute little souffle dish, but that was half of the fun. So, the top of this pudding souffle was very light and spongy textured. At first bite I thought I almost could have eaten half of it all by myself, but then I got down the pudding part, and yum! It was sweet and sour and rich and lemony and just so good! It was to die for still warm from the oven, but I have to admit that I ate some for breakfast the next morning and it was almost as good all chilled from the fridge. I got the recipe from Family Fun magazine. In case you aren't familiar, it's this great little magazine that comes with craft ideas, recipes, and all sorts of fun things for families with kids. We love it in my household! So when I saw the recipe in there, I thought, how hard could it be?!

Click HERE for the recipe!

I topped it off with some powdered sugar because there's no such thing as too much sugar in my house!

This definitely is a good starter souffle though. It helped me get over my fear and now I can't wait to try mini souffles, because I always say that everything tastes better when it's cute and little, and I am ready to make my own versions too like dark chocolate souffle with fresh strawberries, and caramel souffle with baked apples! My mouth is already watering! Yum!

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

I made this recipe a few years ago for a breakfast gathering and lost the recipe, but I just found it again and because I'm on this lemon kick I couldn't wait to make them! These muffins are so lite and flavorful with the blend of lemon and almond. They are perfect for a summertime brunch! Yum! Of course I like to make them mini because small things are always cuter and then you can eat more than one and feel okay about it.
Lemon Ricotta Muffins
Recipe courtesy of Giada Dr Laurentiis

2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar plus some for sprinkling on tops of muffins
1/2 C butter, room temp
1 T grated lemon zest
1 C ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/3 C thinly sliced almonds (I opted out of these this time, but it's good either way)

Line muffin tins with liners or spray with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend well. In separate bowl, beat 1 C sugar, butter, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta, egg, lemon juice, and almost extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Sprinkle the sliced almonds and then the sugar on top of each one. Bake for 20 minutes for regular sized cups and 10 minutes for minis.

Makes 12 regular size, or 30 mini muffins.

Amazing Lemon Bars

I always crave anything lemon throughout summer and last night I tried a new recipe for a BBQ that totally hit the spot.

These bars were easy, rich, and perfectly lemony. A nice variation to the traditional lemon squares.

Amazing Lemon Bars

1 package yellow cake mix
1/3 C butter softened
1/2 C chopped pecans
1 package (3 oz size) lemon cook and serve pudding and pie filling (not instant)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 lemons
1 C powdered sugar

preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix and butter in small bowl until crumbly. Add pecans and mix well. Reserve 1 C of mixture for topping and the rest can be pressed in a 13x9 inch casserole pan for the crust.

whisk pudding mix and sweetened and condensed milk in small bowl until smooth. Add zest of 1 lemon and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix well and pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crust mixture.

bake for 25-28 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Add enough lemon juice to powdered sugar to make a thick glaze and drizzle over bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares.