CakeBall Truffles

Just a quick one to share these fancy truffle cakeballs...To whip these up, just make some regular cakeballs, then drizzle some of the leftover melted chocolate over them with a spoon.

Mmm...wish I was eating some of these right now!

Bakery Buzz: Flirty Cupcakes Food Truck

I'm kind of obsessed with Food Trucks right now. You know, the ones that drive around like the ice cream man, only instead of ice cream and an annoying song, they sell delicious food. I've been following all of the downtown Chicago trucks on twitter and trying to scheme a way to get some food truck food. I even put it on my list of summer goals: Eat from a food truck.

So imagine my delight when I read this tweet: Flirty Cupcakes now at the Schaumburg train station! Apparently this truck comes out to the suburbs on weekends. And Schaumburg - so close to me! Summer goal: About to be accomplished!

I convinced my mom to come on this adventure with me, so we hopped in the car in search of the cupcake truck. We got to the train station only to find out that the truck had pretty much been kicked out of the parking lot by the train station workers. Luckily the driver hadn't left yet, and she was nice (and sneaky) enough to drive around behind some trees and open up the side of the van so we could accomplish our mission. So even though we didn't quite get the full food truck experience, we still managed to get some tasty treats!

There were LOTS of different flavors to choose from, so we got 3 kinds: chocolate peanut butter, chocolate cheesecake, and banana chocolate chip. Hmm...do we like chocolate a little bit?

Yum! If you are also obsessed with food trucks, or you just love cupcakes, track down this truck! You will not be sorry, and will probably end up with a fun food truck adventure to share.

Follow on Twitter: @FlirtyCupcakes

Bakery Buzz: Sugar Fixe Patisserie

I've been visiting lots of bakeries lately...call it research?...and I decided to share some of my favorites here, with some "Bakery Buzz". That way you all can go check them out too! So here's the first one...
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I was in Oak Park the other day, just wandering around, and I stumbled upon the Sugar Fixe Patisserie. How could I resist these striped awnings and cute outdoor tables?

Inside I found a display counter filled with all kinds of delicious treats, including cupcakes, macarons, quiches, and tarts. There were only 3 kinds of cupcakes (chocolate, lemon, or vanilla) but plenty of other goodies to choose from. While I was there, I heard about a hazelnut tart that I would definitely look for next time.

I was greeted by a cheerful woman behind the counter, who recommended the chocolate cupcake and the limonta sparkling soda. Both were delicious and perfect for the blazing hot summer day!

Go check them out next time you're in Oak Park!

Sugar Fixe Patisserie

119 N Marion Street
Oak Park, IL 60302

www.sugarfixe.com

VBS Snacks: Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

So this is definitely my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. (Sorry, back of the nestle chocolate chips bag - you are out). I have made these cookies at least 5 times this summer, and every time, they are just so good! There's a post about them from a while back (the first time I made them), minus the gushing about the goodness, because I didn't realize then that these would be the new best ever cookies! So, if you want to make the BEST chocolate chip cookies, either click here for the original recipe, which makes about 6 dozen cookies (yikes!) or use this half recipes, which makes about 3 dozen...

Here's what you will need:

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips - I like to use M&M's and mini chocolate chips...About this many:  

Here's the rest of the recipe, taken from the original recipe, just split in half to make less cookies.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside. (Optional, I never do the sifting).
2.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and M&M's.
3. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Edges should be golden brown.

VBS Snacks: Snickerdoodles

This is the snickerdoodle recipe I use to make cookies with the 1st graders at school every year. Now you know it's easy, because if 1st graders can follow it, so can you!

Here's what you need:

And here's what you do:

And here are a few notes:

1. I never chill the cookie sheet, so don't worry about it.

2. I do chill the dough, but just not for too long, otherwise the cinnamon sugar won't stick.

3. Even if they don't look done after 10 minutes, take the cookies out of the oven - they will be soft and delicious!

Enjoy!

VBS Snacks: White Chocolate Popcorn

This is one of the easiest, but still tasty, snacks to make for a big group of people. You don't need a lot of ingredients, and it doesn't take a long time or make a huge mess. It's also really easy to put your own twist on it. Start with some microwave popcorn and vanilla almond bark and then add whatever else you want!

I usually add pretzels and M&M's. Sometimes nuts, but not this time.

Once you have all of your goodies ready to go, it's a pretty easy process. The only tricky thing can be the timing. Here's what I do...

1. If you are just making 1 bag of popcorn, use 4-5 squares of almond bark. (For more popcorn, just use more almond bark). Start melting the almond bark. Put the squares in a microwave safe bowl, and melt on high for about 1 min. Take them out (they won't be melted all the way) and pop 1 bag of popcorn. When the popcorn is done, finish melting the almond bark (just follow the directions on the package).

2. Dump all of the popcorn into a big bowl. Try not to let the old maids sneak into the bowl. (FYI: "old maids" are the popcorn kernels that didn't pop!) 

 

3. Once the almond bark is melted, pour that on top of the popcorn. Then crush up some pretzels (as many as you want) and throw those on top. Toss a handful of M&M's in there too.

4. Mix it all together. The pretzels and M&M's tend to sink to the bottom, so I like to spread it all out onto a cookie sheet while it cools.

5. Let it all harden together, then enjoy your tasty treat!

VBS Snacks: Cinnamon Scones

A while back, I posted the recipe for these tasty little scones (check it out here). But if you don't want to look it up again, here's the easy recipe...

If you click on the picture, you can see it bigger!

The original recipe is from my aunt's friend, so the typed notes are her's. I added my own at the bottom. Here are the notes that I should add: I usually use a little bit less than 3 cups of flour, otherwise the dough is too crumbly. Also, sometimes I bake them on a pizza stone or just on a regular pan (no parchment paper). Either one works fine. So those are my suggestions - take them or leave them!