Oreo Cookie Frosting

This is not difficult, just a bit unusual. If you prefer a frosting that's a bit easier to make, try adding Oreos to your favorite buttercream frosting.

1 cup milk
5 tbsp flour, preferably Wondra
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 tbsp vanilla
10 Oreo Cookies



Gradually add milk to flour until well-blended.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.  Remove from heat; cool completely.  (Cover with waxed paper to avoid “skin” forming.)

Beat butter and sugar for  five minutes, scraping sides of bowl often.  Beat in cooled milk-flour mixture. Add 1 tbsp vanilla.  Beat just until combined. Fold in chopped Oreo cookies.

Trader Joe's Cookie Butter Cupcakes

Cake:

1½  cups sugar 

2¼ cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter

1 cup buttermilk

¾ cup water

½ cup canola or vegetable oil

1 tbsp Trader Joe's vanilla extract

Frosting:

1 cup Trader Joe's unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup Trader Joe's Cookie Butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 24 cupcake liners in pans. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a  medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Cookie Butter, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Pour batter into pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean, about 15-20 minutes.

Let cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then remove to the rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting: Mix together the butter and Cookie Butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Mix in vanilla.

Optional: Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with crushed Trader Joe Speculoos cookies.

Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake Muffins

1¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp salt
½ cup canola oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1½ cups canned pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup milk, at room temperature

Crumb Topping:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners (recipe makes 15 muffins). Set aside.

Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, sugars, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.

Spoon the batter into liners, filling them almost full.

Make the crumbs: Whisk the flour, sugars and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Stir in the melted butter until crumbs form. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of batter and gently press them into the batter.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Make ahead tip: Muffins can be frozen up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature.

Eggnog Cheesecake

CRUST
2 cups vanilla wafers cookie crumbs
6 tbsp butter, melted
½ tsp ground nutmeg

FILLING
4 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp rum extract (or 3 tbsp rum)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks

Heat oven to 325 degrees. To prepare crust, mix together crumbs, butter and nutmeg; press onto bottom and 1½ “ up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes.

To prepare filling: beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, rum extract and vanilla with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing at low speed after each addition, just until blended. Blend in heavy cream and egg yolks; pour into crust.

Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan of loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. If desired, garnish with nutmeg and whipped cream.

Oatmeal-Coconut-White Chocolate Cookies

1 cup salted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut

3 cups old-fashioned or quick oats*

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat butter and both sugars with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking soda and continuing mixing until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the speed to low and add the flour, mixing until incorporated.

Beat in the coconut, then mix in the oats and white chocolate chips until evenly combined.

Using a large (3 tbsp) cookie scoop, drop the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers have set.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Quick oats give a more delicate texture to baked goods.  If you want a heartier texture, use old-fashioned oats.

Strawberry-Glazed Cheesecake

The cheesecake should be made the day before and glazed the following day a few hours before serving.

Crust:

1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup melted butter

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Filling:

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 container (24 oz) sour cream

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

¼ tsp almond extract

2 tsp vanilla

Glaze:

1 quart  strawberries

½ jar (12 oz) red raspberry jelly, seedless

½ tbsp cornstarch

¼ cup water

Mix together crust ingredients and press into a 10” greased spring pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.

While crust is baking, mix cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar beating until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add almond extract and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.

Pour into pan. Bake 35-40 at 375 degrees. Remove immediately. Cool thoroughly and refrigerate overnight.

Glaze: Several hours before serving, wash and hull berries and let them dry completely on paper towels. Combine cornstarch and a little jelly in a saucepan. Mix well.  Add remaining jelly and water and cook over medium heat stirring frequently until thickened and clear, about 5 minutes. Cool to lukewarm stirring occasionally.

Using knife, loosen cheesecake from pan; remove springform. Arrange berries pointed end up over top of cake. Spoon glaze over berries. Return to refrigerator until the glaze is set.

Crushed Blueberry Sauce

3 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed), divided

⅔ cup brown sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp grated lemon peel

Combine 1½ cups blueberries, brown sugar, lemon juice and lemon peel in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until berries are very soft and liquid is syrupy, stirring often, about 7 minutes.

Remove from heat; add remaining blueberries.  Using back of spoon, gently press fresh blueberries against side of pan until lightly crushed.

Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Serve chilled or rewarm before serving, if desired.