Windy Sydney

Tomorrow one of my supervisors is transferring to another department. It's not like I will never see him again or anything, but he is really cool and I will miss his laid back approach. He's cool. Luckily, the person taking his spot seems pretty cool as well.

So... I used his last day in the department as an excuse to bake. I will take any excuse to bake, most of you know this by now.

Here are my latest creations:

These are homemade girl scout cookies... samoas.



The cookie itself is shortbread. I used the recipe from Martha Stewart magazine but you could substitute store-bought cookies if you like. Sandies Simply Shortbread are just as good as the cookies from scratch if you ask me!!! And you don't have to tell anyone you didn't make 'em!

I melted a bag of milk chocolate chips, and poured half the chocolate onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. I then placed my shortbread cookies on the chocolate to coat the bottom. Then, I took some toasted coconut and caramel sundae sauce, mixed them, and put a little of the mixture on top of the cookies (still on the cookie sheet). I then used a fork and drizzled the remaining chocolate over the cookies. Pop them in the fridge to let the chocolate cool and harden, then break the cookies up and put them on a plate. The chocolate breaks randomly, and I like the homestyle look it gives the cookies.

I didn't have as much coconut as I thought I did and that was a bummer. I highly suggest using more than I did!



I know they look nothing like the girl scout version, but the taste is similar and quite good.

Next, we have:


Chocolate Toffee Cupcakes!

It's devil's food cake with tons of chopped toffee candy bars in the cake batter. Then I iced the cupcakes with chocolate frosting and then rolled the cupcakes in the remaining candy bar pieces. These are really good, and I am definitely planning on making them again.


Last, but certainly not least:

Devil's Food Mint Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes.

Yes, this one was pretty damned complicated, but very worth it.

In each cupcake cup I placed a spoonful of devil's food cake batter, then a layer of mint chocolate brownie batter, then another layer of devil's food cake batter. Bake, then cool. They look like these:
I didn't want too much chocolate in the cupcake, so I used vanilla frosting and tinted it green to play up the mint flavor inside the cake itself...


Then I took some time and used the remaining mint chocolate brownie batter and baked up the topping...


Yeah, this cupcake will probably kill any diet created. It's worth it, though. Promise.

The chocolate sauce is mint chocolate sauce, which really helps the flavor.

Hope you all like 'em!

Andee