sprinkles Archives - Ari's Menu

Browned Butter Funfetti Cookies

February 6, 2015 · by Ari · 5 Comments

Rich, nutty, bakery-style browned butter funfetti cookies are everything you could dream of in a cookie–crunchy outside with a soft and chewy inside.

Guessssss what??? IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! And a big one. The big 3-0 or, as I like to call it, 20-10. And we’re celebrating with my favorite cookies. Yes. My very favorite cookies I have ever made, tasted, smelled, etc. They are absolute heaven, and I knew I had to save them for a special occasion to share with you because they are totally, unapologetically indulgent.

After I got home from New York in November, I wanted to make myself a special marathon treat, and I had been craving a perfect funfetti cookie since trying the one from Schmackary’s. Word has it, Obama sends his secret service men to Schmakary’s to get him cookies when he’s in the city. Fancy.

Well, I have a confession. I promise, as much as I love attention, I really do hate to toot my own horn. I actually consider myself a fairly modest person, and I always have a hard time telling you how delicious my recipes are because I feel kind of like a tool–like when you talk about how good the food you made was during dinner? It’s, like, the most uncomfortable thing. But THESE COOKIES. I will shout it from the rooftops. I liked them better thank Schmakary’s. I’m sorry. No, I’m not. Those are great, but this is better.

Apparently birthday week means browned butter week? These were my first time baking (or even tasting!) browned butter, but like I said about the browned butter spaghetti squash–it was sooooo worth the hype! That rich, nutty flavor is uncanny and canNOT be recreated with any substitutes. Every once in a while, it’s just worth having a real, full fat, indulgent cookie. And this was one of those times.

They came out just like I imagined them–perfectly crunchy outsides with ultra soft, chewy insides. Steve even agreed that he’s rather have mine than the one from Schmakary’s and this one is gluten-free, although you’d never know it. Of course, if you eat gluten, feel free to use white whole wheat flour, or even (gasp) all purpose. I haven’t bought that stuff in years, but these babies are meant for full enjoyment, so have at it! And if you’re so inclined, top ’em off with some light and fluffy cream cheese frosting. It’s also worth it.

Browned Butter Funfetti Cookies

Author: Ari Ziskin

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: about 3 dozen

Rich, nutty, bakery-style browned butter funfetti cookies are everything you could dream of in a cookie--crunchy outside with a soft and chewy inside.

Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free baking blend (or white whole wheat flour, or all purpose)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, browned and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
⅔ cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles

For the cream cheese frosting:

½ cup butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
extra sprinkles for topping

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together baking blend, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat together browned butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in sprinkles. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Line a large baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Roll dough in approximately 1½" balls and drop onto prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden and just set, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
To make frosting, beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat in powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Add vanilla and continue to beat until everything is smooth and incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Frost completely cooled cookies and top with extra sprinkles if desired. Frosting and cookies are best stored separately, then frost before serving. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Magic Shell Cups

July 7, 2013 · by Ari · 29 Comments

Remember Dibs? They were so popular when they first came out. Dangerously good, and finally brought ice cream as a “snack” to movie theaters. I was pretty obsessed, but as I’ve mentioned, I’m pretty obsessed with anything that includes ice cream. 😉

I tried to make you Dibs. I tried to many ways. I made a mess of my kitchen. Chocolate and fro-yo everywhere. And I’m not one of those roll with the punches people who keeps it cool when things don’t work out. No. I work in an embarrassingly fragile state in the kitchen where I am known to have legit freak out when things don’t turn out the way I want them to. It’s really fun being married to me. 😉

Anyway, after several failed attempts, I decided to change things up a little. Last year I was obsessed with making these cups. Then after selling hundreds of them for fundraising and spending pretty much every weekend making them, I decided I never wanted to make a single candy cup again for the rest of my life. Good thing these are ice cream cups instead. They did bring back some painful memories, but man were they worth it in the end!

These cups are everything you love about a magic shell ice cream cone in tiny, bite-sized cups that are perfect for when you just want a little bit of sweetness. They are also extremely versatile. You could put rice krispies in the chocolate for some added crunch, you can use any type of ice cream/fro-yo you like (I like it best with nonfat vanilla fro-yo or coconut milk ice cream), you can add sprinkles (no brainer for me!) for color and crunch, and you could even put in some peanut butter, granola or pretzels to add some variety!

Magic Shell Cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 26-30 cups

Serving Size: 2 cups

Magic Shell Cups

Ingredients

20 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped (or dark chocolate chips)
1 tbsp coconut oil
Approx 1 cup ice cream/frozen yogurt of choice (I used coconut milk ice cream and nonfat vanilla fro-yo. If vegan, use coconut milk or other nondairy ice cream.)
Sprinkles for topping, optional

Instructions

Line mini muffin tins with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, heat chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
Spoon enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each baking cup. Add scant tablespoon fro-yo or ice cream. Cover with more chocolate. Add sprinkles if desired.
Freeze for at least one hour or until set. Cups will stay kept in the refrigerator for up to one month.

http://www.arismenu.com/magic-shell-cups/

Drink & Dish: DIY Funfetti Cake Mix {with video!}

April 8, 2013 · by Ari · 32 Comments

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST BLOG FRIEND NICOLE!!!!

You guys know how insanely obsessed with birthdays I am, right? I jump on any chance to celebrate, and I consider birthdays the day you celebrate that people you love are in your life. My normal birthday message goes something like “Happy birthday! I’m glad you were born!”

So okay, it might sounds a little silly and cheesy, but how often to we actually tell people we love that we’re glad they’ve in our lives? It’s nice to have a day where we’re reminded. Or maybe I’m just sentimental…

The beginning of April is crazy birthday time! Within a week, Steve, Nicole and her husband Lance all have their birthdays. I’m the odd man out, but that’s probably a good thing, because I have a total sharing problem when it comes to my birthday. I reallllllly like attention (in case you haven’t figured that one out yet), and I don’t want to share my thunder with anyone.

Once my dad told me he was dating someone with the same birthday as me. He thought I would think this was “cool”. I told him he should probably break it off. Some people are bad at sharing books and m&ms (I love you Heath), I’m bad at sharing birthdays.

So I have some pretty serious character flaws. Sharing, over sharing, and obsessive sprinkle photographing. I’m sorry. I took, like, 100 pictures because…sprinkles, they’re sooooo pretty. It was one of those magic days where I loved shooting from every angle, and of course, I wanted to share every single one of them with you because God forbid I leave out the one that looks the same, but it slightly closer up. I don’t know what my problem is.

That’s why I made the little collage. I figured it would make this post, maybe not 500 years long. Some people just post, like 2 pictures, say a few words, and then post a recipe, but I have SO MANY things to say and OMG SO MANY things to show you!

Oh, and I guess I should talk about the cake mix, eh? To put it concisely (because lord knows I’ve talked enough in this post), I can’t believe I ever bought a boxed cake mix! This was so much easier than driving to the store! I know sometimes we like to have a little bit of cake mix on hand for when other recipes call for it–well friends, you just put some together, and have it ready in the pantry. It’s so easy. And when I baked it into cupcakes, all I did was mix everything together in one bowl (all you have to add is applesauce, almond milk and vanilla!), and my cupcakes were done in NO TIME! Not to mention, they domed up so beautifully!

It was a great excuse to throw some sprinkles around with the birthday girl, and film the latest episode of Drink & Dish! Make sure to check out Nicole’s Boozy Birthday Cake Shake. It is ridiculously, sinfully good.

DIY Funfetti Cake Mix

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Serving Size: 1/24th mix

Easy, homemade, whole grain, vegan funfetti cake mix in less time than it takes to run to the store to buy a box.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
2 tsp baking powder
small pinch salt
1 1/3 cups Jimmies sprinkles

Instructions

Whisk all ingredients in together in a large bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Notes

To bake cupcakes, simply add 2/3 cup applesauce, 2 and 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk, and 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract to mix. Stir until combined. Evenly divide the batter between 2 dozen cupcake tins and bake @ 350 until a toothpick in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. You can also bake into 2 8-9" rounds, or one large sheet cake, just adjust baking times accordingly.

http://www.arismenu.com/drink-dish-diy-funfetti-cake-mix-with-video/

Skinnified Sunday: Birthday Cake Donuts

May 6, 2012 · by Ari · 3 Comments

Okay, first of all I’m not sure if I’m supposed to spell it ‘doughnut’ or ‘donut’.

Donut has less letters, but doughnut sounds kind of fancy.

And I ask you this: How can there be two correct spellings of the same word???? My type A brain can’t handle it.

Anyway, I made do(ugh)nuts! Fancy, sprinkly, festive, birthday cake do(ugh)nuts!

Yes, sprinkly is a word. It’s a synonym for fancy.

I found a super easy, and already light-ish recipe for cake doughnuts from All Recipes that I only had to slightly modify to get a pretty darn healthy, delicious, and festive looking do(ugh)nut.

My Swaps:

½ recipe (-temptation, the last thing I need is a dozen donuts sitting around)
white whole wheat flour for all-purpose (+protein, +fiber)
turbinado sugar/Splenda combo for white sugar (-sugar, -calories, and using all natural turbinado sugar makes me feel a little better about the Splenda—it’s all about balance, right?)
all cinnamon for cinnamon and nutmeg (personal preference)
unsweetened vanilla almond milk for regular (-fat, -calories, -sugar)
egg substitute for whole egg (-fat, -saturated fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
extra vanilla (I just really like it)
light whipped butter for shortening (-fat, -saturated fat, -trans fat, -calories)

Birthday Cake Donuts

Yield 6 donuts

Yes, I like it spelled donuts. 😉

1 cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup + 2 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tsp baking powder
pinch cinnamon
dash salt
¼ cup + 2 tbs unsweetened vanilla almond milk
¼ cup egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tbs light whipped butter, softened

For the glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar
dash almond extract
1-2 tbs hot water
sprinkles for topping (optional)

**Note: If you are in the anti Splenda club, just user all turbinado sugar. We don’t need to get hateful about it 😉

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray, and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, Splenda and cinnamon.
Using a hand mixer, beat in all remaining ngredients (excluding those for the glaze) until just combined.
Transfer batter to a plastic freezer bag, and cut a small hole in the corner.
Evenly divide batter between 6 donut forms.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, then let stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract and 1 tbs hot water. Slowly continue to add more water (and I mean very slowly. A little bit of liquid goes a long way with powdered sugar) until desired drippy consistency.
Dip tops of donuts into the glaze, then let stand on a flat surface. Top with sprinkles if desired.

Cake Batter Dip

April 17, 2012 · by Ari · 8 Comments

Rich, creamy cake batter dip is so easy to make and a lot healthier than you’d expect!

I’ve seen this versions of delicious dip all over the internet and I knew I wanted to try it out myself.

I knew that my future sister in law’s bridal shower was the perfect opportunity! This stuff was the hit of the shower, let me tell you!

So simple, so easy, so delicious, and so not as unhealthy as it sounds! Some of the guests thought it tasted like frosting. I thought it tasted like after you put your batter in the baking pan and you stick your whole face in your mixing bowl and lick it clean. You do that too, right??? Or now you think I’m a freak and you promptly clicked the little x on this tab and made a mental note to never return. That’s okay, if you don’t lick the bowl, I’m not sure we can be friends.

This dip requires three ingredients, and about as many minutes. It’s crazy that something so delicious can be so easy! My favorite moment of the day was when my five year old niece took a bite and happily exclaimed “Yummy yummy in my tummy!!” So my friends, make this for every party you throw. Seriously.

Cake Batter Dip

1 box funfetti cake mix (or if you want to make the dip in different flavors, you can use any cake mix–carrot cake batter dip anyone??)
1 lb nonfat plain Greek yogurt
8 oz container light Cool Whip
extra sprinkles for topping (optional, but honestly, who doesn’t opt to use extra sprinkles)
pretzels, animal crackers, fruit, or several spoons for dipping

Directions:

Using a hand mixer, beat cake mix, yogurt and Cool Whip together in a large mixing bowl.
Transfer to serving bowl, and top with extra sprinkles if desired.

TAAAADDDDAAAAA!!!!

Sugar Cookies

December 22, 2011 · by Ari · 2 Comments

There is something about the simplicity of the sugar cookie. People love it. It’s my brother’s very favorite. I wasn’t going to make any this year, but I could see the disappointment in Hermano’s face when I told him, so I made a batch up special just for him. Clearly, I am an awesome sister. I was so happy with how these sugar cookies turned out! Sometimes I’m nervous to modify more simple things because I’m worried that you’ll be able to taste the difference more, but these were fantastic and I definitely ate 2 before forcing myself to package them up for Hermano. Sorry Hermano, I couldn’t help it 😉

Sugar Cookies

yield approx 2 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup light whipped butter, softened
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/2 cup Splenda
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, Splenda and Greek yogurt together until combined. Beat in egg substitute and vanilla.
Slowly add in dry ingredients until combined, scraping sides of bowl when necessary.
Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Spray hands with nonstick spray, and roll dough into 1-1 1/2″ balls. Drop onto lined baking sheet.
Spray a piece of wax or parchment paper and use it to flatten cookies slightly.
Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden and set, but be careful not to over bake.
Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Top with Royal Icing and sprinkles (you can totally halve the icing recipe)!