Ooey Gooey Oreo Brownie Sandwiches

The blogosphere is abuzz with recipes for Halloween parties and Fall goodies, because these big seasonal affairs are universally exciting. But for now at least, I would rather celebrate the small things. The things that belong to no one else but me (and Goose too).

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the massive commercial holidays, even when you hardly know their significance, or even if they have one. Celebrating the little things, like straight A report cards, loosing teeth, the first snow of the season, and monthly anniversaries can bring just as much, if not more happiness.

Just because the rest of the world doesn’t recognize how incredible it is to dating the same person for 39 months, doesn’t mean that it isn’t incredible.I have a habit of baking something for Goose for each of our monthiversaries, not because there is any societal custom that dictates that I should, but because I feel so incredibly lucky to shared another month with my best friend and favorite person by my side.

I challenge you, find something for you to celebrate with loved ones this month besides Halloween. Maybe you’ll end up with a new tradition, or simply a way to jazz up an otherwise ordinary day.

Today I’m not sharing jazzed up pumpkin pie or homemade candies, instead I am focusing on something classic and timeless, with a slightly modern update because that’s what life calls for. Something (or someone) who is dependable, but also adaptable.

I present to you my Ooey Gooey Oreo Brownie Sandwiches. The cookies are almost like the lovechild between a brownie and a macaroon shell. They are perfectly rich and chocolately to satisfy any intense cocoa craving. I prefer to devour the cookies plain, but for anyone who prefers sweeter desserts, whip up the oreo cream filling to balance out the intense chocolate flavor.

As with your  holidays, feel free to make these cookies entirely your own. Skip the filling and instead add white chocolate chips into the cookie batter, mix some salted caramel sauce into your filling, add a smear of peanut butter along with your filling to the sandwich. Try out anything that sounds good to you! Remember that this is your life, and you deserve to do whatever makes you happy.

Ooey Gooey Oreo Sandwiches 

Cookies adapted from Recipe Girl

Yield: 10-15 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• nonstick cooking spray (as unprocessed as possible, like canola oil spray)

Filling

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray it with nonstick spray.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar with cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder. Whisk in two egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened. You’re looking for a brownie-like, thick and fudgy batter consistency. If it seems too thick, add another egg white. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds per cookie sheet. Bake for 14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.
4. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto wire racks. Let cookies cool completely. Because of the lack of flour, these cookies are very difficult to remove. You will loose some along the way, but don’t worry, the ones that refuse to make nice with you spatula are the gooiest, most delicious ones that should be going straight into your mouth!
5. While the cookies are cooking, make the filling by creaming the butter in the bowl of a mixmaster, about 3 minutes, then slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla and the salt, mixing for another 30 seconds.
6. Match up your cookies into similarly-shaped pairs. Spread the filling on one of the oreos, then smoosh the two halves together.

Exploring Paris, The City I Love With The One I Love

I shared with you my tips for an alternative visit to London already, but now I want to tell you about what I have planned for my few precious days in Paris. Goose will be joining us for the last leg of our European travels, so I’ve been fine-tuning our itinerary so that hopefully he has as much fun in the city of love as I know that I will! Today is our third anniversary and I couldn’t be happier. I truly am the luckiest girl in the world. I can’t wait to celebrate in Paris with you, Goose!

Arc de Triumph

Dine on gourmet goodies at Pierre Herme: VIsit one of his seven Parisian boutique to sink your mouth into any of his inventive confections including the Ice Mosaic (swirled pistachio ice cream with tart cherry sorbet), Croissant Ispahan(Flaky croissant stuffed with rose-flavored almond paste and raspberry-lychee gelée and topped with candied berries), Tarte Peche, Rose & Cumin (Pâte sablée, almond-rose cream, fresh peaches and sugar spiced with cumin). Also make sure to try an assortment of his world-famous macarons in flavors such as Isphan (rose, lychee, & raspberry), Infinment Jasmin (jasmine flower & jasmine tea), Creme Brulee (vanillas & caramel bits), and Infinment Caramel (salted-butter caramel).

City View

Spend an afternoon enjoying Parc de la Villette: Let children and grown men alike indulge their curiosity at Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Europe’s largest science museum, watch an outdoor movie at Cinéma en plein air or catch a concert at either Cabaret Sauvage or Le Trabendo. While you’re there don’t forget to admire the deconstructionist musings of architect Bernard Tschumi and the other contributing designers, as represented in the 20 themed gardens throughout the park. Use the 35 deconstructionist follies to help guide you throughout the park as well. The architect intended for the odd amalgamation of design to serve as a background for cultural interaction.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica by Montmarte 

Art and Literature buffs need to visit Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore for a piece of history: Not so much for the food, but rather for the historical significance, make sure to visit these two rival cafes where Paris’s intellectual elite gathered in the 1920s. Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus, and Pablo Picasso favored Les Deux Magots, while  Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre visited both of these intellectual meeting places.

Metro Station

Evade touristy crowds with a visit to Paris’s up-and-coming South Pigalle: Just as Echo Park is starting to replace Silverlake as the new ultra hip, indie neighborhood because Silverlake became too mainstream, South Pigalle is replacing Marais as the new cool neighborhood for youthful, artistic crowds. SoPi, as it’s commonly called is a great place for unique vintage finds, fun clothing boutiques, and even yoga!

Eiffel Tower

Enjoy a memorable dinner in Paris without shelling out bucks for one of the fancy restaurants: Enjoy a romantic evening of gourmet pizza in inventive flavors (like La Ghandi- pizza with spinach sag, mozzarella, and baba ganoush) alongside the Canal Saint-Martin form The Pink Flamingoon Rue Bochat, where upon placing your order you receive a pink balloon that helps delivery men locate you when your pizza is ready. Or soak in iconic Paris with a picnic in the Champ de Mars while gazing at the Eiffel tower. Pick up an assortment of drool-worth picnic basket goodies from anywhere on Rue Cler, Paris’s most famous market street or on Wednesdays or Saturdays get your feast from the Pont de l’Alma Market.

  Me with Monet’s Water Lillies at the Musée de l’Orangerie

Enjoy the best of Parisian art at the Musée d’Orsay or the Musée de l’Orangerie: At the Musée d’Orsay, check out an incredible assortment of impressionist, post-impressionist , and art-nouveau works of art without the overwhelming masses of the Lourve. The architecture of the former train station is almost as breath taking as the art itself. It is just a short (and scenic) walk from the Eiffel Tower. While making your visit to the Jardin des Tuileries, make sure not to miss the intimate Musée de l’Orangerie, hidden in the garden’s southwest corner. Monet’s massive water lily paintings fill two custom-designed rooms, on a scale so large that it is sure to leave you breathless. The hidden-away museum also features an assorted art gallery below. The Musée Picasso, Musée Rodin, Musée Marmottan Monet, and Dalí Espace Montmartre are also popular art museums that are still far more manageable than the ever-looming Louvre.

The Left Bank

Act like a true Parisian by vacationing on the temporary beaches along the Seine for Paris Plages: Enjoy the 10-year old tradition of transforming the Seine into faux beach getaway complete with sand, deck chairs, ice cream, beach volleyball, free book rentals, lake kayaking, and free concerts. It starts on July 20 and lasts for four more weeks as an attempt to keep the locals from fleeing the city during the hottest few weeks of the year.

Notre Dame

Make sure to visit all of Ile de la Cité’s offerings when you come to see Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle: Admire the old-school charm of Ancien Cloître Quartier, the oldest remaining residential quarter on the island. Feel free to meditate with your thoughts or enjoy a novel at Place Dauphine, a small, uncrowded residential park on the island. Buy plants, seeds, and beautiful blossoms at the daily Marché aux Fleurs (Flower Market) and on Sundays check out the Marché aux Oiseaux (BIrd Market) as well. Before heading back to the Paris mainland via one of the bridges, make sure to try one of the 70 ice cream flavors at Berthillon, Paris’s most famous ice cream shop.

**I took these photos on my last trip to Paris, but I will make sure to share new photos in just a few weeks when I return!

The Easiest Cookies You Will Ever Make…Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&Ms

Today I feel very fortunate to be celebrating my 2 1/2 year anniversary with my incredible boyfriend, Goose. He is not only my best friend but also the love of my life. Every month I try to cook something special to  show him how much I care, and this month I decided to cook Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&Ms (after his suggestion of something peanut buttery)

I almost feel like it’s cheating to give him so simple, but the delicious combination of peanut butter and chocolate make these cookies addictively delectable without having to do any baking magic.

1 bowl + 2 types of chocoalte + 6 other ingredients = pure deliciousness

These cookies take a mere 10 minutes plus 12 minutes of cooking time so you could make them while watching the Golden Globes tonight without missing much.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&Ms

adapted from Divine Baking http://www.divine-baking.com/2011/04/best-peanut-butter-cookie-ever.html

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all natural, smooth peanut butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup m&ms

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined
3. Use hands to shape the cookie dough into 1 tbs size balls, and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes
5. When cookies are firm enough to transfer, allow them to finish cooling on racks

These cookies are so easy that you don’t have any excuse to mkae them. They are the perfect thing to bake with your family tomorrow when eveyone has a day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

How are you spending your Monday off sweet readers?