Hazelnut Truffle Sandwiches from Sprinkle Bakes

Hazelnut Truffle Sandwiches - made dough February 27, 2025 from Sprinkle Bakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 cups chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped (I used pecans, lightly toasted)

1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined after each addition.
3. Add 1 cup of Nutella and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
4. Portion into small dough balls, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. In a small shallow bowl, spread chopped nuts. Roll chilled dough balls, covering with the hazelnut bits as much as possible. Evenly space on baking sheets and bake 12-14 minutes until edges are set and middles no longer look raw.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
8. When cookies are cool, sandwich with Nutella.

The sharp-eyed among you will notice the nuts coating the outside of these cookies are pecans, not hazelnuts. Alas, I didn't have hazelnuts in my pantry but I did have pecans. These are the times of using what I have on hand rather than buying more so I went with pecans and they were just fine. I strongly encourage you to do the same if you don't have hazelnuts but have other nuts.

Since these are sandwich cookies, they're meant to be smaller than the usual size of cookie so I used my smallest cookie scoop. They make for cute little cookies and are tasty too. I brought them to my quilting group when we had a class and everyone seemed to enjoy them.

A couple of tips and tricks: while I always maintain chilling the dough (it was a little soft upon mixing) first, if your dough isn't too soft, portion it into (small) dough balls first rather than chilling the entire bowl of dough. The smaller portions will chill faster and the dough is easier to scoop out when it isn't as firm.

The second "trick" is, if you're going to freeze them before baking rather than merely chilling, let the frozen dough balls thaw slightly before rolling them into the nuts. The pecan pieces I used adhered better when the dough balls weren't quite so frozen.

While I always recommend toasting the nuts first before using to bring out their flavor, you can get away with only very lightly toasting them first, letting them cool then coating the dough balls with them. The nuts will toast further when you bake the cookies.

And of course, let the cookies cool completely before sandwiching with Nutella. These were delicious with good chocolate flavor, amped by the Nutella, and the nuts on the outside of the cookie add a nice crunch.

Crave Cookies review #11: Almond Joy

Crave Cookies review #11: Almond Joy, visited February 27, 2025

Although you probably can't tell by how much I've been posting the Crave reviews lately (that's just me trying to catch up), I did give Crave a miss for a couple of weeks here and there. Not because they didn't have flavors I wanted to try but I just couldn't get to them in time. They're not as conveniently located to me as Crumbl is and even I don't travel that far just to get cookies (anymore).

But I was meeting a friend for lunch the last day this particular week's cookies were available at a place nearby so I was able to swing by Crave on my way home to get the Almond Joy cookie which was top of my list to try.

I'm so glad I did. This was hands down one of the best cookies I've ever had from Crave and Crumbl. Yes, that's right. Even my jaded sweet tooth said so. I like milk chocolate, almonds and coconut so it already had an edge even before I took the first bite.

And what a first bite it was. The chocolate cookie base was amazing. Almost like a brownie in its fudginess but not as dense. It had a delicate crumb like a well-made cookie should and it wasn't overwhelmingly chocolaty-rich like Crumbl's chocolate cookies are. It was perfectly chocolaty but not overpowering.

The coconut topping sweetened it up a bit and complemented the richness of the chocolate perfectly. Then the melted milk chocolate on top plus the whole almonds for crunch? Perfection. Seriously, this is now my top favorite Crave cookie and would give any Crumbl cookie a run for its money.

My only regret is I waited until the last day this was available and didn't try it until I got home. Although my waistline and my scale would probably be glad of it so I didn't go buy multiples of these. But I'll definitely be waiting for this to hit the weekly menu again.

Mile High Eagle Brand Pound Cake from Cookery Crafters

Mile High Eagle Brand Pound Cake - made February 19, 2025 from Cookery Crafters 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 can (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition.
5. Add dry ingredients alternately with the sweetened condensed milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl to ensure even texture. Beat in the vanilla extract.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake 75-85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Avoid opening the oven door for the first 45 minutes to prevent cake from collapsing.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen sides and middle with small spatula. Invert onto serving plate. Let cool before slicing and serving.

I was using up the last of my eggs before they went too far past their best by date and I had a meeting coming up for my book club so this seemed like a good recipe to try out.

Plus, I had a lone can of sweetened condensed milk in my pantry that I must've bought for a recipe I never ended up making. 

Not surprisingly, given the sweetened condensed milk, this was a rich cake with a dense chewy texture. I loved it. Love. I amped up the vanilla flavor by adding vanilla bean paste and you can't go wrong using fresh butter in any recipe. You don't want to underbake this too much or it'll be gummy. Mine didn't come out as fluffy as the picture in the original blog but I did bake it for almost 80 minutes and the toothpick had come out clean at the 75-minute mark so I didn't want it in any longer. 

As it was, the outside had already formed a nice crust and I didn't want to make it harder by baking it longer. The texture of the inside is how I like my pound cakes: dense and chewy but not gummy. Next time I have the luxury of using 5 eggs for 1 recipe, I'd make this cake again.

Crumbl Cookies review #91 - Churro Toffee White Chip

Crumbl Cookies review #91: Churro Toffee White Chip - visited March 4, 2025

Quick write up on this one as it's a pretty simple, straightforward cookie. I've already tried the Red Velvet White Chip and the Cake Batter. I haven't tried the Strawberry Pop Tart but my niece and her boyfriend did so I have their opinion of it already.

So the Churro Toffee White Chip was the one I was interested in since I love Crumbl's original Churro Cookie so much. Bonus that it's not a frosted cookie.

Ultimately, this is a nice snickerdoodle cookie with toffee bits and white chocolate chips mixed in. Churros have more cinnamon than this did so it struck me more as a snickerdoodle than a churro. It was good but I have to admit, after having Crave Cookies' flavors where they have unfrosted cookies with mix ins, I think Crave does a better job with this kind of cookie. Crave's are thicker and more domed vs this Crumbl cookie is a flattish snickerdoodle with mix ins.

It's tasty but at almost $5 a cookie, I expect a bit more. Glad I tried it, not special enough to get again, not when there are so many other flavors out there. 

Crave Cookies review #10: Banana Bread and Red Velvet Whoopie Pie

Crave Cookies review #10: Banana Bread and Red Velvet Whoopie Pie - visited February 1, 2025 

Banana Bread

Although at the time, I still had a freezer full of pieces from the 4-pack I'd already gotten from Crave, I was "in the neighborhood" after a shift at the food bank so I stopped off to get the two flavors that interested me this particular week: the banana bread and the red velvet whoopie pie.

The banana bread had excellent banana flavor and also a chewy cookie texture rather than a cakey one, which is hard to achieve with banana. The banana chips added a nice crunch. I could've done without the nuts, to be honest, but that's a personal preference.

I liked this cookie as a new flavor to try. But I'm not sure I would get it again since I've already tasted it and there are so many other flavors to try. But if you like banana, this is a good choice.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie

I ended up liking the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie even more. There was a little too much filling for me so I ended up scraping some out but the cookies themselves were delicious. Fudgy texture and good flavor. This one's a keeper.

Banana Crumb Cake from Live Well Bake Often

Banana Crumb Cake - made February 13, 2025 from Live Well Bake Often

Crumb topping

3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter

Cake

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups mashed banana (4 medium ripe or 3 large ripe bananas)

1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Crumb Topping: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cube the cold butter into small pieces; add to flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, two knives or your hands, cut the butter into the mixture until it starts to clump together and is crumbly. Chill while you make the cake batter.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Make the cake: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition. Add in vanilla.
5. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, mixing on low speed until just combined. Add banana and mix on low speed until combined.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Remove crumb topping from refrigerator and sprinkle evenly on top of batter, squeezing handfuls of crumb topping to make large crumbs.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

If you have overripe bananas (and buttermilk) to use up and you're tired of banana bread, this is an excellent alternative. 

The streusel crumb topping makes this cake. Squeeze large handfuls of it before you put it in the refrigerator to chill while you make the cake batter. Then when you sprinkle it over the cake batter in the pan, don't break the crumbs up too finely. You want them large and chunky. They'll crisp up during baking and add both sweetness and texture to the soft cake.

The mashed banana adds a lot of moisture to the cake so this isn't something you want to underbake or you'll end up with a gummy texture. I could've probably left this in the oven a few minutes longer but it still turned out well, albeit a little bit dense. But it still tasted good. The sweetness comes from the topping but you also want to use bananas that are as (over)ripe as possible to enhance the flavor of the cake.

Crumbl Cookies review #90 - Banana Caramel

Crumbl Cookies review #90: Banana Caramel - visited February 26, 2025

Banana Caramel

When you've eaten Crumbl cookies for as long as I have, you eventually ended up tasting and reviewing most of the offerings each week. This week included Strawberry Cupcake, Biscoff Lava Cookie, Butter Cake and Red Velvet White Chip. I didn't have any interest in the French Silk Pie since I typically don't like custard-y or mousse-y desserts or whipped cream but I did want to try the Banana Caramel.

This seemed like a new offering or, if it's been on the menu before, I missed it. I've tried Crumbl's Banana Bread cookie before and, when made properly, enjoyed it. 

This week's version had good banana flavor but, since it was chilled, the texture was more dense, even after I let it come to room temperature. It was good but I think I preferred the other banana bread cookie a bit better. There was also a weird smell to the frosting. At least I think it was from the frosting rather than the cookie. The taste was fine and the smell wasn't overpowering or like it had gone bad. It was just...different. I'm glad I tried it but I prefer a more fluffy texture to my cookies and not the chill denseness of this one. 

One of the best things about Crumbl is their caramel so rather than a drizzle, I'd suggest or prefer if they spread a pool of caramel over the top and then "drizzled" the cream cheese frosting instead.