Summer may be long gone, but with a new baby in the house, I’m every bit as much in the mood for fast and fresh ideas to save time in the kitchen–just like I am when the weather is nice outside. And really, recipes that look impressive but are actually simple to make are my M.O. all year round. That’s why I was excited to test Martha’s chocolate chip cookie icebox cake–and it’s a recipe I’m now tucking into my back pocket for those times when I need to entertain or bring a dessert to a gathering. This is a perfect imperfect cake, which is what I love about it since I’m not one for fancy, complicated desserts. Just three easy steps–bake chocolate chip cookies, stack them in layers of mascarpone whipped cream, and refrigerate overnight. The result is pretty decadent, but the execution is terribly easy.
You’ll notice I fully left perfection by the wayside and allowed my layers to get a little lopsided (in favor of extra-generous layers of cream)…but I promise you, once your friends or co-workers dig into a slice of this cake, no one will care about symmetry. For extra credit, stack your cookie-and-cream layers on a pretty, domed cake stand–this one’s from the Martha Stewart Collection (available exclusively at Macy’s). Good servingware can make the presentation of a simple dessert look fancier than it is. Even our everyday celebrations deserve to be put on a pedestal!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake
4 cups cold heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon whiskey (optional)
8 dozen cookies from Chocolate Chip Cookie Base (Tip: use half butter, half shortening to prevent flat cookies)
Chocolate shavings, for garnish
Whisk 3 cups cream and the mascarpone in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and whiskey. Whisk until medium-stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use (or up to 3 hours). Arrange 9 cookies in a circle (with cookies touching) on a cake stand or a plate. Place 2 cookies in center. Carefully spread 1 cup cream mixture evenly over cookies, leaving a slight border. Repeat to form 7 more layers, ending with cookies (you’ll have a few cookies left over). Refrigerate, lightly draped with plastic wrap, overnight. Whisk remaining cup cream until soft peaks form. Spread over top of cake just before serving. Garnish with chocolate shavings.
*Disclosure: Cake stand was provided by Martha Stewart.
I shared this seasonal soup a few weeks ago on The Everygirl, before taking a break from the kitchen to focus on baby. It’s one of my husband’s creations and addictively good (creamy texture), but totally healthy (not a drop of cream). It’s a simple but flavor-packed soup with a special ingredient (chipotle peppers in adobo) that warms your heart as you devour it. Definitely a recipe that you’ll want to have in your repertoire for fall. And since this makes a big batch, you can eat some, keep some in the fridge, and freeze the rest in quart-sized plastic bags for a quick weekday lunch later on. We stocked our own freezer with this soup and others in preparation for baby, and especially right now, I’ve found it so helpful for taking the guesswork out of lunchtime and saving me precious time!
Butternut Squash Soup
2 medium butternut squash
1 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced carrot
1/2 c. diced celery
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo (find in the Mexican aisle)
4 c. chicken broth
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1 c. Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 big handful of roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each butternut squash in half. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil. Place the squash in the dish, face down. Using a fork, poke holes in the skin side of each half. Bake for 45 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, saute onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil in a Dutch oven or large stock pot. Remove one pepper from the can of chipotle peppers in adobo and chop. Add the pepper and garlic to the pot, saute a minute more, then set aside. Once squash is cooked, let cool. Scoop out the meat and add to the pot of sauted veggies, along with 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Season with thyme leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, transfer soup to a blender.
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of Greek yogurt or sour cream with 1 tablespoon of the sauce from the can of chipotle peppers in adobo. Serve the soup into shallow bowls, add a dollop of chipotle crema, and a sprinkle of roasted pepitas.
After nine months of dreaming, planning and preparing for our daughter’s arrival, we are pinching ourselves about our all-new life with a little one! We named her Elsie Joan, and she made her debut on September 27, a week earlier than her expected October arrival. The two weeks that have passed since then have been a total blur in time, forcing us to slow down and connect only with what really matters–her. I’ve been taking a much-needed, unannounced break from blogging, in addition to my day job, emails, social media, errands, and pretty much anything that falls outside of our home’s walls, to adjust to motherhood. Sleepless days, feeding challenges, diaper blowouts, and lots and lots of trial and error in soothing our tiny 6 lb. newborn have made these first few weeks beyond exhausting and overwhelming. At the same time it’s been an incredibly exhilarating adventure of pure love–from her big blue eyes staring up at us sweetly to seeing my husband in this new light as her adoring father–my love for them both grows stronger than I thought humanly possible each day. Some days my heart feels like it might explode.
While I continue to savor this time turning off the outside world to focus on Elsie in these special newborn days, I wanted to quickly pop in to share our happy news and a few photos of our new family of three. I’m not sure how long my post-baby break from blogging will last, but I know I will undoubtedly be drawn back sooner than later as I pick up the pieces of where I left off prior to her arrival. I still have so much to share for those interested in my take on motherhood–my pregnancy essentials, Elsie’s nursery reveal, maternity photos, and more. And of course, as I get back in the kitchen, there will be recipes again…and as projects get completed around the house, an office makeover to share…and as I slip back into my pre-baby jeans, some simple style posts (in fact, today I fit into my favorite Rag & Bone pair–testament to having a dedicated pregnancy workout routine!). So thanks for hanging in there with me during this “quiet period” and for all the congratulations from readers far and wide… it means the world to me, and I hope you’ll check back in and plan to keep reading as I work this place and all my passions back into my new life as a mom!
