Soft, warm shortbread cookies fresh from the oven are amazing. And they can only taste better with some ground Earl Grey tea leaves added to the mix. We were concerned that 2 tablespoons of tea leaves would overpower the cookie, but it turned out to be the perfect amount. The ground leaves also added mini dark flecks and a slightly gritty texture, something which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Instructions:

1) Mix the flour, tea leaves, and salt in a large bowl.

2) Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and butter. Mix until a dough is formed.

3) Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap and shape the log into a long rectangular cube. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice the log of dough into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to plates and cool to room temperature.

While warm, try the shortbread cookies with some vanilla ice cream! Whoever popularized the combination of hot, freshly baked cookies and scoops of cold vanilla ice cream is genius. The cookies were also a hit with the coworkers, a perfect little snack for everyone around the Holiday season. English Breakfast cookies next?

Inspired

Yes we’re dorky <3

You might wonder what happened to the entree recipes for LJ Bistro #2 and why I skipped directly to dessert. For the second meal, I made split pea soup as the appetizer and baked chicken thighs seasoned with free GOYA Adobo seasoning (courtesy of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program). One of my favorite soups to make, and I finally found someone who appreciates it just as much as I do! You can find the recipe for split pea soup in the Recipes archives. =) Mmhmh smoked ham hock.

I wanted to make something healthy for dessert, and fresh fruit immediately came to mind. Unfortunately, that was the extent of the healthy intentions after I found a recipe for a fresh dessert fruit pizza and absolutely had to make it.

Ingredients:

Strawberries
Bananas
Blueberries
Kiwi
Sugar cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 stick softened butter (for sugar cookie)
1 egg (for sugar cookie)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) In a large bowl, combine the cookie mix, butter, and egg according to the instructions on the mix package. Press the dough into an ungreased pizza pan.

3) Bake in preheated oven as directed or until edges are lightly browned. Cool.

4) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until light. Spread on cooled cookie.

5) Arrange desired fruit on top of cream cheese filling. I chose to use fresh strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and kiwi (so colorful!). Chill for about an hour before serving.

This was one big cavity waiting to happen, but OH so good. Andrew refused to eat too much of it though =( so I had to pawn it off on roommates and alcohol-happy friends to avoid consuming the whole pie by myself. After all, Ling Li can’t waste food!

I can’t bear to waste food. And I absolutely refused to throw away the unopened tube of Smucker’s Seedless Strawberry Jam I had bought months ago with the Skippy Peanut Butter, all in the spirit of making hypothetical PB&J sandwiches for work. However, the May expiration date was fast approaching. With my Google cap on, I foraged the internet for recipes and finally found what I was looking for on the Smucker’s website. I baked the Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies as a 23rd birthday present for a very special friend.

Ingredients:

Non-Stick Cooking Spray
1 package Fudge Brownie mix
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs, divided
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Seedless Strawberry Jam

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, oil, water and 2 eggs in large bowl; stir 50 strokes with spoon. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.

2) Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Mix in remaining 2 eggs, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over warm brownie.

3) Stir jam until smooth. Drop by teaspoonfuls over surface of filling. With a knife, swirl jam gently through filling to create marble effect. Bake additional 35 to 40 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool 1 hour. Loosely cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or more. Cut into bars. Serve with strawberries.

Look at that pretty strawberry swirl =)

The amount of cream cheese that went into the recipe only served as a reminder that I limit my cheesecake consumption when dining out. I originally considered skipping the 1 tsp of vanilla extract due to its high cost and minimum usage, but it really does make a difference! Don’t skip out on the lemon juice either.

Another side note – Make sure you cook the brownie mix for the full 20 minutes! I made the mistake of baking it for about 15 minutes because my pan was slightly larger than 13×9 and I thought the brownie would harden too much after baking an additional 35-40 minutes with the cheesecake mixture on top. While still delicious, the brownie portion tasted more like frosting than a brownie. =(

It’s hard being such a sensory driven person sometimes. It results in little things triggering memories that tug gently at the heart, activating those lingering feelings you sometimes cherish, sometimes wish you could just forget.

This particular memory was one I cherished. The harsh 90 degree weather in NYC had let go for just a few blessed hours, and the crisp fall-like weather brought back memories of Florence as I took my customary 20 minute walk to work. Pinpointing the exact cause of those feelings was near impossible. You just know and feel sometimes without reason, and the memories rushed back – my morning waits at the bus stop by the David, cramming into the tight buses during rush hour amongst young high schoolers chattering away in Italian, driving up the hill and eventually pressing the stop button at NYU’s Florence campus, taking that “walk of death” across the valley covered with swaying olive trees to get to the school buildings.

Enough time has passed that sometimes Europe feels like a dream lived by someone else, a dream I had been fortunate enough to briefly glimpse as it passed by me.

In the spirit of Europe and enjoying the rest of a decadent summer, here is an original recipe for the Nestle Toll House’s famous fudge. Nestle is the largest nutrition and foods company in the world, founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. Satisfy your sweet tooth by making some fudge, but make sure you have friends to share with! (Pictures date back to last summer when Ji, Sondra, and myself made fudge for the first time).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Line 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.

2) Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3) Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces.

As promised, the fudge was super sweet, rich, and decadent. Eat sparingly. I also highly recommend refrigerating the leftovers unless you want soft chocolatey mush greeting you in the morning.

This is a simple but delicious recipe for molten lava cake! Such an elegant gourmet dessert with the perfect combination of hot chocolate fudge and cold vanilla ice cream. The cakes are yummy eaten both freshly carved and filled with hot fudge or reheated in the microwave the next day.

Ingredients:
Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
Smucker’s Toppings Hot Fudge
Vanilla ice cream

Recipe:
1) Follow the directions on the back of the cake mix (usually need eggs, water, and oil). Pour the cake mix into muffin tin molds and bake according to the instructions on the box.

2) Let the cake cool after removing it from the oven. Using a knife, gently loosen the cakes from the tin onto a plate.
3) Turn the cake upside down and carefully cut out a cylinder in the middle, making sure not to pierce the bottom of the cake.
4) Heat up the jar of hot fudge in the microwave and spoon into the cake wells created.
5) If eating immediately, microwave the cakes for about 10-15 seconds and scoop the vanilla ice cream on top.
6) If you made too many to finish in one setting, put the cakes into the freezer and microwave about 45 seconds when you are ready to eat. =)

The tiny molten lava cakes were a huge hit both in the apartment and at work. Next time I’ll try making it with dark chocolate cake mix and magic shell on top of the ice cream. Enjoy!

Hmhmmh…Yogurtland. :) I was intrigued by this concept ever since I saw pictures of multi-colored bits of “fro-yo” on a friend’s Facebook page this past summer. I had been eating increasing amounts of frozen yogurt ever since discovering Pinkberry and Red Mango spring semester. But Yogurtland. It was different. I absolutely loved the self-service aspect and the freedom of choosing which handle to pull as yogurt slowly oozed into my cup. I stepped in, and I was immediately hit by a blast of bright happy light and pinkness.

If you are new to Yogurtland, don’t forget to ask the person behind the counter for some free sample cups! Try before you buy. My favorite flavors include mango, green tea, blueberry, peach, and cookies & creme, and I like to squirt a little of each flavor into my cup for maximum variety. When you’re done with your yogurt selection, it’s time to move onto the toppings! You can garnish your yogurt with a variety of (mostly) fresh chopped fruit, cereal, cookie dough, and MOCHI. *yum yum* You pay by the ounce (39 cents/oz right now), and my cup of frozen yogurt usually costs less than an equivalent cup at other yogurt places. Now it’s time to dig into your delicious, colorful concoction!

Yogurtland is located in the West Village, so if you’re looking for something similar in the East Village, I recommend 16 Handles (slightly more expensive).