"Fluff," AKA Ambrosia Salad

This is something my mother always made for me as a child. It’s super addicting and terrible for you, but it tastes marvelous. Growing up, I always called it “fluff” (not to be confused with the marshmallow stuff you put in fluffernutter sandwiches) but apparently it’s a form of ambrosia salad.

I don’t know the exact measurements of any ingredients, because my mother just eyeballs everything.
You’ll need:

• confectioner’s sugar
• heavy cream
• 1 can crushed pineapple/pineapple tidbits
• mini marshmallows

Whip the heavy cream, adding confectioners sugar slowly until you have a thick, sweetened whipped cream. Add in the mini marshmallows and stir until incorporated. Drain your can of pineapple until it’s no longer wet, and add that in, stirring until everything is mixed well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (the longer it’s in the fridge, the better it tastes).

Variations on this recipe include adding: maraschino cherries, mandarin oranges, bananas, strawberries, and coconut.
Substitutes for the whipped cream include sour cream and yogurt.

Halloween Whoopie Pies

Being home from college means an opportunity to bake for my favorite holiday! I made pumpkin whoopie pies last year, so this year I’m just making traditional ones, colored black and orange. Halloween sprinkles/nonpareils optional.

Have you ever written something down and then read it completely wrong, even though you wrote it? That’s what happened when I was making the cake portion of the pies. I didn’t do the steps in order and the batter came out completely lumpy and unappetizing due to me mixing the cocoa with the flour and then the coffee-water mixture with that. What were you thinking, brain? Granted, this isn’t my usual recipe for whoopie pies, and we didn’t have the full amount of brown sugar the recipe calls for, but oh well. My mom had one and says they taste good. I’m sure the amazing filling makes up for my cake mistake. Seriously. Try not to eat the whole bowl of that stuff before you fill the whoopie pies. It was hard for me not to.

Halloween Whoopie Pies
For the cake:

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup hot coffee (I used espresso powder mixed with water)
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1-2 tablespoons black food coloring (depends on how dark you’d like your cake to be)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, add cocoa powder. Pour the hot coffee and water over the mixture and whisk thoroughly until powders are completely dissolved.

In another medium bowl, mix together the canola oil and light brown sugar. Add this to the cocoa mixture and whisk until combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk, and food coloring and whisk until smooth.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the food coloring until the batter is as black as you want it. (If you’re using liquid food coloring and the batter becomes too runny, add about 1/8 cup flour.)

Either use a medium ice cream scoop or piping bag fit with a large round tip to measure out the cookies. Release or pipe 2” rounds onto baking sheets, 1 inch apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until the cookies crack slightly on top and spring back in the center when gently pressed. Let cool completely, then remove from sheet with a spatula.

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow Fluff
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• red and yellow food coloring (optional)

Add all ingredients to bowl and mix together. Add food coloring until filling is a noticable shade of orange. Scoop mixture into empty freezer back. Snip one corner off bag and pipe the frosting onto 1/2 of pie. Sandwich to make complete pie.

Cowboy Cookies

As with most cookie recipes, as soon as I saw this, I knew I had to make it. Pretzels & chocolate is one of my favorite combinations, and I love the texture of oatmeal cookies. I had some mini marshmallows left over from making “Copycat Momofuku Cornflake Marshmallow” cookies, and thought they might taste good (or even slightly like said cornflake cookies) pressed into the top of the batter.

Cowboy CookiesYields: about 40 cookies

• 1-3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 c rolled oats
• 14 tbsp unsalted butter, cool but not cold, cut into cubes*
• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 1 c dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 lg egg
• 1 lg egg yolk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 2 c semisweet chocolate chunks
• 3/4 c thin salty pretzels, broken into tiny pieces but not crushed into dust
• about 1/4 c mini marshmallows (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the oats and stir to combine. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until the mixture looks light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the vanilla, and beat for 5 seconds. Dissolve the espresso powder in 1/4 c. hot water and add it to the bowl, mixing until combined.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold in the chocolate chunks and 1/2 c. of the pretzel pieces. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough in 2-tablespoon-size balls and place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the remaining pretzel pieces over the dough balls. Use the palm of your hand to press the dough down lightly; don’t smash the cookie – you just want to slightly flatten the ball and push the pretzel pieces into the dough. Press mini marshmallows into the tops of the cookie with your fingers.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown or just start to darken. Set the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

(adapted slightly from mybakingheart)