Pandemic Spreading Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://www.christinamarsigliese.com/2018/01/caramelized-ripple-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Caramelized Ripple Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes 15 cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (110g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 cup (142g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 6 oz (170g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle/flat beater attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. 
2. Add both sugars and vanilla and beat for 3 minutes on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in egg until evenly incorporated. The mixture should look a bit whipped at this point.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda to blend evenly. 
5. Add this to butter mixture all at once and mix on low until just combined. 
6. Add the chopped chocolate and mix on low for a just a few seconds to distribute them.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Preheat your oven to 375°F (350 if using convection). 
9. Lightly grease two large baking trays with soft butter.
10. Scoop 1.5 oz portions of dough onto prepared baking trays leaving at least 3 inches of space between them. Do not flatten - they will spread well enough on their own. 
11. Bake and start checking at 9 minutes, or until nicely browned around the edges - like the color of a copper penny. The center should be lightly golden and just started to puff up - that's how you know it won't be completely raw in the middle. 
12. Remove trays from oven and transfer to wire racks. Let cookies cool 2 minutes on trays before transferring individually to the racks to finish cooling.

Pandemic Icebox Cake

https://theeverykitchen.com/magnolia-bakerys-chocolate-wafer-icebox-cake/

Ingredients

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 packages Nabisco chocolate wafers 9 ounces
• optional: unsweetened cocoa powder 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. 
2. On a flat serving plate, spread a thin layer of whipped cream to hold the bottom layer of cookies in place. 
3. Arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.
4. Spread about 2/3 cup whipped cream on top of the cookie layer, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 or 12 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
5. If desired, dust top lightly with cocoa powder before serving.

Confetti Cake by Smitten Kitchen

https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/07/confetti-party-cake/

CAKE - 1 layer 9 inch round (see below for doubled)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons (16 grams) cornstarch
• 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles

FROSTING - for 1 layer party cake

• 1/2 cup (115 grams or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
• Pinch of fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon milk or cream
• Rainbow sprinkles for decoration

Preheat oven: to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8×8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and coat the bottom and sides with nonstick spray or butter.

Make cake: 

1. Beat butter, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. 
2. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating until combined and slightly fluffy. 
3. Add vanilla and buttermilk and beat to combine (the mixture will instantly look like cottage cheese and you will be sure it’s ruined but I promise it is not). 
4. Add baking powder and cornstarch and beat very well to combine. 
5. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat one second more. 
6. Add flour and mix just until it disappears. 
7. Use a rubber scraper to gently fold in sprinkles.

Bake cake: Spread batter in prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Let cool in pan on cooling rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the side to loosen the cake, flip it out onto the cooling rack, and slide the cooling rack into the freezer until cake is cool, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Frost and serve: While the cake cools, beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until fluffy, then add milk or cream and beat until smooth. Once cake is fully cool, transfer it to a serving plate. Spread frosting on top — you’ll have more than enough, so if you need to set some aside for small decorations or tinting and writing on the cake, this won’t be a problem. Finish with sprinkles. Share with friends.

CAKE 2 layer 9 inch rounds:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup regular milk with 1 tbsp vinegar)
2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

FROSTING - tripled
1.5 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3.75 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
3 pinches of fine salt
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons milk or cream
Rainbow sprinkles for decoration

Georgetown Cupcakes Vanilla Cupcakes

https://www.thebakerchick.com/perfect-vanilla-cupcakes/

Yield: 20-24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups flour
• 2½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 stick of butter, at room temperature
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2½ tsp. vanilla
• 1¼ cups whole milk, at room temperature

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and smooth. Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir the vanilla into the milk.
5. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
6. Fill liners about ⅔ of the way. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick interred into one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack. Always cool 100% before frosting.

HALF-RECIPE: 12 cupcakes

• 1.25 cups flour
• 1.25 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 stick of butter (4 tbsp), at room temperature
• .9 cup (almost a whole cup) sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1.25 tsp. vanilla
• .6 cups (almost 2/3 cup) whole milk, at room temperature

Chocolate Frosting:

• 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1 ½ Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips melted and then cooled

Melt and cool chocolate chips

Add butter to bowl of stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. 

Turn mixer off and add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. 

Pulse mixer on lowest setting until combined, about 1 minute. 

Increase speed to high and beat until light and airy, about 4-5 minutes. 

Turn mixer to low and slowly drizzle in melted and cooled chocolate, and then increase speed to medium-high and mix until buttercream comes together about 2-4 minutes.

Vanilla Frosting:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick - 4 TBSP) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or seeds from one vanilla bean pod
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat until well combined. Continue mixing until frosting is light and fluffy, about 1 minute more.