What's your favorite type of cookie? I love a good chocolate chip or sugar cookie or - ooh! a french macaron - oh yes, please. But I think my very favorite type of cookie has to be a good old fashioned chewy, buttery oatmeal. So, when I saw a Salted Oatmeal Cornflake cookie at Sprinkles Cupcakes, I had to give it a try, and oh, it is so good! After I tried it, I had to try and recreate it at home. My game plan was to basically take a yummy chewy oatmeal cookie, stuff it full of cornflakes and sprinkle some extra salt on top. The result is so yummy! It's not necessarily a perfect copy of the Sprinkles cookie, but it is delicious in it's own right - salty, sweet, chewy, and buttery. I tried a few different versions, and this version was my favorite. Enjoy! Salted ... [Read More]
food
Hob Nob Trifle Recipe – Imitation Game Movie Night
* World Market provided me with product for this post, but all opinions are my own. It is officially awards season, folks! We are just a few weeks away from the Oscars. Have you picked your favorites? Are you someone who tries to see all the nominees before the big night? Usually I've only seen the nominees in the Best Animated Feature category (thanks, kids), but this year I have actually seen a few of the grown-up people films too! It's pretty exciting. World Market is celebrating movie season with Oscar and movie entertaining ideas plus a fabulous Movie Lovers Sweepstakes (more on that at the end of the post), and I'm joining in on the fun with some ideas for a laid back Imitation Game-inspired movie night. The Imitation Game was one film that received multiple nominations that ... [Read More]
Hot Chocolate on a Stick With Salted Caramel Marshmallows
*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Thank you for supporting Persia Lou! A couple years ago, I made hot chocolate on a stick as neighbor gifts. They were super yummy topped with homemade marshmallows. This year I decided to try them again - this time with a twist. I added a swirl of yummy salted caramel to my marshmallows, and they are super delicious melted into a cup of rich hot chocolate. I finished my treats off with cute little tags that you can download and print off for your own treats. Here's how to make your own: Hot Chocolate on a Stick Slightly adapted from Makes and Takes Ingredients 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 fourteen oz can sweetened condensed milk 3 cups chocolate chips (the first time I made this it was a little too dark for ... [Read More]
Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
I posted these yummy treats on facebook and instagram the other day, and there were lots of recipe requests. Well, ask and ye shall receive! These are my mom's yummy concoction - a combination of a cupcake recipe she found online and a favorite frosting recipe (guys - this frosting is legit). My mom has become something of a cupcake queen in the past couple years, and these orange creamsicle cupcakes are her latest favorite. And they are delicious! Orange Creamsicle Cupcake cupcake recipe adapted from Soda Pop Ave Cupcake Ingredients 1 pkg white cake mix 1 pkg cheesecake pudding mix 1 pkg orange jello mix 1 1⁄4 cups orange juice 4 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla 1 (7 oz) marshmallow creme (for cream filling) 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, ... [Read More]
Low-Calorie Minted Mango Refresher
This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #FlavorforLess http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV Here in Vegas we already are in full-on summer mode, which means it's barbecue season. And in my mind, no barbecue is really complete without some kind of fancy drink. (Little umbrellas? Yes, please!) But here's the rub - it's also swim suit season, and those fancy drinks are often loaded up with sugar and calories. No bueno. So, how about a delicious and beautiful drink that also happens to be low-calorie? Well, I've got one, friends! My Minted Mango Refresher feels special and summery without breaking the calorie bank. The secret weapon is 7 Up Ten, which has all the flavor ... [Read More]
Greek Pasta Salad
It was my birthday a few days ago, and to celebrate a couple of my girlfriends took me to lunch and we went - wait for it - without children! Those of you with small children can understand my excitement over this key detail, I'm sure. I love my kids so, so much, but being able to just relax and chat without being constantly interrupted is so amazing every once in a while. Anyway, for lunch my friends took me to Cafe Zupas, which is a favorite lunch spot of mine. Their tomato basil soup is amazeballs. They make all kinds of yummy soups, sandwiches, and salads, plus they offer catering too. Anyway, when they contacted me to see if I'd like a free copy of their Blogger Cookbook, I said youbetcha. The cookbook includes lots of fresh recipes and is organized according to season, which is ... [Read More]
What to do with Leftover Cake
Last week we celebrated my little sister's birthday at our house with some geeky board gaming and chocolate cake. Good times. When the night drew to a close, I sweetly reminded my dear sister to PLEASE take the cake home with her, but she still snuck out without it. So sneaky that one. Here's the thing: if there is cake in my fridge, it will be my breakfast. And then I will have to explain to my kids why mommy can have chocolate cake for breakfast but they can't. You see my problem. Fast forward a day and I'm thinking about what Valentine's Day treats I should make for some friends. "Too bad I can't just give them a half-eaten cake," I think to myself. Wait a tick - Lightbulb! - Maybe, just maybe I can give them my leftover cake! It just needs a clever disguise... Mwahahahaha! (If I ... [Read More]
Peppermint French Macarons
In case you missed it, here are the cookies I shared last week as part of Sugar Tart Crafts' Sugar Rush 2013. Enjoy! Earlier this year I decided to attempt French Macarons for my daughter's tea party birthday, and I got hooked. I've been tried out lots of flavors, colors, and fillings since then, and these peppermint macs are my latest. The shells look pepperminty, but the flavor really comes from the yummy peppermint buttercream filling. To create the peppermint swirl look of the shells, I used a lollipop stick to paint stripes of gel food coloring onto the inside of a pastry bag. Then I filled the pastry bag with batter. When I piped the shells onto the parchment lined baking sheets, I did it in a swirl pattern. If you are a perfectionist, you can use guidelines ... [Read More]
Cookie Hostess Gift
Hi everyone! I'm Ali and write about vintage goodies, DIY, and food over at Pies & Puggles. I am so excited to have been asked to share a handmade holiday idea here at Persia Lou and I hope you all enjoy my holiday cookie packaging! There are a lot of ways to overindulge during the holidays: too much shopping, too much booze, too much family time. If youíre a Pies & Puggles reader, it shouldnít surprise you that my particular favorite is too much baking. Not only does a marathon cookie baking session early in the season get me in the holiday mood, it also provides for enough hostess gifts, potluck offerings and drop-in guest snacking enjoyment to last through the New Year. If you're interested in organizing a cookie baking marathon of your own, you can check out this ... [Read More]
Candy Corn Colored French Macarons
I'm back on the french macaron train, friends, and this time we are going cute with a Candy Corn Colored French Macaron! Yay! For this macaron experiment, I focused on the color and look more than trying out new flavors. (Although, they do taste pretty great!) To make these Halloween goodies, I started by making two batches of Beth's Foolproof French Macarons, one at a time. (See my tips for making French macarons here). For the first batch, I did not add any food coloring and topped with white non-pareils. I tinted the second batch yellow. I chose to make two separate batches rather than adding food color to only half of the batch because french macarons can be finicky and I was afraid I would end up overbeating half of the batter. So, if you decide to make these, be warned you ... [Read More]