Goodbye, wedding diet

...hello cookies.


First things first... why did no one inform me that I spelled my future last name wrong in my header? I'm embarrassed. Guess that means I need to practice my signature more! I don't hate it.

Next...if you're not in love yet, get ready to fall head over heels. If you are, well, tell your loved one they'll have to take a back seat for a while.

If you ever went to OC, chances are that at one point or another you've had a cookie from Eileen's. They're absolutely delicious. My roommates and I used to go on Saturday's junior year for breakfast. Do not judge unless you've had these cookies. Everyone I know instantly becomes addicted, and on more than one occasion I brought these cookies to Stillwater by request of le fiance.

And now I am more than happy to present to you, my friends, the recipe. Please disregard the quality of le picture. I may be a working girl (AH!! I HAVE A JOB!) but still don't have enough money for a good camera. Sigh. Also, excuse the weird looking frosting. Somehow all the cookies got stuck together, and I figured a bad picture is better than none at all.



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Eileen's Cookies
adapted from this recipe
--Note: If you switch out vanilla extract for almond extract, you'll get Lofthouse cookies instead! Win win situation if you ask me. However, I doubled the measurements in the frosting for the extract, so make sure you taste it and adjust as needed.

FOR THE COOKIES:

• 1 box Pillsbury white cake mix (yes, you have to use Pillsbury. You need the pudding in the mix!!)
• ⅔ cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the dry cake mix and flour then add the eggs, oil, sour cream and extract and mix well.
Roll the dough into about 1" balls (cookie scoops work perfectly!) and place them on a Silpat-like sheet. Seriously, I wish I was lying, but you need one to make these cookies.The point of these cookies is melt-in-your-mouth-goodness, so you don't want a brown bottom! No crisp cookies here. Plus, they might overbake if you don't use one. Which is bad. Very, very bad.
Flatten the balls using the heel of your hand. You don't want them too thin, maybe just about 1/2 an inch thick. The edges might be a little crackly, so feel free to touch them up. Or, if you're like me, you just want them in the oven as fast as you can, so you don't really consider presentation. And you know what? That's okay too. Too many Martha Stewarts could be a bad thing...right?
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, depending on how big you made your cookies, how your oven works, etc. You'll just kind of have to play around with it. I baked mine for 12, and you'll know they're done when they're kind of firm in the center. But remember, don't over bake! The bottom of the cookies are supposed to still be light if you did the right thing and used a Silpat (what? They're amazing. And yes, you DO need one). The point is melty-ness, not Chips Ahoy. -Beginning of rant- am I the only one who can't stand Chips Ahoy? I mean, if you're going to skimp on chocolate chip cookies, the least you could do is break and bake. Come on, people. -End of rant-
When you take your cookies out of the oven, let them cool off a bit and harden up before transferring them to a foil sheet to completely cool down. Now it's time for the icing..

FOR THE ICING:

• ½ cup Crisco
• ½ cup butter, room temp
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 tablespoon meringue powder (go to the specialty baking section of Wal-Mart near the party planning stuff. It will be with the Wilton products)
• ½ envelope Dream Whip Mix (this will be near the Jello. Normally on the top shelf!)
• 1 pound powdered sugar

Beat the Crisco and butter until the mixture is smooth and blended together. Add the salt, milk and almond extract and beat for one minute. Add the meringue powder, Dream Whip powder, and powdered sugar and mix well. Use a spoon or spatula to make sure everything's incorporated. Then, carefully beat on medium-high for about a minute (I think mine took longer) or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Taste your frosting to make sure you have enough extract. At first, the powdered sugar will be a little overwhelming, but I ended up adding more than 2 teaspoons of the extract. What? I like it, okay.
Let the cookies come to room temperature before frosting them. Obviously, I didn't pile up the icing as much on mine as Eileen's does, but I ended up regretting that. Just spread the icing on with an offset spatula, or if you're feeling artsy-fartsy go ahead and use a piping bag. But only if you must. Now, this is when the original recipe states that you "MUST use sprinkles"...however, if you're like me, then you have an issue with texture and get super weirded out by sprinkles. But, I realize that not everyone's like me (weird, right? I know.) so feel free to add them if you wish. The following step, however, is a must. Seriously. Trust me. You need to store the cookies in Tupperware or place them on a cookie sheet and cover them pretty tightly with plastic wrap after frosting them, and leave them for a few hours or overnight. This little step makes all your efforts worthwhile; it gives the frosting the perfect texture. And...well...I just can't explain it. It's just plain divine. So don't skip that step!
Then, enjoy! Share with your friends and family! And ignore the fact that you just started Weight Watchers. You get flex points, right? Right.