BRIE’S BAKING CORNER

MINI COOKIE CAKES

Active Time: 75 Minutes Makes about 24 mini cookie cakes, made in a mini cupcake tray, but can also be made in a regular cupcake tray.

Brie Krug

Coordinator of Evening Events and Facilities

One of my favorite things to do in my free time is to take baking and cooking classes. I’ve taken quite a few with my favorite chef, Tracy Wilk, in the city at the Institute of Culinary Education. Tracy has taught me how to make pasta, chocolate cupcakes, crepes, lemon cookies, and more. During the peak of the pandemic, Tracy started a trend called “Bake It Forward.” When NYC shut down, Chef Tracy started baking out of her tiny New York apartment and donating all her baked goods to frontline healthcare staff at New York hospitals. The trend spread across the country with others baking and donating (including myself) and out of it was born her cookbook, “Bake It Forward.” A cookbook that my photo and name are published in!

In the summer of 2020, I became a recipe tester for Chef Tracy’s new book. I got sneak peeks at her recipes, baked them in my own kitchen, sampled them, and gave feedback to improve the recipes. This is one of my favorite experiences with Chef Tracy and now I can say that I am in a cookbook. The recipe below is for mini cookie cakes. Think cookies in the shape of a cupcake, topped with buttercream frosting. The perfect two-bite snack! I highly encourage you to give them a try! Maybe try baking them for donation to local healthcare workers and really “Bake It Forward!” Or bake them for your favorite graduating senior as a celebration! Or bake them for yourself to celebrate your hard work this year!

If you are interested in other recipes from Chef Tracy Wilk, she has her book listed on her website! If you look in the back you might even find my photo!

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

• 1 cup all–purpose flour • ½ teaspoon baking soda • ¼ teaspoon salt • ¾ stick/ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature • 1 teaspoon salt • 1⁄3 cup light brown sugar • ¼ cup granulated sugar • 1 large egg • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 cup chocolate chips • 2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

• 1 stick/ 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature • 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar • 2 teaspoons heavy cream • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a mini muffin tray with cucpake liners or grease pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. 2. Whisk together alll–purpose flour,baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. 3. Using an electric mixer fitted on medium speed, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

Mix on medium-high speed until the butter is fluffy and there are no lumps, about 3-5 minutes. 4. Once the ingredients are creamed, stream in your egg into the creamed butter, mixing until well combined. Add vanilla extract and

mix until combined.

5. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Turn off the mixer and using a rubber spatula, fold

in chocolate chips and sprinkles, mixing until just combined. 6. Portion cookie dough into small balls and fill the mini muffin molds about 2/3 of the way up. 7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the centers are cooked through. Allow cookies to cool before frosting. 8. While cookies are cooling, prepare the frosting. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed beat butter until it becomes fluffy and just off-white. 9. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until well combined. Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix again until well combined. Add 1-2 drops of gel food dye, mixing until the frosting reaches the desired color.

10. Using a pastry bag, pipe swirls onto each cooled cookie. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired.