Yep, it's Tuesday again... so you know it is time to share what I made today for Jeff to bring into his co-workers on Wednesday's Treat Day. This time I went on the mini treat side with some sandwich cookies.
Mini Milk Chocolate Sandwich Cookies was quite a tedious project as it made around 130 or so tiny cookies. The monotonous part of the recipe was trying to cut all of the small cookies out of the dough logs. The rounds looked quite small before they went into the oven, but as they baked they turned a little larger than quarter sized chocolate disks. As they cool, they firm and crisp up, but are still a little fragile as you move them from the baking pan to a wire rack. These delicate rounds are then sandwiched between two cookies and a silky Milk Chocolate Sour Cream frosting. The assembly of them went by pretty fast as they took just about a 1/2 teaspoon of the filling. I did test out another recipe that Jeff will be bringing in tomorrow, so make sure you stop by for that tomorrow - It is a "should be" gluten-free clone of a favorite candy bar!
Tonight's dinner was a fun way to change up a classic meat and potatoes combo. For the meat portion I made
Peppercorn-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Soy-Caramel Sauce. The tenderlions are coated in a mix of peppercorns, thyme and salt, then quickly seared in a hot skillet until all sides have a caramelized crust. They are then baked for about 20 minutes until just slightly pink and still juicy in the center. Meanwhile, a sweet glaze is made by boiling sugar and water until reduced and adding soy sauce with some zesty mustard. A couple dabs of butter are whisked in to add a richness and to smooth out the sauce. This adds such a nice contrast to the peppercorn studded and fork tender pork.
To serve along side I made,
Potato-Peanut Cakes. Buttery yukon golds are boiled until tender, then shredded and mixed with corn, onion, and crunchy peanuts. Using a single egg binds this combination of textures quite well to form little cakes. They are cooked on a griddle until they form a golden brown crust. While the outside is crisp, the inside takes on a creamy texture with bits of chunky peanuts scattered throughout. Definitely ranks high on the scale for a new side dish.
Mini Milk Chocolate Sandwich Cookies was quite a tedious project as it made around 130 or so tiny cookies. The monotonous part of the recipe was trying to cut all of the small cookies out of the dough logs. The rounds looked quite small before they went into the oven, but as they baked they turned a little larger than quarter sized chocolate disks. As they cool, they firm and crisp up, but are still a little fragile as you move them from the baking pan to a wire rack. These delicate rounds are then sandwiched between two cookies and a silky Milk Chocolate Sour Cream frosting. The assembly of them went by pretty fast as they took just about a 1/2 teaspoon of the filling. I did test out another recipe that Jeff will be bringing in tomorrow, so make sure you stop by for that tomorrow - It is a "should be" gluten-free clone of a favorite candy bar!
Tonight's dinner was a fun way to change up a classic meat and potatoes combo. For the meat portion I made Peppercorn-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Soy-Caramel Sauce. The tenderlions are coated in a mix of peppercorns, thyme and salt, then quickly seared in a hot skillet until all sides have a caramelized crust. They are then baked for about 20 minutes until just slightly pink and still juicy in the center. Meanwhile, a sweet glaze is made by boiling sugar and water until reduced and adding soy sauce with some zesty mustard. A couple dabs of butter are whisked in to add a richness and to smooth out the sauce. This adds such a nice contrast to the peppercorn studded and fork tender pork.
To serve along side I made, Potato-Peanut Cakes. Buttery yukon golds are boiled until tender, then shredded and mixed with corn, onion, and crunchy peanuts. Using a single egg binds this combination of textures quite well to form little cakes. They are cooked on a griddle until they form a golden brown crust. While the outside is crisp, the inside takes on a creamy texture with bits of chunky peanuts scattered throughout. Definitely ranks high on the scale for a new side dish.
They look delicious Joe!! YUM, you sure do have the paitience of a saint
ReplyDeleteI agree with clare eats, your patience is amazing. Those cookies look wonderful though. And dinner has my mouth watering.
ReplyDeletePeanuts and potatoes - a combination that's never crossed my mind. But I'll try anything once! They sound interesting and tasty. And the pork tenderloin. Yum
ReplyDeleteditto what cyndi said! I mean, I have had them together (oh... curry, drool), but not in a potato cake. Hmmmm
ReplyDeleteAnd of course your tiny cookies are darling! I've always had that soft spot for weeee confections :)
wow...everything looks wonderful. I have a few Yukon golds I've been wanting to use up...I think I know how, now! :) Thanks!
ReplyDeletere: your note. ok, thanks for clearing that up. I think the brand we have here doesnt contain hfcs. Ill have to double check.
ReplyDeletewow i love ur site!
ReplyDeletekeep in on~
You just made me soooooo hungry. I took your recipes and made a shopping list. Guess what I'm fixin' for dinner this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that the last ingredient on your pork tenderloin recipe is incomplete. All it says is 1 teaspoon. But of what? Inquiring minds want to know. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike! We both had pork tenderloin on the same night once again LOL
ReplyDeleteClare - Thanks!
ReplyDeletePunky - The leftovers reheated well too!
Cyndi - I would not have thought of it either, but they worked quite well!
Mcauliflower - Me too, love bite sized desserts!
Alice - Thank you!
Randi - Let me know if your version has it or not, I'd love to know!
Rach - Thanks!
Biscuit - Oops, it was 1 teaspoon of nothing! I was going to put the 2 teaspoons of oil listed separately, but decided to only put it in once. Thanks for the heads-up!
Patti - Cool! Okay... I'm gonna start counting if this keeps up!
Hi Joe--I hope Jeff realizes how lucky he is! And his coworkers, too!
ReplyDeleteThose cookies look delicious, but I can totally see how that would be a tedious project!
Wanted to let you know that I've included 8 of your recipes in my nutty recipe roundup this week.
Lisa - Thanks! I'll make sure to swing by and check it out!
ReplyDelete