Corrie Traxler | Houston Texas Photographer | 713.373.9036 » Unscripted Lifestyle Photography

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5 Things I ♡

In order to try and get into this blogging thing I thought I might try a weekly list of people/places/things I’m into at the moment.

5. Lavender
It’s pretty AND useful. I love it so much I’ve based my website and bedroom decor off the color. I put the essential oil in the homemade cleaner I use, and I put a few drops in the kids bath before bed.

4. ADORABLE Retro Costumes
Lover Dovers Clothing
I’m wanting the Alice for my daughter.

3. Snow
The 20 minutes of snow East Texas gets every once in a while…which is actually enough for me.

2. Smitten Kitchen
Without her I never would have known the joy of homemade oreos or oatmeal pancakes. I feel like a better housewife just having this site bookmarked.

Link

1. 1st Day of School
It cannot come fast enough.

corrie@corrietraxler.com | 713.373.9036

www.corrietraxler.com

Oreos

I have been trying to make a lot of things from scratch instead of buying them processed. I get a TON of recipes from the awesome Smitten Kitchen Blog.

I screw up a massive amount of the things I try to cook but these were easy and the kids loved them. Pretty easy to make vegan too.

Homemade Oreos
Adapted from Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman

If you want your cookie closer to that original, you can take out a full half-cup of the sugar. If you want to make the cookie by itself (as I did a while back for ice cream sandwiches), go ahead and use the full amount.

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

corrie@corrietraxler.com | 713.373.9036

www.corrietraxler.com

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