Cookie Dough Sandwiches and more Gender Reveal Ideas

Last weekend was a well needed long weekend. I got one extra day of rest, much loved rest I will say as well.   Not that we were resting all weekend and I still ended up doing a few hours of work on Monday when I shouldn't have been but that is how it goes sometimes.  We would normally go away for the weekend to our cottage or a friends cottage but this weekend we spent half in town prepping and painting our family room and half at my Dad's boat.   We decided to do some rearranging in our house in preparation for baby and knowing I spend a large majority of my time in the kitchen, it only made sense to have a room right off the kitchen for baby to play and sleep.    I can train my baby to sleep through a stand mixer, right??

I also started (finished last night) project wallpaper removal in the babies room.  When we moved into the house 3 years ago it was already set up as a baby's room with Winnie the Pooh decor.  We didn't bother redecorating and made our guests sleep in a Winnie the Pooh room.    I don't want Winnie the Pooh any more for the babies room so  I will be changing the room to turtles.   I happened to develop a new addiction to Etsy and found so many cute baby decor pictures, (a new purse, baby hats and on and on)  Lots of cute stuff.

I did two other gender reveal desserts for two different groups of friends.  One I did cake pops and instead of red velvet I made them pink velvet and you had to bite in to see what colour.

Pink Velvet Cake Pops

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 recipe for 12 cupcakes. 
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups cream cheese icing
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups dark chocolate
• Pink/Blue coloured chocolate - just a tiny bit for decor lines

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Bake the cupcake recipe in a 9x13 pan adjusting cook time for 9x13 and not cupcakes.  A toothpick should come out clean.   Let cool , then crumble in a large bowl. 

2) Add in the icing and mix together.   Form into 1 inch balls. 

3) Freeze the balls in a container until ready for dipping. 

4) Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler.   Take out a few cake pops at a time. Place them on a candy stick or skewer and roll in the chocolate.  Tapping off the excess, very gently.

5) Place in styrofoam to dry.   When all are complete, melt the coloured chocolate in small bowls on the microwave, only 10-15 secs at a time, stirring after each time.   Drizzle on the cake pops using a fork or using a piping bag with a small tip.

Chocolate Cookie Dough Sandwiches. 

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies

• 1 box cake mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup butter

Cookie Dough - No sugar added

(Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/3 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Reveal center

• 1/2 cup your favorite icing - dyed pink or blue

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Place the dates in a 2 cup measuring cup and add the water to let soak for minimum 2 hours. 

2) In a large bowl or your mixer bowl, beat together cake mix, eggs and butter.  Using a small scoop turn the  cake batter dough into cookie rounds,  place at least 1 1/2 inch apart.  Bake for 12-14 minutes. 

3) Remove from oven let cool on pan for a minute or two , then place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

4) Make the cookie dough.  Add chickpeas, dates (less some of the water), almond butter, ground almonds and vanilla into a food processor.   Run together until all smooth and well combined.   Add in chocolate chips and pulse a few times.    Place in the fridge in a sealed container to chill for a bit.

5) Assemble the sandwiches.   Match up the cookies in pairs.   Place a heaping tablespoon of the dyed icing into the very center.  Add the cookie dough into a large piping bag with a plain circle tip and pipe around the icing center.  Gently press another cookie on top.   Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in a airtight container in the fridge.

Note:  You can omit the icing center and just use the cookie dough as the entire center. 

I am completely obsessed with this cookie dough.   I make it weekly and use it to eat on its own, even with celery and carrots.  I know that sounds weird, but I figure its actually fairly healthy so it can go with certain veggies.

All of my friends made their predictions and then enjoyed the surprise.   Making all these random desserts is definitely a fun way to tell everyone what you are having.  It brings some excitement back for those who think you should wait for the surprise at the end of nine months.

MEG's RATING : D-EEEEE-LICIOUS!