Fatimary Bakelete

Weather it's McFlurry or cookies and cream ice cream, Oreo is the star of all my favorite treats. Homemade ice cream can become a pain to make when you are using an ice cream maker. So this is now my all-time favorite recipe, because you only need 5 ingredients and no ice cream machine!

All you need is heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, and of course, Oreo Cookies.

For the tools, you will need a large bowl chilled in the freezer for about 20 minutes, an electric mixer, and a container to store your ice cream in.

Start off by whipping the cream until you have formed stiff peaks, around 6-7 minutes. I have illustrated the difference between soft and stiff peaks below. Basically, when you lift up the whisk, and the cream stands up straight without curling, you have reached the stiff peaks stage.

Soft peaks curl up at the top (left) while stiff peaks stand straight up (right)

Next, slowly pour in the condensed milk and whip until just combined. Then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whip. Finally, add the crushed oreos and mix with a spatula. For me, 4 packets of oreos are enough (16 cookies total), but feel free to add more if you like. To crush the oreos, I just smash the packet with my fists (it's actually really fun) until they are crushed, and then pour the contents out into the bowl.



Cover the bowl with a lid and freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. I use a store-bought ice cream tub to store my ice cream.

Enjoy!

Homemade Oreo Ice cream 

Prep time: 10-15 minutes                    Serves: 5-6

Print this Recipe

The best part about this brownie recipe is that you only need one bowl to make it! I hate when recipes require you to measure out and mix ingredients in different bowls. It takes so much time (plus more dishes that need to be washed. ugh.). Add chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to this recipe for an ultra-rich flavor.

First, you are going to combine your melted butter, oil, and sugar in a medium bowl and beat for about a minute. You can use an electric hand mixer or a whisk, whichever you find more convenient.  Here, I used 1 cup of sugar because I like to taste a slight bitterness of the cocoa, but you may add an additional 1/4 cup if you are into a sweeter brownie.
Now you will add your eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until the color of the mixture turns a light yellow.

Now sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and gently fold it into the mixture. The batter will be fairly thick. Pour it into a greased pan lined with baking paper and bake. That is all!



Note: Be careful not to over-bake to get the fudgy texture, but even if you do you will just end up with a cakey brownie, so it's basically a win-win situation.

Important: Cool the brownies completely before cutting them into squares. This recipe will yield about 12-16 squares, depending on how large you want to cut them. I cut mine quite small because I lack self control and will eat five at a time.

Fudgy Brownies 

Prep time: 15-20 minutes                    Cook time: 20-25 minutes                    Serves: 6

Print this Recipe

Buttery, garlicky, irresistible goodness! This is a recipe that my mom once whipped up on a Saturday morning, and you could say I was obsessed. Ever since, I have asked her every weekend to buy this bread and make it for us. Yes, we eat it for breakfast, although typically it is an appetizer or side course. Today, I used her recipe and made it myself because of how easy it is. This recipe has tons of garlic in it, allowing you to taste it in every bite.

Which bread is best for garlic bread? 

You can cut this in half length-wise and spread the garlic butter on both pieces or, as I prefer it, cut into approximately 1/2 inch thick slices. I find that the round slices are easier to just grab off the counter and eat rather than having to cut it up after baking.

Garlic butter 

Toppings 

Mom's Garlic Bread Recipe 

Serves: 5                    Prep time: 10 minutes                    Cook time: 10 minutes 

Print this Recipe

 Ingredients: 

• 1 baguette 
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• crushed red chili pepper, thyme, parsley (optional for toppings)

Brownies were the first thing I ever made when I got into baking back in middle school. I was randomly flipping through a children's magazine and came across the recipe and thought: YES. 

Since then I made little tweaks and adaptations to the recipe to save myself more time while still making a delicious brownie, and now, they are my ultimate comfort food when I'm having a bad day or a really good day. So here I present to you my easiest homemade brownie recipe for when you need a sweet fix. It has a beautiful crackle on top and the most chewy edges (who else loves the corner pieces more than the center ones?) 

This recipe makes a slightly cakey brownie, but if you are a fudgy brownie person, then you can click here for the recipe. 

Note: Please do use unsweetened cocoa powder. If that seems too obvious, you'll be surprised to hear about how many people have asked me if they can use Nesquik chocolate powder (that you put in milk) as a substitute for regular unsweetened cocoa. Don't do that. I do recommend Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa, but you can use whatever you have available.

Tip: If a recipe calls for softened or melted butter, it is recommended that you use room temperature eggs. They are less viscous than cold eggs, thus they mix well with the batter and also rise better.

Best Brownies 

• 1 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 4 eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional) 

What type of brownie do you like? Let me know in the comments below!