saint louis

March 18, 2015

Gooey Butter Cake Cookies.

Man. I am on a roll with cookies these days, huh? #cookiemonster

So I’ve been a Saint Louis local for nearly two years now, and in that time, of course I’ve gotten my hands on a few slices of gooey butter cake. I even attempted to make my own gooey butter cake from scratch, but it didn’t wow me. And all the other recipes that I have found online use cake mixes. Now, I don’t really have anything against cake mixes, and I’m not over here judging you if you use store bought cake mixes. But they’re just not really my jam, you know? I’m a from-scratch baked goods purist, for the most part.

Since making some okay gooey butter cake a year ago, I kind of stopped thinking about trying out a different homemade recipe. And then I just eat gooey butter cake whenever I find it in the bakeries, because why not? This is Saint Louis, y’all. I’m all about embracing the local noms.

Anyway, when I came across this recipe, I knew I had to give it a shot. Gooey butter cake – in cookie form? Color me intrigued.

Although gooey butter cake isn’t my favorite dessert [remember, I’m a chocoholic], I do really enjoy it on occasion with some coffee.

These cookies are definitely cake-like, and they’re about the same as the top layer of the original gooey butter cakes. The cream cheese in them is what makes them have just a tad bit of a tang, and that quintessential yellow cake flavor. Plus, the powdered sugar top adds the perfect amount of sweetness. If you’re craving some sweet, rich gooey butter cake, but don’t want to overindulge, do yourself a favor and make these gooey butter cookies. They’re like little, soft bites of heaven. Aren’t they just beautiful cookies, too? I’m not so sure that my photos really did them justice, but I got rave reviews on these cookies, so they must be good!

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Gooey Butter Cake Cookies.
Yield: About twelve cookies.

Ingredients:
– 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
– 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
– ¾ cup granulated sugar
– ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
– 1 cup + 2 TBS. all-purpose flour
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– ¼ + ⅛ tsp. fine salt
– ⅓ cup powdered sugar

Instructions:
1. Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer [or you can use a stand mixer]. Beat about thirty seconds, until it’s fluffy.
2. Slowly ad the sugar to the cream cheese mixture as it’s continuously mixing. Beat until it’s light and fluffy, about one minute.
3. Add in the vanilla, the whole egg, and the egg yolk, and beat until combined.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the cream cheese mixture in about three increments. Beat in between each addition.
6. Cover the dough and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.*
7. Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Ensure that the powdered sugar is ready in a shallow bowl.
8. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough, and roll it into your hands to form a ball. Roll the dough into the powdered sugar, then place them evenly spaced apart on the prepared baking sheet.
9. Bake cookies for about 14 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they should not brown. The tops of the cookies will be slightly wet, and they should puff up nicely. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet, as they will be a bit delicate. Add more powdered sugar to them if you like, then enjoy!

*Darcie’s Notes:

– You MUST chill the dough for at least thirty minutes. This is NOT negotiable. The dough needs time to chill and firm up a bit, otherwise it will be impossible to work with, and you’ll end up with flat, puddle-like cookies.
– The dough is still a bit difficult to work with, even after adequately chilling it. I found that coating my hands in powered sugar before grabbing it out to form it into a ball helped with the sticking. You could also use a cookie scoop – it might prevent the dough from sticking to everything a bit better.

– I added a bit more powdered sugar to the cookies after they had baked. I wasn’t sure that they tasted quite as sweet as I had anticipated. You do you.

– Recipe from Dessert for Two [I’m so excited that she moved to STL not too long ago, as well!].

March 6, 2015

Local Noms // Clementine’s Creamery.

Note: For more details on what this Local Noms post series is all about, please see my little preview post.

Today’s installment of “Local Noms” features a local business called Clementine’s Creamery. As you can probably guess, Clementine’s makes ice cream! But not just any ice cream – Clementine’s is locally handmade in small batches. Plus, all of the ice creams’ ingredients are locally sourced. So, without further ado, let’s talk about ice cream!

// Today’s “Local Noms” review: Clementine’s Creamery, as aforementioned.

+ Background Details: I was actually not aware that this ice cream existed until about a month ago. I think I posted something about my last Local Noms post on Twitter, and Clementine’s PR person contacted me about the ice cream. I decided to try it – I mean, why not?! It was a good decision, if I do say so myself.

+ Restaurant/Shop Location(s): They’re still working on their brick-and-mortar store, and it will be opening in Lafayette Square this spring. For now, the owner, Tamara, will make deliveries to your door! You can contact her via Clementine’s website.

+ Initial Impressions: Clementine’s has an abundance of flavors that all sound tasty. So I had to really be choosy when it came to picking the first four flavors to try out, as I have pretty limited freezer space! Clementine’s separates their flavors into two fun categories: “naughty” and “nice.” Naughty flavors are the booze-infused ice creams [boozy ice cream for the win!], and the nice flavors don’t contain alcohol.

The first four flavors that I picked were as follows: boozy banana rum ice cream with salted butterscotch swirls, southern sweet corn, front porch mint, and chocolate stout made with the local 4 Hands Brewery’s Milk Chocolate Stout [one of my absolute favorite beers!].

+ My Reviews of Each Ice Cream Flavor:
// Banana Rum: Whoa, this one packs punch! I tried a few spoonfuls on my lunch break, and was briefly paranoid that I would become a little tipsy! Needless to say, you can definitely taste the rum! It’s good, but I preferred the other flavors over this one. I like the butterscotch swirls, though, and of course banana is always delicious.
// Chocolate Stout: This one was my favorite of the four flavors I tried. As I’ve said in the past, I’m a chocoholic. Plus it contains one of my favorite stouts. It was rich and chocolatey, and the stout flavor shined through nicely. Definitely a keeper!
// Front Porch Mint: I really enjoyed this one, too. It’s light and creamy, and it tastes like real mint [presumably because it contains real mint leaves!]. This flavor will be great to sandwich between some crispy chocolate cookies… *hint* *hint*
// Southern Sweet Corn: Admittedly, I was a bit apprehensive about this flavor. Corn in ice cream? WAT. But it really was pretty tasty. It’s got a strong corn flavor, and I think it might do well smashed between two bacon cookies… Hmmm… 😉

+ Pros: This is the good stuff, you guys. I love supporting local, small businesses. I especially love supporting businesses that make things by hand, and this creamy, rich ice cream is no exception. Creamy, rich ice cream in a variety of delicious flavors? What’s not to like? Also, I love how Saint Louis food/drink businesses all seem to collaborate with each other! We have a wonderful foodie community.

+ Cons: Umm, none? I’m not really a big fan of ice cream as a whole [shocker, I know!]. I mean, I like ice cream; just in small quantities, as I have very sensitive teeth, and I get brain freeze easily. The only con I can see at the moment is the fact that the shop isn’t open yet. But from what I hear, the shop will be open in St. Louis’ historic Lafayette Square this spring! I can’t wait to see what it looks like; I’m sure it’ll be a lovely space!

handcraftedstl — {Handcrafted in Saint Louis. That’s what I like to see!}

+ My Overarching {Ha! STL pun totally intended!} Review: As aforementioned, this is good-quality ice cream. It’s real, it’s creamy and rich, and it’s old-fashioned. Personally, I don’t like soft serve; I prefer this kind of decadent ice cream. Plus, each ice cream flavor tastes, well, like what it says on its description! They’re bursting with flavor, and that’s probably my favorite part about this ice cream. I can’t wait until I have the chance [and time, and money… ha!] to order more flavors to try! Thanks to Clementine’s Twitter account and Tamara [the owner] for getting me in the loop and having the opportunity to purchase your products. 🙂

{Taste-testing ice cream while sitting on the floor and holding the plate in your lap is totally normal, right? Right...} — {Taste-testing ice cream while sitting on the floor and holding the plate in your lap is totally normal, right? Right…}

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Obligatory Disclaimer: I’m not a professional food expert in any sense of the word, nor am I compensated for any nice things that I may say about any of the restaurants I feature on my blog. All of my ramblings on here are just, like, my opinions, maaaannn. I just really like talking about and eating food, and I think it’s fun to feature local food establishments that I think are awesome, and if it helps them out in the process? Even better! Join me on my quest to EAT ALL THE LOCAL FOODS!

February 10, 2015

Local Noms: Blueprint Coffee + La Patisserie Chouquette.

Since I’m a Saint Louis transplant of about two years, I am still learning my way around. These “Local Noms” posts are here to help me work my way through my never-ending STL foodie bucket list, as well as allow me to get to know this amazing city that I now call “home.” This is my first official Local Noms post; it’s basically an attempt to get my feet wet at featuring local foodie spots. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Note: For more details on what this Local Noms post series is all about, please see my little preview post.

// First up in my “Local Noms” review: This is a twofer! Today I’m talking about Blueprint Coffee and La Patisserie Chouquette (known as “LCP” in this post, for short).

[Side Note: I would love to dedicate an individual post to both of these shops, but I really want to improve on my photography skills before I take on such an endeavor. I am just not entirely satisfied with my current skill (or lack thereof!) level for that. But I just want to reiterate that both of these spots are definitely deserving, otherwise I wouldn’t even be mentioning them at all!]

+ Background Details: I spent most of last Saturday eating a lot of treats in St. Louis. Let’s just say that I may or may not have slightly overindulged [that’s why I’ll be hitting up the gym a lot!]… But I must admit that it was a great Saturday, and I’ve been to both Blueprint and La Patisserie Chouquette several times. Each time has been a lovely experience, so I’m happy to talk about these spots.

+ Restaurant Location(s): Blueprint Coffee is nestled in the infamous Delmar Loop, and La Patisserie Chouquette is located in the Tower Grove neighborhood. It takes me about ten minutes to walk to Blueprint, and about ten minutes to drive over to LCP.

+ Restaurant Type(s): Blueprint Coffee is – as you can guess – a coffee shop. La Patisserie Chouquette is a French bakery.

+ Initial Impressions: Blueprint Coffee is a small shop, and it’s definitely got that “hip” vibe to it. I have to say – my favorite part about Blueprint is that its “open/closed sign” consists of giant Scrabble letters. When they’re closed, they simply spell out “OPEN” to say “NOPE.” 😀 LCP is a higher-end French bakery, so it’s kind of got that fancy, “tea party” vibe going on inside. I’d describe its interior style as kind of “shabby chic.” Also, I love the old building that it’s in; the bright yellow painted trim on the outside is attractive and welcoming. In summary, both places are unique, and nice places to hang out.

+ Pros: There are too many to list, honestly. Blueprint is a great place to hang out or do work. Personally, I think the coffee is spectacular. They also appear to have expanded their food menu beyond baked goods to lunch items [such as salads], so I’ll have to go back and try some of that stuff soon. LCP is a really cool place to get awesome, unique French pastries. It’s the only place around here (that I’m aware of) where you can get fancy, delicate, gorgeous French pastries!

+ Cons: Both places are kind of pricey, but I don’t necessarily mind paying more for good quality and local drinks and baked goods. Plus, taking trips to these places is generally meant as a special treat for me. So as long as you’re not going constantly, you won’t break the bank! Also, for Blueprint, parking on the Loop can be a bit of a pain… Lucky for me, I can easily walk there! Otherwise, I have no real complaints about either place.

+ Photos from Both Spots:

blueprintcoffee1 — Brian enjoyed coffee in a Pyrex beaker at Blueprint. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason behind its use; I just like how it looks!

When I go to Blueprint, I like to order the nine [I think it’s nine; might be seven!] grain bread with the blackberry/blueberry preserves. Yum.

Lovely vanilla cappuccino from Blueprint.

thedarkness — “The Darkness” is a chocolate croissant with chocolate filling. This thing is insanely awesome. If you go to La Patisserie Chouquette, you MUST try it!

Darcie Cohee photo shoot — This “Let Them Eat Cake” chair is one of my favorite parts about LCP’s space. [Photo taken by R.J. Hartbeck.]

tablescenes — Scenes from our table at La Patisserie Chouquette.

+ My Overarching {Ha! STL pun totally intended!} Review: I have been to Blueprint about five times so far, and to La Patisserie twice. In fact, I’ve had the privilege of talking to the owners of both places. And each of the owners of the shops are great people; fun to talk to, and very helpful, knowledgable, and down to earth. I have never had anything but a pleasant experience at both the coffee shop and the bakery, and I’m so proud that I have the privilege of visiting these lovely spaces in my current city. STL, you’re pretty cool, and your people are even cooler.

PS: Special thanks to Brian for putting up with me taking a million photos. 😉

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November 19, 2014

Random Sides // Scenes from a Photo Shoot!

Holy crap, errybody! I’m so excited to talk about this that I can barely contain myself. This morning was just refreshing, inspiring, and beautiful. And as cheesy as it sounds, this morning reminded me of how truly amazing life can really be.

Now, I am not a morning person at all, as most of you know. So you’re probably wondering why I’m all hyped up about this morning. Well, I spent this beautiful Wednesday morning drinking delicious lattes, eating fancy French pastries, exploring St. Louis, and meeting some new, badass people. If only every morning could be this awesome! 😉 How’d I get away with this, you ask? Read on to find out!

I have been thinking to myself for awhile now that it’d sure be nice to have some “non-selfie” [haha] photos on my blog. But I wasn’t sure how to go about finding a good local photographer – especially for the price. I’m not exactly made of money, but I want good quality work done if I’m gonna get all dolled up for some professional pictures, ya know?

Awhile back, I stumbled across one of my now favorite STL Instagram feeds: @paintchipps. @paintchipps’ real name is R.J., and he’s a St. Louis University (SLU) business alum. His real passion lies in entrepreneurialism [don’t ask me to say this word out loud, cuz I’m 99% sure I can’t pronounce it properly] – particularly with photography. This dude is legit.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to see that he was offering portraits for a reasonable price to help build his photography portfolio. I realized that this was my chance to have some awesome photos taken to help improve my blog, while also helping out a fellow local entrepreneur. Now, I don’t know that I’d necessarily classify myself as an entrepreneur, but I definitely like to pursue my passion of baking and food blogging wherever possible – similar to how R.J. has his passions. So I reached out to him to see if he’d be willing to take some pictures for me, and he agreed.

R.J. and I met at RISE Coffee House in the Grove neighborhood. It’s a very cool place, and they have delicious coffee, too [obviously]. Then we did some more exploring and stopped by La Patisserie Chouquette – a cute little French bakery in Tower Grove. {I’ll definitely have to dedicate a separate “Local Noms” post to both of these places later on.} We also met some really cool people, had some tasty food and coffee, and R.J. got some awesome pictures of me, if I do say so myself. 😛

I will admit that I was slightly apprehensive about getting my pictures taken. Of course, I was never doubting R.J.’s ability as a photographer; rather, I was more self-conscious about how photogenic I would be. I’m not always a fan of being in front of a camera. But again, it worked out quite splendidly.

Alright, I’ve shared enough hipster-esque pictures that I took with my iPhone. The real purpose of all this rambling is to take the opportunity to dedicate a post to our little photo shoot, and share some of the photos that R.J. captured.

I had a hard time choosing, but I have chosen two photos to use as my new pictures on my Who am I? page. Here’s one of them:

{I mean, it’s me standing with a chair that says “Let them eat CAKE.” It’s just too perfect!}

In addition, here are some of my other favorites from the photo shoot session:

Darcie Cohee photo shoot
{Looking awesome in black and white.}

{Eating a chocolate croissant, and of course I had chocolate all over my hands and on my teeth. Typical Darcie. I do love my hair in this one, however.}

{Sometimes my hair being blown to bits in the wind makes for cool pictures.}

{It’s hard telling what I was thinking here.}

{Being super cool.}

{I love the soft light and mood in this one.}

{Grinning in the sunlight at Tower Grove Park.}

Thanks again to R.J. for working with me on this! {And thanks for making me look like such a badass, haha!} It’s so inspiring to see other people [especially in my generation] pursuing their passions unabashedly. This morning was inspiring, fun, and it was a real treat to be able to take the morning off work to meet some cool people, eat some tasty pastries, drink delicious coffee, and explore this city that I now call home. <3

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++ Important Links!

– Follow @paintchipps on Instagram.
– R.J.’s website.
– La Patisserie Chouquette – I still have no idea how to pronounce this, but this is a very cool little French bakery in Tower Grove.
– RISE Coffee House in the Grove.