Right to Brag /-/ Mini(ish) Pistachio fudge chunky cookie cake with Sea salt butter cream

Today I am not going to be deep and meaningful. Not that my regular post are true D&Ms but you hopeful understand)

This post is about being selfish and having a humble brag.

 In most societies bragging is considered bad form but I have always wonder why are people making us feel bad when you truly have an achievement to boast about? Not today! Not here! I want you go out today or (tomorrow) and tell people about something you have achieved. Seriously.

 

As much as I love having humble pie constantly on my selves, I have a few things today I can tell you about that I have achieved. 

From this food blog not only have developed a passion for photography but I have improved my skills in baking and writing. Sure passion for sweets will always be there however a lot of my favourite blog have inspired me to be more adventurous with cooking savoury meals. From a girl who could not fathom cooking Christmas a dinner for 7 nor prepare a meal for two of delicious pasta; 

I am preparing to make crispy skin pork belly for Christmas this year with all the trimmings.  Also!! I have eaten very well over the past year with the numerous recipes for grilled cheese too. God, cheese is good.

This month I have receive a number of achievements as well!

•  I am about to finish my culinary course this month graduating with a certificate 3 and 4 in pastry. FYI; looking for a full time job too, so contact me!
• While this happened a while back; I graduated university last year but my ceremony is occurring later this month! I think my comment sums up what I expect on the day and consider I have to wake up so early to get to it, I deserve it!
• Lastly and most recently, my first full colour photo has been publish in a magazine! If you didi not see the instagram, it is in a coffee magazine called “Perk” from the US. I can not describe the amount of joy it give you to see a piece of your photographic work in full, HD print. Ahhh… I will never live this down.

So Today make yourself a cookie cake and brag about it! Not just any cookie cake, this one with brown butter, pistachios, fudge and sea salt butter cream 

 

Layers of pistachio fudge chunk cookie layered with butter cream sounds good but it is the detail you need to know about. I am against anyone ever labeling a cookie the “best” mainly because it is always changing and I guarantee you have not tasted ever single cookie on the planet. This one is adapted from Jessica at "How sweet it is" who is not only known for her savoury but sweet, sweet trashed up desserts. One of biggest inspirations and here blog is always a constant inspiration food photography; so I guess this cake is inspired by her cookie.

 

Due to the rare occurrence of all these good things I felt the need to make the cake just for me and base on the Cakeblog’s cookie cake which I have been infatuated with.  Also another source of inspiration for this cake comes from"Ladyandpups". Mandy has been one of my inspiration ever since I was little one month old blog with her food that puts meat on the map. Who knew being ravenous would result in such delicious recipes? Anyway sandwiched between these chewy, nutty cookies is a sea salt butter cream. DO not skip on the sea salt! The cookies are only lightly salted and you need it to balance the out fudge in cookies (I find fudge by itself too sweet). 

This cake generously feeds two people but I ate it by myself over a few days; so no hard done!

This probably the only way you can celebrate all these achievements (yours and mine!) So grab yourself a pot, butter and get cooking this weekend! Oh make sure you brag extra hard for me too.

 

Mini(ish) Pistachio fudge chunky cookie cake with Sea salt butter cream

Inspired by Thecakeblog 

Cookie recipe adapted from How sweet it is.

Butter cream recipe adapted from Ladyandpups.

Serves 2 generously

300g plain flour

4g baking soda

190g butter, browned and cooled ( look on how to prepare brown butter here)

2g salt

200g brown sugar

100g raw caster sugar

1 egg plus one yolk

1 vanilla bean scraped

1 cup or 150g-200g Pistachio Chocolate fudge, cut up into 1 cm piece.

Pre heat oven to 180C. Line two trays with baking paper.

Shift over large bowl flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl whisk butter and sugars until combined. Add egg and yolk, whisk well. Add in vanilla pod scrapings and whisk until well combined. In three batches, mix in the flour mix until a homogenous dough forms. Add fudge and make sure they are well mixed.

I used a single cookie spoon (1.5 tablespoon) to make the cookies. With each cookie shape into a flat round disc ( about 1cm high). Make sure you work the dough enough to make the fudge stick in the cookies. Freeze them in a sealed bag or fridge them for up 2 days.

Place the dough balls on the tray, leaving about 6 cm in between each cookie ( better safe than sorry!) Bake for 14 minutes until the cookie is set and develops a golden edged crust. Once out of the oven, gently press the middles of the cookies that have risen too much. Cool on tray.

Buttercream

250g unsalted butter, soften

3-5g fine sea salt

5ml vanilla extract

450g icing sugar, shifted

20ml-30ml sour cream

In a stand mixer place butter and sea salt. Whip with paddle mixer to light and fluffy, this helps it to dissolve. I normally do this for 7 minutes, scraping the bowl well.

Add vanilla and beat well. In small batches all the icing sugar and beat. Make sure it returns to the creamy, white texture before adding the next batch. Use the sour cream to thin out the mix if yours is too thick.

Assembly

Make sure all cookies are cool. You will need 12 cookies for this cake. Place a cookie on the base of piece of baking paper. Spread  under a table spoon of butter cream on the top of the cookie, place another cookie right side up on to the butter cream. Continue this process until you get a 12 level cookie stack. Fridge for at 30 minutes before serving for yourself.