Biscoff Cream Pie ~ Easy and Delicious!

In the way Nutella took the country by storm, I believe Biscoff Spread is headed in the same direction. Have you heard of this delightful creation? It’s a creamy spread (like a peanut butter) but it’s made from Lotus’ Biscoff cookies! Europeans have been enjoying these cookies with their coffee for years, but I have only tasted them recently. They are nice and crisp with a bit of cinnamon. They taste like a graham crackers for adults! So you can only imagine how wonderful the spread is on bagels, toast, apples…you name it!

I decided to create something with the Biscoff spread and I wanted to use a little of the cookies in this recipe as well. I felt like making a no-bake pie so of course it was easy! You’ll find you can whip this up in no time…just leave a couple hours aside so it sets up in the fridge…

I’d like to thank Miki for her post on Chocolate Snack Cake with Biscoff Buttercream which brought me Biscoff Spread Awareness! I think we need a month for that…what do you think?

I’m ready to see what else I can come up with using this spread. My addiction has only just begun…

Biscoff Cream Pie
by Zim on a Whim

Ingredients:
1 chocolate (Oreo) pre-made pie crust
1 small package instant vanilla pudding (3-4 oz.)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Biscoff spread, melted
8 oz. tub of Cool Whip topping, thawed
A handful of crushed Biscoff cookies for decoration (and a little crunch)

Directions:
In a large bowl, add in the instant vanilla pudding and the milk.

Measure 1/2 cup of the Biscoff spread into a small microwaveable bowl and melt it in the microwave for 1 minute on medium power. Add the melted spread to the vanilla pudding and milk.

Using a hand mixer, mix the pudding, milk, and spread until well combined. Fold in the thawed Cool Whip with a spoon until well combined. (You can use the hand mixer again for this if you prefer, but do it quickly and don’t overmix.)

Pour into the pie crust.

Take a few of the Biscoff cookies and put them in a resealable bag. Using a rolling pin, crush up the cookies into crumbs. (This can also be done in a food processor but I didn’t want to have to clean mine.) Sprinkle the crushed cookies on top of the pie.

Chill for about 2 hours in the refrigerator, and then dive in!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Corned Beef in the Crock Pot

We had our St. Patrick’s Day dinner a little early because for some reason the school decided to schedule a roller skating party on the holiday. At least this might inspire some of you who are getting ready to make your corned beef to try it this way!

I like to slow cook it all day, and I actually cook the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots separately. (Do you see carrots in the photo? Neither do I. That’s because I forgot to cook them! There’s a huge bag sitting in my fridge feeling very slighted.) While normally I love to throw everything in the crock pot at once, I don’t care for the way the cabbage and other vegetables taste cooked with the corned beef. I prefer to roast them. You can prepare yours however you like, but I recommend roasting the cabbage if you’ve never tried it.

**Here is my post from last year on roasting cabbage. Give it a try! I’m not even a big fan of cabbage and this method is a game changer. This year I decided to adjust it a little bit. It came out even better! I used olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and a little brown sugar sprinkled on each side and rubbed in. It was a perfect! **

As far as the corned beef goes, I have combined some recipes I’ve tried over the last few years. Here is recipe!

Corned Beef in the Crock Pot
by Zim on a Whim

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. Corned Beef Brisket with seasoning packet (I buy the Flat Cut)
2 small or 1 large onion, cut up into small chunks
1 fennel bulb, sliced
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
Spice packet that comes with the meat
1 bottle of dark beer like Guinness

Directions:
1. Rinse the meat and cut off excess fat. (I try to get most of it off except for a very thin layer.) Pat dry.
2. Place onions, fennel, and garlic into the bottom of the crock pot. Lay the meat on top of them, fat side up.
3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, soy sauce, and spice packet. Pour over the meat.
4. Add in 1 bottle of Guinness beer. (If you prefer not to use the beer, you can add beef broth instead.)
5. Cook on low for about 7 hours. Slice against the grain and enjoy!

Note: If you would rather cook your cabbage, potatoes, and carrots with the meat, then place the potatoes and carrots on the bottom with the onion and fennel. After you put the meat in, then place cabbage quarters around the meat before pouring the beer over everything. Like I said, I’m not a fan of the outcome, so I roast everything separately.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Breadstick Shamrocks

Gather ’round me lads and lasses! I have such an easy treat for you to make just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. It is easy enough that even the kids can help. This comes from an old issue of Family Fun Magazine. Give it a try!

All you need is:
1 can Pillsbury Breadsticks dough (original) – 11 oz./12 breadsticks*
Cinnamon
Green decorating sugar

*1 can of breadsticks makes 3 shamrocks, so if you need more buy accordingly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment (preferred) or use a non-stick ungreased baking sheet.

Separate breadsticks. For each you will need 3  1/2 pieces.

Holding both ends of one piece, slightly stretch and twist. Form a heart shape.

Make 3 hearts for each shamrock. Arrange on baking sheet to form the “leaves”, making sure to pinch together in the center to adhere to each other. Half of the sides of the hearts should touch. Take half of another breadstick and twist, forming the stem. Give it a little curve. Press the stem into the center of the hearts.

Sprinkle some cinnamon on your shamrocks, and then the green sugar. Your sugar might not stick in some spots after the cinnamon, so you can dab a tiny bit of water in those areas as needed. Just use your finger so you don’t get too much water on there…you just want to dab or smooth it on.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Check after 13 minutes…mine took about 15 to get nice and golden brown.

Let it cool before handling so it doesn’t come apart on you or you will have bad luck for 7 years! Just kidding. You’ll have a bunch of sad little green hearts.

If you’d like to see a couple more posts for St. Patrick’s Day, check out the Irish Beef Stew and my St. Patrick’s Day Ombre Cupcakes!

Erin Go Bragh!