Girl Scout Thin Mints

 Make This Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint Dupe

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup cocoa powder

• 1 stick butter, room temperature

• ⅓ cup sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

• 1 egg white

For the chocolate coating

• ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, melted (or melting wafers)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet tray with parchment paper.

2. Use a rubber spatula and mix the soft butter and sugar together in a medium bowl until well combined. There’s no need to make it fluffy. Add the salt, egg, and extracts. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and cocoa powder together to disperse the cocoa evenly, then mix it into the butter mixture in two installments. This will help ensure you don’t end up wearing the cocoa powder. The dough will be thick but workable. 

2. Place the dough on plastic wrap or parchment paper. Flatten the dough into discs with the wrap, and pop them into the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

3. Dust the countertop with a bit of flour and unwrap the dough. Roll it into a thin sheet, rotating it after every pass with the pin to ensure the dough isn’t sticking. Use a round cookie cutter, 1.5-inch or 2-inch is fine, and cut out circles. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet an inch apart. Bake them at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until firm and matte. Cool them completely.

4. To make the chocolate coating, gently melt the morsels in the microwave in 30 or 15 second bursts. Dunk each cookie in the coating and fish it out with a fork. Use the flat edge of a rubber spatula to swipe off most of the chocolate so the coating is thin. Put the cookies on a wire rack to cool, and you can even pop them in the fridge for ten minutes to speed up the cooling.

Todays Thought

Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you've only founded a superstition. If you test it, you've started a science. 

-Hal Clement, science fiction author (30 May 1922-2003)

Todays Thought

We love those who know the worst of us and don't turn their faces away. 

-Walker Percy, author (28 May 1916-1990)

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Todays Thought

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it. 

-Margaret Fuller, author (23 May 1810-1850)

Todays Thought

I should dearly love that the world should be ever so little better for my presence. Even on this small stage we have our two sides, and something might be done by throwing all one's weight on the scale of breadth, tolerance, charity, temperance, peace, and kindliness to man and beast. We can't all strike very big blows, and even the little ones count for something. 

-Arthur Conan Doyle, physician and writer (22 May 1859-1930)

Todays Thought

When I am asked, "What, in your view, is the worst human rights problem in the world today?" I reply: "Absolute poverty." This is not the answer most journalists expect. It is neither sexy nor legalistic. But it is true. 

-Mary Robinson, 7th President of Ireland (b. 21 May 1944)

Todays Thought

The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error. 

-John Stuart Mill, philosopher and economist (20 May 1806-1873)

Todays Thought

A change in perspective is worth 80 IQ points. 

-Alan Kay, computer scientist (b. 17 May 1940)

Todays Thought

I want people to talk to one another no matter what their difference of opinion might be. 

-Studs Terkel, author and broadcaster (16 May 1912-2008)

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Todays Thought

The past is never where you think you left it. 

-Katherine Anne Porter, writer and activist (15 May 1890-1980)

Young People Finally Starting to Recognize the Super Rich and Not Oldsters Are the Problem

 Young People Finally Starting to Recognize the Super Rich and Not Oldsters Are the Problem

Now to the Financial Times sighting, that the young are finally realizing who their real enemies are.

When millennials first emerged, blinking, into the adult world in the 2010s, they quickly bonded over shared adversity….

It was a grim decade, but at least they had each other, and were united against a common foe in the shape of the wealthy, homeowning baby boomer generation…

as the targets of millennial ire increasingly recede from view, they may soon be replaced by another privileged, property-owning elite much closer to home: millennials who have benefited from family wealth….

In the UK and US alike, the average millennial had accumulated less wealth in real terms by their mid-thirties than the average boomer at the same age. But this aggregate picture obscures what is happening at the top end of the distribution.

In the US, while the average millennial had 30 per cent less wealth than the average boomer by age 35, the richest 10 per cent of the cohort are now about 20 per cent wealthier than their boomer counterparts were at the same age, according to a recent study by researchers in Cambridge, Berlin and Paris. Not all millennials are created equal.

I Glued My Balls to My Butthole Again

Here’s what you can learn from a mom of three who runs a half-marathon a day

 Here’s what you can learn from a mom of three who runs a half-marathon a day

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Helen Ryvar goes through the same routine every night.

She checks the weather forecast, lays out her running clothes, puts her running shoes by the front door, charges her cellphone and flashlight, and sets the alarm for 4 a.m.

By 4:15 a.m., she’s out the door — rain or shine...

Unhoused Residents - Ava's Theme

Vaughn Makes the Best Carrot Cake Recipe (Ever...?) | Cooking the Commen...

Rum-Raisin Carrot Cake

By Vaughn Vreeland

Published May 10, 2024

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

Total Time

2¼ hours

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours

Rating

(0)

Notes

Read community notes

This boozy variation on classic carrot cake is imbued with both freshly grated and ground ginger, giving it a spiced aroma that pairs wonderfully with the rum-soaked raisins and crushed pineapple (which makes the cake particularly tender). Rum plays a central role in this cake: It’s first used to soak raisins until plump, then the leftover liquid is added to the cake batter as well as the frosting, ensuring very little waste and a cake that lives up to its name. Slowly beating the cream cheese into the butter-sugar mixture will ensure a sturdy frosting that can stand up to the heft of the cake layers. For the creamiest frosting, be sure to take your time, as cream cheese frosting can become runny or lumpy if mixed too fast. This cake is perfect for any time of year — enjoy it as the tulips bloom, bring it to your summer barbecue or curl up with a slice next to the fire alongside a dark ’n’ stormy. 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:One 9-inch cake (8 to 12 servings)

FOR THE CAKE

• 1cup/135 grams raisins
• ½cup/150 grams dark rum
• 1cup/100 grams chopped walnuts
• 1cup/230 milliliters grapeseed or other neutral oil, plus more for greasing pans
• 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
• 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2teaspoons ground ginger
• 2teaspoons baking powder
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
• 3cups/295 grams shredded or coarsely grated carrots(from about 3 large carrots/12 ounces, peeled)
• ½cup/140 grams canned crushed pineapple
• 1tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
• ¾packed cup/155 grams dark brown sugar
• 4large eggs, at room temperature

FOR THE FROSTING

• ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• 2½cups/298 grams powdered sugar, sifted
• ½teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
• 1tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 16ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• Chopped candied ginger (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Put raisins in a small bowl or airtight container and pour in the rum. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours, or overnight. (If you’re short on time, heat the rum-raisin mixture in the microwave for about 1 minute and let cool to room temperature. The raisins won’t absorb as much liquid as they would overnight, but that will kickstart the rum soak.)

2. Step 2

   When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the chopped walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until fragrant; set aside to cool completely. Meanwhile, grease two 9-inch cake pans with oil, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the exposed side of the parchment as well and set aside.

3. Step 3

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. Step 4

   Strain the raisins and place in a small bowl; save the rum in a separate container and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the carrots, toasted walnuts, pineapple, fresh ginger and ¾ cup of the rum-soaked raisins. (The leftover raisins will be used in assembling the cake.)

5. Step 5

   In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar and dark brown sugar until the mixture is no longer lumpy, about 1 minute. (You can also do this in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.) Add the eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly for about 30 seconds after each addition, until the mixture visibly thickens and lightens in color. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved rum and whisk to incorporate.

6. Step 6

   Whisk in the dry ingredients until no dry streaks remain, and then fold in the carrot mixture, taking care to scrape down the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate everything.

7. Step 7

   Divide the batter evenly among both cake pans (about 3¼ cups/815 grams per pan) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, switching the position of the pans halfway through, until the tops of the cakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, and then invert the layers onto a wire rack to cool completely, at least 45 minutes.

8. Step 8

   While the cake layers cool, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter until spreadable. Add the powdered sugar and salt and begin beating together on low speed until the sugar has fully incorporated into the butter. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another minute until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of the reserved rum and beat until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. On medium-low speed, add the cream cheese a couple tablespoons at a time, making sure to beat thoroughly after each addition until it has completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and continue until all the cream cheese is incorporated.

9. Step 9

   When ready to assemble, invert one cake layer onto a platter, flat side up. Spread about half of the frosting evenly over the layer and sprinkle the remaining rum-soaked raisins on top, pressing the raisins into the frosting. (This will make for more cohesion between the layers.) Place the other cake layer on top (flat side down, so that the two flattest surfaces are meeting in the middle) and spread the remaining frosting on top. Adorn with chopped candied ginger, if desired. Let sit at room temperature if enjoying within a couple hours, or refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Store any leftover cake tightly covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Friday Mix

Todays Thought

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. 

-Rabindranath Tagore, poet, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (7 May 1861-1941)

Is English just badly pronounced French?

Todays Thought

Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it. 

-Christopher Morley, journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet (5 May 1890-1957)

How the US Is Destroying Young People’s Future | Scott Galloway | TED

Todays Thought

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. 

-Niccolo Machiavelli, political philosopher and author (3 May 1469-1527)

Todays Thought

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do. Wasting time is merely an occupation then, and a most exhausting one. Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen. 

-Jerome K. Jerome, humorist and playwright (2 May 1859-1927)

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