Creative Dishes you can make in the New Cookies & Cream Baking Pan
Ah, the classic chocolate cookie with milk. Combined as a cookies and cream dessert? Even better! Don’t like cookies? (That’s silly) Then try cake! Or Jello! That is what I thought when I saw this pan, but it didn’t stop there. Oh no. The possibilities are nearly endless. I made it a goal, more like a mission, to use this pan for a whole day to make breakfast, lunch and dinner (don’t forget dessert!). I then tested the presentation and recipes on my husband throughout the day. He was impressed, to say the least, that I could make all these meals in this one pan.
Breakfast: Pancakes with Fruit
First up, I made classic pancakes with syrup and fruit. If I had whip cream, I would have used that too. They tasted great and held the syrup inside and kept those berries contained. Although, I did add extra berries to the plate and some syrup, because I love raspberries and blueberries and especially covered in syrup. The pancakes can be made from a box or from scratch, but baked at 350 degrees. Fill the cavities only 3/4 full to allow for pancakes to rise. If you are curious about the recipe I used, see below. I sprayed the pan a bit with a baking spray (with oil and flour in it) and baked for approximately 10 minutes. Just watch the edges, once golden brown they should be ready. Take them out of the oven and wait 5 minutes to flip them out. They popped right out once I inverted the pan. Let them cool a couple minutes, plate them and add any of your favorite pancake fixings.
Lunch: Cornbread Cups filled with Chili Salsa
Right after baking pancakes, I kept the oven on and whipped up some cornbread in preparation for lunch. The cornbread can be made from scratch or a mix, bake at 375 degrees for about 15 min. The baking time will depend on your recipe or oven, so just keep a watch on those edges. I also used the baking spray for these to ensure an easy release. The cavities are filled at about 3/4 full to allow for cornbread to rise. Wait for 5 minutes before inverting and taking them out of the pan. They should pop right out once flipped out or with a tap of the pan to release them. I made a fresh chili salsa to be added in the cornbread cup and as a topping for salad greens. That recipe is below along with the cornbread recipe.
Dinner: Quinoa Turkey Meatballs with Soba Noodles
Dinner was a bit more interesting! It was not a bread baked theme this time, it was turkey meat. The thought of meat in this pan was a bit odd, but I wanted to give it a try. The result was surprisingly good. The presentation did not look as unpleasant as I had anticipated and the recipe was delicious! I have added the recipes below. The pasta side was not as good as the quinoa turkey meatballs, but with the sauce added it tasted wonderful. I would use the other soba noodle recipe below the next time I make this. The meatball baking time was a bit of guess work in this pan, but once I learned to watch for browning on the edges they came out easily. To make them in this pan, I greased the pan a bit just to be safe and then stuffed the meat mixture almost to the top of the cavities. Baked at 400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes or until all sides are browned and are cooked through. Take them out of the oven, wait about 5 minutes and flip the pan over to allow them to fall out. If they do not come out immediately, tap the pan on the counter and they should fall right out. I added the sauce from the recipe to the center of these and on top of the noodle dish to add some more flavor. What is that orange on top of the meatball, you ask? I decided to add some squash to this! I had some leftover hubbard squash and it went very well with this asian dish. This meal was a bit more creative than the others, which is why I am so excited about this pan. There are so many fun and exciting things to do with this pan.
Soba noodle side dish I made: Made soba noodles with carrots and cabbage. Added meatball sauce to noodles.
Dessert: Filled Sweet Cornbread Cups
One last thing! Notice dessert? I had some leftover cornbread cups and decided to sweeten them up a bit for dessert. I added vanilla yogurt, blueberries and maple syrup to the cups. I bet ice cream would have been delicious too!
This pan was a fun food adventure. Creativity and deliciousness abound. Please share your fun creations with us. We’d love to see what you can do with the Cookies and Cream Baking Pan.
