Mehcad Brooks

A year and a half ago CBS announced that they were creating a new superhero TV show featuring the same executive producer as The CW hit duo The Flash and Arrow. They would be focusing on Supergirl. I did not know how I felt about this. Marvel had their whole Agent's of SHIELD thing going on over at ABC, but no one else, besides The CW, had really tried to do a TV show in years. It was almost like the world had said "No, we like our superheroes on the big screen. Don't give us your puny budget and bad CGI TV shows!" and for the most part I was right there agreeing with them. But there was a part of me that wanted to see what they would come up with. 

And not only did I want to see what they would come up with, but I wanted to see a real connection between the Supergirl mythology and the Superman legend. I wanted direct links. I wanted The Man of Steel to show up from time to time. I wanted the writers to acknowledge that although the show was focused on the Girl of Steel, she has a super awesome (and my favorite comic book character) cousin that could help her out from time to time. And they did not disappoint. 

Cut to the pilot. Me, sitting on the edge of the couch soaking in every.single.line. EVERY.SINGLE.SCENE. All of it. And then Kara Danvers, Supergirl's alter ego, walks in to the new Art Director's office to pick up something for Cat Grant and she sees the first real picture of her cousin Kal-El, known to this world as Superman. He steps out of the corner and sees her admiring the print and offers for her to take it because he's got other copies. He took the photo. He is...wait for it...Jimmy Olsen!! Now going by James because only "the big guy" can call him Jimmy. Well, him and James' mom. And in that moment I was like "I like this guy.....who is he?" and so, iMDB came to my rescue, as it always does, and I realized that I haven't seen him in anything else. 

His name is Mehcad Brooks. He's been in a number of sports related movies. I am not really a sports person (if you couldn't tell by this blog. haha), but I might be looking in to them because I LOVE him on Supergirl. You can check out his other credits HERE.

AND, this season they are letting him take on a heroic role and James Olsen will become Guardian who is one of my favorite characters. I'm really excited to see what they come up with for him. His character on the show is really awesome, and of all the Jimmy Olsen's, he's definitely my favorite.

So, to jump right into our tradition here on Starstruck Baking, let's get to the treat I will be eating while I marathon Supergirl Season 1. It's on Netflix, in case you haven't seen it. Is it cheesy? YES. But is it clean, good and wholesome? YES. And if you don't like those things, well, I'm sorry? 

Any way, treats treats wonderful treats!! 

For Mehcad's birthday, I made delicious Twix Thumbprint Cookies!!

I found a few recipes on Pinterest and this is the one I liked best. Check it out HERE.

Twix Thumbprint Cookies

Shortbread cookie:

⅔ cup Butter, softened

½ cup sugar

2 Eggs (yolks only)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cups all-purpose flour

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Mix the butter, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla until well combined and creamy. Then add the flour and mix until well incorporated. The original recipe says to chill for an hour. I've done it both ways and if you chill the dough, the cookie keeps a better shape. I usually don't have time to chill things for an hour and they still turn out okay. They taste the same. 

Once your dough is ready form 1 inch balls and you want to place them 2 inches apart. Press the center of the cookies either with a tart press, or your thumb (which is why they're called thumbprint cookies, FYI). And bake them for about 7-10 minutes. You want the edges to just be a light golden brown. Once baked, take them out of the oven. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them over to a cooling rack to finish cooling. 

In the original recipe she has you buy caramels from the store. I am not a fan of that method. I have never had a good experience using premade caramels for anything. SO, I am going to share my top secret family recipe for an easy homemade microwave caramel that will give you a delicious caramel filling that adds a million extra delicious points to these cookies.

Caramel

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Add all EXCEPT vanilla to a microwave safe bowl. I like to cut the butter into cubes so it will melt faster, but you don't have to do that. Mix together and then microwave for 3-4 minutes. Remove from microwave and mix until butter is completely incorporated to the mix then put back in the microwave for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from microwave careful as it will be very very hot. Add the vanilla and then I usually start filling the cookies with the molten hot caramel. You can let is sit for a minute, but the longer you wait the harder it will be to pour it into the cookies. 

To fill the cookies, I just take a spoon and pour it carefully into the center of the cookie. It should be soft enough that it will run over the cookie. Don't over fill them or you will have a caramel mess all over your kitchen. 

Once the cookies are filled, I melt about a half cup of milk chocolate chips in a bowl and then drizzle it over the cookies with a fork. Sometimes I use a pastry bag. Whatever floats your boat. And then, I eat them. Because they are delicious. I get the most compliments on these cookies.  So, check them out, watch Supergirl and have a great night with Mehcad Brooks!