Apartment Therapy’s Can Planters

Aloe Vera in Upcycled Can Planter

I've had this aloe vera since we moved in, and this is its third container--it's growing like a weed!

I was so glad when I saw this tutorial for How to Make Can Planters at Apartment Therapy recently, because I’ve been hoarding some big coffee and tomato cans with no clue as to what to do with them.  I have more than a few plants almost too big for their containers, nice planters are often too expensive for my  budget.

The gray and beige polka dots in the windowsill above came from a pack of Amy Butler scrapbook paper, while the craft paper below is something I try to keep around because it’s good for so many things.

Fern in Craft Paper Planter.

Craft Paper is one of the best things I can think of. This plant is currently in our living room, but I'm planning on putting it on my desk at school.

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Cast Iron Skillet Cookie Cake

The last thing I need is a cookie cake. Nevertheless, when I ran across this recipe at The Kitchn, I decided to make one anyway anyway.  We had almost everything we needed to make this cookie happen, so when we bought groceries the other night we made sure to get the only missing ingredients: chocolate chips and butter.  While Ms. Dianne and I were working on the muslin slipcover I posted about recently, this cookie cake baked in the oven. The only hitch we encountered was the size of the skillet–the recipe calls for baking the cookie 40 to 45 minutes in a 10″ skillet.  Our two cast iron skillets are 8″ and 20,” and I like a thinner cookie anyway, so we decided to use the 20″ skillet and decrease the cooking time by about 15 minutes.  This worked out well for us, as the center was still soft and chewy while the edges were crispy but not burned.

Throw on some homemade cream cheese icing and this cookie cake becomes an unstoppable force.

To make this, you’ll need:

  • 2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 3/4 C packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 t pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 C (about 9 oz) mixed milk- and semisweet chocolate chips

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt then set aside. This next part calls for an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, but if (like us) you don’t have one, a big bowl with a spatula works just fine.  Cream together  the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy–the original recipe says this should take about 2 minutes in an electric mixer, but I imagine it will take longer if mixing by hand. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until they’re fully incorporated. Pour in the flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Transfer the dough to your skillet (the recipe recommends a 10″ skillet) and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. If you’re using a different-sized skillet then adjust the baking time to accommodate for the difference in thickness of the cookie.  Don’t overbake, because it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Cut with a pizza slicer and serve warm.  Both The Kitchn and Martha Stewart recommend topping this with vanilla ice cream.  I’m not the biggest ice cream fan, but I have a feeling that homemade cream cheese icing would make this cookie cake unstoppable.

(Via TheKitchn, Martha Stewart)

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