Sweet Tooth Lulu

Fresh strawberry cupcakes with strawberry-lime filling, and strawberry meringue buttercream frosting

2014-05-16T17:32:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make: I have been craving so much sweets during this pregnancy... unfortunately (or maybe fortunately if you want to take this as a wake-up call), I failed my glucose test! That did NOT happen with either of my first two pregnancies, so I was very shocked/ashamed... I certainly felt guilty for all the sweets I let myself eat... And you know what? Do you know how hard it is to crave something when you are told you can't have it? Until I took the 3-hour glucose test, I tried really hard to cut back on my cravings, and ate some sweets in moderation. Well, test is over (after being poked 4 times!!!) and so I let myself bake :) I still don't know the test results yet, but at least I let myself make these cupcakes that I have been dying to bake.
The cupcakes are from Confections of a Foodie Bride and the frosting is from Martha Stewart's CUPCAKES. And just to add a little extra fun, I mixed half lime curd (that I made for another recipe) and half extra strawberry puree (leftover) and filled the cupcakes. It added a nice brightness to the cupcake, giving it an extra dimension. Definitely worth giving this recipe a go!
AND, these cupcakes were made with my friend Laura in mind, who just had her baby girl! Congratulations Laura and Michael; squeeze that adorable bundle of joy every chance you get because she will definitely grow up too fast! :)
Ingredients:
For the strawberry puree:
24 oz very ripe strawberries, hulled (or no-sugar-added frozen strawberries)
1-2 tsp sugar (optional)
For the cake:
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
4 whole eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature

Directions:

Slice and toss the fresh strawberries with a teaspoon or two of sugar and cover. Let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, until nice and juicy.

Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree. Reserve 3/4 cup puree for the cake (the rest you can use in the frosting, or as a filling for the cupcakes/cake).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8- or 9-inch pans: spray inside with baking spray with flour (or use some sort of grease/flour combination). If making cupcakes, line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine puree, milk, and vanilla and mix with fork until well blended; set aside. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together for about 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Start adding flour mixture, alternating with puree mixture, in three ways. Mix just until all the flour is incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly among the pans and smooth tops (or fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full).

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (time will vary). For cupcakes, bake for about 15-20 minutes (start checking at around 13 minutes). Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely (about 2 hours).

Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, in puree form (8oz)

4 large egg whites

1-1/4 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature

Directions:

Combine egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of a standing electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved, about 160 degrees F.

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. once all butter has been added, scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula and switch to the paddle attachment; continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Add strawberries and beat until combined. Stir with a flexible spatula until the frosting is smooth.

Recipe adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Margarita Cupcakes

2014-03-14T18:13:00.002-04:00

This is for you lil' sis - Happy Birthday!!! Can't believe you are turning 23 this year... how time flies! I'm glad I had the opportunity to send you a nice birthday treat through our middle sis, so I hope you enjoyed it.
With your standing request of green treats, this time I made a margarita cupcake - although not entirely green (the green curd was made by adding artificial coloring, or else it would just look like lemon curd), you get a nice surprise green middle. And limes are green, so that counts right? :)
Here is my wish/hope that you have a wonderful birthday, and that this coming year is as exciting and fulfilling as you want it to be!

Ingredients:

For the curd:

2 whole eggs plus 8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
a tiny bit of green food coloring (optional, add a little at a time)

For the cupcakes:

3 cups AP flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
100g (about 1 1/4 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes), zested and juiced
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:

2 cups sugar
8 large egg whites
Pinch fleur de sel (coarse salt)
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp. tequila

Directions:

1. Lime Curd: combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and lime juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon. Remove from heat. add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
2. Cupcakes: preheat the oven to 325˚ F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, coconut flakes, and salt; stir with a fork to blend. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lime zest and lime juice. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated.2. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, brush the cooled cakes with tequila to emphasize the true margarita flavor.3. Frosting: combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together, though it may take a very long time!) Stir in the lime juice and tequila and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.4. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream. Garnish with a dot of lime curd.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats (for cake and frosting) and Martha Stewart's Cupcakes (for lime curd)

Chocolate pudding

2014-02-08T13:42:00.003-05:00

Ohhhhh wintery winter... when will you go away??? That's what goes through my mind lately. All the years I've been in the US, this is the worst in terms of snow accumulation. It feels like you finish shoveling, then more comes down! But hey, at least every day that passes, we are one step closer to spring :)
And with all this snow on the ground, it's hard to do a spur-of-the-moment run to the grocery store/restaurant when a craving hits... so I guess if I can't BUY it, I may as well MAKE it (which is probably better in the long run anyways). The latest craving was chocolate pudding. It just sounded so nice! Plus I saw a picture of chocolate pudding on Pinterest. Didn't end up using that recipe, but instead Googled some options and settled on trying this recipe from Hershey's website.

How it turned out? Very rich and creamy, very chocolaty - just overall wonderful!

And to join forces with Mother Nature, if I can't beat this snow, might as well use it to my advantage :)

PS: This is how I eat my chocolate pudding - a little pudding, with a LOT of whipped cream! :)

Chocolate pudding
About 6 servings (at my house at least)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2-1/4 cup whole milk
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped topping (optional, but HIGHLY recommended)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in milk.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into individual dessert dishes. To avoid a skin from forming on top, press plastic wrap directly onto surface; serve warm or refrigerate at least 2 hours. Garnish with whipped topping, if desired. 4 to 5 servings.

Original recipe from Hershey's

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

2014-01-31T17:52:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

What do you do when you have too many Oreo cookies on hand, and want to eat cake? Use it in a cupcake, of course! That was basically the logistics of making these puppies this week. They turned out so good though, I'll definitely make them again in the future. What a great recipe from Annie's Eats!

To make 36 cupcakes (a recipe and a half of the original recipe), I basically used up ~60 Oreo cookies (or generic cream-filled chocolate cookies) between the bottom of the cupcake, the filling, and the toppings. The few extras are because some cookies "broke" in the process and therefore were too "ugly" to use, and had to be "disposed" (aka into my mouth)... one of the perks of being the baker, right? :)

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Makes 36 cupcakes

Ingredients:

36 Oreo cookies separated, with cream filling attached all to one side (reserve the side without cream for adding to cupcake batter, see below)
3-1/2 cups AP flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2-1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup milk
36 reserved Oreo cookie sides without cream, coarsely chopped (I quartered them)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of three cupcake pans with 36 paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on lowest speed, beat in a third of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add half of the milk and beat just until combined, then mix another third of the dry ingredients, add the other half of the milk, then finally add in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

4. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
4-5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp heavy cream
Oreo cookie crumbs (about 1-2 whole cookie sides without cream, used in the batter)
18 Oreo cookies, cut in half

Directions:

1. Combine cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract.

2. Beat in about 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, then add the heavy cream and add 2 more cups of the confectioner's sugar and beat until incorporated (if consistency is still too "runny", add the other cup of confectioner's sugar).

3. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Assembly

1. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Red Velvet Cheesecake

2014-01-19T15:06:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year 2014!

Man, it's been too long... so much has happened... we are expecting #3 this coming June (hence the lack of posts - so hard to want to cook/bake when you are nauseated all the time...), while #1 and #2 have been keeping us busy growing up and thriving :) But can't complain, life is good!!!
Okay, so now with most of the nausea gone and most of my energy coming back to "normal", cravings are starting to kick in. One of my old-time cravings kicked in this last week... red velvet cake! But I was feeling too tired to bake at night after the kiddos were in bed, so I cheated and went to the grocery store to buy some. Got to the bakery section, and was told that red velvet is a seasonal item for Thanksgiving/Christmas time only! WHAT?!!!!! Ok, now the craving had been kicked up a notch, and I just couldn't let it go. So I decided to bake it... but then thought that I'd kick IT up a notch and make it the cheesecake style. I found this recipe from Recipe Girl and just had to try it.
I've never made a cake/cheesecake combo before just due to the time-consuming aspect of it: more components = more time-consuming. This time though, I took a deep breath and dove in to the baking. And despite the different components, it wasn't as time-consuming as I had anticipated. Made the cheesecake one day, let it freeze it overnight, then made the cakes next morning, let them cool, made the icing and voila! Not too bad :)

I figured I'd have it tonight with my family after dinner, but just so I could take pictures of the layers (and ONLY for that reason, not because I wanted to eat it already...) I cut into it. Baby's verdict??? Two thumbs up!

Supper yummy! I actually increased the cheesecake layer by 150% from the original one just because I wanted to have more cheesecake. If you prefer to have an even look to your layers, then you may want to do the original recipe.

And to make the cake pretty (because everyone eats with their eyes first), I made "roses". Here is a tutorial on how to make these beauties. Super easy!

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Cheesecake:
Three (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Wrap a layer of foil inside the bottom and up the sides of the pan (you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn't seep into the pan). Spray the inside of the foil with baking spray.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese- blend until it is nice and smooth and creamy. Mix in sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan (it will fill the pan surrounding the cheesecake). Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up along the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. This can be done in several hours- or overnight.

Red Velvet Cake:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1-ounce (usually one bottle) red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add a 9-inch round parchment paper cutout to the bottom of each of two 9-inch round metal baking pans. Grease paper and sides of pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt - set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. Once blended, add the flour mixture with liquid mixture in thirds, making sure each addition is well mixed in. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted lightly to remove any lumps
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy (do not overbeat).

Assembling the cake:

Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan and open foil wrap. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake.

Frosting the cake:

Apply a crumb coat layer to the cake- use a long, thin spatula to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of frosting. Be sure to wipe off your spatula each time you are about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting (this way you won't be transferring any red crumbs into the bowl of frosting). Don't worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to "set" the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the 2nd layer. Start by adding a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. Because you applied a crumb-coat layer, you shouldn't have any red crumbs floating around in the final frosting layer. Decorate, as desired. Keep this cake refrigerated.

Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl

Banana Spice Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting

2013-09-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

Hello there! It is always such a pleasure to make cupcakes for special occasions, especially when someone you know and love asks you to make it for them! It is a challenge that I feel honored to take on, and get a little nervous just to make sure the cupcakes are well received :)
Well, this time my sister asked me to bake cupcakes for a work baby shower she was hosting. How sweet! The mother-to-be does not know the gender of the cupcake, so I wanted to add both blue and pink onto the cupcakes. So I tried to add coloring to the frosting... some cupcakes took on the colors well, some didn't... but at least the cupcake liners have the correct colors ha!
So these cupcakes are made with spice cake mix, and then adding some special ingredients. I used my trusty "Hello Cupcake!" book for inspiration for the cake part, and then the frosting was from "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes".
Here is the recipe, and I hope you enjoy these cupcakes!

Banana Spice Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting
~makes about 24 cupcakes~

Ingredients:
-1 box (18.25oz) spiced cake mix
-1 cup mashed bananas (about 3-4 medium)
-3/4 cup buttermilk
-1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
-4 large eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners; set aside.
2. Add mashed bananas, butter milk, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix until well blended. Add cake mix and beat on medium for about 2 minutes, until well mixed.
3. Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full and place the pans into the preheated oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven temperature. To check for cupcake doneness, insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, they are done.
4. Remove the cupcakes from the baking pans, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting
Ingredients:
-2.5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 Tbsp honey
-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
With an electric mixer on medium speed fitted with the whisk attachment, beat all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownie Bars

2013-09-09T13:18:00.003-04:00

Good day everyone!
This recipe I found on Pinterest (surprise, surprise!), originally from Pizzazzerie, caught my eye one day, and this past week I made sure to include all the ingredients in my grocery list to have on hand to make it when "I felt like it". Well, I felt like it on Thursday night, so I whipped this up for a church meeting I had to go to on Friday.
Oh my gosh, talk about being decadent! I think you really have to enjoy chocolate (and who doesn't, right?!) to appreciate all of this dessert's intricate layers of goodness. Red velvet brownie, Oreo truffle, chocolate ganache... *cue the trumpets* It's to die for!!!

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownie Bars
~makes one 9x13 baking dish~

Ingredients:
Red Velvet Brownie layer:
1 Duncan Hines (or another brand) box Red Velvet cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 package instant white chocolate pudding (3.3oz)
6 Tbsp canola (or vegetable) oil

Oreo Truffle layer:
2 packages Oreos
2 packages cream cheese (16oz total), softened

Chocolate Ganache layer:
3 cups chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
mini chocolate chips for garnish

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray (You don't have to use the aluminum foil part; it just makes it easier to remove from the dish and cut the brownie pieces later). Set it aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, melted butter, eggs, pudding mix, and canola oil; mix well until thoroughly combined (2-3 minutes on medium of electric mixer).
3. Spread the red velvet mix onto the pan. It will be VERY thick; use the back of a spoon (or clean hands) to help spread it into all edges of the pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (ovens vary so watch closely). Let cool completely before adding next layer.
4. Crush package and a half of Oreos in a food processor (or in a large plastic bag and rolling pin). Reserve the remaining half package uncrushed (about 24 Oreo cookies) for the garnish.
5. Melt cream cheese for 15 seconds in microwave to soften.
6. Stir together crushed Oreos and cream cheese until blended smoothly.
7. Carefully spread out Oreo truffle mixture on top of baked red velvet brownies. Use your hands to help press it down instead of spreading to avoid tearing the brownies. Arrange remaining whole Oreo cookies on top of the truffle layer.
8. Place chocolate chips in heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream until it boils. Add hot heavy cream onto chocolate chips. Then DO NOT DISTURB IT for 2 minutes (no mixing, nothing!). After 2 minutes, take a spatula and carefully mix heavy cream and chocolate chips together. Keep mixing until very well blended and chocolate chips are completely melted. Pour over top of Oreo truffle layer, spreading it out evenly as needed.
9. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips while still warm.
10. Let cool completely (refrigerate if possible) before cutting into squares.

Recipe adapted from Pizzazzerie

Vanilla cupcakes with blueberry filling and mascarpone frosting

2013-07-18T21:21:00.000-04:00

Happy anniversary to my wonderful parents! They have been married for 32 ~~long~~ years. Through so many ups and downs that life has brought them, they have overcome them and raised three great children (the greatest being me of course ha!), and provided us with a great life. I am so proud to have them as my "mae" and "pai". Love you guys!
Now, my parents love fruity cupcakes, so much so that when I make chocolate varieties, my dad especially sort of wrinkles his nose... Really? Who doesn't like chocolate?! Anyways, due to my parents preference to fruits, I was inspired to make these vanilla cupcakes filled with a blueberry and lemon filling, and then topped with a light mascarpone frosting. How did I come up with that combo? It's partly what I already had at home haha!
The vanilla cupcake recipe I found on Pinterest, and have been dying to try it out. It came out nice and fluffy, with that pretty little dome you expect to see on a great cupcake. It's one I'm happy to try again!! Each of the locations I got the recipes from are listed below.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Yields about 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line cupcake pan(s) with baking cups.

Sift and mix together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the dry ingredients in 3 separate batches, alternating with the milk (start and end in dry ingredients). Mix until just incorporated.

Fill baking cups about 2/3 full (or a little less) and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack, and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting or serving.

Blueberry cupcake filling

Ingredients:
8oz frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
A pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened.
2. With a paring knife cut cylinders out of the center of each cake and set aside. Fill with blueberry filling and “re-cap” with cut out cake.

Mascarpone Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
8oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

Directions:
With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.

Resources:
Vanilla Cupcakes inspired by Pastry Affair
Blueberry Filling inspired by Quarter Cup Kitchen
Mascarpone Frosting inspired by Martha Stewart

Mocha cupcakes

2013-07-14T01:00:00.001-04:00

Recently I've been baking for different occasions/people, but then I forget to post it... Well, I certainly don't want to forget this recipe!
The "making" of this recipe started back last summer, when I was really supposed to come up with a chocolate/coffee cupcake combo for my brother-in-law (officially now!) for his birthday. I didn't get his treat made last year, so I promised him I would definitely make it this year.
So here is the promised cupcakes, and they turned out very well!!! The cupcake base is the famous Hershey's chocolate cake recipe, but I substituted the boiling water for hot coffee. All in all, it was birthday boy approved!

Mocha Cupcake
~Makes 24-30 cupcakes~

Ingredients:
-2 cups sugar
-1 and 3/4 cup AP flour
-3/4 cup cocoa powder
-1.5 tsp baking powder
-1.5 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1 cup milk, room temperature
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup (very hot/boiling) brewed coffee

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two dozen-cupcake tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
Combine all dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a separate bowl by sifting and whisking it all together.
In a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla until well incorporated. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Stir in coffee (batter will be thin, that's ok!) and mix well until batter is even.
Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full and bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until inserted tester (usually toothpick) comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before next steps.

Mocha Ganache

Ingredients:
4oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (or you could do 8oz total of just bittersweet chocolate)
1 cups plus 2 Tbsp of heavy cream
1- Tbsp instant coffee granules
Optional: 1 Tbsp coffee licquour (like Kahlua) -- if not adding this, add another 1/2 Tbsp of instant coffee granules.

Directions:
Place chopped chocolate and instant coffee granules into a heat-proof medium bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand for about 2 minutes (this step is important! Don't touch it at ALL for 2 whole minutes!)
With a whisk, gently stir the chocolate with the cream in small circles. Once chocolate is smooth, start adding

Espresso Buttercream Frosting
Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons espresso powder

Directions:
1. Mix the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.
2. Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about a minute or two. Add the espresso and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary.

Adapted recipes:
Chocolate cupcakes from Hershey's
Mocha Ganache from Annie's Eats
Espresso Buttercream Frosting from Brown Eyed Baker

Triple Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

2013-04-04T23:39:00.000-04:00

Happy spring everyone! Now with Lenten season over, my husband can finally eat sweets again... I know right? What a horrible thing to give up! And when he gives up eating sweets, then I can't BAKE sweets...
Well, my baking hiatus is over! And in perfect timing too, as we saw these lovely Meyer lemons at the store the other day, and made me want to make something with them. I didn't know what exactly yet, but I figured I'd try! Last time I used Meyer lemons for a sweet treat were when I made my Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake, and that turned out so great!
For these cupcakes I ended up mashing different recipes together, but I mainly used Martha Stewart's Cupcakes' recipe for Martha's Meyer Lemon Cupcakes. The curd I made from the same book too, no changes made to the recipe. For the cake I didn't have any cream cheese (I swear someone took the box I was saving for this recipe from the fridge...) so I substituted sour cream instead, and increased the amount of baking powder.
Since this recipe didn't call for any frosting, I had to figure out how to go about that. I mean, what kind of cupcake doesn't have frosting, right? That's just the best part! :) So I sort of made a recipe up, using cream cheese (I went to buy some for the frosting) and butter. I was aiming for a tangy, sweet, and light frosting, to complement the denser cake and very tangy curd. I think this recipe nailed those requirements!
Next time you are at your local store/market/grocery and find Meyer lemons, you'll know just what to do with them!

Triple Meyer Lemon Cupcakes
(makes ~40 cupcakes)

Ingredients
Lemon Curd:
-2 whole eggs plus 8 eggs yolks
-1 cup sugar
-2/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

Lemon Cupcake:
-3 1/2 cups AP flour, sifted
-2 Tbsp finely grated Meyer lemon zest
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-3 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup (8oz) sour cream, room temperature
-7 large eggs, room temperature
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
-8oz (1 box) cream cheese, room temperature
-3 Tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice
-3-4 cups confectioner's sugar

Directions:
For the lemon curd:
1. Combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
2. Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl, and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, zest, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating until just combined after each.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes.Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For the frosting:
1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and cream cheese together until well incorporated. Then add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and 1 cup of confectioner's sugar and whisk well, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Alternate between lemon juice and confectioner's sugar, until all the lemon juice is used. If frosting seems too runny for you, add another 1/2 to a full 1 cup of confectioner's sugar.

Assembling it all together:
1. Using the cone method, cut holes into the cupcakes. Fill each cupcake with curd, then top with frosting. I personally did not add the "lid" of cake back on the cupcake like the above cone method shows just so I would have lots of curd on the cupcake. You can put the lid back on if you'd like so you have an uniform cupcake amount.

For those of you who have ever asked, that's how I make "roses" with my frosting :)

Recipes adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes'

Champagne Cupcakes

2013-02-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! So I've been wanting and wanting to make this recipe for almost two months now... every weekend I thought about making it, I ended up being busy with something else or not had the chance to just bake to my heart's content. The printed recipe and the bottle of champagne just sat in my kitchen, patiently waiting until the day I could bake... and that day, my friends, was today!! Hurray! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I wanted to make something a little bit more "sophisticated" and grown-up, and I think these cupcakes fit the bill.
So what about these cupcakes? I found the recipe through Google from Sprinkle Bakes towards the end of last year. Her cupcake pictures were so cute and festive, and the recipe just sounded great. And
I always love to make cupcakes that have a filling... the filling adds another layer of depth to the cupcake, and always surprises the person eating it, especially if they weren't expecting it. Okay, starting with the cake itself: it's a very fluffy and light cupcake, and you can't really taste the champagne in it. Now this filling: man, I couldn't get enough of it! There is a definite flavor of champagne, but not strong at all. And the frosting was very airy and "light" (if butter and sugar can ever be called light ha!) We had a little bit of the filling left over, and it was gone in a blink of an eye as we ate it with the extra cupcake cones and some strawberries we had at home. :) One quick note, I used Martini and Rossi's Asti Sparkling Wine as my "champagne", and I thought it turned out perfect. Asti is pretty sweet, so if you'd like something less sweet, then maybe the Prosecco type of champagne called for in the original recipe may be better.
So hope you get a chance to make these cupcakes for your loved ones, I promise it will be a hit!

Champagne Cupcakes
Yields about 18 cupcakes

Cake ingredients:
-1/2 cup butter softened
-1 cup granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 3/4 cups flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup champagne, prosecco or your choice of sparkling wine

Cake directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble a little). Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Batter will be a little thick.
Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Set aside.

Pastry Cream Filling ingredients:
-1/4 + 1/4 cup heavy cream (divided)-1/2 cup champagne
-2 Tbsp cornstarch
-4 Tbsp granulated sugar
-1 whole egg
-2 egg yolks
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
-1 tsp vanilla

Pastry Cream Filling directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk cornstarch in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar and 1/2 cup champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from heat.Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture into the simmering champagne/heavy cream mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
Cut a divot into the top of each cupcake, using the cone method, and fill with pastry cream. Trim the cut-out cake pieces flat to make a "lid" and place on top of the filled divot.

Champagne Frosting ingredients:
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. champagne or prosecco
2 sticks of butter softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Champagne Frosting directions:
Place 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a small bowl or condiment cup and allow to cool.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and powdered sugar together. Once the frosting is thick and fluffy, pour in the reduced 2 tbsp. champagne plus 1 tbsp. champagne from the bottle and mix well.

Recipe originally from Sprinkle Bakes

Irish Car Bomb Cupcake

2013-01-02T15:32:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I'm so thankful for 2012 and everything that it brought, and am looking forward to what this new year will bring.
Today I bring you a cupcake recipe that was made for a very special occasion: I'm partner! After lots of planning, talking, tweaking, talking, planning, and a sea of e-mails, it's finally done! These last three years have been great, working in an amazing office, with amazing people. I just can't be more blessed than that! But it seems that they also like me, so they have permanently adopted me, ha! It's such a great accomplishment and I just couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity.
After all the help from everyone who participated in making this happen, I wanted to make a booze-filled cupcake to celebrate together (kinda of like a baked celebratory shot!). I had seen these cupcakes before, and it just seemed to fit the bill. And fit they did!
Where to begin with this cupcake's description? Oh man, so many good things... First, the cupcake: the stout in the batter boosts the chocolate flavor to the cupcake, and you really can't tell that it truly has beer. The ganache: oh my the ganache... the way I made it (which was an oops because I read Tbsp instead of tsp) was actually very perfect for me and my ~~husband~~ taste tester. Even though it was more than the amount in the original recipe, the added whiskey was great. And the buttercream was a just concoction full of win.
So hope you get to try this recipe soon!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, aka Chocolate Stout and Whiskey Cupcakes
Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
-1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups AP flour
-2 cups sugar
-1.5 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp salt
-2 large eggs
-2/3 cup sour cream

Whiskey Ganache
-8oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
-2/3 cup heavy cream
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 Tbsp Irish whiskey

Bailey's Frosting
-3 to 4 cups confectioner's sugar
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 to 3 Tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions:
For cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
2. In medium saucepan over medium heat, bring stout and butter to a simmer. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
3. Sift and whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
4. Using electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat eggs and sour cream until well blended. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Lower speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture in increments and beat until just combined.
5. Divide batter into cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 of the way full. Bake cupcakes until toothpick test comes out clean, about 15-17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

For ganache:
1. Chop chocolate very finely, and transfer it to a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat heavy cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth.
3. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

For frosting:
1. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
2. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Bailey's and whip it until well combined.

Assembling cupcakes:
1. Use either of these items: 1-inch round cookie cutter, apple corer, or bottom of a large decorating tip (I used the decorating tip) and cut the center out of the cooled cupcakes.
2. Put ganache into a piping bag and fill the holes of each cupcake to the top. Let it cool completely (ganache will harden).
3. Using the frosting and your favorite decorating tip, pipe frosting on cupcakes.

Recipe adapted from Bake at 350 and Smitten Kitchen

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms

2012-12-30T23:01:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday. I got to celebrate this wonderful holiday season with family and friends, and some pretty snow to top it all off :) True that we my husband had to shovel snow multiple times in one day and driving was insane, but it was still very pretty.
For the Christmas gathering at my mother-in-law's house, I brought these little gems for everyone to enjoy. I wanted to make some sort of cookie and my husband said his mom liked peppermint things, so when I came across these cookies, I knew I had found our winner! Now even if you are not a big fan of peppermint things, I think you'll still like these cookies, as the peppermint flavoring is subtle and not at all overpowering. Soft, melt in your mouth cookies, with lots of chocolate flavor! These cookies are very simple to make and you should go make these soon!

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms
Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1.5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa1.5 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp salt1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened (but still cool)1-1/4 cup sugar3 eggs1/2 tsp vanilla1 tsp peppermint extractabout 1/2 cup powdered sugar for rollingHershey's Kisses (about 3-4 dozen)

Directions:1. In a small bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the extracts, beating until combined and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Change speed to slow, then gradually add the flour mixture, beating on low just until combined. The mixture will be very sticky.
3. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.4. While cookies are chilling, line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the powdered sugar on a plate.
5. Using a teaspoon cookie scoop (or a spoon), scoop generous teaspoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Gently roll each ball of dough through the powdered sugar until coated, then place them back on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 12 minutes, until puffed and crinkly. (Meanwhile, unwrap the Kisses.)
7. Remove from the oven and immediately press a Hershey's Kiss on top of each hot cookie. Press firmly, so that it doesn't pop off. Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Bake at 350

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

2012-12-17T23:28:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days that you just feel blah? One of those draggy days? That seemed to be the case for me last week. All day at work I just had a really achy lower back, and felt like it was hard to just keep chugging along. Don't know what my deal was... but!!! I did REALLY crave something sweet. That was the one thing I was very sure of, all day long. So when I got home, and saw that my parents had brought us some dinner (thanks parents!), I was free to make what I really wanted - a cake! And to use up the left-over Coca Cola we've had since Thanksgiving (we don't really drink pop at home), I made this cake. I've made it once (or twice) before and every time it was gobbled up super fast. It is super moist and yummy! And make sure you get a slice right when you finish it (well, maybe wait about 5 minutes so it cools just enough!)
Two little notes: for the glaze, you can use some pecans or walnuts. I have used both, and I think I prefer pecans over walnuts. But they are both pretty yummy, and either nut adds a nice texture to the cake, so I would recommend it!
Second note: this most recent batch I didn't have any buttermilk, so I just used whole milk instead (what I had on hand). It turned out fine, but I do think the buttermilk adds a nice flavor to the cake, so if you are able to use it, I would do that.

Look who couldn't resist getting a piece of my "photoshoot" haha!

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake
~Makes a 9x13 in cake pan

Dry Ingredients:
-2 cups white sugar
-2 cups AP flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 cup Coca Cola
-1/2 cup buttermilk
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/2 cup Coca Cola
-4 cups confectioner's sugar
-1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 in baking pan; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift and whisk together all the dry ingredients; set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir unsalted butter, cocoa powder, Coca Cola, and buttermilk from wet ingredients' list until it boils. Take off heat and add it to bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla, and whisk well.
4. Put batter in greased baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
5. When cake is almost done (about 5 more minutes or so), get ready to make glaze. Add butter, cocoa powder and Cola into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and add confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time, stirring well until nice and smooth. Add chopped pecans and give it one final stir. When cake is out of the oven, pour glaze right over hot cake.
6. Let cake cool a little, and enjoy!

Original recipe from May Flaum

Sweet Potato Casserole

2012-12-10T13:34:00.002-05:00

This is a recipe I tweaked for my own liking, after searching through MANY sweet potato casserole recipes... My goal was to make a casserole that was not too sweet nor runny (I wanted this to be a side to our meal rather than a dessert!). I used the original recipe as a guide, and then made changes based on the end result I wanted. Everyone who had it liked it, so I think it's a keeper!!

Sweet Potato Casserole
Makes one 9x13 casserole dish

Ingredients:
3 lb sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 light brown sugar

4 Tbsp butter (half stick), softened

1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp all spice (or cinnamon)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Topping:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup AP flour

3 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mini marshmallows (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees F. Scrub and wash sweet potatoes; poke holes all over each potato with a fork. Place them on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning afterwards). Bake potatoes for about 1 hour, or until a knife goes through the potato very easily (what's called "fork tender").

2. While you wait for the potatoes bake, gather all other ingredients: take out the butter (for both the potatoes and topping) and eggs from refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. Go ahead and make the topping too: in a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter (with a pastry cutter if you have one) until mixture is coarse. Stir in pecans; set aside.

3. Once potatoes are done, scoop out the meat of each potato and place in a large bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Reduce temperature of oven to 325 degrees F. Add all other ingredients with the sweet potato in the bowl and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Transfer mixture into an oven-safe baking dish. Place topping onto potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until topping is lightly brown.

*Note: For a prettier finish, I alternated the pecan topping with marshmallows to look like stripes. This recipe makes enough pecan topping to cover the whole casserole with just pecans, so marshmallows are not a must!

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.com

Butterfinger Cupcakes

2012-11-26T23:14:00.000-05:00

This is a special post for Karen!
Karen is the awesome lady who takes care of my children while I work. So what do I call her: nanny, babysitter? Those words just don't fit all that she does. She has taken care of my daughter since she was about 3 months old (she is 3 now!), and my son since he was 2 months old. She watches them from the moment I drop them off before work until after all the patients and charts are done (which is sometimes a lot later than I would want). Rain or shine, healthy or sick (either her or the kids!), she is there for us. She has even taken care of me when I smashed my finger on my car door, or fed me when I didn't have time to grab lunch... She is so much more than just a babysitter because she is an integral part in my children's life. She has taught them so much, so many good life values like patience, kindness, prayer and friendship...
I think that any mother would understand this (and fathers too): it is a very stressful thing to choose who/where should take care of your children. There are so many different options around, so which one best fits your family needs? We met Karen through one of the gals I work with (Karen takes care of her son too), and she was exactly what we needed. From day one, I felt comfortable in leaving my first born in the hands of a "stranger". Having her there for us gives me the peace of mind that my children are in good hands while I work. It's a good sign when you pick up your children and they don't want to leave (either that or I'm just a boring parent...)!
Anyways, thanks for everything Karen, and happy birthday!!! :)
PS: a little birdie named Sarah told me your like Butterfingers!
About the cupcakes: the base is my favorite chocolate cake recipe, and the frosting is a mixture of butter, peanut butter, and... wait for it... melted candy corn!!! Weird? Yes! But amazing flavor, totally tastes like the inside of a Butterfinger. I got the recipe from The Baking Robot. They did have an additional step, which I didn't do for lack of time, but would have totally made it since it sounds so good! You can freeze the cupcakes and coat the outside of the frosting with chocolate to really mimic a Butterfinger candy bar. Yum!! Head on over to her blog to see that part of the recipe and also a tutorial link.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes ~2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:
-2 cups white sugar
-1 3/4 cups AP flour
-3/4 cup cocoa powder
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1 cup milk
-1/2 cup canola oil
-1 cup boiling water (yes boiling!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl of a stand up mixer set with the paddle attachment, beat eggs, milk, and canola oil until well combined. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, mixing well after each addition. Carefully stir in boiling water, mixing until combined and batter has thinned.
4. Fill paper liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

"Butterfinger" Frosting
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup milk
-1 1/2 cups candy corn
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
-3-4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a saucepan over low heat, combine candy corn and milk. Melt the candy corn, stirring occasionally, until it is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Let cool to room temperature. This will yield 1 cup.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter. Add 2-3 cups of powdered sugar. Gradually add candy corn mixture until desired consistency is achieved. Add more powdered sugar if necessary. If too thick, add some milk or heavy cream and beat well.
3. Frost cupcake as you desire. I added a baking version of Butterfingers to the top for garnish :)

Recipe adapted from The Baking Robot

White Chocolate Mousse Cherry Pie

2012-11-25T23:25:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! November has been a very busy month at our household, let me tell ya! Between birthdays and Thanksgiving, most weekends had something special planned with family and friends. I am not complaining though! It's a wonderful thing to celebrate special events with those you love. :)
One of them is my dear husband's birthday! I had been asking for a while what he wanted on his birthday... he will eat anything dessert-y that I make, but when it comes to that special treat, he had to think for a bit. Then I brought this magazine home:

And he was sold by the cover picture! White Chocolate Mousse Cherry Pie. Wow! Just the title made my mouth water (not to mention the picture itself).
So here is the recipe for this bad boy, because I know I'll have to make it again someday. Birthday boy enjoyed it!!!

Ingredients:
CRUST:
-16 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (aka Oreos)
-3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
-2 Tbsp butter, melted
FILLING:
-1 Tbsp cornstarch
-2 Tbsp water
-1 can (21oz) cherry pie filling
-1/2 tsp almond extract
WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:
-1 cup cold milk
-1 package (3.3oz) instant white chocolate pudding mix
-1 envelope unflavored gelatin
-3 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/4 tsp almond extract
GARNISH:
-chocolate curls and drizzle, optional

Directions:
CRUST:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor, combine the cookies and nuts; cover and process until cookies are finely chopped. Add butter; cover and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Press onto bottom and up the sides of ungreased 9-in deep dish pie plate. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire rack.
FILLING:
1. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan until smooth. Stir in pie filling. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for one minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the extract. Cool completely.
MOUSSE:
1. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; set aside. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cream; let stand for one minute. Heat over low heat; stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.
2. In a large bowl, beat remaining cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and extract; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture. Fold into pudding. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 30 minutes.
ASSEMBLY:
Spread cooled filling onto crust; top with mousse. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Garnish with chocolate curls and drizzle if desired.

Recipe from Taste of Home (Special Editions) - Cooking School Cookbook, Fall 2012

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcake and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

2012-11-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to my dear friend Rachel, who is expecting her first baby (a boy!) in January.

Rachel and I met in dental school, first person I really interacted with since we were in the same small group together. We hit it off pretty easily, having common grounds on a lot of things (including our love for The Amazing Race!). We hung out a lot during dental school, with our many weekend nights playing Euchre against our husbands. Since we both graduated dental school, we've moved to different places (although still within the same state) so we don't see each other as often as before... makes me miss her a lot.

When we (and by we I mean our small group of dental school friends) found out that she was pregnant, we offered to throw her a baby shower. Her mom was gracious enough to host the shower at her house. I jumped at the opportunity to bake the cupcakes for the party. I thought and thought of a cupcake flavor for her, and since the shower and baby room have a monkey theme, I thought banana would go well. I just had to make sure that she didn't have an aversion to bananas (she didn't), and it was all set. This "concoction" was a combination of different recipes I found and meshed together. The final product seemed to please everyone who tried it! Hope you enjoy it!!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Yield: 30+ cupcakes

Ingredients:

-2½ cups all-purpose flour
-1 Tbsp baking powder
-½ tsp salt
-12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
-2½ cups sugar
-6 eggs
-1 cup plus 2 Tbsp buttermilk
-1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana

-1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in mashed banana until well combined. With the mixer on low speed alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing only until just incorporated.

3. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

-8oz cream cheese, room temperature

-1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

-3-4 cups confectioners' sugar

-Garnish - banana chips

Directions:

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.

2. Add in cocoa powder and mix very well. Then add the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency.

3. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish the top with a whole banana chip (and eat the small chips!)

Cupcake recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Frosting recipe adapted from Cupcake Project

Congratulations Rachel!

Roasted Banana Cupcake with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

2012-11-14T08:41:00.001-05:00

My, how time flies... it has been such a long time since I posted last in this blog. Here is a little update with my life in general:

Daughter - she is an energetic three year old who owns every bit of the word "terrible threes"! Ok, that makes her sound bad... she is actually a sweetheart (most of the time), but when she wants something and doesn't get her way, watch out! She is slowly learning how to cope with the environment around her and not be so fiery at times. She is a wonderful big sister to her "new" little brother, always watching out for him and entertaining him when he is crying.

Son - he is about to turn 7 months this weekend. He is such a calm, laid back little guy. As long as you keep his tummy nice and full, he is all fun and smiles. He is rolling around very well, and we can see him wanting to crawl soon. I think that he will start to crawl just in time for Christmas decorations and tree :P

As for me? I went back to work at the end of June (coincidentally right around the time I stopped posting anything), but think we have finally settled into a new routine and things are not as crazy as before. Still very busy, but I think we can tread water better and not feel like we could drown at any minute!

So enough chit-chatting, here is a recipe I made during the summer, took pictures, but just didn't post: the banana is roasted prior to being mashed and added to the rest of the ingredients, so it has a sweeter, earthier taste. Now this frosting - it is just plain AWESOME! Sweet, but not too sweet. It compliments the cupcake super well!

Roasted Banana Cupcakes

Makes ~16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

-3 ripe bananas, plus 1-2 more for garnish

-2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-3/4 tsp salt

-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

-3/4 cup sugar

-3 large eggs

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. To roast the bananas: preheat oven to 400F. Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes (the peels will turn a very dark brown, that's ok!). While the bananas are roasting, line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Also, sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Once bananas are done, remove from oven and let cool before peeling. Reduce oven temperature to 350F.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla. Add roasted bananas, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester (toothpick!) inserted in centers come out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely.

*Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

-2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

-2 Tbsp honey

-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewarts Cupcakes By Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Triple Lime Cupcakes

2012-06-24T14:51:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! Today's sweet treat was planned for a very special occasion: six years ago today, I married my best friend. It has been a very busy six years, with so many changes in our lives. Six years ago I had no idea that we would be where we are today... I feel so truly blessed to have my amazing husband by my side through thick and thin.

Us on our wedding day - first dance!

To celebrate this occasion, I knew I wanted to make cupcakes, but I just had to figure out the flavor. He has been asking for something citrus-y for a little while, so I gave him the option of either lemon or lime. He chose lime! I think he would have preferred key lime, but in good ol' Indiana I haven't found a reliable fresh key lime source yet (if you know of any, please let me know!)
So I came across this recipe from She Makes and Bakes for a key lime cupcake, so I just adapted for regular limes. The cupcake itself though I used my recipe from Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting recipe since I love it so much! The lime curd came out very creamy and with the right amount of tangy-ness. Since I didn't want a regular cream cheese frosting, I added 1 Tbsp of the curd that I made to it to give it just a hint of lime too. All in all, a very successful recipe, if I may say so myself!

Look who I had eyeing my cupcake while I took pictures!

Now the recipe below made 24 cupcakes, plus an 8-inch cake (just a little on the thin side). I doubled the original recipe for the curd, and I still wish there was a little more. I may increase it a little more next time, and if I have extra I can always save it for some yummy toast! I also wish I had more frosting... so therefore the little cake I made especially for my husband and I to share is not covered completely in frosting (like I would want it to be). I filled it with half curd and half frosting.

Triple Lime Cupcakes
~makes 2-3 dozen cupcakes~

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
Same cupcakes from my Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting recipe

For the lime Curd:
1/2 cup lime juice (about 2-3 limes)
1 Tbsp lime zest
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened and cut into 4 pieces

For the cream cheese frosting:1 package cream cheese (8 ounces)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp of lime curd
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Bake the cupcakes according to the directions in my Lime Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting recipe. Let cupcakes cool completely to room temperature before cupcake assembly.

To make the curd, whisk together the lime juice, zest, eggs, and sugar in a mixing bowl set on top of a saucepan with simmering water (this is the double boiler method). Add butter and whisk until thickened and smooth (a thermometer would read 160-170 degrees). Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap to chill. It will pipe into your cupcakes much easier if it's chilled. Once chilled, set aside 1 Tbsp of the curd for the frosting.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in your mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the lime curd and salt and mix until incorporated. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes, use an apple corer or a knife to cut a hole in the center of your cupcakes (cone method - for directions, check out this link). Fill the hole with the chilled lime curd. You can do this with a spoon, a pastry bag, or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off. You don't need to place cake over the hole as the frosting will cover it (I'm sure you can find plenty of mouths to eat those cones!). Pipe frosting on top of the cupcake.

Lime curd and frosting recipes adapted from She Makes and Bakes

Lemon Meringue Pie

2012-06-17T00:44:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:
Crust:
-1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
-1/3 cup sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
-2 Tbsp lemon zest (~ zest of 1 lemon)
-1/2 cup lemon juice (~1.5 lemons)
-2 whole egg yolks
-1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

Meringue topping:
-3 egg whites
-1/4 tsp cream of tartar
-1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix well together until mixture resembles course sand.
Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie dish and, using your fingers, press into the sides and bottom of dish. Bake crust in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes. Let crust cool slightly before adding the filling.

For the filling:
Mix lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add in condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick. Pour mixture into cooled crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly before adding the topping.

For the topping:
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over filling; seal all edges of crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour; more if possible.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Graham-Cracker-Crust-I/Detail.aspx

Meringue Cookies aka Suspiros

2012-06-13T06:40:00.007-04:00

Hello there! I can't believe my maternity leave is almost over... which means my little one is almost 2 months old! Time has just flown by, more so than with my first child it seems. Time just keeps going by faster as you get older huh?
Well, so I'm approaching this last week of being at home as a great time to do things I may not get around to as often once work comes along. One of those things for me is baking, sadly... Although I hope that's not much the case. We'll see...
Anyways, I want to share this recipe I found for these little heaven-on-earth bite-sized cookies. I had some egg whites sitting in the fridge that I was going to use in a pie as a meringue topping. Then I thought "maybe I can find a recipe for suspiros!" What are suspiros? These are one of my favorite childhood treats from Brasil. They are crunchy on the outside, but gooey on the inside and it just melts in your mouth. You can get these in treat bags in Brasil, and let's just say that you had to take those bags away from me before I finished it all myself. It is just oh-so addicting!
So I first looked for recipes in Portuguese thinking that I would be lucky there. Not so much... the recipes just didn't look very promising... so then I don't know how but I saw English versions called "meringue cookies". Now why didn't I think of searching by that name? I looked around, and the FoodNetwork had some good-looking recipes by Giada, although hers has espresso and chocolate chips in it. Maybe I will attempt to make those one day, but I wanted my simple/plain version. I finally came across a recipe at Joy of Baking that fit the bill! I mean, the true suspiros that I remember only took 2 ingredients: egg whites and sugar. This recipe also adds in cream of tartar, but that is wonderful since it stabilizes the egg whites to tolerate the heat better when baking. So I made these little gems and let me tell ya that it was everything I had hoped for and more! Taking bites of these truly sent me back to my childhood... I had to really control myself to not eat the whole batch!
Now you could make these big and even top it with some fruit or ice cream (unnecessary in my opinion), but I opted to make them bite sized so that, you know, you can eat more of them!
Try these today and tell me what you think :) Enjoy!

Suspiros
~makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies

Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
1 cup of superfine or caster sugar*
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Now add the sugar, about a Tbsp at a time, and keep beating the egg whites on medium-high speed until they can hold very stiff peaks (this can be checked by flipping the mixing bowl upside down and nothing would move!!!)
Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag with the big star tip (you can use any other tip you would like, or not even a pastry bag and just 2 spoons) and pipe it onto the parchment paper. Leave a little bit of room between the cookies, but since these don't expand, you don't need to leave a lot of room in between.
Bake the cookies for about 1.5-2 hours (note: if you have a convection bake option in your oven, I would use that for this instead of normal bake because the fan removes the moisture better from inside the oven). The cookies are done when the outside is solid and the cookies are just a tad golden (just a tad!!!). Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven until room temperature. To store them (if you have any left!), place them in a air tight container, and they will last for several days.

*Sidenote: I recommend having superfine sugar for this as it allows the sugar to be completely dissolved into the egg whites so that you have a smooth cookie rather than a grainy one. To make this sugar, I simply took regular white sugar and processed it in a food processor for about a minute.

Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking

S'mores Cookies

2012-06-04T23:47:00.000-04:00

A couple years ago for my parents' anniversary, we got them a fire pit. They have absolutely loved using it and it comes out many many times throughout the year. Also, because of this fire pit, my parents finally got to experience S'mores. You may be thinking: "What?!?!?!?!" Yes, sadly enough they had never had the pleasure of having a S'mores until then. Being foreign parents, they are getting to experience more American things through us children (and also now grandchildren). This is proof that you are never too old to have S'mores :)

Needless to say, they loved S'mores and always try to have the supplies handy at their house for when we visit. So when I saw this recipe for S'mores cookies by Kevin and Amanda on Pinterest, I knew I had to make them and share them with my parents. And like these cookies they did!

You can taste the graham cracker in the cookie dough, and the combination of chocolate chips and mini marshmallows makes the cookie so irresistible! I modified the recipe slightly, mainly by adding more graham cracker crumbs and decreasing the flour, and using regular chocolate chips and mini marshmallows (because that's what I had on hand...). Hope you enjoy these cookies!!!

Look at that gooey-ness!

S'mores Cookies

~makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1 egg
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup AP flour
-1 cup graham cracker crumbs
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup chocolate chips/chunks
-1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a food processor or blender to crush the graham cracker sheets into 1 cup of the fine crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Add the chocolate and marshmallows and stir to combine.

Using a small ice cream scoop, place dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Kevin and Amanda

Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-05-26T01:04:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! Oh my goodness, I'm going to get straight to the point: these cookies are AWESOME!!! There is just no other description... I had pinned this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything and have been dying to make it! And the wait was totally worth it; these cookies were soooooo chewy, with the right amount of chocolate (which is a whole bunch!). I've tried many different chocolate chip cookie recipes, but this one takes the crown! I just can't rave enough about them, you'll just have to make these and try for yourself. Enjoy! :)
Oh, and I am tempted to tweak the recipe a little bit next time and add some coconut flakes to it.
Update note: I DID make the cookies with coconut (by switching the 2 cups of chocolate chips to 1.5 cups of chocolate chips plus 1 cup coconut flakes), but I didn't really think it made it much better (it was already awesome to begin with...). So would I make these again with coconut? Probably not since I really liked these cookies just as they were. :) If you play around with the chocolate chip/coconut flake ratio and come up with a great combo, let me know by posting below!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes ~2-3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
Using a small ice cream scoop, measure out the cookie dough onto the lined cookie sheets (one cookie = one scoop). Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.
Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Banana and Applesauce Muffin

2012-05-24T22:31:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone! Here in our town summer break is officially upon us! School is finally over... I can't believe that my daughter's first (pre?) pre-school year has come and gone! Last August she started school as a very shy two-year old, but now she talks non-stop, chases her little friends around the playground, and can do so much more! It is absolutely amazing to see your children develop so much in such a short amount of time.

My daughter and my husband at the entrance to the school on her first day.

Now look at her! (and ignore me...) This is on the last day of her school. They have a picnic day for the students and parents to come and play in the playground area during their normal school time. I made the muffins below as one of the treats for the picnic, and brought it along with pretzels sticks and cherry tomatoes. Simple, but it worked well for us :) It was a special mommy-daughter only day too as the babysitter watched our baby boy.
A little note about these muffins: they were very moist due to the combination of applesauce and oil, and not too overly sweet. I also didn't feel horrible having multiple muffins at once since I used wheat flour (which practically makes it non-caloric, right?) Ha!
Anyways, enjoy your summer with one of these muffins!

Banana and Applesauce Muffin
~makes about 18 muffins

Muffin ingredients:
-1 1/2 cup quick oats
-1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp baking powder
-3/4 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1 cup applesauce
-1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 whole bananas)
-1/2 cup whole milk
-3 Tbsp canola oil
-1 egg
-1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping ingredients:
-1/2 cup quick oats
-2 Tbsp brown sugar
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp cloves
-2 Tbsp butter, melted
-1/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 18 muffin cups in a muffin pan.
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup, mix together applesauce, banana, milk, brown sugar, oil, and egg.
For the topping, in a small bowl, melt the butter, and add the other ingredients for the toppings. Set aside.
Returning to the muffin batter, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix until combined.
Fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle topping over muffins (about 1 tsp over each muffin). Bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from Cooks.com