I’m pretty sure a lot of you have seen the chocolate chip cookies that have been floating around Pinterest and the internet that require 36 hours of chilling before baking.  I had often wondered myself what all this chilling really does for a cookie… I have never really tried it with a cookie other than my Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, but reading all these blogs talk about how amazing their cookies were after a prolonged chill… I got to wondering if this would work with other cookie dough recipes?

Peanut butter cookies are similar in ingredients to the chocolate chip cookie, brown sugar, butter, egg, flour, etc etc so I thought it might work.  Plus, everything I’d read about this long chill, the cookies turn out crisp on the edges and chewy in the centers… which is exactly what I wanted for these peanut butter cookies.

So, I’m patient… but I’m not THAT patient.  I didn’t chill these cookies for 36 hours, I made it about 19 hours.  But… I’m thinking that it’s a perfect amount of time because the cookies turned out perfect!! Chewy in the middle, a bit crisp on the edges, golden brown and so good!

I recently bought a couple containers of the KRAFT Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits.  If you aren’t familiar with these, they are super mini marshmallows, the kind you’d find in your packets of hot chocolate.  And ya know what? They are PERFECT for cookies!  (PS: They’re perfect for topping cupcakes with too!)  I made S’mores cookies a few days ago and today I’m making a Mocha Mallow cookie with these mini bits of heaven!

I started with a recipe that I’ve seen on several blogs from Annie’s Eats to My Baking Addiction and then put my personal spin on them.  I added the mallow bits, reduced the chocolate chips, added espresso powder and vanilla.   Adding the Mallow Bits was my hubby’s idea.  I think he’s a genius.  The original recipes for this cookie also wanted me to make them giant cookies… but I needed to feed a bunch of people, so I decided to make them a bit smaller so the batter would go further.

They turned out pretty darn yummy.

PS… For the I also made M&M Cookie Bars (which you should make too… cause UHM YUMMMM!)

A few days ago, my friend Erica (she’s an Army Wife too & our husbands worked together at JBLM in Tacoma, WA.) said she was making peanut butter fudge and my ears perked up like a dog who heard a fire truck and wanted to run after it!  Immediately, I asked for the recipe and Erica responded with 5 simple ingredients.  Seriously, could fudge be that easy?  This recipe comes from her Grandma Dillow… which means it’s sure to be a winner if it comes from Grandma!

So today, I tried it.  Erica’s recipe didn’t call for the use of a candy thermometer, but I had a brand new one I wanted to try out, so I used mine.  I can’t say I’ve ever really been a successful fudge maker, but after making this recipe… I think I am!

Grandma Dillow didn’t top her fudge with chocolate, but I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter so, I added a thin layer of chocolate to the top of the fudge.  YUM!

Thanks Grandma Dillow and thanks to Erica for sharing this yummy family recipe!

If you’re like me and are new to making fudge, read this helpful post: Tips for Making the Perfect Fudge!

Hmmm… So yeah.  I made cupcakes today.  And, I didn’t start back into baking cupcakes slowly.  No, I didn’t ease into things.  I went BIG!

Chocolate cupcake + Cookie Dough = HOLY GOODNESS!!!

Baked inside this cupcake is a chocolate chip cookie dough ball.  Yah, you read me right.  Cookie Dough.  The best thing that God ever created inside this cupcake.

And to make things even better…. the frosting.  Cookie Dough.   Both my hubby and my neighbor told me I needed to just make this frosting.  A big giant bowl of it so they could take a spoon and scoop it out and shove it in their mouth.  It’s that good.

Personally, I found the bottom of the cupcake to be the best.   But hey, everyone has their preferences.

So for this months Berry BlogHop I decided I needed to fill empanadas with berries and dunk them in chocolate.

Oh yeah.  OH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Please be sure to check out what my fabulous co-hosts are bringing to the table:

A little bit of everything ~ Roxana GreenGirl ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
BigFatBaker ~ Erin Meyer ~ @bigfatbaker
Bon à croquer ~ Valerie ~ @valouth
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess.com
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19
Java Cupcake ~ Betsy Eves ~ @JavaCupcake
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ T.R. ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Queen’s Notebook ~ Elizabeth  Quirino ~ @Mango_Queen
Rico sin Azúcar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Simply Reem ~  Reem ~ @Simplyreem
Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna Segrave-Daly ~ @tspbasil
That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! ~ Liz ~ @thatskinnychick
The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~ @TAofCRF
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack ~ Jackie S. ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma ~ Cindy ~ @vegetarianmamma

I’ve often wondered though… what exactly goes into a Cowboy Cookie?   I did a little digging online and couldn’t really find a solid history of the cookie.  I’ve seen them made with everything from nuts and coconut to oats and raisins and of course… chocolate! I kinda always thought of these cookies as a “whatever you’ve got left in your kitchen” type of cookie.  So, that’s what I’m going with today.

These cookies have butterscotch, white chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate chips, M&M’s and pretzel chunks.  Oh… and a special little ingredient for some added kick: espresso powder! (Everything but the kitchen sink!) I’ve made a cookie before with pretzels in them and everyone who ate them were surprised at how tasty they were… but pretzels in cookies?  Ya just gotta try it! YUM!

I made a double batch of these so I could take them into my husband’s office… made a few jumbo cookies and a few regular size too.  I’m pretty sure the soldiers will love them!

Recipe inspired by: For the Love of Cooking

Usually when I bookmark a recipe, it stays there for a few days until I muster up the energy to make them.  But… not these brownies.  Two bowls, no mixer and only 18 minutes in the oven.  Seriously, it only took 45 minutes before I was putting one in my mouth.

The original recipe called for mini M&M’s on top… but I didn’t have any.  So I used rainbow sprinkle jimmies.  I also tweaked the ganache recipe a bit too.

So uhm yeah… make these.

They were gone in 5 minutes.

Seriously, go buy yourself a bag of Strawberry marshmallows, a bag of M&M’s and make these.  Simple, quick, easy and SO GOOD!

I’ve had 4 ripe bananas on my counter for 4-5 days now waiting for me to use them.  All I can think about is baking but my pregnant body just won’t have it.  HA!  So, I’ve procrastinated.  This morning my daughter wanted to eat a banana for breakfast but I was said, “NO! I might want to use those today.” Hahah, ya right.

But, then after my morning hour of drooling over recipes on the internet, I discovered that it’s actually National Banana Bread Day.  Well shoot, I have no excuse now… I HAVE TO make banana bread!

I didn’t want to make Emme’s Banana Bread again (although it’s probably one of the most tasty breads we’ve ever made here in our house) so I decided to come up with something new.

Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Bananas.  Can’t go wrong with that, right?!?

Recipe adapted from: Taste & Tell

Today… it’s Red Velvet, Cream Cheese & Chocolate Brownies.  Now, you may have noticed that I don’t make many red velvet things… I’m not really a huge fan.  I don’t always have red food dye on hand and I’m not a huge fan of cream cheese.  Call it pregnancy hormones and cravings… but for the first time in my life, I’ve been wanting to use cream cheese in every dessert I make.

The recipe is pretty simple… there are a few steps, but it really didn’t take much time at all to put together!

I made these especially for the #ChocolateLove BlogHop that I’m apart of!  So make sure you visit the BlogHop Co-Hosts listed at the bottom of this post and add your favorite CHOCOLATE recipe to the list!

ENJOY!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Makes 12-16 brownies

Brownie Batter:
9 tbsp unsalted butter
7oz 70% dark chocolate

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp red food coloring gel/dye

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake Batter:
12oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line 9×13 glass pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray (or grease/flour pan – I prefer parchment paper, makes the brownies easier to pull out at the end).
2. In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together.  Stir often.  Set aside to cool slightly when melted.
3. While that’s melting, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and set aside.
4. In an even smaller bowl, with a fork, stir together the cocoa powder and food coloring until it becomes a paste and set aside.
5. While the chocolate/butter is cooling, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
6. SLOWLY pour in the slightly cooled chocolate.  Start with a little bit at a time, you don’t want to add it all too much, too hot and cook the eggs.
7. Add the cocoa powder/food coloring.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat until your batter turns a dark red color.  If you want, you can add more red coloring at this time.  Make sure the food color is very well incorporated before you move on.
8. Slowly add the flour and mix until smooth.  Don’t beat too much… just enough until all the clumps are out and the batter is smooth.
9. Remove 1/2 cup of batter and set aside.
10. In a clean bowl for the stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla on high speed until whipped and smooth.
11. 
    Spread brownie batter in the bottom of the pan, making sure to get it into the edges and corners.
12. 
    Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie mixture.  Using an offset spatula, gently spread to cover the brownie mixture.
13. 
    Drizzle remaining brownie mixture on top of the cream cheese.  Using your offset spatula, swirl the three layers together.  NOTE:  Don’t swirl too much!  You want a lot of the white cream cheese to show through!
14. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate pan, and cover with foil.  Bake another 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with crumbs, not wet batter.
15. Allow to cool completely in pan before removing to cut into squares.

Recipe adapted from An American Cupcake in London

ChocolateLove BlogHop CoHosted by:

A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl * ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan * Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl * Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29 * Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins * Baking Extravaganza ~ Samantha * BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker * Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth * CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog * Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess * Cakeballs, Cookies and More ~ Sue * Cooking with Books ~ Marnely ~ @nella22 * Creative Cooking Corner ~ Karriann ~ @KarriannGraf * Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies * Elephant Eats ~ Amy * Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes * Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19 * Java Cupcake ~ Betsy ~ @JavaCupcake * Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica * Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbaking * Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk * No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley * Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose * Preheat the Oven ~ Jason ~ @officialchefjae * Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar * Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla * Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem * Smart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutrition * Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood * Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable * Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil  * That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick * The Dusty Baker ~ Jacqueline ~ @dustybakergal * The More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddict * The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd * The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian * Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack * Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma * You Made That? ~  Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

So… to keep my mind occupied the day before (and hopefully off the throbbing in my mouth), I decided to bake cupcakes!  Last week, I made Thin Mint Cupcakes with Girl Scout cookies so today I’m trying out a recipe for Tagalong Cupcakes made with my favorite peanut butter and chocolate GS cookie!

I asked on my Facebook page how exactly I should make this Tagalong cupcake and I really enjoyed the suggestion of one reader to make a thick crumb cake.  I’ve never actually tried to purposely make a cake with a big crumb and I thought this might be the perfect time to try that.  I did an internet search for thick crumb cake recipes and found lots of recipes for a New York Style Crumb Cake and I thought hmmm…. with a little tweaking, this could be pretty darn good as a cupcake!

And of course, the cupcake has to be filled with peanut butter… just like the cookie!  For this filling, I used a variation of my favorite peanut butter buttercream recipe, but made it more creamy and smooth than thick like a frosting.

Oh the frosting.  When you see a Tagalong cupcake…. you first see the dark chocolate covering the cookie.  It’s shiny and sometimes, I just bite the edges of the cookie off and eat just the chocolate part first.  So I knew this cookie had to have that same shine and color.  Creamy chocolate was a MUST!

New York Style Vanilla Bean Crumb Cake
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup vanilla sugar (regular sugar is okay too)
1 large egg
seeds of one vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract (split bean length wise and scrape out seeds)
1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and vanilla sugar for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla bean seeds egg, scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat on high for at least 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Mix in the sour cream, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
6. Add the flour in two parts and mix just until smooth.
7. Add the heavy cream and mix only until incorporated.  DO NOT OVER MIX!
8. Scoop evenly into 12 cupcake liners.
9. Bake 18-19 minutes, rotating pan after 12 minutes.
10. Cool in pan 4-5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe inspired by: First Look, Then Cook

Whipped Peanut Butter Filling
Makes enough to fill & garnish 12 cupcakes 

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp heavy cream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and peanut butter.
2. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the powdered sugar.  Mix until smooth.
3. Scrape sides again, add the vanilla and heavy cream.  Whip on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting
Makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 oz cream cheese
1 lb powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
3. Add the sugar/cocoa to the butter mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix in the vanilla extract.
5. Add up to 1/2 cup heavy cream or until you get the smooth consistency you want.
6. Beat on high for 3 minutes.

To Assemble the Cupcakes:

6 Tagalong Girl Scout Cookies, halved
Whipped Peanut Butter Filling
Creamy Chocolate Frosting
Piping bags & tips

1. Core the center of each cupcake using an apple corer.  I wanted to make sure these cupcakes had LOTS of peanut butter filling, so I cored them all the way down to the bottom liner.
2. Using a small closed star tip, pipe the whipped peanut butter filling into each hole making sure a little bit peeps out the top.
3. For half of the cupcakes, I stopped there with the peanut butter filling.  On the other half, I piped a small layer of the peanut butter filling on top of the cupcake as well.
4. Using a Wilton 1M tip, pipe a beautiful pile of creamy chocolate frosting on top of each cupcake.
5. With the remaining peanut butter filling, pipe a small dollop on top of the chocolate frosting on the cupcakes that are only filled in the middle.
6. Garnish with half a Tagalong Girl Scout Cookie.
7. EAT!

I can’t resist.  I bought 10 boxes.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  10 boxes.

2 to eat (with in the first 24  hours).

8 to bake with.

Yeah… you read that correctly.  8 boxes to bake with.

Last year I made Samoa Cupcakes and Tagalong Brownies.  This year… I started with Thin Mint Cupcakes.  These cupcakes are a super decadent chocolate cake filled with a whipped chocolate ganache topped with a mint buttercream.  Serious amounts of NOM NOM NOM.

PS…. This is my new favorite chocolate cake recipe.  I know it’s got beer in it… but I’m totally using it for every chocolate cake I make from now on!!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 bottle of Guinness Stout Beer
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line cupcake pans with liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
3. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat.  Add the vanilla beer, whisk together and heat until it just begins to simmer.  Whisk in the cocoa powder and espresso powder and heat until it just begins to bubble up.  DO NOT BOIL.  Remove from heat and whisk until smooth.   Cool slightly.
4. In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream.  Slowly pour in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture. NOTE:  DO THIS SLOW! You don’t want to cook the eggs, so start pouring a very small amount of the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture… DO NOT DUMP IT IN ALL AT ONCE.
5. In three parts, add the flour mixture to the chocolate/egg mixture.  Whisk until smooth.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure everything is incorporated.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating pan after 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan for 3-4 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

4 oz dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp corn syrup

1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium glass bowl.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup just until it bubbles.
3. Pour heavy cream over chocolate and stir until smooth.  If the chocolate doesn’t melt all the way, place the bowl over a double boiler and continue to stir until smooth.
4. Mix in the butter and extract.
5. Allow ganache to cool to room temperature.
6. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the cooled ganache until fluffy.  Don’t over mix or it will get grainy.

Vanilla Bean Peppermint Buttercream

12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/2 cup Madagascar Vanilla Bean Cream
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
pinch of salt
Wilton Green Food Gel

1.  Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
2. Add half the powdered sugar and mix on high until incorporated and smooth.
3. Beat in half the vanilla bean cream until smooth.  Scrape the sides of the bowl, making sure all the sugar is combined.
4. Add the remaining sugar and the peppermint extract.
5. Mix in the food gel until it’s the color you desire.
6. Add remaining vanilla bean cream until you get the consistency you want.  Mix on high 3-4 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

To Assemble Cupcakes:

Thin Mint Cookies
Peppermint Buttercream
Chocolate Shavings
Piping bag & large round tip
Apple corer

1. Core each cupcake using the apple corer.
2. Fill each cupcake with whipped ganache.  (I filled a disposable piping bag, cut off the top and filled each one with that.)
3. Using a large round tip and a piping  bag, pipe a round swirl of buttercream on to each cupcake.
4. Top with a Thin Mint cookie and chocolate shavings.
5. EAT! ENJOY!

And this is what you do when you have left over peppermint buttercream.  NOM NOM NOM

So brownies it is.  BUT!  Not your traditional brownie… it’s a cookies n’ creme brownie!  This delicious thing has oreos baked inside of the brownie as well as a creamy oreo buttercream slathered on top.

NOM!

It’s a pretty easy recipe too, only took me about 10 minutes to whip up and get in oven… then another few minutes to beat up the frosting, spread and cut!

If the soldiers at work don’t love these at the potluck… well shoot.  hahaha!

Cookies ‘n Creme Brownies
Makes 16 brownies (depending on how you cut it)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 oz (3 squares) unsweetened bakers chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt

8 Oreo cookies, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Great 9×15 in dark pan with shortening or butter.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and eggs.
3. While that is creaming, melt the chocolate and set aside to cool for 2 minutes.
4. Add the slightly cooled chocolate to the butter mixture, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until combined.
5. Mix in the vanilla.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour and salt.
7. Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix only until just combined.
8. Remove bowl from mixer, scrape off paddle attachment and sides of the bowl.  Fold in the Oreo cookies and make sure the batter is smooth and combined.  This should take about 7-8 strokes.
9. Spread batter evenly into the pan using an offset spatula.
10. Bake for 25-35 minutes or just until barely done.  Do not over bake!
11. Cool completely on a wire rack.  (If you’re in a hurry like I was, allow brownies to cool for 10 minutes in front of an open window, then remove them from the pan to cool more on the wire rack by the window!)
12. Frost with Oreo buttercream then cut into squares!
13. Eat…. nom nom nom!  Enjoy!!!

Recipe adapted from: How Sweet It Is

Oreo Buttercream

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 lb powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
8-10 Oreo cookies, in chunky pieces

1. Cream together the butter, sugar and salt – about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add half the cream and beat until smooth.
3. Mix in the Oreos and beat until they are broken up.  You want a few chunks in the frosting, so don’t mix too long.
4. Beat in the the remaining cream until you get your desired consistency.
5. NOTE:  This frosting is VERY SWEET.  You can cut back on the sugar, oreos or add a pinch more salt to change the flavor.  Play around with it until you get it the right sweetness.

Actually, it’s just another reason for me to bake. Haha. My hubby and I don’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day because he’s either been in the field training or deployed to war. This year, he’s home…. but we’re still not celebrating.

Instead, I’ll be making cookies and cupcakes in the weeks leading up to this mushy, pink, lovey dovey holiday!

But seriously, is anyone really going to complain about that? Probably not!

My first cookie is a spin on all the holiday blossom cookies I made during December. Hershey’s has a raspberry filled white and pink hug KISS this season which I thought would go perfectly on top of a blossom cookie! So these cookies are made with my favorite raspberry jam and a super dark chocolate rolled in hot pink sugar crystals and topped with a Hershey’s Raspberry Kiss! nom nom nom nom

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Hugs Blossom Cookies
Makes 3+ dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup raspberry jam (I used Smuckers because it’s my favorite!)
2 cups flour
2 tbsp milk
3.5 oz chopped 70% dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup hot pink sanding sugar
Hershey’s Raspberry Hug Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla.   About 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the raspberry jam, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix until well combined.
4. Add the flour and mix on medium speed until combined.  Add the milk just before flour is completely combined.   This will help the flour incorporate into the dough.
5. Add the chopped chocolate and fold in using a spatula.
6. Chill for 20 minutes in refrigerator.
7. Scoop 1 inch balls of dough and roll in hot pink sugar crystals.   Place on a baking sheet at least 1-2 inches apart.  (Note: Don’t roll dough balls any larger than 1 inch or they will spread too much on your cookie sheet!)
8. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until edges begin to brown.
9. Immediately press a Raspberry Hug into the middle of each cookie.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Eat and enjoy!

It was a blondie of sorts.  A cookie bar.  Inside it had chocolate and marshmallow… and it got me to thinking, why haven’t I made more blondies before?

Since I had these two beautiful  jars of homemade peanut butter that I had just whipped up… I knew this was a perfect opportunity to make some peanut butter blondies!

The grocery store had a huge sale on it’s holiday bags of chocolate… so I picked up a couple bags of Hershey’s Chocolate Chunks for only $1 each today… so I knew I had to include some chocolate with the peanut butter!

This recipe makes a ton of peanut butter chocolate chunk blondies…. so be prepared to share!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chunk Blondies
Makes 12 large squares… more if you cut them smaller

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup homemade peanut butter (see my recipe!)

2 eggs
1tsp vanilla

1/4 cup milk

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup + 1/4 cup chocolate chunks

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees.  Great a 9×13 metal pan with shortening or butter.
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt together the butter and brown sugar on medium heat… whisking often.
3. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in the peanut butter.  Whisk until all the peanut butter has melted.  Set aside to cool as you prepare the flour.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Whisk the eggs and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture.
6. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pur the butter/sugar mixture in.  Using a spatula, fold the butter/sugar into the flour about 6-7 strokes.
7. Add the milk and fold 4-5 more strokes.   You just want to barely combine the ingredients, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
8. Dump in the chocolate chips and fold until combined.
9. Pour the thick batter into your prepared pan and spread to the edges.  Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chunks.
10. Bake 25-30 minutes or until the top and edges have turned a golden brown.  Allow to cool in the pan before cutting into squares.
11. Drizzle with extra peanut butter, serve with a big glass of milk and enjoy!

I was paired up with two other fabulous military wives and bloggers here in Europe to send a dozen of my homemade cookies to!

Carrie Fields of Fields of Cake and Other Good Stuff

Jessica Sutherland of Jessica Lynn Writes

These fabulous ladies received one of my most favorite recipes for holiday cookies, but with a twist!  I took my tried and true recipe for sugar cookies and added a little mint, dark chocolate chips, and green food coloring turning them into “Grinch Cookies”!  Green and black mint chocolate chip cookies!  Seriously so YUM!

(Sorry, the only picture I snapped before I packaged them up was this pic with my camera phone!)

Grinch (aka Mint Chocolate Chip) Cookies
Makes 3 dozen cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp peppermint or mint extract
4-5 drops green food coloring
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Nestle brand)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the eggs and beat on high for 2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.
3. Add the peppermint extract and food coloring and mix until all the color has been combined.  Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all the color is incorporated.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. In three parts, add the flour.  Between each addition add a tablespoon of milk.  Mix flour only until combined.
6. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
7. Cover dough and place in freezer for 20-30 minutes or chill in refrigerator for at least an hour.
8. While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 400 F degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
9. After the dough has chilled, scoop 1-1 1/2 inch balls onto the cookie sheet 2in apart.  Press each ball gently until flat (unless you want little round ball cookies, then leave them round).  The rounder the edges of your cookies, the rounder they will bake.  If you like imperfection like I do… just leave them with jagged, rough edges.  I pressed a couple extra dark chocolate chips into the top of a few of the cookies, just cause it’s pretty!
10. Bake 7-8 minutes.  Do not over bake!  You want the bottoms to just begin to get golden, brown but not dark!
11. Leave cookies on pan for 30 seconds before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

This time… it’s a cookie bar with a huge surprise in the middle.  Baked in these cookie bars are two kinds of chips and a Reese’s peanut butter cup! Seriously, I wish I had extra for myself, cause they are SO YUM!

Run to your kitchen and whip up a batch of these for your kids…. they’ll thank you for it.

(PS… I didn’t feel like breaking out the big camera to take pictures…. so, you get camera phone pics!)

Double Chip Surprise Cookie Bars
Makes 12 bars

8×8 glass pan
parchment paper
non-stick cooking spray

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
10oz bag + 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
12 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Lightly spray bottom of an 8x8x2 glass pan with cooking spray.  Line bottom of pan with a square piece of parchment paper.  Generously spray top of paper and sides of pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat on high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  In two parts, with the mixer on low, add the flour and mix until barely combined.
5. Add the milk and mix until just incorporated.
6. By hand, fold in the chocolate and butterscotch chips.
7. Press half the dough into the pan.  Arrange 12 peanut butter cups evenly onto of this layer, pressing them gently into the dough.
8. Spread evenly the remaining dough on top of the pb cups, making sure to spread into the corners.  Again, press dough gently into bottom layer.
9. Bake in the center of your oven for 40-50 minutes or until baked through.  Do not over bake!
10. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 12 squares.  Be patient, you want them to set up before you cut them… they will keep their shape better if cooled when cutting.

I know.  Obsessive.

But whatever.  It’s Christmas!

So today…  I originally wanted to make a peppermint sugar cookie, but then decided to use these Chocolate Cherry Kisses that had been sitting in the candy bowl screamed to be used up.  Also in my cabinet was a jar of marichino cherries and some mini chocolate chips.

DING DING DING! We have a WINNER!

Cherries + Chocolate = DELICIOUS

Cherries + Chocolate + Cookies = HEAVEN

This cookie is so super simple and easy to make… almost too easy.   And even better than it’s simplicity… it’s almost VEGAN! No eggs or dairy!  (Sub a non-animal shortening for the butter and you’ve got Vegan! HORRAY!)

ENJOY!

Chocolate Cherry Blossoms
Makes 2-3 dozen cookies (depending on size)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 tsp Maraschino cherry juice (the juice your cherries come in!)
1/4 tsp almond extract (vanilla is okay too if you don’t have almond)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Maraschino cherries, chopped
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup sugar
Hershey’s Chocolate Cherry Kisses, unwrapped

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream together the salt, butter and powdered sugar.
3. Add the cherry juice and extract and mix until combined.  Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl!
4. Add the flour and mix just until combined.
5. Fold in the chopped cherries and mini chocolate chips.
6. Using a tiny 1in ice cream scoop… scoop then roll 1in balls of dough in your hand.  Roll them in the 1/2 cup sugar and place them on your cookie sheet 2in apart.
7. Using the bottom of a glass, press the dough slightly to flatten… not too much, we don’t want pancake cookies!
8. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown.
9. As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, press a Kiss into the center of each cookie.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.
10. I actually ran out of Kisses, so some of the cookies got a drizzle of a simple chocolate ganache on top!
11. Enjoy!

I asked my BFF baker friend, Carrie Fields of Fields of Cake, what recipe I should use to make such brownie and she led me to the most amazing brownie I have ever tasted. Seriously, this brownie is AH-MAH-ZING!

It’s thick, moist, chewy and so chocolately that you neeeeeeed the whipped cream and peanut butter sauce to balance out the awesomeness of the chocolate.

And let me tell you about this peanut butter sauce. OH MY GAWG. I just want to eat spoonfuls of it. And really, can’t wait to buy some ice cream to top it with. You can use this sauce on ANYTHING. SO GOOD.

So, thanks to Steffen for wanting brownies and thanks to Carrie for the recipes! I changed things up just slightly, but for the most post… the recipes are all Carries!

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Brownies
Adapted from Fields of Cake

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
14 ounces quality dark chocolate (85%), chopped coarsely
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal pan 9×13 pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder and set aside.
3. Using a large double boiler, melt together the chopped dark chocolate, cubed butter and instant espresso powder.  Stirring occasional until melted and completely combined.  Turn the heat off, but leave on the burner and keep the bowl on the double boiler.
4. Add the sugars and whisk until combined.  Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes or until it comes to room temperature.
5. Add three eggs, whisk just until combined.  Add the remaining two eggs and whisk only until combined.
6. Gently stir in the vanilla.  Do not overmix the batter or the brownies will turn out cakey.
7. Fold the flour mixture to the wet mixture just until all the flour has become wet and just combined.  Again, DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Pour the mixture into your buttered baking dish.  Using a tapered spatula, gently spread the batter into the corners of the pan, smoothing out the top.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  Rotate pan half way through baking. Do not over bake.
10. Allow to cool in pan completely before cutting and serving.
11. Serve with unsweetened fresh whipped cream and peanut butter sauce drizzled over the top.

Peanut Butter Sauce
Adapted from Fields of Cake

1 cup sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup water
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp salt

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, honey, water and salt with a whisk until all the sugar is dissolved.
2. Allow to come to a boil and cook, without stirring, until the sugar turns a dark amber color.  This process can happen quickly, so watch the sugar closely so you don’t burn it.  It will start to smell like caramel when it’s done.
3. Once it turns dark amber in color, remove immediately from the heat and whisk in the butter.
4. Add the cream and whisk to combine.
5. Stir in the peanut butter and whisk until combined.
6. Taste the sauce, if it’s too sweet, add 1 tsp more of salt to cut the sweetness.
7. Allow to come to room temperature to thicken before drizzling over brownies with fresh whipped cream.

1 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the metal bowl and whisk of your electric mixer in the freezer for 20 minutes.
2. After they bowl and whisk are very chilled and cold, attach them to the stand mixer.
3. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and whisk on high for 3-4 minutes.
4. Pour in the vanilla extract.
5. Continue to whisk on high until it becomes thick.  Do not over mix or it will deflate.

WRONG!

Monday rolls around and I’m back in the kitchen baking. This time, one of my favorite combos: Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

I made these soft and chewy peanut buttery chocolate kiss cookies cause ya know, they’re my favorite and I made them HUGE because well, you know… everything is better when it’s HUGE!

Ultimate Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen JUMBO cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter, extra crunchy
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 10oz bags HERSHEY’S mini chocolate Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream together the butter and peanut butter.
3. Add the sugars and beat on high until combined.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix on high for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
5. Beat in the corn syrup, water and vanilla extract.
6. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
7. Add the flour mixture in two parts to the cookie dough, mixing only until just combined.
8. Fold in the mini kisses.
9. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop 8 mounds of cookie dough onto your pan.
10. Bake for 9-10 minutes.  DO NOT OVER BAKE!  You want them to begin to turn golden on top but still be soft in the middle.
11. Remove to a wire rack immediately to cool.

I decided to make an Oreo cupcake and decorate it like a graveyard as well as an orange flavored candy corn cupcake! I know that candy corn typically isn’t orange in flavor, but my friend Sarah sent me a package of blood orange candy corns… so this works out perfectly!

For the Graveyard cupcakes I made this oreo cupcake… it’s a favorite recipe of mine that works out perfectly every time I make it!   Instead of a cream cheese frosting like the recipe calls for… I used a standard buttercream and added oreos.  I made 1.5x the amount I’d normally make for a dozen cupcakes, just to make sure I had enough frosting.  Here’s that recipe:

Oreo Buttercream
12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
10 Oreos, chopped
1/4 tsp salt

1. Beat the butter until smooth.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, alternating with a small amount of cream at a time, and beat until smooth and creamy.
3. Mix in the vanilla.
4. Add the chopped Oreos and mix on high for 2 minutes or until all the big chunks of Oreo are gone.
5. Add more cream until you get your desired consistency.  You may not need all the cream.
6. Mix in the salt until well combined.

So for my first bundt cake… I decided on a chocolate and pumpkin combo. I figured it would be best to be safe and instead of doing two batters and making it marbled, I would make one batter with chocolate and pumpkin together.

For the glaze, I spent all morning pondering it… Do I make a vanilla & cinnamon glaze for a more dramatic effect or a thick chocolate ganache for flavor and texture? I’m leaning toward the chocolate because really, you can’t go wrong with chocolate. I guess we’ll know which one I decided on by the end of this blog! HA!

The cake batter is a little unorthodox in it’s ingredients, but trust me the cake will be AMAZINGLY delicious!  It’s super dense, moist and the pumpkin flavor is just enough to add some spice to the cake.  It leaves you wondering… mmmm, what is that?

Pumpkin & Chocolate Cake
1 3/4 cup minus 1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp corn starch

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground gloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg white, room temperature

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 f degrees.  Grease the inside of your large, deep bundt pan.
2. Sift together the flour and corn starch in a large bowl.
3. Add the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  Whisk until well combined.
4. In another large bowl, mix together with an electric mixer the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and brown sugar.
5. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
6. Add the canola oil, corn syrup and vanilla and mix until combined.
7. Gradually add the flour to the wet mixture.  Fold in the flour mixture until just combined.  Do not over mix.
8. Pour batter into bundt pan.  Pound pan on the counter 2-3 times to help the batter settle and to get any air bubbles out.
9. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a long skewer/stick comes out with no wet batter or just a few crumbs.   You may want to rotate your pan after at least 40 minutes cooking to ensure even baking.
10. Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours.
11. Drizzle glaze over the top allowing it to drip down the sides.
12. Top with mini chocolate chips.
13. Cut into slices and enjoy!

1. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, buttermilk and cinnamon.
2. In another small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and buttermilk.
3. Drizzle the cinnamon glaze over the bundt cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
4. Drizzle the sugar glaze over the cinnamon glaze, making sure it drizzles between the cinnamon glaze drizzles…. creating a contrast in colors.
5. Top with mini chocolate chips.
6. Allow the glaze to set before cutting &  serving.
7. Enjoy!

The recipe inspiration came from what I had on hand in my kitchen.  No cocoa powder, but I had unsweetened baking chocolate,  no chocolate chips, but I had peanut butter chips.  Brownies! YES!

FYI… make sure if you want ooey gooey brownies that you do not over cook these!  I made sure they cooked just the right amount of time and they came out perfectly fudgey and gooey!

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1 cup flour, sifted
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F degrees.  Grease a 9×15 cake pan.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla.
3. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.   Make sure to scrape the sides/bottom of the bowl!
4. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the melted chocolate.  Scrape the sides and mix on medium/high speed about 30 seconds.
5. By hand, mix in the flour until just incorporated.
6. Fold in the peanut butter chips
7. Spread batter evenly into the pan.
8. Dollop the peanut butter on top of the batter.  Using a knife, gently swirl the peanut butter into the batter.  Not too much though, you don’t want the entire top to be covered in peanut butter, just a nice swirl.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving!

Banana Bites! 
Sliced bananas
Peanut butter buttercream
Melted Chocolate

1. Squeeze a dollop of buttercream on a banana slice.
2. Add a dot of chocolate on top.
3. Pop in your mouth and enjoy!
4. 

I started with my absolute favorite banana cupcake recipe, added 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (I decided I like the mini chocolate chips better for just about everything-but it may just be because I’m on a mini cupcake kick lately-regular chocolate chips will work just fine) and a packet of Starbucks Via to the batter. They turned out great!

They weren’t too sweet.  They had a nice little crunch from the mini chocolate chips and the espresso flavor was there, but in a very subtle way.  I decided to go the cream cheese frosting route, but, 1. these would be amazing without frosting (if that suites your fancy) and 2. they would also probably be pretty phenomenal with a coffee buttercream.  As I’ve said before, anything in my house with cream cheese & bananas=breakfast, so these worked for every meal of the day

They’re not an exact copy of the Starbucks coffee cake, but, they’re close enough… they have frosting… and they’re free.  (SN: obviously not all the way free because I had to pay for the ingredients, but you’re smart people-you know what I mean.)

Hope you’re all having a fabulous week!

Ps. Just an FYI-the featured image is 3 mini cupcakes, the picture in the post is a regular sized cupcake.  All of the cupcake liners are from Bake it Pretty.

Banana, Espresso & Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 regular size, Starbucks Via Mocha flavor packet (instant coffe or freshly brewed espresso will also work)

xo-Jenn

So, my original plan was to make them look more like Twix and have them covered in chocolate, but it took a lot more chocolate for the top coat than what I planned for and didn’t have enough to dunk each one.  So, I cut them into bars instead of rectangles and dipping them in chocolate.  They’re still pretty yummy.  The only big downside is that the shortbread on the bottom comes off the peanut butter layer and is kinda crumbly.  If I make these again, I think I’ll use a different shortbread recipe.

Shortbread
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a 9″ x 13″ pan with parchment and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour. The dough may seem a little dry, but it will come together once you mix it more.
3. Press evenly into the pan. Poke holes in the dough to help release air and promote even baking.
4. Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Cool completely.

1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening together.
2. Pour over chilled peanut butter layer.  Use an offset spatula to smooth out and evenly distribute.
3. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes to set.
4. Cut into squares to serve.
5. You could also melt more chocolate and dip each square into it creating a more “Twix” like candy.  :)
6. Enjoy!

The recipe came from the 1963 Betty Crocker Cooky Book and in my Mom’s kitchen, this book was like the bible.  As an adult, every year I’d try to sneak it out of the house to add to my own collection, but my Mom would catch me and tell me no.  It was until until last year when she passed away that I was able to add it to my own collection.

This book and this page in particular have been opened and used so many times, there are years of finger prints and cookie dough smudges on the pages.  It’s like opening up a memory box to some of the best memories of me and my Mom.  You can even see in the picture where I wrote as a kid the measurements to double the recipe.  Yah, it’s that good.  We doubled and tripled the recipe sometimes because they disappeared so fast! So yesterday, I thought I was going to be doing some baking to take to a meeting I have later today, but alas, my plans were thwarted when I was told that the host of the party didn’t want my baked goods.  *GASP* I know what you’re thinking…. WHO WOULDN’T WANT YOUR BAKED GOODS?!?!? I know, I almost took it as a personal insult, but then I realized who I was dealing with and remembered she had never had my baked goods to know what she was missing out on.   But, by the time I got told no, I had already made this batter and needed to roll out cookies.  So…. here we have it…. one of my favorite childhood cookies, the Chocolate Crinkle!

Here’s the recipe from the cook book. The ingredients are the same, but the method is a little different. I simplified things a little bit…. not that Betty’s recipe was hard, but I like things as easy as possible! Enjoy!

Chocolate Crinkles
Makes 3-4 dozen

4oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup powdered sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together melted chocolate, oil and sugar until well combined.
2. One at a time add the eggs and mix in.  I used a wooden spoon which seemed to work really well.
3. Mix in the vanilla.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Add the flour to the oil mixture and stir together until completely incorporated.  I used a wooden spoon for about 50 strokes.
6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight.  If you want to speed up the process, put it in the freezer for about 90 minutes,  this is what I did this time!
7. After the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and place the rack in the center of the oven.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop 1 1/2 inch balls of dough.  Roll them generously in powdered sugar and place on the cookie sheet 2″ apart.
9. Bake 10-12 minutes.  DO NOT OVERBAKE.  I actually removed them after about 10.5-11 minutes because I like them extra chewy and fudgey on the inside.
10. Move immediately to a wire rack to cool.  Be careful, they will be very soft!
11. Cool and enjoy!

Seriously, if you love chocolate… then this cupcake should satisfy every chocolate craving you will ever have.

The first dozen I made, I also topped them white a swirl of white chocolate.  But… my chocolate wasn’t behaving for me, so I only did a dozen with the white chocolate.  It really looked awesome with the white on top… but my patience was running out by the time I got to the second and third dozen.  :)

These cupcakes are pretty labor intense and cost a little extra because of all the chocolate, but the presentation is gorgeous and they really are heavenly.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Cake
Makes 12+ cupcakes

1 ½ cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp clear vanilla extract

3.5 oz white bakers chocolate, melted

¼ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup hot water

Milk Chocolate Cake
Makes 12+ cupcakes
1 ½ cups cake flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp clear vanilla extract

3.5 oz milk chocolate, melted

¼ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup hot water

Use the same directions below to make both batters.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a measuring cup that pours, mix together the milk and sour cream.
4. Using a double boiler on medium-high heat. Melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool.
5. In the meantime, using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.
6. Add the egg whites one at a time and mix until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
7. Mix in the vanilla.
8. On medium, slowly pour the chocolate into the egg/sugar/butter mixture. Scrape the sides and mix until completely combined.
9. Add the flour and milk/sour cream alternating, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix only until combined.
10. Add the hot water and mix just until incorporated.
11. STOP. Make the 2nd batter. When that is completed, continue to the next step.
12. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of white chocolate batter into one side of the liner. Scoop the same amount of chocolate batter next to it in the liner.
13. Pound the cupcake pan flat on the counter 2-3 times to help the batter settle. Using a toothpick, swirl the two batters together 3-4 times. Do not over swirl, you don’t want to mix the two together, just create a marble effect.
14. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
15. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
16. After the cupcakes have completely cooled, core each cupcake and fill with the chocolate ganache. Top with the dark chocolate frosting and a shaving of white chocolate (optional).

1. Combine all ingredients in a microwaves safe bowl.
2. Microwave in 30 second spurts and stir until 85% of the chocolate has melted.
3. Remove from the microwave and stir until all the chocolate has melted.
4. Let cool for 5-7 minutes to thicken.
5. Spoon into cored cupcakes.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese

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

1 lb powdered sugar, sifted into the cocoa powder

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted into the powdered sugar

8oz dark bakers chocolate, melted

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream, heaping

1-2 tbsp milk

1. Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool.
2. In the mean time, cream together the cream cheese and butter.
3. Add sifted cocoa powder and powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
4. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again.
5. In a slow stream with the mixer on medium, pour in the melted chocolate.  Mix until combined.
6. Add the sour cream and beat into submission.  :)
7. Add the milk until you get your desired consistency.
8. Frost cupcakes immediately.

I like to think that less is more… so I’m not going to hate on lots of sprinkles or anything like that… but I prefer a little bit of fancy that goes a long way.  These cupcakes were for a 1st birthday party with a bumblebee theme.  I saw a bunch of tutorials online that made super cute bumblebees but I didn’t really feel like messing around with fondant and I didn’t really want them to be cartoony… so I went with a modified version of a Martha Stewart tutorial.

I don’t have pics of how I piped everything, because good grief is it hard to take pics without a timer lol, but I will tell you what I did and hopefully that helps a bit! I’m making lady bugs this weekend with the same concept, so I’ll let you know how they turn out!

Cupcake Classic-Chocolate & Vanilla

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup Dutch process  cocoa powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a standing bowl mixer with the paddle attachment on medium until light and fluffy at least 3 minutes.
2. With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
3. Add the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and beat until on low until combined.
4. Beat the frosting on high for at least 4-5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.  If needed, add more heavy cream to reach your desired consistency.

Source: My Baking Addiction

Itty Bitty Bumblebee:

• Vanilla buttercream
• Yellow food coloring
• Almond slices(2 for each cupcake)
• Black Decorating Frosting

1. Place 1 cup of buttercream in a small bowl and mix with 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring.  You can use more as needed to achieve your desired shade of yellow.
2. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes with a large round tip.  You want them to sort of look like clouds.  I used my large round tip from Bake It Pretty.
3. Using a Wilton #12 create a small yellow bumblebee on each cupcake.  I started at the “front” of the bumblebee and then squeezed a small amount of frosting out until I had a little bit more than a circle and pulled up towards the back of the of the bumblebee to get a “stinger” of sorts.
4. Place the black decorating frosting in a piping bag with a small round tip (Wilton #4) and draw 2 small lines over each bumblebee.
5. After all of the bumblebees are completed, add 2 almonds to each bumblebee for wings.  Try to match the almond slices, you want them to be relatively the same size.

Happy cupcakin’ …

x0-Jenn

Since these are mini’s I won’t be drenching them in the Amaretto like I did the regular size cupcakes, but you definitely should poke some holes in your cupcakes and drench them with more of this delicious liquor if you decide to make regular size cupcakes with this recipe. I’m pretty sure that’d be just a little too much Amaretto for such a small cupcake, since there is Amaretto in the cake, ganache and the buttercream!

I’m bringing these to an FRG meeting tomorrow. (For those of you who don’t know… FRG = Family Readiness Group in the Army. I’m the FRG Leader of my husband’s company in the Army and it’s my first meeting after taking the job. I want to make a good impression!) I’m pretty sure these will be a hit with not only the other FRG Leaders but the soldiers who will be there!

Chocolate Amaretto Cupcakes
Makes 24 mini cupcakes and about 6 regular size cupcakes

1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and line your cupcake pan with mini nut cups or mini cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, oil, sugar egg, and amaretto.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. In two parts, gently whisk the flour into the wet mixture.  Mix until all the clumps are out.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
5. For minis: Scoop batter into liners about 1/2-2/3 full.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. For regular size: Scoop batter into liners about 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes until removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Amaretto Ganache
This made enough to dip all the cupcakes with 1/2 left over

4 oz semi-sweet bakers chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream (I actually ran out of whipping cream, so I used 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup coconut milk)
3 tbsp Amaretto liquor, separated
1 tbsp butter

1.  Chop the chocolate and place it in a glass bowl.
2. In a double boiler, bring the cream and 2 tbsp Amaretto to a boil.
3. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.
4. Stir until smooth.
5. Add the butter and 1 tbsp Amaretto and stir until incorporated.
6. Dip the tops of cooled cupcakes in the ganache.  Set aside before to firm up frosting.

Chocolate Amaretto Buttercream
Makes enough to frost all the cupcakes in the above recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick)unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
2-3 tbsp whipping cream

Amaretti biscuit cookies

1. Sift together the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder.
2. Cream the butter until smooth.
3. 1 cup at a time, add the sugar/cocoa.   Mix until smooth.
4. Add the amaretto and mix until incorporated.
5. Add the whipping cream until you get the consistency and texture you desire.
6. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 30 seconds on high.
7. Pipe a dollop of buttercream onto each cupcake.  Top with an Amaretti biscuit cookie.

I made these as mini and regular cupcakes… I preferred the mini cupcakes just because I’m not a huuuuuge mint/chocolate chip fan… I know, I know… it’s craziness!  BUT, everyone seemed to love them and I heard that they had a great mint/chocolate ratio.  Mission accomplished!

The actual chocolate cake doesn’t include any mint flavor, so to punch up the flavor a bit, I melted a few Andes mints in the microwave and then dipped each cupcake in the glaze.  It smelled amazing and made them look extra pretty.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Recipe Source: Bakers Royale)

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup Dutch process  cocoa powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line 2 muffins pans with cupcake liners.
2.  In a bowl mix sour cream and baking soda together; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift flour and cocoa powder together and set aside.
4. In a standing bowl mixer cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in salt and beat until combined.
5. Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Add in egg yolks and vanilla and beat until combined.
6. Turn off the mixer and use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon and alternate adding sour cream mixture and flour mixture, beginning with the sour cream and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix just until combined.
7. Fold in mini chocolate chips.  Do not overmix.
8. Fill each liner with a full ice cream scoop of batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Mint Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 cup of crushed Andes (melted in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds)
• 1 cup butter
• 4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1/3  cup of crushed Andes
• 3-4 drops of green food coloring (to get a pretty mint color)

1. Dip each cupcake in the melted Andes glaze.  Allow chocolate to set on each cupcake before frosting.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a standing bowl mixer on medium for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Add powered sugar to the mixer on low and mix until combined.
4. Add vanilla and whipping cream and mix for 2-3 minutes.
5. Mix in crushed Andes with a rubber spatula.  Add 3-4 drops of food coloring and mix until combined.
6. Garnish with Andes mints.

Personally, I loved the way this cupcake turned out with the crushed Andes in the buttercream, but if you want a smooth buttercream substitute the crushed Andes for 1 1/2 teaspoons of crème de menthe.  Also, this chocolate cake has sort of become my go-to recipe for chocolate cupcakes.  It’s rich but still light and fluffy.

Happy baking!

xo-Jenn

This is another little switcheroo recipe… you’ve seen it before, with blueberries, still a fav of mine, but this time, I kicked it up a notch and added mini chocolate chips.  These were pretty awesome, I made them for a lovely little lady so I wanted them to look sweet & simple.  The cute rose liners were definitely a plus!  Happy breakfast baking …

Chocolate Chip Pancake Cupcakes (adapted from: Baking Bites)

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

2 dozen

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy,2-3 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and add vanilla extract.
5. Slowly add buttermilk.
6. Gradually add flour mixture until combined, do not over mix.
7. Fold in mini chocolate chips.
8. Add a full ice cream scoop of batter to each muffin tin.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
11. Poke each cupcake 4-5 times with a skewer and brush maple syrup over slightly warm cupcakes.
12. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Maple Syrup Buttercream

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 4 tsp milk
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, for garnish

1. Cream butter in standing mixer for 2 minutes.
2. Slowly add 2 cups of confectioners sugar.
3. Add maple syrup.
4. Add final 2 cups of confections sugar.
5. Use milk as needed if frosting is too thick.
6. Pipe a dollop of frosting with a large, star pastry tip.
7. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Happy breakfast, my dears!

xo-Jenn

Until last week.  Damn those happy hour frappuccinos and the sun being out!  It totally broke my will power… mmmmm frappuccinos! So tasty!  Yes please to caramel and coffee and javachip.  Mmmmmm javachip.  I think it’s my fav.  Who doesn’t love the coffee flavor with those tiny little chocolate chunks, topped off with whipped cream and then drizzled with chocolate sauce?  Well, I guess if you don’t like it I’m not sure if we can be friends.  That coffee stuff is serious business around here

So… I was feeling pretty inspired after having a few too many frappuccinos last week.  These cupcakes were pretty phenomenal, if I do say so myself.  The only thing I will do differently next time, is drizzle a little bit of chocolate ganache over the buttercream, to really get that frappuccino effect.

I don’t really have a go-to chocolate cake recipe (I know, I know… I should!) BUT I do have a go-to brownie recipe.  You all have seen it before… This is the same recipe that I used for the Mini Brownie Cupcakes a while back… it’s my fav.  It’s just might be the most requested cupcake in my house… and that’s really saying something since I bake, a lot.  I modified the brownie recipe a bit, just by adding a small Starbucks Via packet to the batter to give it a slight espresso flavor and instead of using regular chocolate chips, I used mini chocolate chips in the batter & for the topping… hope you like!

Javachip Brownie Cupcakes (Recipe Adapted from: For the Love of Food)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/4 cups Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 1 1/4  cups Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tbs Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cups Flour
• 1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
• 1 small Starbucks Via Ready Brew packet (Italian Roast/Extra Bold)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Line 16 cupcake tins with paper liners.
3. In a medium sized bowl melt butter for 30-45 seconds in the microwave.  Add the sugar and melt the mixture for another 1-2 minutes, just until it’s hot.
4. In a standing bowl mixer crack the eggs, add cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla extract and mix until combined.  Add Starbucks Via packet and mix until combined.
5. Add the butter & sugar mixture to the standing bowl mixer.
6. Add flour to the mixture and then combine.  Mixture will be thick, but combine until smooth.  Add the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
7. Fill liners with batter, 1 full ice-cream scoop.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
9. Let cupcakes cool for a few minutes.   Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Mocha Buttercream

• 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large Starbucks VIA Ready Brew packet (Mocha flavor)
• 5 tbsp. heavy cream (or more to get the consistency you desire)

To make the frosting add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed 1 minute until smooth.  Blend in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla and instant coffee.  Add the heavy cream and whip on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Garnish with a few mini chocolate chips … enjoy!

Happy Wednesday, Javacupcakers!

xo-Jenn

These peanut buttery, chocolaty, fudgy brownies are so simple to make and so so so so good you’re not going to want to share.

Seriously.

Don’t share.

Eat them all.

Yourself.

Do it.

Make some.

Eat them.

Ok… fine.

Share.

But only just one,

or two,

or three.

No.

Just one.

Seriously.

Tagalong Brownies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
4.5 oz dark chocolate (I used a 54% cocoa Belgian chocolate, but next time I’ll use a higher % and 6-7oz)
1 cup flour
1 box Tagalong Girl Scout Cookies (quarter each cookie – next time, I’ll keep them whole or half them)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees.  Line a 9×13 glass pan with parchment paper or foil.  If you use foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray.  If you don’t use parchment or foil, spray your pan.
2. Using a double boiler, melt your chocolate and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and peanut butter.
4. Add the sugar and mix until incorporated.
5. Add the eggs and mix until light and fluffy.
6. Mix in the vanilla.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.
7. Add the chocolate and fold into the mixture, by hand.
8. Add the flour and mix by hand until just incorporated.
9. Fold in the quartered cookies.
10. Spread evenly in baking dish.
11. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
12. Cool in pan for at least 15-20 minutes until cutting and serving.

My god-daughter turned 1 a few weeks ago and I had the privilege of making cupcakes for her big day!  I went with a trio of flavors, wanted to keep it kind of simple but still tasty.  Unfortunately the weather was ALL kinds of terrible that day, so it was super cold outside, but the cupcakes were a big hit and they were also fun to make

I made 6 dozen total, 2 dozen of each flavor… Vanilla with Dark Chocolate Buttercream, Banana with Caramel Buttercream and Strawberries and Cream.  I don’t think there was a favorite, but I wanted to eat all of the Strawberries and Cream by. myself. no. sharing.  They were pretty delish they’ll definitely be a summer staple in my house.

They took a few hours to make, but I was able to get everything done Friday night and ready to go for the party the next day!  My strategy for making so many cupcakes was to bake first and then frost everything last.  I felt like it was easier to make each cupcake flavor, let it cool, start on a new batch and then by the time they were all done baking I started on the frosting.  Most of the time I prefer to have everything uniform, cause I’m a little crazy like that… but that would have meant washing the piping tip too and that didn’t seem like a fun time! lol… The colors were lime green & hot pink so I went w/ a pattern for 2 and a plain liner for the 3rd.

Banana Cupcakes (Source: Martha Stewart) with Caramel Buttercream:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

(Yield: 12 cupcakes)

*If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, then you know that I heart heart heart these banana cupcakes like crazy, why fix something if it ain’t broke, right? They’re super easy to make, taste delish and I haven’t found a banana cupcake/frosting combo that I don’t like yet… so, basically what I’m saying is don’t get mad if they keep showing up lol

Caramel Buttercream (Source: Joy the Baker)

*Disclaimner #2: I didn’t actually use caramel for these… I used the dulche de leche that I still had in a jar, because *miracle*music* I still had some left over from the last time I baked with it.  But, you can’t really tell the difference AND you don’t have to ask me twice to eat more dulce de leche than is neccessary

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup dulce de leche, plus more for drizzling
• 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream butter & cream cheese together in a standing mixer until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add dulce de leche to the mixture and cream together for 30 seconds.
3. Add powdered sugar to the mixture, on low speed, and mix until incorporated.
4. Pipe with a large star tip.

Vanilla Cupcakes (Source: Joy the Baker) with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Yield: 2 dozen

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and vanilla extract.  Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy 3 to 5 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.  The batter may look like it’s curdled, that’s okay (true story, so don’t let it stress you out)
6. On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the vanilla milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour.  When the batter is almost combined, stop the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula.
7. Fill liners 3/4 full with batter and bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*I decided not to use the vanilla bean this recipe calls for, because I wanted to save what I had on hand for creme brulee

Dark Chocolate Buttercream (Recipe Source: Bakerella)

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1 box (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-3 Tbsp milk (*if needed)

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer.
2. Add the cocoa and vanilla.
3. Add the confectioner’s sugar in small batches and blend on low until combined. Scrape down sides with each addition.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the consistency you desire.

You’ve seen this before here too… it’s such a tasty frosting, nice & rich, the perfect compliment, in my opinion to these cupcakes!

Strawberries and Cream (Source: Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes Book)

• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour (not self rising)
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large who eggs plus 1 egg white
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups finely chopped strawberries (about 20)

Yield: 34 cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin pans with cupcake liners.  Sift together both flours, baking powder and salt.
2. Using a standing bowl mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy.  Add whole eggs and white, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low, add flour in 2 batches, alternating with milk and beating until combined.  Fold in chopped strawberries by hand.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling 3/4 way full.  Bake, rotating pans 1/2 way through for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup strawberry puree (I used my blender to puree the strawberries and probably used about 10-15)
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar

1. In a standing bowl mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed, about 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
2. Add 1/2 of the strawberry puree to the mixer and blend until combined (*you may or may not use all of the puree, keep an eye on the consistency of your frosting.)
3. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.

*I used more strawberry puree than I probably needed, so my frosting wasn’t very stiff, but I liked the consistency and the flavor, so that worked for me.  If you would like to pipe your frosting into a pretty shape, I would suggest using less puree and more powdered sugar.  Ps. This isn’t the frosting from the book, I’m still not quiet brave enough to make a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, but one day soon

I know this was a long post, if you’re still with me, then I thank you I hope that you’re having a great week… I’ll be back soon with more good stuff!  Can’t stay away too long! *hugs*

xo-Jenn

The verdict…. UHM YUM!  The cupcakes were a chocolate Nutella cupcake which I filled with a simple vanilla pudding then topped with Nutella buttercream and chopped hazlenuts.  Some of the cupcakes I topped with a Nutella and peanut butter cream cheese frosting swirl.  Double yum.

There were three things though about this recipe that I didn’t like.  1) The cake was a little dry.  Now, I think that was probably my fault.  I could have taken the cupcakes out a little sooner and they probably wouldn’t have been so dry.  2) Next time I’ll fill them with something different, like Nutella or a different banana mixture.  The banana pudding tasted good, but it soaked into the cupcake too much after a day or so and when you bit into it you didn’t really see a lot of the filling because it soaked into the cupcake.  Yummy, but not perfect like I wanted.  3) It made FIVE DOZEN cupcakes.  The place I got the recipe from said it made 3 dozen, but really, I got five.  So… if you need A LOT of cupcakes, this a good recipe to use.

The cupcakes got rave reviews though… so I’m sure next time I make I’ll use half the recipe and probably a different filling, straight Nutella.

Nutella Bliss Cupcakes
Makes 5 dozen cupcakes
Adapted from Good Life Eats

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup Nutella
2 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flours, cocoa, baking soda and powder and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, mix together butter and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.  Add the Nutella then the buttermilk, mixing until combined.  Scrape the sides of the bowl several times.
4. Add the flour mixture in thirds alternating with the milk.  Begin and end with the flour and mix only until combined.  Do not over mix.
5. Fill cupcakes liners 1/2 full with batter.  Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpic comes out clean.
6. Let cupcakes sit in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Pudding Filling
2 packages of Vanilla Cream instant pudding mix and milk needed to make it
3 ripe bananas, mushed with a fork

1. Make pudding according to directions on the box.  Place in freezer for 10 minutes until set.  If you have time, you can put them in the fridge instead, but I’m impatient!
2. After the pudding has had time to set up, fold in the mashed bananas.  Return to refrigerator/freezer to set up more.
3. Using this method, fill the cupcakes with the banana mixture.

Nutella Buttercream
1/2 unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup Nutella
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Cream butter and Nutella together. Add the vanilla extract and combine.
2. Mix in the powdered sugar, adding the cream as necessary until you get your desired consistency.
3. Mix until you have the texture you desire.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy*
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp heavy cream or milk

*(I like a really sweet frosting, so only use about 1 1/2 cups of sugar for a less sweet frosting. You may also need to use less cream if you reduce the sugar)

1. Cream together the butter, cream cheese and peanut butter. Add the vanilla extract and combine.
2. In small amounts, add the powdered sugar. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you add more.
3. Add the cream until you get your desired consistency.
4. Beat the crap out of the frosting too. It’ll make it yummier.

*Tips & Tricks*
To make a swirl of Nutella and Peanut Butter frosting on your cupcakes, fill one side of your piping bag with Nutella and the other with peanut butter.  You’ll get a nice swirl of each flavor on top of your cake! Yum!

Just an FYI, I used these marble cupcakes (minus the pastry cream) and a basic vanilla buttercream (butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and heavy cream-as needed) for my “spaghetti.”

If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks!!

Inspiration: Hello, Cupcake!

So what makes these chocolate beauties Mexican? Well my friends, have you ever had Mexican Hot Chocolate? It’s rich, smooth and has a hint (well maybe more than a hint) of heat!! And that heat my friends comes from CHILI!!! No…. not the kind with meat and beans, but the kind of pepper that SPICY and HOT! These cupcakes are made with a dark chili chocolate and some heat… chili powder!

Now, because I love me some marshmallows in my hot chocolate, I topped these with toasted marshmallows. Originally I wanted to make a whipped cream frosting, but I still don’t have all my household goods yet and didn’t have the tools I needed (candy thermometer)….. so next time, I’ll definitely top these with marshmallow frosting!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcake

These cakes aren’t really spicy, but you can definitely taste the heat from the chili. If you want a spicier cupcake, consider filling it with a chili cream or a fruit seasoned with the hot stuff! Mmm mmm good!

JavaCupcake’s Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes approx 30 cupcakes

200g (about 7oz) Chili Dark Chocolate (I used Lindt)
½ cup canola oil

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla

1 ¾ all-purpose cup flour
¾ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon (plus more for dusting)
½ tsp chili powder (plus more for dusting)

1 cup boiling water

1 bag of large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. Chop chocolate into small chunks and add put them in a medium microwave safe bowl with the oil.  Microwave on medium for 20 seconds and then stir.  Continue for another 10-20 seconds and stir, repeating until the chocolate is almost all melted.  Remove from microwave and stir until all the chocolate has melted.  Set aside and let cool.
3. Once the chocolate and oil has cooled, move it to the bowl of your stand mixer.  Mix in the sugars and beat until incorporated.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth, making sure to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, powder, salt, cinnamon and chili powder.
6. Add in thirds to wet mixture the flour mixture.  Alternate adding the milk and the flour, beginning and ending with the flour.  Make sure you only mix until the flour is combined.
7. By hand, fold in the boiling water.  Mix just until incorporated.
8. Fill liners 2/3 full with batter.
9. Bake for at least 12 minutes, rotate pan 180 degrees, and bake another 6-8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  You will also notice small air holes in the top of the cupcake when it is done.
10. Preheat your oven to broil. Cut 2 marshmallows in half and place on top of each cupcake.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and chili powder.  Place cupcakes on a cookie sheet in your oven for 3 minutes.  It’s best if you put them lower in the oven instead of directly under the heat.  You want the marshmallow to melt slightly before it browns on top!  Serve immediately if possible.

Tips and Tricks:

• For even baking, make sure you only bake one tray at a time on the center rack of your oven.
• Rotating the pan ensures even baking.  Most home ovens bake hotter in the back of the oven, so rotating the pan helps prevent uneven baking.  Take care to be gentle with the pans while rotating (so they don’t sink in the middle) and be quick so the oven temperature doesn’t reduce enough to hurt your cupcakes!

I’m pretty sure that I’ve said this before, but I want to be Joy the Baker’s best friend.  Like real best friend.  You know the kind that bakes you delicious treats and comes to your house with them when you’re sick I need her to be that friend.  The woman can do no wrong in my book.  These little cupcakes were absolutely perfect for today.  They made me feel like Spring is really here.  They’re light, fluffy, tart and sweet at the same time oh, and pretty.  Pretty also wins extra points in my book…

The recipe calls for a chocolate ganache, which I was actually planning on using, until I saw them come out of the oven and then I fell in love with the pretty, little raspberry flecks and I couldn’t cover them all the way up.  Then, I remembered the dark chocolate buttercream that I used for the 14 Layer Cake (ps. have any of you made that cake yet?  Let me know! I’d love to hear how about your 14 layer experience!) and I was sold.  Seriously. Out. Of. This. World. Delish.  You won’t be disappointed.  I usually have some to share, these might not make it to work  ;) I decided just to pipe some frosting mostly in the middle of the cupcake, because I still wanted to see the edges… I really like the way these turned out and the fun cupcake liners help as well!  I went a little bananas the other day and ordered a bunch of stuff from Bake it Pretty so expect to see more fun liners in the future

Raspberry Almond Cupcakes (Recipe Source: Joy the Baker)

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup fresh raspberries, roughly chopped (*thawed, frozen raspberries would also work if you don’t have any fresh raspberries)

Yield: 12 cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in egg and almond extract.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating just until incorporated.  Fold in the raspberries.
4. Divide the batter among lined muffin cups.  Bake until pale golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream (Recipe Source: Bakerella)

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1 box (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-3 Tbsp milk (*if needed, my cream cheese was reallllllly soft, so I didn’t actually add any milk, but if your frosting is too thick, add a few tablespoons as needed to get the desired consistency)

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer.
2. Add the cocoa and vanilla.
3. Add the confectioner’s sugar in small batches and blend on low until combined. Scrape down sides with each addition.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the consistency you desire.

*I may have gone a little overboard with the frosting on this one… don’t get me wrong, I still think they look and taste amazing, but the frosting was a little heavy (weight wise) for such a light cupcake.  No worries for me and other frosting lovers, but if you prefer something a little on the lighter side, have no fear… use a smaller pastry tip or stick to the ganache, which is also rich and delicious.

*Indicates helpful Tips & Tricks

Ps. Even though it’s been kind of a long week already I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to Cupcake Camp Seattle!!!! Are you going to be there?  I’ll be there with the boy and the little brother.  If you see me, please say hello! I’d love to meet you & be friends!  Tickets are $8 if you pre-order & $10 at the door.  If you would like to purchase tickets, here is the link.

Happy Wednesday! xoxo-Jenn