Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Flowers

I saw a picture on Instagram recently that was of a beautifully made cookie. It was a thumbprint cookie that used almonds to make a flower and I immediately knew I would have to make them. This was definitely the weekend of baking. Besides a brief interlude to look a bridesmaids dresses, I spent most of my weekend baking and spending time with my parents and uncles. Not too bad. Much cheaper than going out in my opinion. And, surprising for my age, I'd much rather stay in than go out to a bar or whatnot.

Most thumbprint cookies will use jam and jellies to fill the depression made by your thumb [duh!] but since I'm not a huge fan of jam and jelly and the people in my office seem to enjoy chocolate, I decided to shake things up a bit. I used chocolate instead. They came out just as pretty. I'm really happy with these. My mother said this was always one of her favorite cookies to make as a child. They look delicious! As per usually, I increased the amount of ingredients needed to yield more cookies.

I'm not sure if I'm making anything new for Christmas this year, but if I do, you know I will post it. If I don't, I want to wish everyone and their families and friends a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus and whatever other holidays you may celebrate like International Dalek Remembrance Day or. Please take the time out of your day to be kind and loving towards one another. Family is the most important thing that you have. Be kind to those you do not know and try to do a good deed for them.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Flowers

Ingredients:

1 1/4 stick of unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon corn syrup

sliced almonds

sugar pearls

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat [Hey! I totally need one of those!] and set aside. If you chose not to use either of the two, you won't have to grease the baking sheet.

In a power of an electric mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, beat together one stick of butter, sugar, salt and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth [about two minutes]. Beat in the flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium-high.

Using a small cookie scoop [I need one of these too!] or heaping teaspoons, roll the dough into balls and place one inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and make an indentation into the middle of each cookie. [This is where the whole "thumbprint" cookie comes in, but just use a melon baller or something similar so you don't burn your thumb off.] Return to the over and bake until the cookies are light brown on the edges [between seven and nine minutes]. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Combine the chocolate, two tablespoons of butter and corn syrup in a small heat-proof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. When the cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.

Carefully place five of the sliced in the middle of the chocolate mixture in the shape of a flower and leave enough space in the middle for the pearls as the stigma.

 

M&M Cookies

So I spent most of the day baking and still have some to do. Not that I don't bake like crazy for my office to begin with, but last year during Christmas, I made probably close to 400-plus cookies for everyone. I will be doing four different types of cookie again this year: M&M cookies, raspberry cheesecake cookies, sugar cookies and chocolate thumbprint cookies.

I decided against doing chocolate chip cookies this year, which used to be my staple cookie, but I'll be baking more tomorrow and will end up baking some chocolate chunk cookies because my uncle is up from Delaware and my mom suggested I bake him some stuff to take home. He asked for chocolate chip so chocolate chip he shall get.

Earlier in the week, my mom bought me some red and green mini M&Ms and I decided to make sugar cookies with them to add to my office Christmas cookies. My dad and uncle said they turned out delicious since I let them have one after lunch.

 

M&M Cookies

Ingredients:



1 stick butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

red and green mini M&Ms

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl for two 20-second increments. Stir in sugar. Once it is slightly cooled [around three minutes], beat in the egg and vanilla.

 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Stir this into the butter and sugar mixture. Add the M&Ms and mix together well.

 

Roll the dough into quarter-size balls. Place the cookie balls on a baking sheet, two to three inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

 

 

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

Now, when I first started my blog, I had been planning on making raspberry cheesecake cookies for a coworker for her birthday. I was unable to get raspberry chips or find raspberry extract. But while going food shopping about a month ago, with the holidays around the corner, ShopRite must have decided to whip out their "exotic" extracts and I finally found raspberry extract.

This recipe was the other one I was thinking about entering in the cookie contest. But everyone at the office has said to enter my hot chocolate cookies. Guess we'll see when I bring these to work. It looks like I have two different cookies but I just used pink food dye to make them look more raspberry-ish I guess. But that didn't work too well. They look more like red velvet cookies... Oh well. My dad said they still tasted like raspberries so I'll consider that a win. I doubled the recipe, but the recipe below does not reflect that as usual!

 

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

 

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened [not melted]

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 package [8 oz] cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon pure raspberry extract

1 cup fresh raspberries

white chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in one egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Whip the softened cream cheese and one egg until blended and smooth. Add the fresh raspberries and blend together, then stir into the dough. [The addition of the second egg causes the cookies to be more cake-like. Use only one egg if you want less cake-like cookies.] Add preferred amount of white chocolate chips to dough.

Spoon a tablespoon of dough onto baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

 



Hot Chocolate Cookies

So what is better than a cup of hot chocolate in your favorite mug on a cold, snowy winter day watching a movie or reading your favorite book? How about hot chocolate cookies!? Today is another one of my coworker's birthdays. She's a great and wonderful friend and showed me the ropes when I first got hired at the paper. She has been there through thick and thin and listens to my problems and I do the same for her. She's getting married late next year in May and I am lucky enough to get to be her maid-of-honor. [Though I'm turning into Katherine Heigel from "27 Dresses" because that will be my third wedding in the past two years, with another one coming up in July but I don't think I'm going to be part of that one. Depends.]

Anyway, besides getting a bit distracted on the wedding tangent... When hanging out with a friend of my yesterday, we went to Barnes & Noble to get some coffee. As we were leaving, I noticed they had a box with entry sheets on it. Curious, I went over to look and see what it was about. Apparently, Barnes and Noble is doing "The Barnes & Noble Cookie Bake-Off!"

It seems pretty exciting do I decided that I wanted to enter. I have until Jan. 1 to submit a recipe. Here is the deal: 75 recipe winners will each have their submission published in a book tentatively titled "The Barnes & Noble Customer Cookie Book," to be published on or about Nov. 1, 2015 and will receive one complimentary copy of the book. In addition to the above, three finalists will receive a trip to New York City and be paired with a chef for the presentation phase on or about Feb. 9. [That means transportation to and from a hotel of their choosing to the presentation site, two night standard hotel accommodations and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK. One grand prize winner will also receive a check for $2,500 and have a version of their cookie sold at Barnes & Noble's cafes nationwide during the next holiday season.

I want to win. That would be amazing. Even to just get my cookie recipe published in the book would be fantastic. It would be a great recognition of my baking skills. I've been bouncing between these and raspberry or strawberry cheesecake cookies. I took a poll on Facebook and most of my friends said they would like hot chocolate cookies.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup hot cocoa mix [4 packages]

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chocolate chunks

1 cup marshmallows [you can use marshmallow bits too]

Instructions:

Beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Combine the flour, hot cocoa mix, baking soda and baking powder. Gradually beat into butter mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate chunks and marshmallows. Cover and chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop to a tablespoon of dough, two inches apart onto a baking sheet. Bake nine to 11 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool on baking sheet for five minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

They didn't work out completely how I would like because I used real marshmallows and not the freeze dried bits or whatever they are. Next time, I'm going to do that and tweak the recipe a bit more. That was way too much flour and it wasn't really cookie batter. Maybe that kind of dough would make a better cake. Back to the drawing board and raspberry [or strawberry] cheesecake cookies are next!

Red and Green Sugar Cookies

I happen to be a big fan of sugar cookies. I didn't used to be because I'm also really crazy about chocolate and would rather eat a chocolate chip cookie any day. But lately, I've been craving sugar cookies. It could be because my editor's mother made delicious sugar cookies for her birthday party. And I haven't made sugar cookies in awhile.

Because Christmas is coming up, there will most likely be an influx of recipes as I begin my total baking regimen. I did four different types of cookies last year and I think I will do that same this year, but do a different variety. Perhaps I will do six different types. I like to bake enough and there are a few different recipes I would like to try. Though I will still probably do chocolate chip and sugar cookies as well. So many choices. Anyway...

What makes these sugar cookies red and green is the colored sugar I used on the outside. I've had the colored sugar for awhile and I don't use it often enough. Sometimes I use it when I'm making Inside Out Oreos and I put it on top of the white chocolate. But this was easy enough to make and they are super festive and cute! I'm hoping to make these again for Christmas in the office and perhaps for when we go to my aunt's house. 'Tis the season for spending all my money on baking things and not presents for those I love and care about!

Red and Green Sugar Cookies 





Ingredients:



1 stick butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl for two 20-second increments. Stir in sugar. Once it is slightly cooled [around three minutes], beat in the egg and vanilla.

 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Stir this into the butter and sugar mixture.

 

Roll the dough into quarter-size balls and dip in the red or green or both colored sugar. Place the cookie balls on a baking sheet, two to three inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Keep checking them and make sure they aren't burned because burned cookies are unhappy cookies and means an unhappy baker.

 

Fudgy Brownies

There was another birthday in my office last week. One of the reporters turned 23 and I told him I would bake him something, he would just have to give me an idea of what he wanted. After several days of deliberation, he told me he wanted brownies, but not cakey brownies. He wanted fudgy brownies. Now, I'm not 100 percent sure if my normal brownie recipe is more of a cake-like consistency or fudgy. I'm pretty sure they're cakey so I had to look for a new recipe.

So I know that I will have two brownie recipes on this blog but that's okay. It'll give you the chance to make two different kinds. The difference between a fudgy and cakey brownie is the amount of flour used. I'm very excited to serve these at work tomorrow!

 

Fudgy Brownies

 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter

8 ounces coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate [I used Ghirardelli]

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Instructions:

Melt the butter and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly for about five minutes. Remove from the heat, pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly for around 10 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom and the sides of an 11by seven pan and set aside.

 

Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate and butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

 

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake around 35 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few crumbs when they are done.

 

Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. Once cooled, cut and serve.

 



Mississippi Mud Pie

With it being Thanksgiving [Happy food coma to all and to all a good night!], I baked again for dinner. We always switch between my grandmother's [my dad's mom] and my aunt's [my mom's sister]. My uncle texted me earlier this week and asked if I was going to my aunt's and said the only reason he asked was because he wanted to know if I was bringing Inside Out Oreoes... Of course he was kidding but I just rolled my eyes.

I spent a lot time yesterday trying to figure out what I wanted to bake.  With all my cookbooks and the fact I love Pintrest so much, it would have been easy but it was not. But I actually went back to something I made many years ago for a Christmas party with my friends. I made something known as Mississippi Mud Pie and it is very delicious, albeit rich and very chocolaty. Apparently it gets its name because it looks like the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. According to Wikipedia [but you can't exactly trust them], "it is believed that this dish was created by home cooks after World War II because it was made of simple ingredients that could be found at any supermarket and did not require any special cooking tools. Its earliest known reference in print is 1975."

It's supposed to be a bit gooier than mine came out but I think that is because I made mine last night rather than earlier today. But it was still pretty delicious nonetheless. Everyone that had a piece seemed to like it so, success! I was going to make homemade whipped cream. I bought heavy cream for it but completely forgot to bring it to my grandmother's house so I was only able to use canned whipped cream. I didn't have to double the recipe for the most part. Just the crust because my springform pan was a bit larger than suggested.

I need a new springform pan. I had a bit of a problem getting my pie out of it and I ended up chucking it out. So, for those who know me and read my blog. Baking stuff. Christmas is coming up. That's what I want! So keep a springform pan, a loose-bottom cake pan, mini cake pans and a food scale in mind. [Hint hint, Santa!]

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time with their families. I definitely thanked God for everything that I have been blessed with. My father is alive and as healthy as he can be, my mother is in good health, I have a full-time job and I have quite a few amazing people in my life. I'm very grateful for all the opportunities I have and everything I have been giving. Until next my next baked good my friends! I'm giving you fair warning that there will be a lot of posts for December. 'Tis the season for a butt load of baking!

 

Mississippi Mud Pie

 

 

Ingredients:

[crust]

10 ounces graham crackers [I used two sleeves]

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup butter, melted

[filling]

1 cup butter

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1/2 cup corn syrup

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

 

Instruction:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a nine inch springform pan or loose-bottom cake pan.

 

To make the crumb crust, put the graham crackers, pecans, sugar and cinnamon into a food processor and process until fine crumbs form - do not overprocess into a powder. Add the melted butter and process again until moistened.

 

Tip the crumb mixture into the pan and press over the bottom and about one and one-half inches up the side of the pan. Cover the pan and let chill while making the filling.

 

To make the filling, put the butter, chocolate and corn syrup into a pan over low heat and stir until melted and blended. Let cool, then beat in the eggs and pecans.

 

Pour the filling into the chilled crumb crust and smooth the surface. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until just set but still soft in the center. Let cool on a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled with whipped cream.

 

 

 

Hell yeah I added sprinkles to that. How could I not? Happy holidays, guys!





Chocolate Cake with Hot Chocolate Frosting

Today was a wonderful day. My beautiful cousin Kelly had her baby shower today. She is due to give birth to a baby boy in January. I'm so excited. Kelly and her husband Jerry are some of the most amazing people in the world and have been there for me through a lot of rough times. I love them like no other.

My aunt and Jerry's mother asked if I would bake a few things for the shower. I wasn't the only one who baked something, but I went all out. This time I made brownies with chocolate chunks and chocolate cake with hot chocolate frosting. And it was delicious. At least I thought so and so did my other aunt and my mother. Jerry and his father seemed to like my brownies, which is always good. He texted me to tell me they were really good. It always makes me happy when people enjoy what I make.

I normally don't make cake. I'm more of a cupcake girl when it comes to the cake variety of things. I mean, as long as I'm baking something, I'm pretty much happy. It also gave me the opportunity to whip out my mixer which hasn't seen some love in a bit. I doubled the frosting recipe because there is never enough sometimes. Except I really should have tripled or quadrupled it. I literally had just enough to cover the entire cake and the inside layers. I was relieved that I had enough, but it would have been better to have a cushion of frosting! No worried about that though.

 

Chocolate Cake with Hot Chocolate Frosting

 

 

Ingredients:

[cake patter]

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

[frosting]

2 cups heavy cream

6 packets of hot chocolate mix

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, unsweetened cocoa and salt together. Set aside.

 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at time then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternatively with the milk, mixing until it's just incorporated.

 

Pour into two round greased cake pans. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

After the cake cools, cut it in half horizontally so it becomes two layers. With the second layer, cut of the rounded top off the cake. Put off to the side.

 

Place the mixer bowl and whisk in the freezer for 15 minutes until cold. Beat the cream for two minutes on high. Mix in the packets of hot chocolate mix [I used dark chocolate Swiss Miss mix though you can use anything. Three packets equals 1/2 cup of hot chocolate mix.] and beat on high until stiff peaks form.

 

Frost the cake and its layers. Serve, eat and enjoy!!!

 

 

 

She doesn't even look pregnant!

 

So many presents!

 

Everything at the shower was very cute! They live in South Jersey so everything was Eagles and Flyers-themed!

 

Some of the best people in the world! And they're ridiculously cute together.

 

Banana Bread Pudding With Caramel Sauce

Happy belated Halloween to my lovely readers! I like to spend my Halloween down at Danielle's, my college roommate, house. She's one of my best friends and like me, loves to bake. This is the first time in a few years I've been able to get down to South Jersey to see her around this time. We spend a lot of time together when she has off for her job and I'm lucky enough to have a four-day weekend after being weekend reporter. This year we went to a charity Halloween party to benefit the Dream Foundation. My other roommate Shannon and our friend Derek came with us and we had a blast.

Myself and Danielle from Friday's party

Yesterdaywas my last day there before it was back to the daily grind of work. Danielle, her mom, brother, grandma, great-aunt, her grandma's boyfriend and I went to her aunt's house for dinner and we decided to make a dessert. She looked up something up and we ended up combining two. Thus we have our banana bread pudding with caramel sauce. It made the house smell delicious. Like fall! And everyone really seemed to like it. Her grandma even wants the recipe for a church gathering. We didn't have time to make biscuit dough, so we cheated and used Pillsbury Grands biscuits. Next time I make it, I won't cheat! I'll make biscuit dough from scratch.

Banana Bread Pudding With Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

4 bananas, sliced

2 cans Pillsbury Brands biscuits, cubed

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup pecans, crushed [optional]

35 Werther's chewy caramels

1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 glass dish with butter or cooking spray. Cube the biscuit dough in one-half to one inch pieces. Slice up the bananas. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar to make cinnamon sugar. [You can add as much cinnamon as you'd like, but I'm not a huge cinnamon fan.] Dip the dough into the butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mix. Dip the banana in the cinnamon sugar mix as well.

Layer about half of cinnamon sugar-coated dough and all the bananas. Sprinkle in around half of the pecans. Layer the rest of the cinnamon sugar-coated dough over the bananas and sprinkle the rest of the pecans on top.

 

Combine the caramels and cream in a medium sauce pan, stirring continuously over medium-low heat until smooth. Using a large spoon, drizzle a few spoonfuls of the caramel sauce over the dough.

 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Drizzle caramel over the pure awesomeness and serve!

 

 



Apple Butterscotch Blondies

Every year, my mother's job at Kateri Environmental Center has this Halloween night hike, where children and parents get to learn about Samhain [pronounces sow-win] and the origins on Halloween. Tradition states that the veil between the spirit world and our world is at its thinnest at this time and people wore masks to hide and confuse the spirits. This Halloween hike teaches students about that and the origins of the Jack O'Lantern through the tale of Irish Jack.

I volunteer at Kateri's events when I get the chance, which is difficult now that I have a full-time job. I think it got rained out on the Friday session last year and I didn't get a chance to participate. This year, I'm a trail guide and will be leading the children through all the different stations. Not only am I a volunteer, I usually bake for their events as well. This event is no different.

Being that is now my favorite season, I decided to go with something a little more autumn-ish. About two weeks ago, I was dog sitting for the people I normally dog sit for and I was lucky enough for them to have the October issue of Food Network magazine, which happens to have about a million recipes with apples. Good things last weekend a friend from work and I went apple picking and purchased 18 pounds of apples... I saw these and I fell in love. I hope everyone at the bake sale enjoys them. As per usual, recipe was doubled [but I'm putting the original recipe on here]!

Apple Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 apple, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a nine-inch square baking dish with foil, leaving a two-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, swirling occasionally, until it starts browning slightly. Remove from heat and whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla until dissolved and let cool slightly. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture, then the apple and butterscotch chips. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until the edges set and top is slightly browned, around 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and let the blondies cool completely.

Vegan Brownies

Well, the vegan baking chef's hat is back on. It is my fearless leader's [as I call me editor at times] birthday today and I told her that I would bake for her birthday as I do for many people's birthdays. She has been a vegan for a while and I always feel badly because I don't typically bake vegan things and she can never eat anything I make.

So I ventured into the vegan baking once again and decided on brownies since I made cupcakes the last time. Like last time, I replaced the oil with applesauce because, let's be real... I'm not going to dump a cup of oil. Yuck. And applesauce is much healthier and works just as well. I am not a fan of vegan baked goods because I love butter and eggs. I baked Friday and made caramelitas, which everyone at work loved, which made me happy. I hope these are as good as my vegan cupcakes especially since I altered this recipe just a bit. I did not realize it said a cup of water so I added two cups of applesauce instead. Whoops.

Vegan Brownies

 

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Instructions:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.

 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in applesauce and vanilla and mix until well blended. Spread evenly in a 9x13 inch baking pan.

 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into the squares.

 

 





Happy Autumn

Well this happens to be my favorite time of the year. I love Autumn and it is one of the best times to bake. I have a few events and birthdays coming up so there will be a lot of new recipes popping up. I've been somewhat lax about baking in the past month or two.

My editor's birthday is this weekend so I will make more vegan stuff as is another coworker's birthday who is vegan. So expect some vegan recipes popping up. My cousin's baby shower is coming up and my aunt and her mother-in-law requested I make a few things. I also volunteer at my mother's job and bake stuff for the bake sale. My next new recipe will be butterscotch and apple blondies.

Until then, happy baking!

EDIT: Sorry to those who were reading this previously. I wrote it on my Kindle and for some reason it kept turning recipes into recipients... Thanks auto correct for making me look like I have no idea what I am talking about.

Also, baked caramelitas for the office last night. Huge hit! Success!

Salted Caramelitas

As I've said many times, I am the designated baker for just about everything, including things for my parents. My father is apparently going to hang out with friends in Belmar and I guess they're having some kind of barbecue and my mom asked me to make something for it. Since I have a sordid love affair with Pinterest, I browsed through until I found something that looks utterly delicious.

Last time I made something with caramel it was not exactly 100 percent. But then again, I was going for homemade caramel and I think something went wrong there. This is more of a caramel sauce and was made with baking caramels and heavy cream. I did taste the sauce and it was delightful! I wanted to eat the whole sauce pan.

 

Salted Caramelitas

 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

35 caramel squares

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. [I normally don't do this but with when working with caramel, it's probably a good idea.]

 

In a large microwave bowl, add butter and heat on high power to melt [about 90 seconds]. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

 

Add the flour, oats, baking soda and stir until combined. The mixture will be thick. Add half the mixture to the pan and smooth it with a spatula or the back of a spoon to create an even, smooth layer. Set the remainder aside.

 

Combine the caramels and cream in a medium sauce pan, stirring continuously over medium-low heat until smooth. Stir in the salt for salted caramel sauce.

 

After 10 minutes, remove pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle with chocolate. Slowly and evenly pour the caramel sauce over the chocolate. Evenly crumble the reserved oatmeal-brown sugar mixture over the top.

 

Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and center is bubbling.

 

 



Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting

So you can just add vegan baker to my ever growing list of accomplishments! Today was my coworker, Lianna's, birthday! A few weeks ago, I told her to think about what she wanted me to bake and, while she is no longer a practicing vegan, she still likes to eat and prepare vegan foods. She gave me the challenge of vegan cupcakes. [See, I told you August is the month of cupcakes. I've spent three of the last four weeks baking cupcakes.]

Confession time: Obviously from my first sentence, I've never baked or made anything remotely vegan. I am not vegan. I can't even fathom being a vegetarian, but I did come close in college. But that is only because I was poor and couldn't afford to buy meat all the time when I went to the grocery store. Plus, I'm a big proponent of salad. Love that green stuff. And as I get sidetracked... I wonder if it's possible to make kale frosting... [We're kind of obsessed with kale in my office...] But, getting back on track...

I did manage to make both vegan cupcakes and vegan frosting! How accomplished of me. I am bringing them into work in the morning because today was production day and I was writing articles until 1 a.m. for the towns I cover after a two hour meeting. Baking was not in the cards for last night... It never really is on Tuesdays.

I dare you to take the vegan challenge! Make something vegan if you never have before. It's good to be well rounded. And for the first time since I was hired at the paper [almost a year and one-half], my editor will finally be able to enjoy something I've baked. As per usual, I doubled my recipe, except for the frosting. It was enough for me to get by without doubling the recipe. The original cupcake recipe also called for the use of vegetable oil and distilled white vinegar. I replaced the vegetable oil with applesauce, which is a common practice and is healthier than oil. I replaced the white vinegar with balsamic vinegar, which was recommended by a reviewer who said it pairs very well with chocolate. Additionally, I used carob powder in the batter recipe. It's supposed to be a healthier alternative to cocoa, but next time I would just cocoa. It just has a better taste to it. I did use cocoa for the frosting though.

For the frosting, I didn't have vegan butter or, dare I utter the words, margarine [blech!]. Instead I used vegetable shortening and replaced the vegan butter amount with double shortening.

 

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting

 

Ingredients:

[cupcakes]

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cocoa [or carob] powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup water

[frosting]

1/2 cup vegetable shortening, softened

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 table spoons almond or soy milk

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place paper cups in a muffin tin and set aside.

 

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa [I used carob powder, but I would recommend using the cocoa. The taste is just a bit better.], baking soda and salt. Add the applesauce, vanilla, balsamic vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth.

 

Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

 

For the frosting, cream the shortening with an electric mixer. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing well each time.

 

Add the cocoa powder, vanilla and almond milk [I used the coconut/almond milk blend I use for cereal. I couldn't tell you the last time I drank actual milk or used it in my cereal.] and mix again.

 

Spread on your cupcakes or using a frosting piping bag. Top with sprinkles if it tickles your fancy!

 



White Cupcakes with Mexican Chocolate Frosting

Today is one of my friend's yearly parties. His birthday was on Monday and his party usually coincides with my family reunion. This is one of the first years that it hasn't. This also gave me time to try something really new to bake for his party. Not that they need anymore food. The party is huge with most his family there, a bunch of our friends and his siblings friends.

There is a huge spread. It's all really good too. His Filipino and they always have Filipino food and its really good. I asked his girlfriend, who happens to be one of my best friends what I should make and she said don't go crazy and make whatever. So I decided to something a little outside the box.

I seem to be making cupcakes a lot. Last weekend and this weekend. I'm certainly on a roll. I also plan on making vegan cupcakes for one of the girl's I work with in about two weeks. I guess August will be the month of cupcakes! Let it be written, let it be done, to quote my grandfather. I know Brian really likes spicy food so I decided to give my frosting a little kick. And as usual, I doubled my cupcake recipe because God knows I never make enough... My cupcakes from the family reunion literally disappeared in about five minutes. My dad was all upset because he didn't even get to eat one.

 

White Cupcakes with Mexican Chocolate Frosting

 

 

Ingredients:

[cupcakes]

2 cup sugar

1 cup butter

4 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

[frosting]

1 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

 

In a medium bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally, add the milk and combine until batter is smooth.

 

Bake cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes. They are done when the cake springs back to the touch.

 

For the frosting, chop the chocolate into smaller pieces. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and set aside.

 

Cream together the confectioner's sugar and butter. Add the chocolate and mix until smooth and chocolate is incorporated. [The sugar and butter mixture will come together nicely when you add the chocolate.] Add the spices and salt and mix until blended.

 

Ice your cupcakes and get ready for a bit of a spicy and sweet kick to your cupcakes! YUM!

 

 



Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting/Chocolate Ganache

So it's that time of the year again. The time when the whole lot of my family gets together for our family reunion. My father's side of the family always gets together on the first Saturday in August to catch up, eat delicious food and be, well, us. There are always at least 30 to 40 people there, several pounds of food and we do a raffle every year to raise money for Paul Newman's charity, Hole in the Wall Gang. Visit the website, www.holeinthewall.org. It's a wonderful organization and we have been donating to them for the past 10 years or so. They're always kind enough to send us baskets to raffle off and we consistently raise a minimum of $600 every summer for them. We previously raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, another wonderful organization. Both are aimed to help children who are coping with serious illnesses and their families.

This year's reunion was a little bittersweet. One of my great uncles is passed away last night. [I'm not religious, but to whoever is out there in the Internet, a prayer for my family is always appreciated.]

Not to say on a happier note, but I usually get the pull out my family baking status again.I usually just make my reunion staple, but this year I decided to split from that. They take so long to make that it's just a pain in the butt, especially in the middle of the summer. I also thought this was the perfect opportunity to bake something new and add to my repertoire. I decided I would make cupcakes with two different kinds of frosting. I decided on chocolate cupcakes, one with marshmallow frosting and graham cracker crumbles for the children and one with chocolate ganache and pearl sprinkles for the adults. But who are we kidding? Children pretty much eat whatever is in front of them. The recipe for the marshmallow frosting was supposed to yield 10 cups which is way too much. I cut the recipe because I sure as heck did not need that much frosting.

They were a hit [as is everything I make! I'm conceited? Why ever would you think that? ;)] and I'm glad everyone enjoyed them! They definitely looked very delicious. As usual, you can see what works of art they are.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting/Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

[cupcakes]

3 ounces dark [semi-sweet] chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup light cream

2/3 cup self-rising flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar, superfine

2 large eggs

[chocolate ganache]

2 ounces bittersweet [dark] chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup light cream

[marshmallow frosting]

4 large egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
crumbled graham crackers

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.

Melt the chocolate with the cream in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Set aside and let cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and salt.

Beat the butter and sugar in the stand mixer at a high speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the dry ingredients and the melted chocolate mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each one three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on the top and firm to the touch. Let them cool completely.

For the chocolate ganache, melt the chocolate with the cream over a double boiler over barely simmering water. Remove from the heat and refrigerate for 20 minutes until thickened. Spread frosting on the cupcakes and decorate with the pearl sprinkles.

For the marshmallow frosting, fill a medium sauce pan with one inch of water and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.

Place the egg whites, sugar, cream of tarter and salt the clean bowl of a stand mixer and whisk by hand to combine. Nest the bowl over the sauce pan, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water.

Heat the egg white mixture, whisking constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mix is hot to the touch [about six minutes].

Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn mixer to a medium speed and mix for one minute. Increase the speed until stiff, glossy peaks form [about 5 minutes]. Add the vanilla and whisk until just incorporated [one minute].

Transfer frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch star tip and ice the cupcakes. Using a kitchen blow torch or oven broiler, carefully brown the marshmallow frosting. Sprinkle the cupcakes with the crushed graham crackers. [I didn't do this because I don't have a kitchen blow torch.]

 

Marshmallow frosting

Chocolate ganache





Baking Hiatus or the Time It Was Too Hot To Bake

I have been very lax in my baking lately as well as my updates, for which I apologize. It is currently the middle of summer and about eight million degrees in my house. Baking would make it almost unbearable considering I don't have air conditioning in my house.

I promise that I will find something new to bake soon. I was supposed to bake cheesecake brownies for a gentleman that is getting married in my office but I completely forgot due to it being a slightly hectic week on top of us having to put down one of our dogs today.

I promise, promise, promise that I will bake something new relatively soon. If any of my readers [I have some, right?] have any suggestions, please make sure to comment and request a recipe!

Happy baking!

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Muffins

So I guess I'm jumping on what one of my friend's calls the "Nutella craze." When I think about it, there has been an increase in Nutella-based products on BuzzFeed and Pintrest. And I heard that a Nutella bar was being opened. I finally tried Nutella for the first time about a year or so ago and I really enjoy it. Yes. It's terrible for you but all the good things are.

One of my old co-workers had posted a picture of him eating a Nutella snack pack and he and I got onto the conversation of baking something with Nutella. I looked up a recipe and decided that I would make them. Once the second batch is out of the oven, I'm probably going to be delivery girl and give one to him as he is the one who inspired this venture.

I'm currently typing gingerly as well because I suffer for my art. When attempting to see if the tops of the muffins were firm, I burnt my thumb on a molten chocolate chip and am thus handicapped in terms of typing. The space bar is being hit with much caution. Also, batteries kept in the freezer make wonderful ice packs.

Despite my grievous injury... Or lack there of. [I'll admit I'm being a drama queen!] The muffins are very yummy looking and I'm rather proud of the effort. I've also become quite the little chef. I purchased a crock pot about a week and a half ago and made pork with apples and onions. Very delicious. My next adventure is chicken caprese and chicken stroganoff.

Anyway. Here is the delightful recipe! I doubled the recipe, but still used the same amount of yogurt. The batter was very thick so I'm glad I kept it the ratio.

 

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

Ingredients:

Nutella

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup Greek vanilla yogurt

3/4 cup regular vanilla yogurt

1 cup and 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

 

Instructions:

On a wax paper lined baking sheet, drop 15 round teaspoonfuls of Nutella [make sure they don't touch]. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least two to three hours or until the Nutella is frozen solid. [It unfreezes really fast!]

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 15 muffin cups with paper or foil liners and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combing and set aside.

 

Cream the butter and the sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer until light and fluffy. [This is honestly one of the best smells ever. I think I'm just weird.] Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

 

Alternate adding the flour mixture and yogurts into the butter mixture. The batter will be really thick. Add the chocolate chips. [I used regular sized. I also used plain Greek yogurt because, confession, I didn't exactly pay attention the recipe.]

 

Divide the mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tin and fill all the way to the top. Remove the Nutella from the freezer and quickly push the frozen Nutella into the middle of the muffin.

 

Bake for 20 to 25 minute or until the tops are golden brown.

 

 

I can't wait to bring these to work! But maybe I'm the only with an appreciation of Nutella... That would be sad.



Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

So in honor of my birthday [which is today and everyone should leave me happy, shiny comments], I made cupcakes to bring into the office. It seems sort of sad that I would bake for my own birthday, but it's my birthday so I do what I want! Plus, none of the girls in the office are huge bakers and it isn't like I would have gone in demanding that they bake me something. I bake for their birthdays because I enjoy it. Most people I know hate baking. And hello. New recipes!

So, happy 26th birthday to me. Here's to hoping 26 is better than 25! Whoo!

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Ingredients:

[cupcakes]

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

[frosting]

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 packages cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla

pinch of salt

 

Instructions:

Cream the butter and cream cheese on a medium high speed until smooth.

Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar. Beat the mixture slowly until incorporated. Add the vanilla and salt and beat on medium high until mixed. The frosting should be slightly fluffy and smooth.

Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. [I would make the frosting first since it has to chill.]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin pan with paper liners [I used my beloved mini muffin tin]. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy [This is a huge pain in the but with the small amount of butter, but the minute you add the eggs it starts to look normal]. Ad the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla [which I totally forgot to do, but my cupcakes taste fine. Again, I do what I want.] Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes In the oven or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

And they are delicious! My dad asked why I was eating them... I just looked at him and was like, it's my birthday. I can do what I want! Be jealous that you don't work in my office.


Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I don't exactly need an excuse to bake, but as I am using Easter [Happy Easter by the way] and my co-worker's birthday tomorrow as my reason for trying out a new recipe. I was going to make baklava cups for my co-worker's birthday, but I really do hate working with phyllo dough. And I feel like that is more of a refreshing, summer dessert. But also, I'm really lazy and don't want to work with phyllo dough, especially not on a holiday.

There are always the someecards that talk about going on Pintrest to find a recipe to bake and then you end up spending hours on Pintrest and don't bake anything. For once, this did not happen to me, but I do have a tendency to get off track at times. I found this recipe after my mother asked me what I was going to bake for my grandmother's for Easter. [I happen to be designated family baker.]

I am a huge fan of cookie dough and cheesecake so what better to make than cookie dough cheesecake bars. While very involved, it is a delicious recipe. I did alter it a little because the cookie dough says not to use any egg, but to me, that does not make sense and it is difficult for the dough to keep together, but maybe they wanted it to be like that on purpose. Whichever the reason, mine came out fine so it doesn't matter anyway!

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

[crust]
1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
[chocolate chip cookie dough]
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
[cheesecake filling]
10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an eight inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, allowing a little to overhand, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. [I don't like to line my baking dishes because everything comes out looking strangely shaped. I just buttered a casserole dish a per my usual method.]

Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs [I crumbled them in a food processor.] until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooking rack. Do not turn off the oven.

While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed and mix until just incorporated. Add egg until dough comes together. Mix in the chocolate chips then set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixed, mix together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low until just incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Smooth out to cover the entire crust. Using your hand to form clumps of cookie dough. Flatten the clumps of dough in your palms to flatten them out a bit. Distribute the cookie dough on top of the cheesecake batter. Be sure to use all of the dough. You will cover most of the cheesecake batter. [To make it a little more chocolatey, you can sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on the batter.]

Bake for about 30 minutes until the top feels dry and firm [the cookie dough layer] and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. [I stuck a toothpick in it to see if the cheesecake layer was done. It will come out clean if it is baked all the way through.]

Just for the record, my house smells absolutely amazing right now. Even when I was baking the graham cracker crust my house smelled like heaven. Add chocolate and cheesecake. Ultimate deliciousness.

 

I will post a picture of them actually cut them. I'm really excited to try one! Yum!