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