Birthday Cake

I made a pretty! And I’m very excited about it!

I made a cake for my sister’s birthday, and it turned out pretty well.  

I used a recipe from here, and added pink and green food coloring instead of red.

I also used cream cheese frosting, but as little as possible while still covering the colors. My sister is very strange and doesn’t much like frosting.  

Cinnamon Brownie Cookies

I made cookies yesterday. Christmas cookies to go with some gumbo that the mud guy made. It was really good, and the 5 dozen cookies were gone in about 3 hours, maybe 4.

Ingredients:

12 oz. Semisweet Chocolate Chips

4 T Butter

4 Eggs

1 1/2 c Sugar

1 t Vanilla

1/4 t Salt

1 t Cinnamon

1 c All-Purpose Flour

1/2 t Baking Powder

Directions:

*Preheat the oven to 350*F. Prepare cookie pans with parchment paper, or spread with butter and shake flour over the pan to cover the entire surface.

Combine the chocolate chips and butter. Melt in a microwave safe bowl, cooking for 30 seconds at a time, stirring well and adding time as necessary, until the mixture is smooth. This can also be done in a double boiler. Set aside

Beat the eggs and sugar together, until they begin to turn pale. Add the vanilla and salt.

Mix in the chocolate mixture.  

Add the flour and baking powder and cinnamon and mix until combined. The mix will be quite runny, about like brownie batter.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared cookie pans. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set around the edge and soft in the middle.  

Let sit on the pans for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Vegan Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I found a recipe for chocolate sugar cookies, or brownie cookies, or chocolate wafer cookies, whatever you want to call them. The recipe comes from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. They looked amazing. Turns out they ARE pretty amazing.

My original plan was to use the cookies to make a pie shell for a chocolate cream pie. 

Naturally plans changed and I never got around to it. So when my sister asked me to go for a bike ride and have dinner with her vegan roommates, I took advantage of my lack of eggs, random can of coconut cream and powdered sugar.

I sandwiched those cookies like crazy.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes, Two Ways

I am a bit addicted to all things chocolate and cherry right now. As long as the cherry part is not actual cherries. I don’t like the mushyness of maraschino cherries or the way pie filling has whole cherries. I spend most of my time with cherry pie eating the goo around the cherries. 

But I love chocolate and cherry shakes, and malts and Blizzards. 

Yum.

I’m adding cupcakes to the list, also.

I used the recipe and instructions from Annie’s Eats for the first set of cupcakes, pie filling.

 I cheated for the frosting. I used store bought because I don’t have a hand mixer at the rig. 

The second batch I swirled some blended pie filling into the cupcake before baking. 

Then I mixed some into the frosting, too.

Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I am getting better at making up recipes. They are closer and closer to what I want them to be on the first try. Which is good because then I forget what I used in them and have to start all over.

However, occasionally I remember to take my notebook into the kitchen and write things down as I add them. Sometimes I even measure as I add ingredients. 

Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe:

1 c Flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 c Cocoa Powder

1 sticks Salted Butter, softened

1 c Sugar

1 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 c Milk

1/2 c Peanut Butter

1 1/2 c Old Fashioned Oats

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Prepare cookie pan with cooking spray or parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Add vanilla and milk. 

Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture.

Add the peanut butter and mix well.

Add oats and combine.

Drop by large tablespoon onto the prepared cookie pans. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are starting to turn golden. Remove from oven and let cool for 1 minute on the pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

These are quite crumbly, but delicious. 

Chocolate Banana Peanutbutter Smoothie

Cupcake has been making smoothies lately, with some oat and chia powder that she stole from me. The little thief. She also stole my jars that fit my blender. 

I finally made some more powder, it is time consuming as I make it in my coffee grinder and can only do about a quarter cup at a time. And since I wanted enough for a few weeks it took a while. 

When I finished grinding I made a few smoothies for practice. I found some inspiration from Monica at The Yummy Life. I made an apple pie smoothie, a couple strawberry ones and a chocolate banana peanutbutter one.

They are all pretty amazing and taste slightly of oats, but if the oat and chia powder is put through a sieve it doesn’t have any awkward lumps. 

Chocolate Banana Peanutbutter Smoothie

Ingredients

1 Banana

1/2 c Greek Yogurt

1/4 c Milk

1 1/2 T Agave Nectar or 2 T Honey

2 T Cocoa Powder

2 T P2B or Peanutbutter

1/4 c Oat and Chia Powder

Directions

Break the banana into chunks and put it into a blender (I put mine into a 2 cup narrow mouth jar, they fit my blender blade). Add the yogurt, milk agave, cocoa, peanutbutter and oat and chia powder.  Blend until smooth.

Pour into a sealable container, or leave in the jar, seal with the lid and put in the fridge for 4 hours, or overnight. The chia seeds will soak up much of the moisture, as will the oats, thickening the smoothie. 

Enjoy on the patio, while reading a good book, on the way to work or while doing homework. 

Red Velvet Layered Cake

I made a cake yesterday.  I am still experimenting and searching to find the perfect Red Velvet cake.  

So far the cookies are still better, but they don’t translate well into cake.  It makes me sad.  

The most recent on I tried was from Food Network.  

It turned out pretty well.  I have to try it again.  This attempt ended up slightly dry from overcooking.  It was only 5 minutes, but next time I need a timer.  

The Cream Cheese Frosting was not so sweet as the other recipes I’ve used.  It was very rich, though.  

I was rather proud of myself.  I frosted it with a butter knife.  It was pretty smooth for the utensil used.  

Caramel Brownie Sundae

I had leftover batter from the chocolate cupcakes, so I made a round cake. It ended up looking rather like a brownie.

Also I have 6 jars of caramel leftover from my caramel sauce trials. So I had to make a sundae. A Caramel Brownie Sundae. It was amazing.

Caramel Brownie Sundae

1 piece of Brownie or Cake

2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream

Caramel Sauce

Maraschino Cherry juice

Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

Today I made cupcakes. Chocolate ones. Birthday ones. But I don’t know anyone who had a birthday. I made them because it’s the best ever chocolate cake recipe. Hershey’s Hot Water Devil’s Food Cake. It has been THE birthday cake in our family since before I can remember.

I also made THE birthday frosting. Hershey’s One Bowl Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. But today I made it with vanilla, instead of orange.

But the star of today’s show was the caramel. I used the caramel sauce from Annie’s Eats. I filled the cupcakes with the sauce. Then I drizzled it over the top to garnish. They turned out very pretty. And I have lots of left-over caramel for ice cream sundaes.

I ended up with two types of caramel because I didn’t let the first batch cook long enough. But it is still very good. Tastes like English toffee. The second batch was darker and had more of a caramel flavor. It’s what I used for the cupcakes.

Caramel Sauce:
½ c Unsalted Butter
1 c Sugar
1 c Heavy Cream
¼ t Vanilla
A pinch of Salt

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to foam and turn dark. It will look and smell like it’s on the verge of burning. Remove from the heat and add the heavy cream. Stir until the sauce is smooth (you may need to return it to the heat to smooth it out), then mix in the vanilla and salt. Let cool.

Source: Annie's Eats

Éclairs, Take II

I tried to make Éclairs again.

This time they turned out much cuter. I used a pastry bag to pipe them out on to the pan. It worked quite well once I got the hang of finishing the puff. The pastry is extremely sticky. That’s why they have some funky tails and Mohawks.

I also dipped them in chocolate this time. So they really were éclairs. They were fun, itty bitty things. They ended up about three inches long and an inch and a half wide.

Sadly, the cream from MyBakingdom didn’t set properly so I made an emergency batch of pudding from a box. I was rather disappointed at how much everyone loved it.

Black Forest Cupcakes

I used to think I didn’t like cherries. I wouldn’t eat anything that was cherry flavored, or had cherries in it. Especially cherry pie, the texture scares me (but I love the filling part of cherry pie filling). Except fresh cherries.

But lately I have discovered that I’m a bit obsessed with chocolate cherry shakes from Brahms. Not a huge fan of the chunks in the bottom, but I live with them because the rest of the shake is marvelous.

To celebrate the fact that I got to dance at a party, I decided to make chocolate cherry cupcakes, and I knew the perfect place to find them: Annie’s Eats and her Black Forest Cupcakes. She has never failed me in having an intriguing recipe when I’m at a loss.

Here is my modified version.

Black Forest Cupcakes

Cake:
1 2/3 c Flour
2/3 c Cocoa Powder, sifted
1 1/2 t Baking Soda
1 t Salt
1 t Instant Coffee
8 T Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t Vanilla
1 1/2 c Cream, soured (or Buttermilk)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line the sections of two cupcake pans. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and coffee powder together. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternately with the cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full. Bake 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (check these early, they were slightly dry at 18 minutes for me). Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Filling:
1 package Dried Cherries
1 1/2 c Water, to cover cherries
2 T Sugar
Maraschino cherry juice or cherry liqueur

Directions:
To make the filling, add dried cherries to a sauce pan and add enough water to cover them. Mix in the sugar. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. When most of the water has been soaked up, mash with a wooden spoon or potato masher until the cherries are no longer completely intact. When only a thick syrup is left of the liquid add the liqueur or cherry juice. (I used both)

To fill the cupcakes, remove a portion from the center of each cupcake. (I used a strawberry huller, but a paring knife will work just as well) Spoon in about 2-3 teaspoons of the cherry compote. Brush cherry juice or liqueur over the cupcakes, be generous.

Frosting:

1 1/4 c Whipping Cream

6-7 T Powdered Sugar

1 t Vanilla

Directions:

Pour the cream into a large bowl. Add in the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Using a hand mixer, start beating on medium speed, slowly increasing as the cream begins to thicken up to high speed. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.

Frost the filled cupcakes with the whipped cream. Garnish as desired with a cherry and chocolate shavings. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Peanut Butter Chocolate High Hats

I saw these on Jamie’s Green Kitchen a long time ago. I’ve always been intrigued with the way they look, but was hesitant to make them. I thought that the peanut butter would be overwhelming.

It’s not, and they’re pretty fantastic. Although, naturally, I didn’t follow the entire recipe. I’ve given up on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream combination. The eggs and butter never stay stiff enough. And I don’t like the way it tastes. What I did turned out quite well. The cake recipe came from the cookbook Baking easy-to-make great home bakes by Carole Clements

Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

1/2 c Unsalted Butter

1 c Cake Flour

1/2 c Cocoa Powder

1 t Baking Powder

1/8 t Salt

6 Eggs

1 c Sugar

2 t Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in cupcake pan.

Melt the butter over low heat; skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Set aside

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together three times. Set aside

Place eggs and sugar in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water. Beat with an electric mixer until the eggs double in volume and are thick enough to leave a ribbon trail, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla.

Sift over the dry ingredients in three batches, folding carefully after each addition. Fold in the butter.

Divide the batter between the cups and bake about 18 minutes, until done. The cake will spring back when pressed, or a toothpick inserted will come out clean.

Frosting/Filling
2 tubs Cool Whip
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 c Peanut Butter

Combine the peanut butter and cream cheese. Fold in the Cool Whip.

When the cupcakes have cooled cut a small slit into each one. Using a large tip for a piping bag, insert into the slit and fill each cupcake with the Cool Whip mixture. Then top the cupcakes with a generous portion of the frosting.

Chill the cupcakes until the frosting is set.

Topping
12 oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips
3 T Vegetable Oil

Melt chocolate over double boiler. Add the oil and stir until smooth. Pour into a deep container, such as a 2 c liquid measuring cup. Dip each cupcake in the chocolate so that the frosting is coated. Chill until ready to serve.

Oreo Cupcakes

I finally remembered to take a picture so that I can post! 

Today I made Cookies and Cream Cupcakes, a recipe I found on Annie's Eats.  I didn't eat any because I was too stuffed to even think about trying one, but the roughnecks seem to like them.

They involve a lot of Oreos. I used nearly a full package, and I just used the wafers for garnish. Annie prefers using a sandwich.


One of the company men just stopped in to comment on them.

Co Man: Hi

Me: Hi

Co Man: I just wanted to say thank you for the cupcakes. I really like the Oreo things, they’re really good.

*Well, I’m glad you like the “Oreo things”, kid.

Here’s my modified recipe:

Oreo Cupcakes

Cupcakes
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
2¼ c Flour
1 t Baking Powder
½ t Salt
½ c Butter, room temperature
1 2/3 c Sugar
3 Egg Whites, at room temperature
2 t Almond Extract
1 c milk
20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

Frosting
8 oz. Cream Cheese, at room temperature

4 c Powdered Sugar, sifted
2 T Heavy Cream

In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, mix the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg whites and mix well. Next add the almond extract. Alternate adding, and mixing, the flour mixture and the milk. When well combined add the cookie pieces.

Place a cookie half in the bottom of each lined well of a cupcake pan. Add batter over the cookies, filling the wells nearly to the top. Bake at 350 degF for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cupcakes cool, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and cream. Beat until smooth. Pipe over cupcakes and garnish with a cookie half and/or crumbs.

"Dying for Chocolate" Cookies

Today I couldn't sleep.  At noon I gave up and decided to make cookies.  For some reason I decided to make Pudding Cookies, even thought I didn't really like them.  But this time I only had chocolate pudding, and almond extract.  They turned out really well.  I just need to come up with a name for them, now.

Update: Cupcake gave me the idea of DDD or DD's Death because one of the company men said I was killing them.  Since it wasn't a DD that said it, I updated it a little.

PS  Right after I took this picture I accidentally moved the spoon.  And one of the cookies fell in.  It immediately turned to mush, but it was tasty mush.

"Dying for Chocolate" Cookies

1 c Butter

1 c Sugar

1 T Molasses

2 med Eggs

1 1/2 t Almond Extract

1/2 c Raspberry Jam

2 c Flour

1 t Baking Soda

1 sm pkg Chocolate Pudding

1 c Chocolate Chips

Mix the butter, sugar and molasses.  Wisk together the eggs, almond extract and jam.  Add to sugar mixture.  Add the flour, pudding mix, and baking soda and mix well.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  (I did this all by hand, so I didn't cream the butter.)  Drop by rounded teaspoon onto a greased cookie pan.  Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.  Remove from the oven soft, and let rest on the pan for 5 minutes.  Move to wire rack to finish cooling. 

So far these have been well recieved.  The DD told me they were "incredible" and one company man told me I was killing them.  At least they'll die happy, of chocolate overdose.

PS These are FAR better then the other Pudding Cookies

Minty Chocolate Cupcakes

I finally have a new post!  With good pictures from my real camera, if I can just remember where I put it.

Just kidding.  I am trying to make sure the camera, charger and cables all stay together any time I'm not taking pictures.  Only semi successfully, but I still know where all three are.

A while ago I was home for a couple days and made some cupcakes.  I have no idea what recipe I used. Probably Hot Water Devil's Food Cake.  With mint rather than vanilla.  I got some Andes Mints and put a half in the batter of each cupcake before baking.

Then I made some frosting.  I didn't have all I needed for Cream Cheese Frosting, and I didn't really want it that sweet.  My solution: Marshmallows.

Marshmallow Frosting

8 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 c Butter
1 pkg Mini Marshmallows

Combine in a double boiler until the marshmallows have melted.  Glop this on the cupcakes while it's still hot.  It's really stretchy and difficult when it cools.  I stuck mine in a pastry bag and drew some squiggles.  They were fast and easy and I think they look pretty cool.  And it was just the right amount for me.

Smore Treats!

Last night I made some new cupcakes I found on Jamie's Green Kitchen.  They looked like lots of fun.  S'more Cupcakes!

I'm not sure if they turned out exactly as they should, I only had 1 cup of graham crackers.  I had to cut everything back by a third, and they are VERY crumbly.  But they're pretty. 

Notice the frosting is drippy and gooey...it's not supposed to be, but I have many problems with egg whites right now.  This is my third attempt at making something with them, and failing.  :(  The darn things just won't stay fluffy.

Red Velvet

Last night I made some Red Velvet Cupcakes.  I didn't have cake flour, or buttermilk, but considering the limitations they turned out alright.  They looked quite pretty, though.

I took them to my group dance lesson.  They were favorably accepted.  One of the dancers told me I was his future second wife. 

They were a bit coarse for my taste.  I'm pretty sure the flour had some affect on that.  I think I scraped by with the buttermilk: I used half sour cream and half milk.  I'll have to try again, with all the ingredients.  Then perhaps I'll make more changes to perfect them.  I used a RecipeZaar recipe.  That site is quite handy in a pinch, or even when you're bored.  I used my Cream Cheese Frosting, that I used for the cookies, on top.

I'll post a recipe when I've found one that is just PERFECT.

An Experiment: Chocolate Filled Cookies

I made some of Gramma's Filled Cookies today. They were a big hit at my dance class. I had 2 people ask me for the recipe saying that an Aunt or their mother made these.

After class I talked to my instructor for a while, it turns out he's likes to cook also. He was rambling about some puff pastry thing he did, and suggested I try Dark Chocolate and Raspberries with a little Rosemary. I thought it sounded interesting, so I traipsed all over town trying to find some fresh Raspberries. I was finally able to find them, and here are the results of my experiment. I'll let you know how they are after I try one.


Filled Cookies
Cookie:
1 c Shortening
1 1/4 c Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 c Milk
3 1/2 c Flour
2 t Baking Powder
2 t Vanilla
1/2 t Salt


Cream the shortening and sugar. Add the egg and milk.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add in increments to the sugar mixture, and the vanilla.


Refrigerate for an hour before rolling out.


Filling:
1 container fresh Raspberries
1 c Dark Chocolate Chips
1/4 c Raspberry Jam, seedless
1/4 c Chocolate Liqueur
1 T Cream
1 pinch ground Rosemary


Melt the chocolate. Mix in the jam, liqueur, rosemary and cream. After dough is rolled, cut and placed on a greased cookie sheet, place a couple raspberries on each round. Drizzle 1/2-1 t of the chocolate mixture over the top. Place a second round of dough on top and seal the edges. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Breaking in the New Apron: Dipped Chocolates

First of all I'm not entirely sure how this picture ended up this way, I accidentally hit the shutter button when I was arranging something else, but I really like it.

Today I dipped some chocolates. I found out in my library book that truffles are rolled and covered with cocoa powder, or crushed nuts, not dipped; so who knows what the last ones I made were. My mom says Dipped Truffles. I kinda like that, so that's what we'll go with.

Either way the ones I made today were "Dipped Chocolates". I made the center last night, because they have to sit in the fridge overnight. I didn't have the correct tea to flavor the cream, but we won't worry about that too much, because plain chocolate is just fine for me.

I read the whole book about the types of chocolates one can create, pretty much cover to cover. It is quite fascinating. The ones I chose have a softer center than the first ones, but this time I actually followed the directions for tempering the chocolate I used for dipping. I tried some of the edges, that were mis-shaped. They turned out quite well for the first attempt, although I think the chocolate went out of temper for a few in the middle, they are taking much longer to set than the first ones.






Making the filling last night it didn't look like much. It only made about 2 cups. Even spreading it in the pan to set. It was about a half inch layer in a 9x9 inch pan. But after taking it out today, and cutting it into squares, then dipping it I have about 65 pieces. And they are just perfect. I thin I can make a lot of friends with these. Or maybe send them to friends in Saratoga for the holidays. I'll need to find some good tins or boxes to use!



I used my lovely yellow polka spotted ruffly apron that my sister got for me in Denmark for this adventure. It looks lovely with my plates and my tea set. Now I just need some company for afternoon tea.