macaroons and salted caramel

Macaroons are the new cupcake. Well, so I say. After my recent trip to Paris, France in September, I was intrigued on how to make this meringue cookie. I took a baking class at Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories in Santa Monica, California and within three hours, I was able to crank out some beautiful, insanely-delicious macaroons.

More or less, it comes down to the technique of folding the ingredients without *flattening* the texture. I was able to man handle the folding and turn the ingredients into ribbons, which resulted into perfect macaroons in the oven.

Clemence, our wonderful instructor, showed us how to make the most delicious salted caramel cream filling I've ever had. It was like liquid crack. I couldn't stop eating the caramel filling.

Here is the recipe for the best salted caramel (as my holiday gift to you):

Salted Caramel Cream
In a small bowl, place:
100 g (scant 1/2 cup) heavy cream, warmed

In a medium saucepot, place:
200 g (scant 1 cup) sugar
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice          

Set aside:
60 g (1/2 stick) butter (room temperature)
½ tsp sea salt  

1) Bring the cream simmer and set aside.
2) In a saucepot, heat the sugar, water and lemon juice on medium heat until they reach a golden caramel color. You may want to tilt the pot from time to time, but do not stir with any instrument.
3) Once you have reached the golden caramel stage, slowly (and carefully) add in the cream. Turn the heat back on to medium-low, and stir in the salt.
4) Cook over this heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes. The caramel will thicken a bit.  Turn off heat and add the butter.
 

chocolate and peppermint cupcakes

I lost a bet in the beginning of the NFL 2011 season. Now I owe Marco cupcakes. I used whatever ingredients I had on hand. What's this: Junior Mints and chocolate. Done. 

Side note: I also concocted a great tasting frosting recipe by combining chocolate buttercream and cream cheese frostings and it made a very silky and delicious topping. You should try it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/2 c. oil

1 c. water

1 tsp. peppermint extract

(yeah no eggs, isn't that awesome)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all ingredients together until moist and well blended.

2. Put in cupcake cups and add 2 Junior Mints in the middle and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

3. Frost with your favorite icing.

apple pie cupcakes

After a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family and friends, I was inspired to bake Apple Pie cupcakes to fit the Fall mood.

The cupcakes were apple flavored with apple sauce and cinnamon. I chose a basic cream cheese frosting and topped them with apple pie filling.

I baked 48 of these for an event and everyone enjoyed them.

Here is the basic recipe:

APPLE PIE CUPCAKES

(Yield: regular dozen)

Ingredients

2 c. of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp table salt

3 oz (6 tbsp) butter

1 1/4 granulated sugar

2 eggs

3/4 c. of apple sauce

1 c. sour cream

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add applesauce, butter, and sour cream; beat until blended. Stir into flour mixture; mix well. 

2. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Pour into cupcake pan and bake for 18-20 minutes.

3. Frost cupcakes with desired frosting and top with apple pie filling.

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting

I have been craving peanut butter everything lately. I decided to incorporate peanut butter into a cupcake form. And what better way to do that than to combine two of the greatest flavors: chocolate and peanut butter? It's absolutely magical and delicious.

Bake your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and then make this frosting:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

fudge brownies with peanut butter oreos

Yes, once in awhile, something comes over me and I have to bake something creative from an original recipe. In this case, it's the original fudge brownie recipe. And I decided to crush Peanut Butter Oreo cookies on top.

Simple and delicious.

FUDGE BROWNIES WITH PB OREO COOKIES

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups crushed Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. In 3-quart saucepan over very low heat, melt butter or margarine and chocolate, stirring the mixture constantly. Remove from heat, and stir the sugar into the chocolate. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Top the brownies with crushed cookies.
3. Bake in oven 25 to 30 minutes. Brownies are done when toothpick inserted into center come out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. 

marshmallow treats: the perfect recipe

I simply love a good marshmallow treat. I was a marshmallow treat virgin until college. How sad was that? I've been missing out tremendously, but decided to make up for it by making them as often as I can.

I've sifted through some recipes for basic marshmallow treats. It shouldn't be that difficult, right? But one recipe called for 1/3 tablespoons of butter and another called for 1/4 (half a stick). Different recipes also called for different cups of rice cereal, too.

So I decided to experiment with the food measurements and went by this one:

Betty's Tried and True Marshmallow Treats Recipe:

Ingredients

8 cups of rice cereal (preferably Rice Krispies)
1/4 unsalted butter (half stick)
1 bag of marshmallows (I like the large ones and I like the Kraft brand)

Directions

1. Melt butter and marshmallows on low/medium heat. You don't want to burn the marshmallows nor the butter.

2. Add the cereal slowly and mix in completely.

3. With a buttered or oiled spatula, remove to 13x9 greased pan.

4. Cool and enjoy.

Took 10 minutes to make and they are awesome.

pms goodness: cheesecake brownies

I have been baking. Just not a lot. Cupcakes and cookies here and there. But I haven't baked for myself until now.

I was in the mood for brownies (my go-to PMS dessert) and well, I wanted to give it an extra ooomph by adding a cheesecake element. Using Dorie's recipe, I modified it by not adding espresso (since I do not drink coffee) but used coffee extract instead.

It did take 3 hours to make the dessert. 1 hour to prepare the layers of sinful goodness (brownie batter, cheesecake batter, and sour cream frosting) and 2 hours to completely chill. But the end result was the perfect PMS dessert.

If you are in the mood for both brownies and cheesecake, make this. You won't regret it.

happy easter: bake sale lemon bars

Connie donated some beautiful lemons from her tree. They looked like grapefruits. I was inspired to make lemon bars from them. I've made lemon bars before, but decided to use a different recipe.

I modified the recipe slightly and used 1 cup of lemon juice and another tablespoon of flour for the filling.

After cooling, I decided that I liked the ones I made before better. It was more tangy and tart. This recipe was a bit more bland.

Either way, these were a great addition to the Easter brunch. Happy Easter, everyone!

what's new, cupcake?

Pam and I signed up for What's New, Cupcake with Chef Mimi Pass last Saturday. I've taken several classes at Sur La Table and this one has been my favorite thus far.

We learned how to decorate All Cracked Up, Mum's the Word, Rubbery Ducky, and Pie cupcakes. The hands-on, interactive class was very helpful with the provided decorations and techniques.

The authors of Hello, Cupcake are back, this time with a simpler recipe cupcake book called What's New, Cupcake? I've purchased the book after taking the class. The decorating techniques were simple and fun. Even though labor intensive, it was worthwhile to see the results. 

The mum cupcakes were my favorite. My neighbor's daughter, Daniella, celebrated her birthday and the mum cupcakes made her smile. Like I said, worthwhile.

cinnamon crumb coffee cake

I wish you were here to smell my kitchen right now. The cinnamon aroma is intoxicating. I was inspired to bake this morning since I did absolutely NOTHING all day yesterday except watch five episodes of Tosh.0 and two movies (Book of Eli and Robin Hood) while nursing a vodka hangover.

Lovely, I know.

Here is the recipe, enjoy:

Ingredients:

    * 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
    * 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
    * 3/4 c. of sugar
    * 1/2 c. butter melted
    * 1/2 c. sour cream
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 c. of almond milk
    * 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
    * 1/2 c. brown sugar
    * 2 tablespoons of butter
    * 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
    * 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1. Batter: Sift 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat egg until frothy. Beat in sugar and butter until combined. Add milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture a little at a time and mix on low until combined. Do not over mix. If the batter is too stiff add a little more milk. 

2. Crumb topping: Combine last 4 ingredients (make sure your butter for the topping is chilled) in a small bowl and mix together, then set aside.

3. Put 1/2 the batter in a 8x8 - inch greased pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 crumb topping over batter. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. 

I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon into the batter for better flavor and extra butter for the crumb topping. Some people add nuts to the topping as well.  

My favorite part about this cake: the crumb topping goodness. Mmmmm.

 

wizard of oz: peanut butter cupcakes

Lily requested peanut butter cupcakes for Ruby's birthday. At first, I suggested chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. But after further thought, I decided to go with peanut butter cupcakes and peanut butter frosting.

This was the first time I've made peanut butter cupcakes and they were delicious. I loved the simplicity of peanut butter. It wasn't too sweet or over bearing.

Lily provided the Wizard of Oz decorations which kept it colorful and thematic.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1 3/4 c. flour
1 c. milk
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter (Skippy's Creamy - the real deal)
1/4 c. shortening
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 lg. eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pans or use cupcake papers. Into a large bowl measure all ingredients. Using mixer, beat ingredients at low speed until blended. Increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Spoon batter into pans and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool before frosting. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

For the frosting (enough for 24 minis), I mixed a stick of softened butter, 3/4 c. of peanut butter, 3 tablespoons of almond milk, and 2 c. of powdered sugar.

caramel turtle brownies

I enjoy making anything with caramel. Since I was in the mood to make brownies this past Presidents' Day weekend, I added  caramel which brought out a different dimension to the chocolate.

These were super easy to make, especially if you have a a jar of pre-made Ghirardelli caramel. However, if you don't, caramel chews would work as well.

Caramel Turtle Brownies

Caramel layer:

4 spoonfuls or Ghirardelli 

OR

2 packages (14 ounce size) caramels - unwrapped
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

Batter:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate - coarsely chopped
2 cups light brown sugar - packed
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of pecans

For caramel layer, use pre-made caramel OR melt caramels and evaporated milk together over low heat, stirring often (5 to 8 minutes). Remove from heat, but keep warm.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

For batter, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate to melt and whisk until smooth. Cool mixture then whisk in brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, pecans, and salt.

Spread half of batter in prepared pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Spread the caramel filling over the baked brownie layer. Spread remaining brownie layer on top.  Add 4 lines of caramel on top of the batter and create swirls with a toothpick. Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes (until top is set).

Chill well (30 minutes) before cutting.

red velvet valentine cupcakes

Yeah I know Valentine's Day is so commercialized and often referred to as "lame". But I thoroughly enjoy celebrating Valentine's Day with Ryan. We like to have a romantic dinner followed by an amazing dessert. What follows after that is none of your business (ahem).

To keep with the Cupid spirit, I baked red velvet cupcakes for my co-workers (they constantly nag). People have often asked me for my red velvet cupcake recipe. I have made many versions of red velvet, but I particularly like the flavors of sour cream and peppermint in my mine. It gives it a kick which is pleasant and *different* from the traditional red velvet recipes.

Add it to your next batter (1 cup of sour cream for 24 cupcakes) and a 1/2 tablespoon of peppermint extract for a non-boring treat.

Happy Valentine's Day!

star wars galactic empire cupcakes

I am a big Star Wars fan. Like HUGE. I have a Femme Trooper costume for goodness sake. I know, extremely nerdy, but oh so bad-ass.

Williams-Sonoma launched some Star Wars baking goods (cupcake set,  apron, lunch box, spatula, etc.) and I thought I died and gone to Nerd Heaven. I hosted my birthday party and baked Star Wars Galactic Empire cupcakes (banana and chocolate mint flavors) because I can't imagine serving anyone else's cupcakes but my own.

Everyone loved the Star War cupcakes, especially ME, because who doesn't love seeing a Stormtrooper on a cupcake?

To get some of the Star Wars baking goodies, visit your local Williams-Sonoma.

happy holidays: eggnog cupcakes

Yay! My baking mojo is finally back! I decided to host an office holiday party with eggnog and red velvet cupcakes. Since everyone was over 21, I added rum to the eggnog cupcakes and frosting to ensure a little kick.

It didn't take me that long to make these. These were fun, simple, and tasty. Everyone loved them and commented that they tasted EXACTLY like eggnog.

Here is the recipe for your baking pleasure:

Eggnog Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
 2 tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ cup spiced rum
1 cup eggnog
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  
2. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; whisk to combine.  
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the rum, eggnog, vegetable oil, vanilla, and sugar.  Beat on medium-low speed until well blended.  
5. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling the cups 2/3 full.  
7. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
8. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, use your basic cream cheese recipe but add a dash of rum and 3 tbsp of eggnog. Optionally, you can also sprinkle some nutmeg for an extra kick.