Chocolate Cupcakes, Reminiscent of Hostess

There was a time in my life where I absolutely loved having a Little Debbie or Hostess snack cake tucked into my lunchbox for dessert.  Then during college, I went on a big nutrition kick and tried to eliminate unnecessarily processed foods from my diet.  That doesn't mean I kicked the sweets habit (believe me!).  Instead, I made the conscious choice to bake treats at home instead of buying any pre-wrapped or grocery-store bakery desserts.  In the end, you get a lot more satisfaction out of it. 

Exhibit A:  These homemade "Hostess-style" cupcakes

Acknowledgements:  I pretty much followed this YumSugar recipe exactly, with the exception of a couple ingredients.  I like using coffee with chocolate in baked goods; it really intensifies the cocoa flavor.  So I used coffee + milk instead of just milk.

 Ingredients:

For cake:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder (try to use something high quality, if possible.  Store brands probably won't cut it) 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled

For marshmallow filling:

• 1 egg white 
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 
• 1/3 cup water 
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup 
• Pinch of salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For chocolate ganache:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half 
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  

Directions

1. To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 12 cupcake tins with liners. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
2. In bowl of standing mixer, lock in the whisk attachment and beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly mixed, then add the vanilla extract.  Mix the cold coffee and milk together in a pourable measuring cup.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding in the milk and flour mixture in 1/3 increments.  Try not to over-mix, but make sure the batter is thoroughly combined.  Divide batter equally between the cupcake liners.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean from the center.  Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
3. To make marshmallow filling:  Brace yourselves.  This is basically like making a candy, because you need to have a thermometer to know just how hot your mixture is before adding to the other ingredients.  But if I can do this on the first try (and by using a digital meat thermometer), then so can you.
   Carefully wash and dry your stand mixer bowl plus the whisk attachment and return them to stand mixer. Do not touch the clean whisk or inside of the bowl with your hands (the oil from our fingers can interfere with getting the egg whites fluffy).  Add the egg white and cream of tartar to the bowl, and turn the mixer on medium speed.  Allow the mixer to run until soft peaks form on the whisk.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until a thermometer reads 240ºF.  Immediately remove the pan from heat.
4. Turn the mixer speed to low, and slowly pour the hot syrup into the bowl to incorporate with the fluffy egg whites.  You don't want to go too quickly and deflate the egg whites, so make sure the mixer is "keeping up with you" and incorporating the liquid into the egg whites.  Then, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 5 - 6 minutes, or until mixture looks thick, fluffy, and slightly glossy.  Add the vanilla extract and beat another 1 - 2 minutes.  Transfer 2/3 of marshmallow cream to a pastry bag or a gallon Ziplock.  Cut one of the corners off of the bag; the size of the snipped corner doesn't matter too much-- just as long as you can control the amount that comes out at one time.  Transfer remaining 1/3 of marshmallow fluff to a separate pastry bag (or a smaller Ziplock bag).  This small bag will be for icing the white swirled pattern on top of the ganache, so the opening needs to be very small. For now, set the marshmallow cream aside.
5. To make ganache: Place the half-and-half in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until small bubbles form on the side.  You could also do this in a glass measuring cup in the microwave on power 7 or 8 (not full power) but watch closely for the liquid to simmer with bubbles.  Immediately remove from heat (or microwave).  Add the chocolate to the bowl or saucepan and let sit for about 2 minutes.  Then, whisk the mixture until smooth and the chocolate is completely melted.  Use within 10 -15 minutes or else refrigerate the ganache until ready to assemble cupcakes.
6. The main event:  assembling the cupcakes!  Since I do not have a pastry bag with metal tips, I had to improvise on how to fill these.  I carefully used a paring knife to cut a quarter sized cutout about 1 to 1.5 inches deep into the cupcake.  Then I trimmed the bottom of this "cake cutout" to allow more room for the filling.  Do not scrap the top half because you will be placing them back into the cupcake after the filling is added.  But you have full permission to eat the "cake trimmings."  After all cupcakes are cutout, use the gallon Ziplock full of marshmallow creme to pipe it into the cupcakes (about 1 tbsp of creme, or whatever fits).  Then, replace each cake cutout back into the cupcake and press down.  The ganache should be warm enough to drizzle and spread onto the tops of the cupcakes, but not too hot (runny) so that it does not set on the cupcakes.  Use about 1 tbsp of ganache per cupcake and spread to the edges with a butter knife or icing knife.  
7. Allow the ganache to cool completely before adding the trademark white curly-cues on top.  When the ganache has set, use the smaller Ziplock with the marshmallow creme and cut an extremely small corner off of one side (too big of a hole and you will have trouble controlling the size and speed of the creme).  Carefully pipe a design onto the icing (whether it is the Hostess curly-cue or not).  Take a bow for your hard work, and enjoy!

Summer Berry Pie

Earlier this summer, I was visiting a friend in Cedar Rapids.  One of the highlights was our trip to the city's giant 16-block farmer's market.  We bought all of the ingredients we needed to make dinner and also, a bumbleberry pie.  This was one delicious pie, and needless to say, it did not last the night.  Since that weekend, I vowed to make a pie this summer, and I followed through!  This is one is actually a no-bake recipe from Baking Illustrated, clearly one of my favorite cookbooks.  The pie turned out perfectly.  The graham cracker crust actually stays together and doesn't get soggy from the berries!  I will tell you upfront that although it is no-bake filling, there is some time involved.  Totally worth it though.

Quick note about the berries: You can use any combination of the berries to get 6 cups; I am not a huge blackberry fan because of the seeds, so I only used 1 small container of the blackberries, 2 small raspberry containers and 1 large blueberry container. Also, I thought it was weird to have the red currant jelly in the ingredient list, but I still bought it and used it. I think it adds a nice tart undertone.


Ingredients:


For the Graham Cracker Crust:

• 9 graham crackers, broken into rough pieces 
• 2 tbsp sugar (I ended up using one tbsp white sugar and one tbsp brown sugar) 
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm 
• pinch of cinnamon (optional) 

For the Berry Filling:

• 2 cups raspberries 
• 2 cups blackberries 
• 2 cups blueberries 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3 tbsp cornstarch 
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• 2 tbsp red currant jelly 

Instructions:

1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.


2. In a food processor, process graham crackers until it turns into fine crumbs, about 30 seconds, then add sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter (and cinnamon, if desired) in steady stream; pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer crumb mixture to 9-inch glass pie plate. It's important to press the crust down as firmly as possible for it to stay together later; it may help to press it with a small bowl or measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely while making the filling.


3. FOR THE FILLING: Combine berries in large colander and rinse carefully; spread them out on paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently pat dry with additional paper towels.


4. Using a food processor, puree 2 1/2 cups mixed berries until smooth and fully pureed, about 1 minute. Strain puree through mesh strainer into a measuring cup or directly into a small saucepan. This will take some work, because with all of the seeds, the liquid will have trouble getting through the strainer. With all of the berry puree, you should have 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in small bowl to combine, then whisk this mixture into puree. Bring puree to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Eventually, the berry puree will start to boil and thicken to the consistency of pudding. Remove the saucepan from heat, stir in lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.


5. While puree is cooling, place remaining berries in medium bowl. Heat jelly in second small saucepan over low heat until fully melted; drizzle melted jelly over berries and toss gently to coat. Pour slightly cooled puree into cooled pie shell; top with fresh berries. Loosely cover pie with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled and puree has set, about 3 hours (or up to 1 day).


I served the pie with some Reddi-whip, but if you are feeling ambitious, you could whip up some fresh whipped cream. ENJOY!

Black Bean and Corn Salad with Roasted Jalapeno Dressing

Earlier this summer, my fiance and I bought two jalapeno pepper plants at our local farmers' market, since we didn't have any luck growing them from seed.  The two plants we bought have just EXPLODED with jalapenos after a couple of months, and now we are trying to find a use for them!  I adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest (surprise, surprise).  I pretty much doubled it, and adjusted the ingredients to my own personal preferences.  Here is the link to the original recipe:

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Fiesta-Black-Bean-Salad-Recipezaar_1?columns=6&position=14/36

I wish I had a picture to share, but I wasn't planning to post the recipe until I discovered how awesome it turned out.  And by then, it was all gone  :-)


Ingredients:

• 4 ears of corn, husks and silk removed, rinsed and patted dry
• two 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• two jalapeno peppers, whole
• one bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped (any color, but I used green)
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato, seeds and pulp removed
• 1 ripe avocado, chopped (do this at the very end)
• the juice of one lime
• 1 tsp grated lime zest
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• black pepper, to taste

Start by cooking the corn-- preheat the oven to 400 degrees and wrap the corn individually in foil.  Place the jalapeno peppers (whole) on a baking sheet with the corn and bake everything for 20 minutes.  Check on the jalapenos after 15 minutes; if the peppers are already look sunken in with darkened skin, they may be ready to take out.  

When the corn is done, let it cool before cutting the kernels off with a knife (or one of those fancy corn kernel cutters, which I don't have).  In a large bowl, mix the corn kernels, drained black beans, bell pepper, green onion, and tomato.  

In a smaller bowl, combine the lime juice, lime zest, garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, honey, salt, black pepper and cumin.  Carefully remove the stem of the jalapeno and roughly chop them up to your liking (seeds and veins removed if you don't want too much heat, but you may leave them in for some extra kick).  Add the roasted jalapeno to the dressing and whisk to combine.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix to coat.  Have a taste, if it needs more salt or pepper, go ahead and adjust the seasoning.  

This can be served immediately, but it also tastes great if it is left to "mingle" overnight.  Right before serving, cut up the ripe avocado and toss everything together.  This is to prevent the avocado from browning if it sits too long.  Enjoy!!

Rosemary, Raisin and Pine Nut Crackers

I searched for this copy-cat recipe after trying Trader Joe's Raisin Rosemary Crisps at a party.  They are so addicting, and that is saying something since I'm not always crazy about raisins in my food.  I think the Trader Joe crackers have sunflower seeds in them, but I thought pine nuts were a good swap.  I adapted my recipe off of this recipe on Pop Artichoke.  It is not a quick recipe since there is a lot of waiting time, but it is pretty damn impressive to bring your own crackers to a party.  Give this one a try!  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted in a skillet
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

Let me just start by saying how important it is to use fresh rosemary for this, and also that you will need to use buttermilk rather than milk in order for the baking soda to properly rise.  If you do not have buttermilk, simply pour almost a full cup of milk, and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar (let it sit on the counter for 3 - 5 minutes before using).  Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray two loaf pans with cooking spray or use a little vegetable oil.  In a medium bowl, mix both flours, baking soda, salt, rosemary, and sugar with a whisk.  Switch to a large spoon and mix in the buttermilk and honey so that it is thoroughly incorporated.  Carefully add the raisins and pine nuts, stirring enough so that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  Divide the batter into the two loaf pans, and do your best to spread it to the corners in an even layer.  Bake the loaves in the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides.  Straight from the oven, remove the loaves from the pan onto a cooling rack; the loaf should come out easily if you turn the pan over onto the cooling rack and tap the bottom a few times.  Let the loaves cool completely before moving on; when they are cool, wrap the loaves in foil and freeze for at least 2 hours.  This is the only way you will be able to thinly slice this loaf without it crumbling.  I kept mine in the freezer for a couple of days and then re-baked them the day before Thanksgiving.  

When you are ready to turn these into crackers, preheat the oven to 300º F.  Spray a couple of baking sheets with cooking spray or smear a light coating of vegetable oil onto the surface.  Place the frozen loaf on a cutting board and use a sharp knife (preferably serrated) to thinly slice the loaf into crackers.  I aimed for 1/8 of an inch in thickness.  Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes then flip the crackers over and bake for another 10-12 minutes.  You are looking for a deep golden brown color all over the cracker, not just the edges.  If they need a little longer, keep them in for a couple more minutes but watch them carefully.  Allow the crackers to cool on a wire cooling rack, 20 or so minutes.  Enjoy!  These will keep for over 1 week if you seal them in a container.  My family ate them all before I could really tell how long they would last.  Enjoy!

Chocolate-dipped Almond Shortbread Cookies

I made these cookies as part of our family's "dessert spread" for Thanksgiving.  Nope, we can't just have pumpkin pie; we need pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, chocolate hazelnut biscotti, flour-less chocolate cake and SHORTBREAD cookies.  I found the recipe on Cooking Channel and just tweaked it a little bit for my own taste.  These are really simple to make since there are only a few ingredients, and you are able to "slice and bake" the dough.  How lovely.  

Ingredients:

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups roasted almonds, ground in a food processor
• 1 tsp orange zest
• For glaze: 1 cup chocolate chips + 1 tsp shortening

First, mix the flour and ground almonds together and set aside.  NOTE:  If your almonds are salted, you do not need additional salt in the dough.  However, if your nuts are unsalted, add 1/4 tsp of salt to the flour mixture.  Using a mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together for 3 - 4 minutes on a medium speed until it looks light and airy.  Reduce the speed on the mixer and add the egg, orange zest and vanilla extract.  Slowly add the flour and almonds into the mixing bowl on a low speed.  Scrape the sides every so often to make sure the flour is all incorporated.  When the dough is all mixed, spread a large sheet of plastic wrap onto your counter.  In big spoonfuls, line the dough up on the plastic wrap so it is easier to form into a log.  Use your hands to pat and roll the dough into a log that spans about 2 inches in diameter.  Roll the plastic wrap tightly around the log and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.  

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking liners.  Remove the plastic wrap from your log of dough and use a butter knife to slice 1/4 inch thick rounds.  Place each round a few inches apart from each other on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 13 - 15 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 - 3  minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  

To dress these up a little, dip them in chocolate.  Do it.  

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in the microwave with 1 tsp of shortening (microwave tip:  only use half power and stir the chocolate frequently).  When the chocolate is fully melted, but not piping hot, carefully dip each cookie into the chocolate and place back onto wax paper or parchment paper.  These will need to cool for 15 - 20 minutes before they harden.  I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could use milk chocolate if you prefer.  Enjoy!

Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread... Layered with Cinnamon-Sugar

I believe this is the only post on my Pinterest recipe board that I have actually made!  And let me tell you, it was so worth it.  This bread is highly addictive; pillowy pieces of pumpkin-spiked bread covered in a sticky, delicious caramel.
Dare I say, that it kicks regular pumpkin bread's butt.

(Recipe adapted from Sunny Side Up)

Dough Ingredients

•  2 Tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast 
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin  
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour

Cinnamon-sugar topping

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg 
• 2 Tbsp unsalted, melted butter

NOTE:  I specifically bought bread flour for this recipe; I've read in cookbooks that there really is a difference in the end result due to the protein content.  I also highly encourage the use of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment; you'll be glad you didn't have to do the kneading yourself!

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble and simmer until it turns a golden brown color.  Watch it carefully so it does not burn.  Add the warm milk into the pan and continue to simmer for another minute before removing it from the heat to cool down.  I found that pouring it directly into my metal KitchenAid mixing bowl helped it to cool down faster.  When the mixture is no longer hot but still very warm (between 105 - 115 degrees), add the yeast and 1/4 cup white sugar into the mixing bowl.  Give it a quick stir to combine, and then let this mixture sit for 5 - 10 minutes to "bloom" the yeast.  The mix should look foamy on top after the yeast starts to feed on the sugar.  Next, add the the canned pumpkin, salt, and just 1 cup of flour.  Set the mixer to Stir until combined, then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time.  Either by hand or machine, knead the dough for 6 minutes.  If using a dough hook, the dough will form a heavy ball around the hook, looking smooth and elastic.  The dough will still be slightly sticky.  But if you feel the dough is too sticky, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Allow the dough to rise by placing it in a large lightly-oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel or loose plastic wrap.  Place the bowl in a warm place for 80 - 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
When the dough is almost done rising, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl.  Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Also, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.

After your dough has doubled in size, dump out onto a clean surface that is sprinkled with a bit of flour.  Add flour to your hands and and knead for another 1 - 2 minutes.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thickness).  Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough and smooth around so it is evenly spread.  Cut the rectangle into equally-sized squares (about 2" x 2") using a butter knife or pizza cutter.  Stack the squares one on top of the other into two "towers" of dough, and then place them  vertically into the loaf pan.  Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for another 25 - 35 minutes.

When time is almost up for the second rise, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaf for 35-45 minutes or until the top and sides are a deep golden brown.  Don't be tempted to take the pan out before 35 minutes; the inner squares will still be a little doughy.   Let the loaf cool a little before digging in, but this is best when it is warm.  Enjoy!

Easy Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

This has become my go-to recipe for blueberry muffins; they are light, cake-y and the streusel crunch adds just the right amount of sweetness in every bite.  You can't eat just one!  And if you're K, you will eat seven in two days.  [Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens 75th Anniversary cookbook]

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg 
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

For the Streusel Topping:

• 2 tbsp cold, cubed butter
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper or foil muffin liners.  Start by combining the lemon juice into the milk; this is the common trick for making a substitute for buttermilk (and it does make a difference for baked goods!).  Then, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.  In another medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar until frothy, then whisk in the milk and oil.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a large spoon, just until incorporated.  Then carefully fold in the blueberries.  For the streusel, cut the butter into the flour, sugar and spice mixture until the topping resembles coarse crumbs.  You can do this either with a mini food processor or with patience and a fork :-)  If using nuts in the topping, stir those in last.  
Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way with batter and then sprinkle with a few teaspoons of the streusel topping.  This is what mine looked like before baking (this batch was without pecans in the streusel):

Bake these at 400 degrees for 14 - 18 minutes; the cook time will depend on how powerful your oven is as well as how dark/heavy your muffin tin is.  Enjoy!  Go the extra mile this weekend and make them for breakfast.