Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies

This was my first time making peanut butter cookies. I lovingly borrowed this recipe from here.



Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 eggs (room temperature)
* 2 tsps vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 cup powdered sugar (or more as needed for rolling)


INSTRUCTIONS

The original recipe says to preheat your oven to 350. I usually preheat my oven to 25 degrees lower than what recipes say, because it runs about 10 degrees hot and also I use nonstick bakeware. So I actually baked these at 325.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper (I skipped this step).

Place powdered sugar in shallow bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Once combined beat in the white sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently add to creamed mixture and mix until almost combined. Chill dough for 10-20 minutes.

Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Gently roll the dough balls into powdered sugar and place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets. Carefully press down on each ball with a glass to flatten tops slightly. (NOTE: The cookies that turned out the best for me were the ones I pressed into thick disks (almost like a round Tinker Toy piece shape.)

Bake for 10-12 minutes (it was actually 16 minutes for me) in the preheated oven, or until top is crinkly and edges are set. Cool on sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to baking rack to finish cooling.

Chocolate Cuppycakes with Coffee Cream Filling

I'm so behind on posting things to this blog!



I made these cuppycakes back in October, after a friend of mine found the recipe for me on Food Network. They were yummy, but I think they could have been more coffee-y. I think this is because I used instant coffee. Next time, I will use espresso powder.



Chocolate Cuppycakes with Coffee Cream Filling

INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes:
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled (I recommend instant espresso powder dissolved in boiling water)
* 3 large eggs
* 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Chocolate covered coffee beans, for garnish, optional (I didn't use these)

For the coffee cream filling:
* 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
* 1 (8-ounce) container frozen chocolate flavored whipped topping, thawed


INSTRUCTIONS

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add oil, coffee, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

Spoon the batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, for 16 to 18 minutes. Let them cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.


To make the coffee cream filling:

In a small bowl, whip the cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add the liqueur and fold in the whipped topping. Cover and chill.

I filled the cupcakes using the cone method. The original recipe suggests using a squeeze bottle to "inject" it into the cupcake.


Coffee Buttercream Frosting

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee (as above, I recommend espresso powder dissolved in boiling water)


INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, beat the butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth, then beat in the coffee.

Spread the Coffee Buttercream frosting evenly over cooled cupcakes and garnish with chocolate covered coffee beans, if desired.

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Filling and Peanut Butter Frosting

I originally made these cupcakes because I had some leftover bananas I wanted to use up.



I found the recipe on the blog 6 Bittersweets. However, I substituted my own favorite peanut butter frosting recipe for the one the original blogger used (because I love it so).




Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Filling
(makes 24 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes:
* 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
* 1 cup buttermilk (I used 1/3 cup yogurt and 3 tablespoons milk)
* 2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 large egga, room temperature
* 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the chocolate filling:
* 2/3 cup heavy cream
* 1 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips


INSTRUCTIONS

To make the cupcakes:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Peel your ripe banana and mash it very well until there are no large chunks remaining. Add the buttermilk to the bananas, mix well, and set aside.

Using an electric or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and then the vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture, the banana mixture, then the rest of the dry ingredients.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 25 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool, cut a cone in each cupcake and spoon in 2-3 teaspoons of the chocolate filling. Replace the cone and frost as desired.


To make the chocolate filling:

Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Try to submerge the chocolate as much as possible, but it's okay to have some above the cream. Microwave the mixture on medium for 1 minute. Stir and heat again in 15-second increments, stirring each time, until fully melted. Let this cool and thicken (in the fridge if needed) before using.


Peanut Butter Frosting

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
* 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
* 4 tablespoons milk


INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar along with the milk, and beat until well combined.

Alton Brown's Beer Cheese Bread

I love Alton Brown, and this bread was easy and delicious!



INGREDIENTS
* Nonstick spray
* 8 ounces all-purpose flour
* 4 ounces whole-wheat flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
* 4 1/2 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
* 12 ounces cold beer, ale or stout
* 1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, optional


INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick spray and set aside.

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and dill in a large mixing bowl. Add in the cheese and stir in the beer just to combine. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, if using.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cookie Dough Cuppycakes, Part Deux

I've made cookie dough cupcakes before, but this time I decided to try a different recipe. This recipe was shamelessly stolen from the blog "How to Eat a Cupcake."



I've never made whipped cream frosting before, so I was quite proud that I succeeded in making it without collapsing my whipped cream. The reason these cupcakes are a little uglier than usual is that I wasn't sure that whipped cream frosting could be piped without destroying it.




Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes
(Adapted from Chocolate Cupcakes at MarthaStewart.com - makes 12 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup whole milk


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or use paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla, and mix until combined.

3. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).

4. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Place a ball of frozen cookie dough (I used 1-oz pieces of pre-made, pre-sliced frozen cookie dough) on top of each cup (do not push it in). Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of a cupcake (but not in the cookie dough) comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



The cupcakes, cooling on my baker's rack.


Cookie Dough Frosting

INGREDIENTS

Eggless cookie dough:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp
4 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Whipped Cream Frosting:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
16 oz cream cheese, softened
2.5 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla


INSTRUCTIONS

For the cookie dough, cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in 2/3 cup Mini Morsels. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Break dough into 1/4 teaspoon sized chunks and place the chunks on a plate or in a plastic container, separating layers with waxed paper.
Store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the frosting, in a medium bowl (a cold bowl with cold beaters) beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat); set aside. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Fold the frozen cookie dough chunks into the frosting and immediately frost the cooled cupcakes.

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

Someone posted this recipe on LiveJournal, and I just had to try it. It's a Martha Stewart recipe. Martha is my hero, and I don't care who knows it.




INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 cups sugar, plus more for dipping (the "dipping" sugar should be the raw kind)
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, 2 cups sugar, and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and combine with mixer on low speed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip top of each ball into sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

(I have nonstick cookie sheets, so I preheated my oven to 325 degrees and I believe the cookies stayed in the oven for 10-11 minutes. Also, I did not use the Silpat baking mats.)

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

I had high hopes for these cupcakes, and I was not disappointed. Please note that the frosting needs to "set" in the fridge for a while, so you'll want to make it first and then bake the cupcakes afterwards. Also, if you're like me and find baking to be easy but cooking to be a bit of a challenge, you may have trouble with the caramel. The first time I tried to make it, I burned it and had to start over. But all's well that ends well.


Salted Caramel Frosting
(adapted from here)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 8 tablespoons water
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Briefly stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. To avoid weird chunks or crystallization, I recommend that you only stir for a second or two and then just swirl the pan periodically as it's heating to dissolve the sugar.

2. Once the mixture is clear, bring heat to high. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color. My recipe said it would take about 6 to 7 minutes to get to dark amber, but I think it actually took considerably longer.

2. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. (NOTE: The last time I made these, I poured the cream and vanilla in very, VERY slowly and stirred with a plastic whisk as I was adding it. I got a lot less chunking that way. Voila, you have caramel! Set aside until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.

3. Combine butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add confectioners' sugar, and mix until completely incorporated.

4. Turn mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add caramel. Beat frosting on medium-high speed until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until stiff, about 45 minutes, before using.


Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
(Stolen from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness Cake recipe)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup Guinness stout
* 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
* 3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/8 cup sour cream
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 24-inch muffin pans with paper liners. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into cupcake pans (about 2/3 full), and bake until risen and firm.

(Makes 24 cupcakes)