Pale Yellow

May 22, 2013 · 5:00 am

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies

There was a quart of leftover dulce de leche swiss meringue buttercream in my freezer from the tres leche cupcakes. It called my name for a week before I used it to make these sandwich cookies. Swiss meringue buttercream is my all-time favorite type of frosting and when you add an entire can of dulce de leche to it, there is no mistress more tempting.

This is not my first combination of dulce de leche and cinnamon, but this version is all homemade and doesn’t require a freezer. There is just something about the spicy cinnamon and smooth, caramel flavor that calls my name and excites my taste buds. To me, this is a purely adult taste profile, much too sophisticated for the kiddos. These were thoroughly enjoyed by all adults present.

I made these cookies on this particular Saturday because Andrea’s parents were in town visiting. I like people to like me, and baking them something magically delicious is a sure fire way to make people like you. Perhaps I should try bringing cupcakes with me on dates. Would you fall in love with a lady who brought you cupcakes on a first date? Are there any straight, single men who read this blog? What do you think?!?!

Needless to say, Andrea’s parents like me! Impressing lovely, Midwestern parents is one of my favorite hobbies, and I’m glad this was a success. It’s hard not to like a chewy, cinnamon cookie sandwiched with a cool, creamy frosting. It’s two cookies for the price of one, what’s not to love here! You could totally enjoy the cookies without sandwiching them, but why would you when you can make a glorious cookie even more spectacular!

One Year Ago – S’more Cupcakes

Print the Recipe!

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies
Adapted from Bakergirl
Yield – 18 sandwich cookies, 36 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup brown sugar {mix of light & dark}
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 cup sugar + 3 tablespoons cinnamon for rolling
Dulce de leche buttercream

Brown the butter by placing it in a small saucepan. Heat, whisk and watch until the butter is no longer yellow, but brown. It takes about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the browned butter to bowl to cool slightly.
Sift together the flour, soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon and salt onto parchment paper, set aside.
Add the sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix to combine and then slowly add the butter. Mix until all the sugar is moistened.
Beat the eggs, vanilla, and milk together in a small bowl and then add to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat on high to combine well.
Turn the mixer to low and mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Use a 2-tablespoon scoop to portion the dough. Roll each piece of dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on the cookie sheet with plenty of space between. I fit 8 cookies per sheet.
Bake for 9-11 minutes until the tops are puffy. Let cool for a minute on the cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Spread about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of frosting on one cookie, sandwich with a second cookie.

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Filed under Cookies

Tagged as brown butter, cinnamon, dulce de leche

May 20, 2013 · 5:00 am

Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes

Another cupcake recipe? That makes three in a row! There are a lot of birthdays in May, and there is no better way to celebrate a birthday than with cupcakes. No worries, there are about 3 more cupcake recipes coming your way in the next few days. I’m totally making up for my two-month cupcake free period.

Kim has been telling me when her birthday is more months. Luckily I can take a hint and remember that May 7 was her birthday! Baking for fellow bakers is the most fun because they appreciate and understand what goes into baking, Kim is a fellow baker and she happens to love rich, overly sweet desserts. She loved the Brownie Roll-ups.

These cupcakes are decadent! The dark chocolate cake is moist, dark, and has a tender crumb. The bits of dark and white chocolate increase the overall chocolate factor and add a great bite. These cupcakes are almost brownie-like, but must lighter. Lighter as in texture, not calorically! As American buttercream tends to be, this one is super sweet and creamy; powdered sugar certainly packs a punch.

And let’s not forget the Kahlua, all 3/4 of a cup! I’ve made my fair share of boozy cupcakes, but that’s a lot! You can definitely taste the Kahlua in the cupcakes – never a bad thing. As Kim has now discovered, it is easy to make friends on your birthday when you a bunch of delicious cupcakes to share!

One Year Ago – Homemade Slider Buns

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Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes
Adapted from How Sweet it is
Yield – 15 cupcakes

3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/8 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Kahlua
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F and line your cupcake tins with liners.
Whisk together the egg and sugar until pale yellow. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Stir into the wet ingredients.
Whisk in the Kahlua and then fold in the chocolates.
Use a standard size ice cream scoop to portion the batter into cupcake pans. These are rich, so keeping the cupcakes on the smaller size is best.
Bake for 14-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Kahlua
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
mini chocolate chips

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and creamy.
Add in the powdered sugar a 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. Every so often turn the mixer to high and then scrape the bowl.
Beat in the Kahlua and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
Add the frosting to a piping bag with a star attachment and pipe on the cupcakes.
Garnish with mini chocolate chips.

2 Comments

Filed under Cupcakes

Tagged as birthday, chocolate, kahlua

May 17, 2013 · 5:00 am

Sangria Cupcakes

There is wine in the frosting. Somehow, somewhere in my life I have reached the point where it is perfectly acceptable and seemingly normal for me to combine my two favorite things – wine and cupcakes – into one delicious dessert. That’s what we have here, the possibility that I may have gone too far.

No. I’ve gone just far enough. In my search for a sangria cupcake recipe I found nothing worth using. It was time to start from scratch. I knew I could use my favorite cupcake and frosting recipe as a base and adapt from there. Substitute orange extra for vanilla, soak with sangria, add a little wine to the frosting, and garnish with some boozy fruit. Done.

I was surprised how well these turned out. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about putting wine in a cupcake, I just didn’t know if it would taste good. Individually, a cold glass of sangria on a hot day is a delightful treat and a cupcake is lovely any day or night, but together, I was a skeptic. The orange cake is wonderful. Magic happens when you massage zest and sugar, everything is on the fast track to flavor town for sure! Soaking the top with sangria adds flavor, moisture, and color; it tells you that this is a sangria cupcake.

The light purple frosting has just a hint of wine flavor, it’s kind of addicting, I kept needing little “samples” to make sure it tasted alright. The star of the show is the bejeweled, boozy fruit on top. Boozy fruit was a college staple for my roommates and I, and it brings home the sangria flavor and concept. Mixing your wine and dessert is a surprisingly fantastic idea, you should definitely try it out! By the way, the leftover sangria is a delicious accompaniment!

I made these cupcakes for Krystal in honor of her birthday because we enjoy sharing pitchers of sangria together in the summer. Some of my best summer nights were with Krystal, sangria, and a fantastic outside drinking establishment. What better way to celebrate her birthday than with sangria cupcakes! Last year she received margarita whoopie pies, I see the boozy theme here…

One Year Ago – 50 Shades of Grey Cupcakes

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Sangria Cupcakes
Yield – 15 cupcakes

Sangria
juice of one orange (zest first and save for later)
1/4 cup triple sec
1 apple diced small
8 strawberries diced small
1/2 bottle red wine
1/2 orange cut into small slices

Add all the ingredients to a jar with a lid.
Refrigerate overnight.

Cupcakes
1 cup sugar
zest of one orange
1 3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon orange extract
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sangria from above recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F.
Add the sugar and orange zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Massage the sugar and zest together for about 30 seconds.
Add the flour, powder, soda, and salt to the sugar, mix slowly with the paddle attachment.
Add the butter and beat for several minutes until the mixture becomes nice and crumbly.
While the mixer is mixing, whisk together the yogurt, oil, eggs, and extract. Pour this in the mixer and combine.
Slowly add the milk in and turn on high for a few seconds.
Use a standard size ice cream scoop to portion the batter into lined cupcake pans.
Bake 14 minutes until a toothpick in a center cupcake comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack.
Use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes in the top of each cupcake while still warm. Use a pastry brush to apply sangria to each cupcake. Repeat until all the sangria is used up. Let cool completely.

Frosting
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup red wine
5 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
Sangria fruit separated from the liquid and chopped in need be

In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, wine, and flour. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes smooth and thick resembling pancake batter.
Remove from the heat, stir in the extract and allow to cool completely.
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy – beat for 8 minutes
Add in the cooled flour/milk mixture and beat until the entire frosting is light and fluffy, about another 5-8 minutes.
Use a piping bag with a plain tip to pipe a ring on the top of each cupcake. Pipe less frosting on the inside so that you leave an indent in the center of the frosting.
Pile about 1/2 tablespoon of the sangria fruit in the center.
Garnish with a fresh orange slice.

2 Comments

Filed under Cupcakes

Tagged as apple, birthday, orange, strawberry, wine

May 15, 2013 · 5:00 am

Tres Leches Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream

Happy Quince de Mayo! Not a real holiday, you say? Oh well, these were enjoyed for the real holiday of Cinco de Mayo. Instead of a typical margarita cupcake or something boozy, I decided to make this Cinco de Mayo classy. Last year was a train-wreck, I still have flashbacks…

Classy is a fantastic way to go because these cupcakes are awesome, like seriously awesome. One of the best cupcakes I’ve made. And speaking of making cupcakes, as I was pulling out the ingredients and mixer to whip these up, I was struck by how long it had been since I last made cupcakes, it’s been awhile, since these in March, that’s almost two months ago!

I know it’s cliche and overdone, but I really love cupcakes. They are always appreciated, always perfect for any occasion, and completely easy to carry and serve. There are a million cupcake shops because the people have spoken, cupcakes are the way to go.

People often ask me what my favorite thing to bake is and I always sheepishly reply “cupcakes.” I should stop being sheepish and own it – I make damn good cupcakes, damn good. Plus, I love all the steps involved: batter, filling, frosting, and garnish. However, the amount of dishes leaves something to be desired.

Speaking of damn good cupcakes, this one is double damn good. I would eat swiss meringue buttercream on cardboard; it’s the creamiest, smoothest, and best frosting there is, hands down. Add a jar of dulce de leche and you can do no wrong. Best of all, the frosting isn’t overly sweet. The vanilla chiffon cake is a perfect host to the rich frosting and the silky three-milk soaking liquid. Honestly, again, you put the three-milk soaking liquid on cardboard, and I’d still eat the cardboard. Altogether you have a marvelous, sophisticated cupcake perfect for Cinco de Mayo or any day of the year.

One Year Ago – Black Bean Sliders

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Tres Leches Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream
Adapted from Bakers Royale
Yield – 16 cupcakes

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F and line a cupcake pan with liners.
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a paddle attachment. While this is mixing, separate your eggs.
Add in the yolks one at a time while the mixer is in medium speed. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape the bowl as needed.
Sift together the flour, soda, and salt. On the lowest speed, beat in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in alternate batches, beginning and ending with the flour.
Beat the egg whites until you have stiff, white peaks. Fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter.
Use a standard ice cream scoop to portion the batter into the cupcake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Whisk together the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and coconut milk. Try not to drink it all!
When the cupcakes are finished baking, poke several holes and use a pastry brush to coat each cupcake with the 3-milk mixture. Repeat five or six times. You won’t use all the milk.
Refrigerate the cupcakes for two hours before frosting.

Dulce de Leche Swiss Meringue Buttercream
5 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
12 ounce can dulce de leche
1/2 cup sweetened coconut

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Whisk the egg whites and sugar until the mixture is no longer gritty.
Using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs/sugar for about 10 minutes on high or until you have stiff white peaks and a cool bowl.
Meanwhile, add the coconut to a dry saute pan and toast until golden brown, let cool.
Turn the mixer to medium and add in the butter one tablespoon at time. If the mixture looks curdled, just scrape the bowl and keep mixing.
Beat in the vanilla, salt, and dulce de leche.
Add into a piping bag with a star tip and pipe onto each cooled cupcake. Sprinkle the toasted coconut on top.

Note – this recipe makes a TON of frosting. I used less than half to frost the cupcakes. I took the remaining 1-quart of frosting and stuck it in the freezer. To use later, simply thaw in the fridge and then re-whip in a mixer.

3 Comments

Filed under Cupcakes

Tagged as coconut, dulce de leche, vanilla

May 13, 2013 · 5:00 am

Vegan Carrot Ginger Muffins

The recipe was supposed to be a way to use up all the extra pulp and fiber from juicing. That’s one of the disadvantages of juicing – all the leftover solid, fruit/veg mix that gets thrown out. If you’re a composter, you’re fine, lots of wonderful pulp to throw in the compost pile. I am not a composter; I’ve taken students to a composting center where we looked at indoor composting kits with worms. For some reason my roommates are against the idea keeping worms in the apartment…

As I was looking for recipes, I struggled to find one that met my needs. I wanted a recipe that was mostly vegan or at least easily adaptable to vegan and didn’t have too many weird ingredients. This recipe was close enough. By substituting the applesauce and grated carrots for my leftover carrot-ginger-pear pulp and using vegetable oil, I had all the ingredients I needed already in the apartment.

These are good, super good. My expectations were a little low, but these exceeded anything I could have dreamed of! The muffins are amazingly moist, tender and flavorful. The little bit of fresh ginger shines through like a diamond. The top is just a bit crunchy from the flax seed. I ate one everyday for breakfast and these stayed fresh for the whole week. You would never guess this is vegan or semi-healthy.

If you’re a fan of carrot cake, I imagine it would be pretty easy to add some raisins, walnuts, and a whipped coconut milk frosting to make these guys into a lovely vegan treat! I have a vision, it’ll come to fruition one day. But before I turn a solid breakfast into a dessert, you should make your own muffins, start the day off right!

One Year Ago – Margarita Whoopie Pies

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Vegan Carrot Ginger Muffins
Adapted from Oh She Glows
Yield – 12

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot, pear, & fresh ginger **

Preheat the oven to 400. Line 12 cupcake cups with paper liners and spray the paper liners with cooking spray. Set aside
Whisk together the flour, sugar, flax seed, powder, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a smaller bowl whisk together the maple syrup, oil, water, vanilla, and grated carrot mixture.
Stir the liquids into the dry until just combined.
Portion equally among the 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack and remove the paper liner.
Once cooled, store in an air proof container for up to a week.

** I used the pulp left over from making a carrot, pear, ginger juice. I used about 6 carrots, 2 pears, & a 1” piece of ginger. If you don’t have leftover pulp from juice, grate 1 1/2 cups worth of carrot and add 1/3 cup of applesauce. Grate in fresh ginger if desired, but the fresh ginger gave fantastic flavor!

DIY Blue Print Juice Cleanse

Let’s be honest, juicing is a lot of work and a commitment. Even if you bought the cleanse, you still need the time before and after for pre- and post-cleansing. Making the juice myself was satisfying because I knew everything that was inside and I knew it was perfectly fresh. I did feel better after juicing and lost several pounds. However, I was fighting off a viral infection the entire time I was juicing, so needless to say, I lacked energy and was lethargic. Despite the amount of work involved with a juice cleanse, I would do it again. I feel recharged and recommitted to healthier eating and living!

This is a basic outline of how I conducted the cleanse:

One week before – cut out caffeine and meat
3 days before – vegan
2 days before – vegan and no sugar
1 day before – raw fruits, vegetables, & nuts
juiced for 3 days
1 day after – raw fruits, vegetables, & nuts
several days after – limit meat, diary, alcohol, and sugar

All in all, it was about a two week process. For me the pre/post cleansing had as much as an effect as the actual juicing. Sometimes your body just needs a great rest and you need to completely focus on healthful eating, if only for a few days.

Here are links to all the juices:

One Year Ago – Caramel Snickers Bars

Print the Shopping List!

Juice Cleanse Shopping List {Blue Print Cleanse}
Adapted from Juices 1013 day cleanse

12 granny smith apples
3 red apples
14 lemons
3 limes
1 pineapple
3 pounds carrots
6 beets
3 English cucumbers
4 hearts of celery
baby spinach
2 hearts of romaine
1 bunch kale
2 bunches parsley
1 bunch mint
1 hand of ginger
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
cayenne pepper
agave nectar and honey
1 vanilla bean
cinnamon

Cashew Nut Milk

This juice is fantastic! Rich and creamy and totally satisfying. It totally saves you after a long day of drinking acidic juices filled with all the fruits and vegetables you can imagine.

Drinking the cashew milk before bed leaves your tummy full and happy while providing your body with needed protein and fat to start the next day off right. The vanilla and cinnamon add great flavor.

This juice was the first one I prepared because it is the easiest to make ahead. Simply soak the nuts over night and the blend with the rest of the ingredients. Portion the juice into mason jars and store in the fridge. You’re now ready for easy grabbing and drinking! No worries, the juice cleanse is over now!

Print the Recipe!

Cashew Nut Milk
Adapted from Juices 101
Yield – 64 ounces

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
6 cups filtered water + more for soaking
3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Soak the cashews overnight with plenty of water to cover.
Drain and rinse the cashews. Add them to a VitaMix with 6 cups water, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Blend for 2-3 minutes on high and then pour into a nut milk bag.
Squeeze out all of the nut milk until you are left with a dry pulp in the bag.
Portion the milk into 3 mason jars and then pour the rest in a glass to drink or store for later.
Store in the fridge and shake before drinking.

1 Comment

Filed under Beverages

Tagged as cashews, cinnamon, gluten free, honey, vanilla bean, vegan

Pale Yellow

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes

Sangria Cupcakes

Tres Leches Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream

Vegan Carrot Ginger Muffins

DIY Blue Print Juice Cleanse

Cashew Nut Milk

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