Tag Archives: caramel

February 6, 2013 · 5:00 am

Naughty Crack Cupcakes

Naught Crack Cupcakes // Pale Yelow

Dean is a very good friend.  Everyday after work, even though it is out his way, he drives me home.  It’s beyond thoughtful and beyond considerate; our daily discussions on the commute home are often hysterical and and always much needed.  Dean is essentially the big brother I have always wanted.naughty bars // pale yellow

One day during Friday’s-fourth-floor-Chinese-food-lunch, I asked him what kind of cupcake he wanted for his birthday.  He said crack pie mixed with Irene’s naughty bars, the two best things he has eaten from us.

naughty bars // pale yellow

Hmmmmmmm, can a crack pie be converted into a cupcake and mashed with a naughty bar?  Yes. It. Can!  Here is living proof.  It’s not pretty, but it sure is tasty.

naughty bars // pale yellow

Basically these are mini crack pies with chocolate chips and salted caramel inside.  Besides burning them to a crisp, there is NO way for this to go wrong, no way.  I’ve thought about adding chocolate to crack pie before, because I love chocolate and I believe that is the only possible way to make crack pie better.

naughty bars // pale yellow

When I made nutella crack pie I was slightly disappointed, there just wasn’t enough chocolate, but a few simple chocolate chips is all crack pie really needs to take it to the next level.  And the little bits of salted caramel are perfection.

naughty bars // pale yellow

Not that crack pie needs to be improved, but this recipe does it.  Gooey, sweet, salty, chocolatey, and a bit of crunch in one decadent, rich dessert.  What else do you need in life?naughty bars // pale yellow

One Year Ago: Lemon Bars

Print the Recipe!

Naughty Crack Pie
Adapted from Crack Pie
Yield – 14 cupcakes

Oat Cookie – for the crust
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
75 grams light brown sugar
40 grams sugar
1 egg yolk
80 grams flour
120 grams rolled oats, old fashioned type
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.
  2. Beat together the butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the bowl and add in the egg yolk, beat to combine for another 2 minutes or until the mixture is white.
  3. Add the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until just combined.
  4. Spread as thin as you can onto the parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Let cool completely.

Crust
Oat Cookie
15 grams light brown sugar
1 gram salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

  1. Use a food processor to grind the oat cookie into fine pieces.  Mix in the brown sugar and salt.
  2. Add the melted butter and mix until everything is moistened.
  3. Press 2 tablespoons of of crust into 14 silicon cupcake liner.  Press the crust firmly into each liner.  Set the remaining crust to the side.
  4. Place the cupcake liners on a cookie sheet.

Crack Pie Filling
150 grams sugar
90 grams light brown sugar
10 grams milk powder
12 grams cornstarch
3 grams kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3/8 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg yolks
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
salted caramel sauce

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Mix the sugar, brown sugar, milk powder, cornstarch, and salt in in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed until everything is well mixed.
  3. Add in the melted butter and beat for 2-3 minutes or until all the dry ingredients are moist.
  4. Beat in the heavy cream and vanilla for another 2-3 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.  Make sure there are no streaks.
  5. Beat in the yolks until they are just mixed in.  Try not to over beat and add too much air in the mixture.
  6. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter in each shell.  Bake for 10 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips in each cup.  Add about a 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel sauce into each cup.  Sprinkle the remaining crust on top.
  8. Bake for 5 more minutes and then open the oven door for 5 minutes and reduce the heat to 325 F.  The filling may bubble over, but it will be ok.  Bake the cupcakes until the tops are brown and there is only a slight jiggle when you shake the pan.
  9. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerated.  Garnish with powdered sugar.

naughty bars // pale yellowDean & Irene – Is this what you’ve been waiting for?

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January 14, 2013 · 5:00 am

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Apple Caramel Cupcakes // Pale Yellow

Best. Cupcake. Ever.  Some bold statements were made about these cupcakes.  Paula didn’t think so, she prefers a boozy cupcake, luckily I have plenty of those to go around.  I agree with Paula, this is not the best cupcake I’ve ever made (at least in my opinion), but that’s one of highlights of baking, everyone has different tastes.  My favorite brownie is not everyone’s favorite brownie, hence the 12-million chocolate chip cookie recipes out there in the world.  And this, my friends, is the biggest challenge of baking for others – what do you make someone that is their favorite kind of flavor?  It’s a lot of fun to try!

Apple Caramel Cupcakes // Pale Yellow

Irene said “best cupcake ever first” and I’m glad she thinks so because these were her birthday cupcakes.  Last year I made her Heath Toffee Cupcakes.  I talk about Irene a lot because she is my #1 fan, really, truly.  She is my literal number 1 commenter besides myself, that obviously makes her my #1 fan.  If I ever get a cookbook deal I’ll probably dedicate it to Irene because she has supported me more through this process than anyone else.  I don’t mean to get sappy, but I just reread Bossy Pants and if Tina Fey can write love letters to Amy Poehler, I can write love letters to Irene.  Boom.

Apple Caramel Cupcakes // Pale Yellow

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to make these cupcakes for a looooooong time, since mid-fall.  I had leftover salted caramel sauce and leftover apple butter in the fridge and this seemed like a perfect fall cupcake.  Then, a hurricane kept me out of work for a week and altered my life view a bit, these cupcakes were pushed to the back burner.

Apple Caramel Cupcakes // Pale Yellow

So here’s the truth – Irene, I made you these cupcakes because I love you, and I had all the leftover ingredients in my fridge, luckily they don’t spoil.  Sorry.  No worries, these are some outstanding cupcakes and no one got sick.  PS – NO one has EVER gotten sick from something I have made (as far as I know…)

Apple Caramel Cupcakes // Pale Yellow

What we have here is a cupcake moistened with apple cider and spiced with cinnamon.  The inside is injected with rich apple butter and the cupcake is frosted with a creamy caramel and cream cheese frosting.  To finish there is a delightful drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce.  I think you should make these cupcakes and decide for yourself if they are truly the best. cupcake. ever.

Apple Caramel Cupcakes // Pale Yellow

One Year Ago: Roasted Chestnuts

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Apple Caramel Cupcakes
Adapted from Lehigh Valley Live
Yield – 12 cupcakes

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup apple butter

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your cupcake pan with liners.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Scrape the bowl as needed.
  3. Sift together the flour, powder, cinnamon, and salt onto wax paper.
  4. Add the dry ingredients in three additions with the apple cider in two additions in between.  Mix on low speed until just incorporated.
  5. Use a standard ice cream scoop to divide the batter between cupcake liners.
  6. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  7. Fit a small piping bag with an injection tip and fill with the apple butter.  Push the tip into each cupcake and then pull out slightly, squeeze the apple butter and slowly remove the tip from the cupcake.  Wipe off any extra apple butter.

Caramel Buttercream
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 + 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
salted caramel sauce for drizzling

  1. Melt the brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan, heat until the sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat.
  2. Whisk in the cream and then pour into a small bowl to cool to room temperature.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat 6 tablespoons of butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Beat in the butter and salt.  Scrape the bowl as needed.
  4. Turn the mixer to low and drizzle in the caramel mixture.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar to make a stiff frosting.
  5. Place the frosting in a piping bag and pipe a swirl on each a cupcake.
  6. Heat the salted caramel sauce in a small saucepan filled halfway with water.  When the sauce is loose, drizzle over each cupcake.

Apple Caramel Cupcakes // Pale Yellow

(PS – Irene is contemplating starting her own blog, she needs to totally do it, then we can be IRL friends AND blogging friends!)

 

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January 9, 2013 · 5:00 am

Naughty Bars

Naughty Bars // Pale Yellow

Get your mind out of the gutter!  These bars are naughty because of all the butter, sugar, and chocolatey goodness. Meaning these are naughty to eat because there is not one healthful ingredient besides the oats.  Yet somehow in a dessert, it’s all going to be okay.  I know a lot of people go all “healthy” and “new year’s resolutions” in January, but I’m going to keep things real.  Let’s start the year with a naughty treat.

Naughty Bars // Pale Yellow

This recipe comes my friend Irene.  She has made this decadent treat for us several times at work and I thought it would be a delicious addition to the dessert tray I made for the family Christmas party.  This bar was the right decision!  I was asked several times about what the bar was and told how good it was.  The next day when my grandparent’s were over for lunch my grandpa wrapped one in a napkin and stuck it in his pocket for later!

Naughty Bars // Pale Yellow

Irene may make the naughty bars, but she doesn’t enjoy eating them.  I enjoy making AND eating them.  The crust is sweet and crunchy with a gooey, caramel layer on top.  Immediately following the caramel layer is the chocolate layer.  One would think the chocolate layer would harden considerably during the cooling phase, but it doesn’t!  The chocolate layer stays perfectly chewy and the crumble topping is a lovely finish to the bars.  Do yourself a favor, be naughty, it feels so good!

Naughty Bars // Pale Yellow

One Year Ago: Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Naughty Bars
Adapted from Irene’s recipe
Yield – 30 bars

3 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
50 caramel squares (14 ounce bag) unwrapped
1/2 cup milk
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 13×9 pan with foil.
  2. Melt the butter and add in the brown sugar, flour, oats, soda, salt, and vanilla until combined.  Press half the mix into the pan.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile wrap the caramels and melt with the milk in a small saucepan.  Pour the melted caramel over the baked mixture and then sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
  5. Crumble the rest of the oat mixture on top.
  6. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  7. Let cool completely overnight in the fridge before slicing into bars.Naughty Bars // Pale Yellow

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October 29, 2012 · 5:00 am

Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

Sometimes you see a recipe and you know you’re going to making that one soon!  That’s what happened when I saw this recipe for caramel apple crumb bars! Talk about fall in every bite!!  Our Fall Fest party was the perfect opportunity to create a rich bar.  Easy for grabbing and eating.

PS – there is kind of a hurricane going on right now.  Whatever.  The fridge is stocked, I’m making some cinnamon rolls (pumpkin cinnamon rolls, no less!), I don’t have to go to work tomorrow, I’m ready.  Bring on Sandy.  As long as no one gets hurt and there isn’t too much damage, I’m looking forward to this storm.  I’m sure I’ll have more goodies to share as a result of this extra baking time.

These are some good bars.  The crust is crispy and crunchy and the apple filling is flavorful.  The caramel is a great companion to the apples and the crumb topping.  The bars received great reviews at the party.  I cut them small so everyone could grab a bar and snack away.  I highly suggest making some of these caramel apple crumb bars with the last of your fall apples!

Print the Recipe!

Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Yield – 30-40 squares, small squares (9 x 13 pan)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 small macoun apples
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
10 ounces caramel candies
2 tablespoons heavy cream

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a 9 x 13 pan with foil.  Spray with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
  3. Cut the butter into small pieces and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
  4. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla and stir to combine.  At this point I used my hands to knead the dough together.
  5. Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan.  Set aside the remaining third for the topping.
  6. Bake for about 12 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.
  1. Peel, core, and slice the apples.
  2. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan.  Add in the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir to combine and let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes.
  1. Unwrap the caramel candies and place them in another small saucepan with the cream.  Stir and heat until the caramels are all melted.
  2. Carefully spread the caramel over the baked crust.  Spread the apple mixture evenly over the caramel.
  3. Sprinkle the remaining crumb crust over the top.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  5. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

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August 10, 2012 · 5:00 am

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

This is kind of a hard post write and that has little to do with the actual cupcakes.  These cupcakes are fantastic by the way!  The cake part is dark, moist, and tender, the chocolate ganache in the middle is a highly delicious extra, and the buttercream is smooth, creamy, and has a perfect caramel flavor.  This cupcake is the total package, a show-stopper.  This is the sort of cupcake you make to impress people and lead them to believe you are a baking genius!

I made these cupcakes for Stacey’s going away party.  Stacey has been my roommate for five years now and I’m more than a little bit sad that she is moving back to Michigan.  When you move to New York at 23 and you don’t know anyone, it can be a little bit lonely and a lot scary.  Luckily, within a few weeks of living here, Stacey and I had become good enough friends for her to ask me to live with her and her college roommate Ruth.  Not having any other options, I accepted!

Five years ago Stacey and I walked the streets of Brooklyn looking for the perfect three bedroom apartment for three brand new teachers.  There were many apartments we couldn’t afford and the ones we could afford were dumps. Finally we found it, the perfect apartment!  After two years of living in the “perfect” apartment, we had lost track of the number of mice we had killed and the rent kept increasing in our “up-and-coming” neighborhood.  So the three of us packed up and moved to Park Slope.  The rescission really helped our ability to afford the neighborhood!

We’ve made this apartment our home.  No longer are we kids just out of college, just trying to make it, we were here.  We finally got big girl furniture and put pictures on the wall.  As Ruth says, we’ve grown up!  The past five years has had us crying on the kitchen floor and on the blowup air mattress in the living room.  We have gone through infinite bottles of wine and learned the beauty of Seamless Web.  We have watched all 6 seasons of Lost and we have most definitely learned how to throw fantastic dinner parties.  We have all earned Master’s degrees and survived not one, but five years of teaching in New York City schools.  We got awesomer and awesomer!

So I sit here at the coffee shop down the street with tears in my eyes because I’m sad things are going to change.  It’s time for a change, I accept that.  Stacey’s moving to Michigan to be closer to her family and start a new chapter in her life and I am so proud of her!  Somehow the girl who barely knew me and asked me to be her roommate because of a mutual love of ice cream, Harry Potter, and Newfoundland dogs, became one of my best friends.  Over the past five years Stacey and Ruth have become the sisters I never had.

Alright, that was an over-emotional outpouring, back to the cupcakes!  They are delicious!  One taste-tester called them the best she ever had!  Yes, I used store-bought caramel.  But after the macaron failure earlier in the week, I couldn’t take any chances, caramel always gets me down when I try to add it to frosting.  You can make homemade caramel sauce if you want, just rub it in!  The inside of the cupcake speaks for itself!

Print the Recipe.

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream
Adapted from Cake Love via The Faux Martha
Yield – 24 cupcakes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used a dark chocolate powder I bought from Sahadi’s, it’s super dark!)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup half & half
1 tablespoon vanilla

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Beat together the butter and sugar on low speed for 3-5 minutes until they are well combined.  Do NOT beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time on low speed.  Scrape the bowl as needed.
  3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt onto wax paper.
  4. Mix the half & half and vanilla in a measuring cup.
  5. With the mixer on low speed add the the flour mixture in 4-5 additions with a liquid addition in between.  Start and end with the dry ingredients.
  6. Use a standard ice cream scoop to distribute the batter between lined cupcake pans.
  7. Bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (60%)
pinch of Kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

  1. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
  2. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and salt.  Let sit for about 30 seconds and then stir to combine.
  3. Leave the ganache on the counter to cool and stir every so often so it does not harden.

Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream
Adapted from Cake Love via The Faux Martha

5 egg whites
pinch of Kosher salt
1 1/4 cup superfine sugar
1/4 cup cold water
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup prepared caramel sauce (I used store bought!)
1 tablespoon vanilla

  1. In a small saucepan mix together the sugar and the water.  Heat until the mixture reaches 245 F.  Try not to stir, just move the pan a little mix.
  2. Meanwhile beat the egg whites and salt until they form a stiff meringue.
  3. Drizzle the sugar syrup into the meringue carefully and confidently as the mixer is whisking on medium speed.  Pour the mixture straight into the meringue, not on the side.
  4. Switch the mixture to high speed and beat for 8-10 minutes or until the bowl is cool to the touch.
  5. Add in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time while the mixer is running on medium speed.  The buttercream may become soft, but just keep beating and it will whip up and become firm.
  6. Add in the caramel sauce and the vanilla, beat to combine.
  7. Place the buttercream in a pastry bag with your desired tip.

Assembly
Mini chocolate chips
Extra caramel sauce

  1. Use a paring knife to cut a cone out each cupcake.  Reserve the cones, do NOT eat them :-)
  2. Spoon about 1/2-1 tablespoon of ganache into each cone.  You want to fill the hollow left by the cone.
  3. Place the cupcakes into the freezer for about 5 minutes for the ganache to set up.
  4. Place the cones back into cupcakes.
  5. Frost a nice swirl of buttercream on the top of each cupcakes.
  6. Garnish with mini chocolate chips.
  7. Time to get messy – Dip a fork into the extra caramel sauce and drizzle caramel over the top.  You can clean the kitchen counter later!
  8. Refrigerate until you want to eat them.

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June 26, 2012 · 5:00 am

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches

Bonus recipe!  Not really a recipe, but a delicious combination!

Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Here are the steps:

  1. Make the vanilla bean snickerdoodles, let cool completely.
  2. Buy salted caramel ice cream and let get a little soft.
  3. Use a standard size ice cream scoop to place one scoop on five cookies.  Cover with a second cookie and lightly smash together.
  4. Wrap in wax paper and place in a plastic bag.  Freeze.
  5. Enjoy deliciousness!

After eating the ice cream one day and the cookies on another, inspiration struck!  This was a great usage of leftover cookies.

These are amazing!  The soft texture and the cinnamon flavor of the cookie pair perfectly with the cold, creamy, sweet ice cream.  The salted caramel swirl is divine!  One pint of ice cream makes five scoops, enough for five lovely ice cream sandwiches.  Ruth and I each had one after our taco salads and the other three were shared on a Sunday evening on the porch.  Perfect summer eating!

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May 11, 2012 · 5:00 am

Caramel Snickers Bars

When I think of Snickers bars I think of my mother.  I have never really asked her, but I assume they are her favorite type of candy bar.  She seems to go the nuts and chocolate route because I also associate her with Rocky Road and Almond Joy.  Growing up we had nuts in everything, like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, banana bread, etc.  Nuts seem so taboo now with all the allergies people have I rarely bake with anymore.  It’s kind of sad because I really like nuts.

I didn’t really mean to start talking about nuts here, oh well.  My family in Michigan sees all the goodies I bake here on the blog or over on Facebook and they get a little bit jealous of every one in New York.  When I can, I try to send treats now and again, but not everything ships well.  I try to do some baking whenever I’m in Michigan but I guess it’s not enough.

Since Mother’s Day is Sunday, and I want to show up my brother in the gift giving department, I decided to send my mom a sweet treat that reminded me of her!  And I just sent my dad a really cool candy card, so I had to make sure my mom got her share of the goods!

My mom is pretty awesome.  She’s really mellow and though we live 500 miles apart she still wants to apart of my life.  Growing up she always used to let me help her bake and as I gained more skills, she let me do the baking and would often clean up after me.  I’m kind of messy too!  One December when I was home from college, I was assigned a different cookie to make each day for the Christmas cookie tray.  Whatever, I was on break, no school, no work, I liked to bake!  However, I think she took the credit for baking all those cookies!  I wish we could share these together!

Anyways, lets talk about these bars!  They are very chewy and very sweet!  The dulce de leche and all the butter and all the sugar make for a very rich dessert.  I cut these bars small, and I highly recommend having several little bites.  The bits of chocolate and nuts really come through and I was surprised by how much they tasted like a giant, fresh Snickers bar! I added a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the dough and next time I would wait until they came out of the oven and melt chocolate on top to make more of a chocolate topping or frosting.  Would that be too decadent?  Definitely make these the night before you want to eat them and refrigerate!  I always struggle with cutting bars, but cutting these cold was a breeze.  I hope my mom enjoys them as much as Ruth and I enjoyed munching on the scraps!

Print the Recipe.

Caramel Snickers Bars
Adapted from Cookies and Cups
Yield – 21 (1 1/2″ x 2″) squares + all the trimmings

2 cups flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 whole egg + 1 yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 regular sized Snickers bars, chopped
1/2 of a 14-ounce can of Dulce de Leche
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
  2. Line a 8 x 12” pan with aluminum foil and spray the inside with cooking spray.
  3. Whisk together the flour, oats, powder, soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.
  4. Beat together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.  Beat in the egg and the yolk, and the vanilla.  Beat on high speed until the mixture is a pale brown color.
  5. Add in the flour mixture and mix on slow speed until just combined.
  6. Stir in the chopped Snickers bars by hand.
  7. Spread into the prepared pan and dollop about half the can of Dulce de Leche on top.  Swirl with a butter knife.
  8. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and smooth everything down.
  9. Bake for 35-40 minutes.  The top should be golden and the middle will still be a little wiggly.
  10. Let cool on a wire rack and then place in the fridge overnight before cutting.

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May 9, 2012 · 5:00 am

Vanilla Cupcakes with Caramel and Chocolate

A vanilla bean mini cupcake with a caramel filling, dark chocolate topping, caramel whipped buttercream, and a dark chocolate coating.  That should be the official name, but it seemed really wordy to put in the headline.  All the words make for an absolutely delicious and wonderful experience.  I try not to throw around definitive statements, but these cupcakes are probably the best thing I have ever baked.  There, I’ve said it.

I was inspired and it was raining, so instead of going for a healthful walk, I stayed inside and created awesomeness.  While chaperoning a field trip, several colleagues and myself took a short interlude to enjoy some ice cream.  After watching over 250 sixth graders run around, we needed a little treat.  So we indulged in Magnum bars.  If you’ve never had a magnum bar, you need to treat yourself.  Premium vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel – amazing!  My first thought while eating the marvelous ice cream bar was cupcakes!

Before I talk about how awesome these cupcakes taste and how they are totally worth the ten million steps, let’s talk about photography.  I know these pictures are weak.  Look, it was a rainy cloudy day, and it was in the evening with no sun.  I’m sorry.  The recipe was too delicious to not share and all the cupcakes were eaten quickly.  Next time will be better, I promise.

Now the good stuff.  The cupcakes were moist and soft, full of vanilla bean scent and flavor.  Inside, there was a smooth and creamy caramel filling that was just enough to add richness and flavor.  The dark chocolate on top was smooth and decadent.  The caramel buttercream was light and fluffy and sweet without being too sweet.  A little sprinkling of salt brings the entire morsel together.  I definitely believe these cupcakes should be consumed as minis because there is a lot to enjoy it might be too rich if this was full size cupcake.

Yes, there a lot of steps involved, but isn’t that the fun of baking?

Print the Recipe.

Vanilla Mini Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcake Project
Yields 21 mini cupcakes

1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt, I use non-fat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Add the sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer.
  2. Split open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife.  Smush the vanilla seeds in the sugar and set aside while you gather all of the other ingredients.
  3. Sift together the flour, soda, powder, and salt over the sugar.  Mix together on low speed.
  4. Add the butter and beat for several minutes until the mixture becomes nice and crumbly.
  5. While the mixer is mixing, whisk together the sour cream, oil, milk, and vanilla.  Pour this in the mixer and combine.  Beat until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
  6. Using a medium sized scoop, pour into lined cupcake pans.  Bake 10-12 minutes until a toothpick in a center cupcake comes out clean.  Cool on cooling rack.

Caramel Sauce

Adapted from Baking Illustrated, page 120

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
8-10 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon corn syrup

  1. In a medium saucepan heat the sugar and water together.  Cover and let the mixture boil until it reaches 300 F.  Do not stir, just let it boil.
  2. Meanwhile bring 8 tablespoons of heavy cream, butter, vanilla, salt, and corn syrup to a simmer in a small saucepan.
  3. Remove the lid from the sugar and let it continue to boil until it reaches 350 F and browns.  Add in a little bit of the cream mixture and leave it alone to bubble.
  4. Slowly add the rest of the cream mixture as you whisk the caramel sauce.  Whisk until smooth.
  5. Pour into a different bowl.  Add more cream as needed to get the consistency you want.  This is not supposed to be a hard caramel.  Drop some on the counter and as it cools see what it does.  If the caramel becomes solid, add more cream one tablespoon at a time.  Place the fridge to cool as you make the frosting.

Caramel Frosting
Adapted from Can You Stay for Dinner

3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons caramel sauce

  1. Heat the milk and the flour in a medium saucepan.  Keep whisking the entire time.  Whisk until the mixture is thick like pudding.
  2. Pull the milk mixture off the heat and whisk in the vanilla and the caramel sauce.  Let cool completely.
  3. Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until pale yellow and there is no longer a gritty texture, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the in the milk mixture and beat for several minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy and there is no longer any grittiness.
  5. Do NOT refrigerate!  Trust me, it changes the texture.

Assembly
15 ounces dark chocolate
coarse finishing salt

  1. Melt the chocolate in the bowl of a double boiler above simmering water.  Melt the chocolate slowly.
  2. Meanwhile, fill a small piping bag with the cooled caramel and a filling tip.  Push the tip into the cupcakes and pull up so you are not pushing the filling to the bottom.  Squeeze in the caramel.
  3. Dip the top of each cupcake in a little bit of chocolate.  Place in the freezer for 10 minutes or until the chocolate sets.
  4. Frost each cupcake with caramel frosting, I used a spatula for this.  Place in the freezer for another 10 minutes.
  5. Tilt the bowl of melted chocolate so most of the chocolate is pooled together.  Dip the top in the chocolate and shake off any excess.
  6. Sprinkle with a few grains of coarse salt.
  7. Enjoy the moment!

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January 23, 2012 · 5:23 am

Heath Toffee Cupcakes

These cupcakes should look familiar, they are the heading for this blog!  I made these birthday cupcakes for my dear friend and baking buddy Irene.  Irene and I spend a lot time looking at cooking blogs, talking about recipes, and emailing each other ideas.  It’s so nice to have a friend I see almost day to discuss the ins-and-outs of baking/cooking.  We spend almost every lunch period discussing what turned out well, what didn’t, and how to improve.  Not everyone understands the frustrations, triumphs, costs, and time that goes into baking/cooking, but Irene does!

This recipe, like many so far, is from one of our favorite bloggers Annie, from Annie’s Eats.  Many mornings start with “Did you see what Annie posted?”  Usually we can finish each other’s sentence.  When we saw this recipe I asked if she wanted me to make these for her birthday and she said said absolutely!

The chocolate cupcake is a little dry and crumbly but still has a great flavor.  The ganache is delicious, but I bet it is hard to find a bad ganache!  The toffee inside the cupcake and on the ganache is a delicious treat!  I think toffee is an underutilized flavor, it’s a nice change from mint, caramel, or peanut butter as an accompaniment to chocolate.  The caramel Swiss meringue butter cream is sweet and delightful.  If you have never made SWBC do it!  It is worth the effort and the double boiler.  Again my caramel was a little chunky in the SWBC, but there was strong caramel flavor throughout.

Print the recipe!

Heath Toffee Cupcakes – adapted from Annie’s Eats
Yield – 16 cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cups all-purpose flours
1/4 + 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 table. espresso powder – I used instant coffee
1/2 tea. baking soda
1/4 tea. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tea. vanilla
1/2 cup coffee
1/2 cup toffee bits – I used chopped up Heath bars (about 2 1/2)

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.  Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt onto wax paper.  I always sift onto wax paper because it makes it easy for me to get everything into the mixer and I don’t dirty a bowl.  In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment beat together the butter and sugar until pale yellow.  This takes about 3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time and then beat in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients on the slowest speed in three batches with half the coffee in between.  Beat to combine.  I couldn’t find toffee bits, so I chopped up Heath bars into  ¼” pieces and folded them into the batter.  Using a standard ice cream scoop, place into the lined cupcake pans.  Bake 18 minutes checking to make sure the batter is done with a toothpick.  Some of the toffee bubbles up and looks real cool.  Place immediately on a wire rack to cool.

Ganache
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2  table. unsalted butter
1 cup toffee bits – I used chopped up Heath bars (about 3 1/2)

In a small sauce pan heat the heavy cream until it begins to simmer.  Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate.  Stir to combine and melt the chocolate. Add in the butter and again stir until everything is melted and deliciously creamy.  Put aside to cool.  Once cool, scoop the ganache into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe a ring around the the edge of each cupcake.  Place the chopped Heath bars on a plate and hold the cupcake upside down to dip into the pieces of candy.  Add extra candy by hand if you need to!

Caramel Swiss Meringue Butter Cream
5 egg whites
1 1/2  cup sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tea. kosher salt
1 table. vanilla
1/3 cup melted caramel (I used the little squares and melted them in the microwave)

Place the egg whites and the sugar in a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Make sure the bowl does not touch the water.  Whisk the mixture frequently until you no longer feel any grittiness when you rub the mixture between your fingers.  Transfer the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat at high speed with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form and the bowl feel cools.  I swear to you, sometimes this takes 3 minutes, other days it takes 10.  Add in the butter 2 tablespoons at a time on a medium speed until all the butter is added.  Don’t worry if it looks funky, just keep beating.  Add in the salt, vanilla, and melted (and cooled) caramel into the mixer.  Fill a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe in the hole of ganache.  This frosting is delicious, the more the better!

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