Math Cupcakes

I get the math hat ofter making these fun cupcakes for my sister April. And I thought I was bad at math :)

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies


INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 (6.5 ounce) jar macadamia nuts, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the white chocolate and nuts. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Lion King

Correction, I know your Father - Rafiki

Aebleskiver

I first had these little treasures a few years ago and quickly became obsessed with them. Aebleskivers are Danish pancakes that are as darling as they are tasty. I looked into getting a pan from William Sonoma but they are $40 and I just couldn’t bring myself to purchase it. Disappointed I set these little buggers out of my mind.

Last summer we were cleaning out the basement/cellar and I came across a box of old pots and pans when you know what I found?!? An aebleskiver pan! I grabbed it, shouted to my mom “Do you know what this is?” didn’t wait for her response and again shouted “It’s an aebleskiver pan!” Let’s just say I was about as excited as I had ever been.

From that moment on we have been enjoying these sweet treats on a semi regular basis. I love to eat them with homemade jam and powdered sugar, lemon curd, apple butter or syrup. One of the last times we made them I tossed them in cinnamon and sugar like doughnut holes and they were divine. Here is one of the recipes I use found on allrecipes.com. If you want to fork over the 40 bucks at William Sonoma more power to you, but I have also been told that you can pick up a pan at a hardware store by other cast iron pans.

Aebleskivers

Ingredients
• 2 egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
Directions
1. In a clean glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak. Set aside.
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk at one time and beat until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites last.
3. Put about 1tablespoon of vegetable oil in the bottom of each aebleskiver pan cup and heat until hot. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each cup. As soon as they get bubbly around the edge, turn them quickly (Danish cooks use a long knitting needle, but a fork will work). Continue cooking, turning the ball to keep it from burning.

• I use a ¼ measuring cup to drop the batter into the pan. If it’s not to full that should be the prefect size.
• I also use a teaspoon to or chopstick to turn them in the pan.

Care Bear Cupcakes

If I were ever to get a tattoo, I want a tattoo like a Care Bear…

These were made for Eliza’s 1st Birthday. From the time she was born Stephanie had Eliza’s first birthday all planned out including Share Bear Care Bear Cupcakes. She had sent me a link months before showing a bear made with two cupcakes stacked on top of each other one forming the body and one the head. I am sorry I don’t have photos showing the process but essentially you make big and small cupcakes, let them cool, peal off the paper from the small cupcake, frost the larger cupcake, place the smaller unwrapped cupcake just of the center of the larger one and frost that one all while making sure it doesn’t slip off. It sounds harder then it actually is but I am glad I only had to make one for the birthday girl and not for the whole party! Accompanying the bear were cupcakes made to look like Cheer Bear and Share Bears belly’s.

Happy Birthday Eliza! I look forward to many more years of making you Cupcakes!

LOST

It’s finally here, the last season of LOST! I know I am a bit late on posting this but better late than never right? I hand piped dark and white chocolate to make the DHARMA initiative symbol. I am not going to lie; it took a really long time. By the time the chocolate was hard enough for me to pipe out the lettering my hands and eyes hurt so badly. The DHARMA initiative symbols were only about an inch and a half in diameter. They got placed atop a cream filled chocolate cake with chocolate glaze. Thanks to Natalie we enjoyed these little treats with DHARMA wine straight off the compound! By far the best LOST night to date. Big thanks to Graham and Peter, we’d be lost without you guys :)

CREAM FILLED CUPCAKES

Make your favorite chocolate cake according to the cupcake directions.
Let cool completely before filling or the cream will melt.
CREAM FILLING
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make filling:

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth. Blend in confectioners' sugar and pinch of salt. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Fill a zip lock bag with mixture and cup off the tip. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the top of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake being careful not to over fill. Cover with glaze.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla.
Spoon over cupcakes.

Batman Cupcakes

Activate the Bat signal Sawyer is 4!

Happy Birthday Buddy!
Check out his Birthday Cupcakes from last year here.

80's Cupcakes

This year I turned 25 :) I know some people don’t think that is a big deal (Nora) but for me it was! My friends and I celebrated the best way I know how, 80’s style. That called for these totally rad neon colored cupcakes…

Does anyone else think it’s sad I made my own birthday cupcakes?

Colored Sugar Cookies

I love having one recipe that is really versatile. For me that recipe happens to be my sugar cookie recipe. I had a half batch of cookie dough left and I just didn’t have it in me to make and frost one more Christmas ornament cookie… After much complaining to anyone who was in ear shot I sucked it up and took a look around. Last year I got a huge bottle of these big colored sugar sprinkles at one of those warehouse stores that I just don’t use that often so I thought I’d just roll the dough in those. This is how they turned out.

Here are the step by step instructions if you feel like trying them for yourself.

1. Make your favorite sugar cookie dough. Mine can be found here.
2. Refrigerate
3. Scoop out and roll into even balls of dough.
4. Roll into colored sugar to cover.
5. Take the bottom of a glass and press the cookie just to flatten.
6. Follow baking instructions and enjoy!

Quad- Brownie

In my book you can’t go wrong with a brownie, especially one that’s made with four different types of chocolate! Yes you heard me right, 4 kinds of chocolate…

First you start with your favorite brownie recipe then you add a half cup each of milk, dark, semi-sweet, and white chocolate chips. If you are feeling like you need just a little more chocolate in your system or it has been a really rough work week please feel free to add a rich, gooey chocolate frosting :)

Here is one of the brownie recipes I use frequently. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt


Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

2.Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

3.Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.

4.Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.