PB & J Cupcakes

I had the idea for these cupcakes after using peanut butter buttercream for something else. It seemed so natural.I made the grape and strawberry jelly from scratch, but premade would work fine and probably save your sanity.  Any vanilla cake will do because it's the mix of the peanut butter frosting and jelly that are the stars of this cupcake.

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

After a lot of coaxing, I finally gave in and made these cupcakes. Surprisingly, they were good. I like bacon normally but I don't normally like this kind of cupcake. 

While researching, I read that the secret to making bacon cupcakes is to make sure that you add some of the bacon drippings and it worked! Here's the recipe:

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients1 package butter yellow cake mix
3 eggs1 (5.9 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
4 tbs softened butter
4 tbs maple syrup
3 tbs brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 - 1/2 cooked bacon (Candied works great too) - Reserve some for garnish
1/4 cup bacon drippings (refrigerated until solidified)
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix yellow cake mix, pudding and brown sugar with hardened bacon drippings and butter until mixed. Add eggs maple syrup and vegetable oil. Gently fold in the bacon. Distribute into cupcake pan and bake for 18 - 21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Maple Syrup Frosting

Ingredients

2 sticks of softened unsalted butter

4 tbs maple syrup
pinch salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whip butter until light and fluffy. Mix in maple syrup and pinch of salt. Slowly add powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.  Pipe onto cupcakes and garnish with bacon. Enjoy!

Super Mario Cupcakes

When I got an order for Super Mario, I could not wait to get started. It was hard to decide who to make and how I should make it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do 2D or 3D. In the end, I went with 2D because they were for a birthday for a 5 year old boy. There are no special recipes but I wanted to share. :)

1Up, Goomba, Starman, Mario, Red Mushroom, Boo

Princess Peach, Question mark box, Lakitu, Coin Box, (another) Star Man, Fire Flower

Bob-Omb Coin, Piranha Plant, Toad

Shy Guy, Princess Daisy, Luigi, Question Mark Box with Yoshi Egg, Bullet Bill

Strawberry Jam

I decided to make strawberry jam for the peanut butter and jelly cupcakes I was planning to make. I had never made jam before. I even bought a jar of strawberry jam as back up, but did not need it at all. This recipe is quite easy (as long as you don't mind baby sitting as the heat rises). It seemed to stay at 212F for a very long time. Also, I had a boiling over problem, but it was not a big issue.

I was so excited after making this that I had to make a piece of toast to test it out. Delicious!

Fresh strawberries, ready for mashing.

Heating

Strawberry Jam
2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions

In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't with processing, and just refrigerate.

Here's the jam in use. The cupcakes will follow.

Cupcakes Filled & Topped with Caramel

When I first thought of this cupcake, I was very impressed with myself. I wondered if I could execute something as decadent as this. I was basing the recipe off of several recipes, but when it came time, to make these a reality, the source recipes were no longer posted. Of course, I should have saved them when I found them. Lesson learned. So, out of laziness and defeat, I used box mix.

These cupcakes had a great reaction. The consensus was "Heavenly". I made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Strangely, I preferred the vanilla, but I had positive feed back on both. I also made some mini-cupcakes as well and those were even better, like bites of caramel! This is a bit messy (like everything I make) but is well worth it (like some of the things I make). Good luck and enjoy!

Mini vanillas

Fresh from the dipping

A whole lot of delicious

Caramel Sauce (Source)

1 cup of sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream


Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring.


As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color)


Immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.


Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Caramel topped and filled cupcakes

1 dozen cooked cupcakes (use your favorite recipe)
1 prepared recipe of warm Caramel sauce

Prepare the cupcakes by lining them up on wax paper. Remove the center of each cupcake using a paring knife or the wide end of a frosting tip.

Using a spoon, carefully fill each cupcake with caramel and replace the top of each cupcake. Depending on how secure the cake is replaced in each cupcake, you may be able to dip the cupcake into the caramel directly. It may be easier to spoon the caramel on top of each cupcake and rotate it gently until the entire cupcake is coated. (If the caramel becomes harder to work with, you can reheat it slowly in the pot it was cooked in until it is easier to use.)






Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Almond Roca Sandwich Cookies

It has become a Christmas tradition for me to bake these Almond Roca cookies. It began because one year someone gave me a giant tin of (you guessed it) Almond Roca. While I enjoy Almond Roca, I did not want to eat that many. I began to search for a recipe that would be tasty and use up the candy at the same time. What I found was this recipe from the maker of Almond Roca. Every time I make this recipe I get a lot of compliments.

In a way, this recipe is easy. The cookie and assembly is simple. The toughest part is crushing the Almond Roca. I have been using a meat tenderizer (hammer). Talk about a workout.

By the way, I've also used the recipe on their site for the Almond Roca Milk Chocolate Fudge. Very rich but very good.

Here it is this year for your enjoyment.

You start with a giant cookie. It smells amazing as it cooks.

I found that the easiest way to get an even coat of chocolate is to paint it on with a basting brush

Here's the messiest part.

Almost ready for refrigeration.

Some of the best parts of the cookie is the left over scraps.

Double Chocolate Almond Roca® Sandwich Cookies (Source)

1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cake flour
2 milk chocolate bars, melted
1 cup ALMOND ROCA® Buttercrunch, ground

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until light and fluffy. Add beaten egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture thinly on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Spread 1/2 melted chocolate bar on half of warm cookies and top with ground ALMOND ROCA®. Cut cookies while warm. Top with another cookie, pour remaining chocolate over top of sandwich and top with ALMOND ROCA®. Refrigerate.

Seriously, these are great cookies. Let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I was trying to think of some good fall cupcakes and found these. I was planning to make them in a couple of weeks but a coworker moving on, so I decided to say goodbye by making these tasty cupcakes.

I was so impressed with the flavor! I will definitely make these again...maybe later this month! The recipe is an altered Martha Stewart recipe. Give it a try.




Mixing the batter! Mmm


Fresh from the oven



Frosted for your pleasure



Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (Source)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (8) ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar (I used 1 1/2 lbs)
1 TBS ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Using a mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together until well combined. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Finally mix in vanilla and cinnamon. Frost cupcakes.

Margarita Cupcakes

Now for a recipe I make often. These cupcakes are a staple to parties and are often requested by my friends.

It's easy to make aside from the lime zesting. I typically use 3 limes in total for the juice and zest. The only issue I had was that the lime buttercream was melting in the heat of my house.


Cooling cupcakes!



Green butter cream. I usually add the alcohol to taste but make sure to adjust the measurement of powdered sugar for the liquid.



Frosted cupcakes waiting for my garnish. I sprinkle with the white chunk sugar to look like salt and add a candy lime slice. The finished product was melting in the Las Vegas heat!




MARGARITA CUPCAKES - Source: (RecipeGirl.com)

1 cup lime margarita mix
3 ounces tequila
2 ounces Grand Marnier (I use Cointreau)
1 box white cake mix
3 large egg whites
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs. lime zest (I used 2 Tbs.)

LIME BUTTERCREAM ICING

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated lime zest
green food coloring, if desired
1/2 jigger of Grand Marnier (I substitute with Cointreau and also add a bit of tequila too)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two dozen cupcake tins with paper liners.

Prepare cupcakes: Whisk together margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier in a small bowl. Measure out 1¼ cups for the recipe; pour the rest on some ice and drink it while making the cupcakes.

In a large bowl, blend cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest and 1¼ cups of the margarita mix from step 1. Blend on low for about 30 seconds and then increase speed to medium and blend for two additional minutes. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into cupcake liners (about ¾ full). Bake for 20-25 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, then remove them to a rack to cool completely.
Prepare icing: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, prepare the icing. Place butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until butter is fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar, salt, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until thick and creamy. Add more powdered sugar until the frosting is of a good spreading (or piping) consistency. Mix in a tiny amount of green food coloring or gel paste if you’d like the frosting to have a green tint.

Feta, Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers

On my way home from work today I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I knew it had to involve chicken because that is what I had and I knew it had to be quick. At a red stoplight, it hit me, "I really want to have some feta!" It all came together. I knew I wanted to have a stuffed pepper.

In the parking lot of the grocery store I looked up recipes on my iPhone. That's where I found this one. It makes a lot of dishes and I have some leftover filling but it was very good. It was pretty easy as well. I added extra garlic and cooked the peppers on a bed of the filling (since I had a ton leftover).


There are not many ingredients to this recipe.


After cutting off the tops of the peppers, I chopped them up along with the garlic and onions.



Heating the vegetable. I love the smell of garlic!





Recipe (Source)

2 chicken breasts

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup uncooked basmati or white rice

2 large green or red bell peppers

2 tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove; minced (I used two!)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I omitted)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 8 oz. can of tomato paste

Shredded Parmesan cheese (to sprinkle on top)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat a large pot of water (not completely filled) and boil. Add chicken and boil for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked. Shred the chicken (or you can cut into chunks and put through your food processor). Put aside.

Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, add the rice, cover the pan and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Stir occasionally.

Cut the stems and top half inch off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place peppers upright in a baking dish and roast them for 20 minutes or so, until they soften, then remove them from the oven until the filling is ready. -I put in my rice cooker/steamer for about 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add garlic, onion, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until softened.

Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes, chicken & tomato paste. Add the rice into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta. Fill peppers with the rice mixture; top pepper with shredded Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

-If you are not a rice person, I think this would still be pretty filling without it. As I said, I had a lot of filling left over.

Enjoy!

Scotch Kisses

When I told people that I was making Scotch Kisses most people didn't know what they were. If you are one of those who are not aware, let me tell you. A Scotch Kiss is a marshmallow coated in butterscotch. I have only had them from See's Candy. So good! As you may remember from my last post, I made marshmallows and this is what they are for!

The marshmallows were so easy. The rest was tedious. First, there is the cutting of the wrappers, then the cutting of the marshmallows, the seemingly endless stirring and finally the coating of each marshmallow individually and wrapping. It's a lot of work.

That being said, I made a big mistake while making these: the first 20 or so I immediately wrapped in the wax paper. I read on another blog that they did that and I thought it was a brilliant idea but as some have already guessed, the butterscotch stuck to the wax paper. Most of the Scotch Kisses will be a big mess to eat.

I don't count this whole experience as a failure though. The end result (however messy) is really tasty.


Here's my favorite stirring spoon. Look at my giraffe. I was still fine with stirring at this point.


It takes a long time to get up to 200 degrees but once it hits there, you notice the thickening.



Gooey coated marshmallow. Mmmm


Scotch Kisses: (Source)

1 pint whipping cream
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 (10 oz. each) bags regular marshmallows, cut in half (I used homemade and store bought)

Using kitchen scissors, cut each marshmallow in half through the middle and place them cut-side up on a cookie sheet.

Using a deep medium (heavy, if possible) sauce pan, combine cream, sugar, corn syrup and salt.

Bring mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. The mixture will start out milky white. The mixture will start to change to a light golden color. Keep your candy thermometer handy so you can get to 235 degrees F. This can take 20-30 minutes (stirring constantly).

Once the butterscotch reaches 235 F, remove from heat and stir until mixture thickens a bit. Let it cool for approximately 5 minutes so it does not melt the marshmallows.

Start dipping your marshmallows (without stabbing them); drop a marshmallow in the mixture, one at a time. (I used little fondue forks). I noticed that the homemade marshmallows need to be coated when the butterscotch is slightly cooler to avoid disintegration. Place the coated marshmallow on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

As you get towards the bottom of the pan, the butterscotch may thicken to the point that the marshmallows don't want to coat. If that happens, take the pan back to the stove and heat it over low heat just to rewarm the butterscotch. You don't want to boil it, all you want to do is loosen it up enough to make the butterscotch the same thickness it was when you began dipping. Continue dipping until all the butterscotch is used.

Let the pans of coated marshmallows sit overnight to dry out. Using a butter knife, run the knife under a marshmallow, lift it off of the parchment paper.

Using cut wrappers out of plastic wrap and wrap each candy individually. Lay individual squares of plastic wrap down and place a marshmallow on the center of each piece.

According to the original poster: "If you find the marshmallows are really sticky when you try and peel the wrapping off, you can refrigerate them for a few minutes....I feel they lose a little of their butterscotch flavor when they're chilled."

Good luck and enjoy!