Banana-Caramel Decadence Cupcakes

Sometimes the best laid plans simply don't work out. Today's post was supposed to be this well planned out apple dessert, but the dessert gods weren't in agreement and I decided to switch gears yesterday. Looking for inspiration in my kitchen my eyes caught four very ugly looking bananas sitting on the counter. Now you all know the story, sometimes you can't buy them fast enough and then there are times when no one touches them at all. I actually think there is some kind of conspiracy going on in my house. I wouldn't be surprised if my family made a pact to let bananas go bad every once in a while just so I can come up with a dessert.

I knew I didn't want to make a cake or banana bread, so I went to one of my most used cookbooks, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes for inspiration. While a couple of them sounded pretty good, none of them struck a chord, so I just took one of Martha's recipes and fiddled with it until I had what I thought was a pretty darn good cupcake. I used her Banana Pecan cupcake recipe as my starting point, but not being in a nut kind of mood I started thinking of things I could replace them with. Looking through my pantry it struck me, butterscotch chips and bananas = match made in heaven. For the frosting, I stuck with the suggested caramel buttercream, I mean why mess with a good thing, right?

Before I started baking, I scaled the recipe down to half. With so many treats being baked lately I knew I didn't need 30 cupcakes hanging around. The original cupcake batter called for light brown sugar, which I realized I was out of after I had started putting things together. Well, dark brown sugar it was  and that turned out to be a great decision. The batter is made quickly and goes into the oven in no time, where it will make your house smell out of this world while baking. After cooling the cupcakes, they are frosted with the most delicious buttercream known to man (fair warning here, for all of you spoon frosting eaters). And finally (since we didn't have enough decadence yet) I drizzled the finished frosted cupcakes with even more caramel.

Good lord, I might have had to take a cold shower after eating one of them. I usually prefer chocolate over all things caramel, but these cupcakes gave chocolate a run for their money. Pure bliss! These will be made again without a doubt. I'm glad I had to change dessert directions at the last minute, but this ended being one of my favorite cupcakes this year!

Banana-Caramel Decadence Cupcakes 

~makes about 15 cupcakes~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

For the caramel:

1 cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup heavy cream

For the caramel buttercream:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup of the prepared caramel

Directions:

For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, slat, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one  at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with banana mixture, and beating until just combined after each. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For the caramel: Combine sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Stop stirring, and cook until syrup comes to a boil. Continue to boil, gently swirling pan occasionally to color evenly, until mixture is very dark amber. Remove from heat; add cream in a steady stream (the mixture will spatter), stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined. Let cool.

For the caramel buttercream: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until pale and fluffy. In the heatproof bowl of a standing electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sugar and the egg whites. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue whisking until egg mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 5-10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add beaten butter, a couple of tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, very slowly pour in caramel; beat a couple of minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, and continue to beat until caramel is fully incorporated.

Putting it all together: Frost cupcakes by using a small offset spatula to spread the buttercream or fill a pastry bag (fitted with the tip of your choice) with the cream and pipe on. Drizzle with additional caramel (you should have some leftover). Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Slightly adapted from: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes 

Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes

Our visitors left a couple of days ago and we are trying to get back into a routine. It is a weird time for me since I loved having my German family around and the first couple of weeks after they leave I always feel a little lost. We had a wonderful time and I'm already counting the months until I'm able to see everyone again. I'd also like to thank all of you for your nice comments and well wishes regarding my sisters wedding and my new profile picture, you guys are too kind and know how to make a woman feel good. So, the first order of business in trying to get some normality back into my life is to start posting and cooking again. I did cook most of our meals during the visit since I was able to control the ingredients for my sister who has celiac disease, but there just never seemed to be enough time to take pictures or write up posts.

First up are these wonderful Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes that are out of my favorite cupcake book; Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. I actually did make those the very first week I had visitors (but never got around to writing a post) and they were a huge hit with everyone. Wonderfully moist, with just the right amount of spice and with a great frosting, they are a fantastic fall treat. They come together pretty fast and make for a great presentation. The cupcakes, while very tasty on their own, would not be as good without the amazing frosting that tops these little treats. It is good enough to eat by the spoonful. In fact, I made double the amount of frosting and used it to frost some gluten free chocolate cupcakes as well and my sister loved the combination.

To make the cupcakes, you start by measuring flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a bowl. Butter, sugar and brown sugar are beaten until pale and fluffy before adding eggs and applesauce. The flour/spice mixture is then incorporated and finally, toasted chopped pecans are folded in before filling the batter into lined muffin tins. After the cupcakes are baked, they are frosted with the most divine brown-sugar cream-cheese frosting which isn't too sweet, and has more flavor depth than an ordinary cream cheese frosting that calls for confectioner's sugar.

Definite bulls eye with these delectable fall inspired cupcakes. They would be perfect for any bake sale or a casual get together with friends and family. I thought they were especially tasty when enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea and so did my visitors. These did not last long in our house and were gone within the day and I already had give out the recipe to several people. I hope you'll give them a try during this fall season and love them as much as we did!

Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes

(adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)

(makes about 18 cupcakes)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 cup pecans (about 4 ounces), toasted and chopped

Brown-Sugar Cream-Cheese Frosting (Recipe to follow)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add applesauce and then flour mixture, beating until just combined after each. Stir in pecans by hand.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting or for a fancier look pipe on frosting with a pastry bag fitted with a big tip. Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Brown-Sugar Cream-Cheese Frosting

(makes 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

Preparation:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth.

(My sister and her husband)

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

We are having a blast with our out of town visitors and I apologize for my lack of commenting on other blogs but I will be back full force once my visitors leave in early October. For all of my Foodbuzz friends, rest assured I'm still keeping up as much as possible on the challenges and will be voting for all of you! 

My post today was inspired by my little sister who is here visiting from Germany. My sister was diagnosed with Celiac disease almost 10 years ago. In case you haven't heard of it, it is a autoimmune disorder which causes her to not be able to eat anything containing gluten (this includes wheat, barley, oats etc.) Considering that I don't usually have to cook gluten free, it is quite a challenge to cook for someone like this. Luckily, a lot of my day to day meals are already gluten free or can be made gluten free by a few substitutions. So far we have had my Ragu alla Bolognese (she used special noodles), my Tandoori Chicken, Taco Salad,  and a few other things she thoroughly enjoyed. I'm convinced that cooking meals from scratch helps a lot since you can control what is put into a dish. 

Unfortunately, things get a little bit harder when it comes to dessert. If I lived closer to my sister I would most definitely use and experiment with different gluten free flours, but since she is only visiting for a short time I needed to find a fuss-free recipe that would work for her and be equally tasty for everyone else eating it. Looking through a few of my books I remembered seeing a recipe for flourless chocolate cupcakes in Martha Stewart's cupcakes book. The recipe is truly super easy, requires only a handful of ingredients and turns out an amazing flavor experience. The original makes 22 cupcakes but I went with half the amount since the recipe states they are best eaten the same day and by doing so I was rewarded with exactly 12 cupcakes. Butter and bittersweet chocolate are melted in a double boiler and slightly cooled down before adding the egg yolks. Meanwhile egg whites and sugar are whisked stiff and then folded into the melted chocolate mixture. That's it! The batter is divided into paper lined muffin tins and baked at a very low temperature for about 25 minutes or until the middle is set.

The cupcakes once baked are not show pieces. In fact, they are quite ugly. At first, taken out of the oven they look like pretty little souffles but once they cool down their tops start to sink and they crack everywhere and forget about getting them out of the tin perfect looking. That's why even in the book their tops are disguised with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, which is how I served them as well. Crunchy tops, tasting like meringue with a wonderful fluffy and rich interior. This was a fantastic dessert that all of us enjoyed. It especially made me feel good that I was able to produce such a great tasting cupcake my sister could eat. She was in love with this recipe and already copied it down so she can fix it for everyone back in Germany when she gets home.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

(adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)

(makes 22)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips)

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

Ice Cream, for serving (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Melt butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir to combine, then remove bowl from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until peaks are stiff and glossy but not dry (do not overbeat). Whisk one quarter of the beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten; gently fold mixture into remaining whites.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes are just set in centers, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.( their centers will sink). Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are baked; keep at room temperature until ready to serve, topped with scoops of ice cream, if desired.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

Even after being married for over 18 years my husband still takes me by surprise. He's been telling me for years how much he dislikes chocolate desserts and quite frankly he never craves anything chocolate besides the very occasional Resse's Peanut Butter cup. So, imagine my confusion and surprise when I asked a couple of days ago what sweet treat I should blog about next and he answered very quickly: "German chocolate cake, I love that!" Huh,  did he just say chocolate cake? He swiftly let me know that this cake is not really a chocolate cake because of the frosting. Really, who am I to argue this logic? Since I had just made a big triple layer cake I was looking for something more portable and portion controlled (meaning something that I could easily distribute to friends and neighbors) and with that in mind, I found these cupcakes in my Martha Stewart's: Cupcakes book.

For the record, German Chocolate cake has nothing to do with Germany. It is one of my pet peeves when people assume that just because I was born and raised there I should be an expert on this cake. I'm sorry to disappoint, but I didn't even know such cake existed till a few years ago when I ate it at a party. In case you wonder how the name came about, it traces back to Bakers sweet German chocolate which was invented by Samuel German for the Bakers brand in 1852. Traditional German chocolate cake is a layered chocolate cake filled and topped with a coconut-pecan frosting.

Today's recipe is pretty close to some of the traditional ones out there, but veers slightly by using melted semi-sweet chocolate instead of the German chocolate baking bars which makes it a little less sweet. Cake flour and buttermilk ensure that the cake part of this cupcake is wonderfully moist and light. The frosting is cooked on top of the stove out of egg yolks, butter, brown sugar and condensed milk. Once the mixture is thick, it is removed from the heat and strained into a bowl where vanilla, salt, sweetened coconut, and toasted pecans finish it off. When the frosting is cooled and firmed up, you are ready to frost your cupcakes. I decided to go against Martha's instructions and only top the cupcakes with the frosting (she had you cut them apart and add filling in the middle as well). I decided to add a little classic touch by drizzling the finished dessert with a quick chocolate ganache.

How did this mini-cake measure up to the traditional? Everyone loved this portion controlled version of the original. One is plenty rich and leaves you perfectly satisfied without being overly full. My daughter, the chocoholic thought the ganache drizzle is what made this cupcake. My boys didn't talk, they just inhaled, and my husband, well, he gave me a big sticky sweet kiss right after he finished his. I take that as a compliment!

German Chocolate Cupcakes

~makes 24 cupcakes~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins

2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted, plus more for tins

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

5 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Coconut-Pecan Frosting (recipe to follow)

Chocolate Ganache, optional (recipe to follow)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush stand muffin tins with butter; dust with cake flour, tapping out excess. whisk together cake flour, baking soda, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in chocolate until combined.

Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes Run a small offset spatula of knife around the edges to loosen; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

To finish, spread frosting on top of each cupcake. Drizzle with ganache (if desired).

Adapted from: Martha Stewart's: Cupcakes 

Coconut-Pecan Frosting

~makes about 4 cups~

Ingredients:

3 large egg yolks

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package (7 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

Heat egg yolks, evaporated milk, brown sugar, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about 10 minutes (it should reach the consistency of sour cream). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Stir vanilla, salt, coconut, and pecans into frosting. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally, Frosting can be refrigerated up to 1 day in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature and stir with a flexible spatula until smooth.

Chocolate Ganache

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

3-5 tablespoons heavy cream

Stir heavy cream by the tablespoon into the melted chocolate until combined and it reaches desired "drizzle" consistency. Use immediately.

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

With the beginning of the school year already looming over our heads (my three children go to year round school), lazy days are coming to an end for us. I'm already back into school mode with Meet the Teacher nights, schedules and organizing pick ups. This year will be a bittersweet one since it is our oldest's last year in high school. With all of this excitement ready to start here soon, it is important to have healthy snacks on hand since days can get very busy. 

I've mentioned before that my kids love eating fruits and vegetables, but like any kid, they also crave sweets like cookies. While we do have the occasional treat, most of the things I've made for the blog (with the exception of ice cream) has been given to friends, neighbors, and colleagues. There are only a few things that were gone so quickly I didn't have a chance to hand it out (like Nanaimo Bars).

While I was looking for a cookie recipe to make for the kids that would be sweet and treat like but with healthier ingredients and not too terribly high in fat and calories, I came across these Iced Applesauce Cookies in Martha Stewart's Cookies book. The recipe sounded promising, and after a few small modifications, I had a great cookie that was happily eaten by everyone.

To make it more appealing for my kids, I swapped the raisins for craisins since none of them care for the first that much.  I also reduced some of the sugar (they were still plenty sweet), and used all natural applesauce. I also exchanged some of the all purpose flour and replaced it with some whole wheat flour. The glaze for this cookie called for a whopping 1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar which I was able to scale back to only 1 cup along with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. This still yielded more than enough glaze for all the cookies.

This is a great after school, on the go, or even lunchbox snack that I truly feel good about giving to my kids.

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

(adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large eggs

1/2 cup all natural applesauce

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup stone ground whole wheat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup craisins

For the icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add egg and applesauce; mix until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in oats, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in craisins.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool ion sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper; let cool completely.

Make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and water until smooth. Drizzle over cookies; let set. Cookies can be storied in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days. Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen

Streusel Muffins

Memorial day has come and gone and we sure had a fun weekend. It also meant we had a few house guests. And as it goes, when you are hosting, you always try to make sure everyone is as comfortable as can be. It also means providing breakfast for guests that spend the night.

Sometimes I will just set out bowls of yogurt, fruit, and granola, and let everyone fix their own yogurt parfaits. Other times I make a breakfast casserole the day prior that only needs to be warmed up that morning. This time however, I decided on Muffins. I don't know a lot of people that will turn down fresh muffins with a nice cup of coffee or a glass of milk. 

When I was searching for a dish to make I was trying to decide between a few different recipes, but I couldn't resist the picture that accompanied these Streusel muffins in Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, plus, I had all the ingredients on hand. I know I sound like a broken record by now, but again, there has not been one disappointing recipe in this book so far.

The muffins have a simple sour cream vanilla flavor that gets enhanced by adding a generous amount of cinnamon streusel on top. Think coffee cake meets muffin. The dough is made quickly, as is the streusel topping. Adding the streusel though without making a mess, is a bit of a challenge. Once baked, you make a simple confectioner's sugar and milk frosting, which then gets drizzled over the top to complete the muffin.

These muffins were the perfect wake up call, and our guests left the breakfast table happy and satisfied. I hope you'll give these muffins a try, I'm sure you will enjoy them for a breakfast or brunch treat as well!

Streusel Muffins

~makes 24~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Milk Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla by hand. Add flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Sprinkle half the streusel topping over muffins, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing muffins.

To finish, place muffins on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; drizzle evenly with milk glaze. Glazed muffins can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Streusel Topping

(makes enough for 24 muffins)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

2 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in the butter using a pastry blender, your fingertips, or two table knives until combined but still crumbly.

Milk Glaze

(makes enough for 24 muffins)

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together ingredients  until smooth. Use immediately.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes 

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

My oldest turned 17 last week and celebrated her birthday with her family and friends this past weekend. It was up to me to provide the menu. We had the standard fare of hamburgers and hot dogs, along with a few salads, fresh vegetables and a HUGE bowl of fruit salad that was pretty much gone before anything else (don't you just love it when teenagers prefer the good, healthy stuff over junk food)?

For dessert my daughter decided to go a little different route and forgo the typical birthday cake in favor of cupcakes. She was looking through a few of my books and decided to go with Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes which can be found in the book: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.

I've made quite a few recipes out of this book so far and every single one has turned out great. This one was no exception either. In fact, the recipe is so easy that even a baking novice could make this one. The "crust" is an Oreo cookie, that gets dropped in the bottom of a cupcake paper liner. A simple cheesecake mixture with additional chopped Oreos gets poured on top and then baked. You do have to thoroughly chill the cupcakes after baking them in the muffin tins before removing the cakes but all in all, it is a quick recipe.

This dessert was incredibly well received by all the teenagers and adults alike. I've had several of them already ask me for the recipe, which in my eyes is always a sign it was tasty! Give this one a try for your next party, I'm sure it will be a hit as well.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

~makes about 30~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

42 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped

2 pounds (4 packs) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly  among cookie-filled cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer tins to wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Black and White Cookies

I grew up with Black and White cookies or rather just white cookies. In Germany they were called "Amerikaner". Imagine my delight after moving to the East Coast and finding the same cookies I had loved so much as a child displayed at every bakery.

I've been looking for a good recipe for a while and when I finally found it inside my Martha Stewart: Cookies book I was thrilled. The recipe is quick, baking time is short, and frosting them is easy, even for a novice.  The only departure from the recipe is that I made the cookies "normal" sized, rather then the "mini" version which is what the book calls for. To do so, I used my large ice cream scoop which worked very well.

These cookies are soft and delicious and the chocolate and vanilla frosting are fitting toppings together. It was fun to watch my kids decide to eat either the chocolate or vanilla side first, but never take a bite that included both of the flavors at the same time. It is a fantastic, easy, kid friendly cookie that I will be making many more times.

I hope you'll give this one a try and your family will enjoy it as much as we did!

Black and White Cookies

~makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

For the icing:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Make cookies: Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar; mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk.

Drop cookies with ice cream scoop (or rounded tablespoon) onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until bottoms turn golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

Make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and the water in a small bowl until smooth. Add more water, if needed, to achieve a consistency slightly thicker than honey. Transfer half the icing to a small bowl. Stir in cocoa powder; thin with water if needed.

Spread white icing on half of each cookie's flat side and cocoa icing on other half. Let stand until set, 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Lollipop Garden Cupcakes

When I heard that my friend's daughters' 7th birthday was coming up, I offered to make the cupcakes for her party. Looking through a few different books and online I had decided (and after approval of the birthday girl of course) she was going to get lollipop garden cupcakes out of my trusty Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. 

After talking to the birthday girl to find out her favorite colors I went with a yellow/red theme. The cake part of the cupcakes is my go-to recipe for Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes. The frosting is a simple, but tasty, Fluffy Vanilla Frosting that I tinted orange with food coloring. However, if you are looking for a shortcut, feel free to use a boxed cake mix and canned frosting.

The cupcakes were baked in golden yellow paper cups, and after cooling I frosted them before rolling them carefully in red sprinkles. The leaves were cut out of airheads candy, but I'm sure you could use pretty much any kind of green taffy or fruit leather. The final touch after the leaves get inserted was to stick in a lollipop as the flower.

I thought they turned out really cute and the birthday girl was excited about them as well.

Happy Birthday Janessa!

Lollipop Garden Cupcakes

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 recipe of your favorite cupcake, baked

1 recipe of your favorite vanilla frosting (tinted to desired color to work with sprinkles)

Sprinkles (any color will work)

Lollipops

Green Taffy or Green Fruit Leather

Directions:

Using an offset spatula, spread buttercream or frosting on cupcakes, smoothing into dome shapes. Place sprinkles in a small bowl. Gently press each frosted cupcake into sprinkles, rolling it around so entire surface is coated. Insert a lollipop into the center of each cupcake. Then, using a paring knife or kitchen shears, cut leaf shapes out of green taffy strips. Press one leaf into each cupcake next to the lollipop. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

If there was a perfect combination of lemon and more lemon than these cupcakes would be it. As a proclaimed citrus and especially lemon and lime fanatic, these little clouds of heaven were a dream come true for me. I loved everything about these little cakes and would not change a thing. Modeled after traditional Lemon Meringue Pie it has everything and more packaged in a compact size.

The cake part was light and fluffy with the faint scent and taste of lemons. The lemon curd on top is the little component that will smack you with intense lemon flavor through and through. It is smooth, creamy and oh so lemony. And to top it all off, you have "marshmallow fluff" in the form of a 7-Minute frosting which represents the meringue of a regular pie.

I started the process by making the lemon curd which needs to chill for a while in the fridge. I was hesitant as I had read a few reviews for this particular recipe and people had problems getting the curd to get thick. This was not the case here. I just kept stirring the lemon, sugar and egg mixture over a double boiler until it got thick enough to coat the back of a spoon which took almost 20 minutes.

The cake is just a plain vanilla batter with the addition of lemon zest, lemon juice, and buttermilk. This  transformed it into a light cake with the subtle taste of lemon.

The frosting of this cupcake is a 7-Minute frosting which I have used on my Coconut Cupcakes, S'mores Cupcakes, and Snickerdoodle Cupcakes before. The only difference was that I got to use my kitchen blow torch to lightly toast the meringue.

This cupcake will be made for many more occasions to come. In fact I will be trying out different combinations, as you can make any kind of citrus curd along with adding the zest and juice from different fruits to the batter to change things up. I'm looking forward to trying this with limes, grapefruits and even oranges.

Martha Stewart and her fabulous cookbook Martha Stewart's cupcakes has not had one disappointing recipe so far.  Her instructions are precise and easy to follow. Yes, many of her cupcakes are more time consuming than opening a boxed mix, but if you are willing to invest just a little bit more, you will get results that blow you and everyone else lucky enough to try the goodies, away.

So if lemon meringue pie, cupcakes, or anything else lemon makes you as happy as me, then go ahead and buy her book or check out the RECIPE on her website.