Pumpkin Maple Bread with Pecan Streusel

Pumpkin Maple Bread with Pecan Streusel

to welcome autumn!

This recipe was inspired by a Pinterest pin I'd found a while back {found here}. I just free it of its gluten and this is what I got!

-- Bread Ingredients --
1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free baking mix (or regular flour)
1.5 tsp guar gum (or ~1 tsp xantham gum) (skip this if you're using regular flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
1 cup pumpkin puree (make sure you get 100% pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters)
1/3 cup olive oil (or veggie oil, or applesauce)

-- Streusel Topping Ingredients --
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 TB flaxseed meal (or almond meal, or flour)
2 TB sugar
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1/4 cup chopped pecans

* I made my own pumpkin pie spice (as per THIS recipe), as it's something I rarely use so I didn't want to buy a whole bottle of it. The below mix will make 1 TB (3 tsps) of pumpkin pie spice!
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves

-- Instructions --
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, placing the rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9" loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhanging the edges (so you can later lift the loaf out easily).
(2) Whisk the first 6 (or 5, if you're using regular flour) ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and whisk until just combined.
(3) Mix the first 3 topping ingredients together. Cut in the butter. Toss in the pecans.
(4) Pour batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top with a knife or spatula. Evenly sprinkle on the streusel topping.
(5) Bake 30-40 minutes (mine ended up baking closer to 50 mins), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 mins, then transfer to a rack to continue cooling.
(6) After cooled, cut, serve, and enjoy!

Spice Cake with Penuche Frosting

Ingredients

• FOR THE SPICE CAKE:
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• FOR THE PENUCHE FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1¾ – 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1. For the spice cake:
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Grease two 8-inch cake pans. Sift first 7 ingredients into a small bowl; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating will after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with the sour cream in 2 additions, beating well after each addition.
4. Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Set cake pans on a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pan perimeters and turn cakes onto rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
5. For the penuche frosting:
6. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, stirring continuously for 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Return to a boil, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool to lukewarm temperature, then gradually stir in confectioners’ sugar until frosting has reached your desired consistency. For a thicker frosting, add more sugar; to thin it out, you can always add a bit of milk. Fill and frost the cooled cake. Enjoy!

Recipe from Dramatic Pancake

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Inspired by: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/strawberry-rhubarb-crisp.html

Heat oven to 375º F.

Mix together in medium bowl:

• 1.5 cups washed and hulled strawberries
• 1.5 cups washed and sliced rhubarb
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1/4 cup honey

Mix together in a second bowl:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 TB butter, melted

Lightly coat 4 1-serving ramekins with olive oil spray. Divide strawberry rhubarb mixture between each dish. Top with oatmeal mixture. Place ramekins on baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and fruit is bubbling. 

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Double Chocolate Cranberry Chunkies

These are one of my favorite cookie recipes EVER. I found the recipe in a cookbook that was a Christmas present a few years back (The Great American Cookie CookBook), and it quickly became a cookie added to the list of "To Make Often." A friend asked for the recipe, and I realized I've yet to share it on here, so without further ado:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teas. vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks or large chocolate chips
3/4 dried cranberries or dried tart cherries
Additional granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and alt in small bowl; set aside. Beat butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended. Stir in chocolate chunks and cranberries.

3. Drop dough by level 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Flatten dough with bottom of glass that has been dipped in additional granulated sugar.

4. Bake 11-12 minutes or until cookies are set. Cool cookies 2 minutes on cookie sheets; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

Makes about 1 dozen (4-inch) cookies.

Note: I never make them as big as the recipe calls for, and they cook about 10-12 minutes still.

King's Cake

King Cake
makes 1 large coffeecake-sized ring

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees F)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs

Cinnamon Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 red bean, pecan half, or small plastic baby figurine

Frosting
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Purple, green, and yellow paste food coloring (or other colors depending upon the occasion)

For the dough: Pour the warm water into a large warmed bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir until it dissolves. Stir in the warm milk, butter, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Add 1 cup of the flour and blend well. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Lightly flour a flat work surface, and turn out the dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding more flour if the dough sticks. (Ed. Note: You can also do this in a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, which is what I did. I still kneaded it for about 5 minutes, though. If doing it by hand I would recommend going for at least 10 minutes.)

Put in a large greased bowl, and turn to grease the top of the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

For the filling: Punch the dough down. Transfer to the lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into a 30-by-9-inch rectangle. Brush with the melted butter. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly, as for a jelly roll. Pinch the seam to seal.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise, and carefully turn the halves so that cut sides face up. Join the ends, pinching them to form one ring, keeping the cut sides up so the filling is visible. Transfer the ring to a large greased baking sheet. 

If using a red bean or pecan half, push it into the underside of the dough to hide it. (A baby charm will go in after baking.) Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 20 to 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the cake from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. If using a plastic baby figurine, push it into the underside of the cake.

For the frosting: In a small bowl mix together the sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Divide among three smaller bowls. Tint one mixture purple, the second one green, and the third one gold, mixing each one well. Drizzle each color over the top of the cake.

From The Kitchn

Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies

2 cups AP flour (I used whole wheat for 1/2 of it, and it worked fine)

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

Additional sugar

Yoghurt covered raisins (or just regular ones)

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Combine flour, ginger, soda, cloves, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

3. Beat butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add molasses and egg; beat until well blended.  Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed just until blended.

4. Drop dough by level 1/4 cupfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets (if you don't have parchment paper, you can just spray the pan with oil - you might need to lower oven temp. if you do this), spacing 3 inches apart.  Flatten each ball of dough until 2 inches in diameter with bottom of glass that has been dipped in additional sugar. Press 7-8 raisins into the top of each cookie.

5. Bake 11-12 minutes or until cookies are set.  Cool cookies 2 minutes on cookie sheets; slide parchment paper and cookies onto countertop.  Cool completely.

Makes about 1 dozen (4-in) cookies.

From The Great American Cookie Cookbook

Honey Gingersnaps

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T ground ginger
2 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease cookie sheets.  Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, and cloves in medium bowl.

Beat shortening and butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.  Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar until blended; increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in honey, egg, and vanilla until fluffy.  Gradually stir in flour mixture until blended.

Shape mixture into 1 inch balls.  Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in shallow bowl; roll balls in sugar to coat.  Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cookies stand on cookie sheets 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Store in airtight container up to 1 week.

Makes 3.5 dozen cookies

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes!

Yield: 20 standard cupcakes

Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dutch processed cocoa, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, butter, and oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract, buttermilk, zucchini, and chocolate chips.

3. In a separate large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until well combined. Spoon batter into large muffin pans, filling them about 3/4 the way full. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack, while you make the frosting.

To make the frosting:

1. Melt the butter. Whisk in the cocoa powder, whisking until smooth. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Frost the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store cupcakes at room temperature in an air tight container.

* Note-the frosting makes about 2 cups, you might have a little extra.

Roasted Rhubarb Clafouti

Roasted Rhubarb Clafouti
Serves 4-6

For the Rhubarb:
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces, about 3 long stalks) diced rhubarb
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Clafouti
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
pinch of salt

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the rhubarb with the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes to dissolve the sugars and begin extracting the rhubarb juices.

Spread the rhubarb in the bottom of an 8x8" baking dish or 9" pie pan. Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft and the juices are bubbling. Allow to cool until the rhubarb is just warm to the touch.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in the milk. Whisk in the flour, lemon zest, and salt. (To avoid clumps, sift the flour into the bowl through a strainer.) This batter can be prepared up to 30 minutes ahead of time.

Pour the batter over the roasted rhubarb and bake for 35-40 minutes (still at 350°F). When it's done, the clafouti should be puffed around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. It's ok if the middle still jiggles slightly, and the edges will collapse once the clafouti starts to cool.

The longer it cools, the most set the clafouti becomes. For a loose pudding-like dessert, serve while still warm from the oven. For a firmer custard, allow to cool to room temperature or serve chilled. If you're feeling fancy, sift a little confectioner's sugar over the top just before serving.

Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to a week.

hint o' cocoa bundt cake

So my first go at making a bundt cake went pretty well! This recipe is super moist and was a big hit with the family!

{dry ingredients}

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

{wet ingredients}

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

{creaming ingredients}

8 oz unsalted butter

2.5 cups + 2 TB superfine granulated sugar

6 eggs

{glaze ingredients}

1/2 cup milk or water

2 cups confectioners' sugar

{instructions}

1. Preheat oven to 335 degrees Fahrenheit, placing rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick oil-and-startch spray {aka. grease and flour pan}.

2. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Set aside.

3. Combine butter and sugar in a stand mixer with paddle attachment {or a large bowl and hand mixer} and mix on low for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

4. Add eggs one at a time. Scrape bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.

5. Alternately add the dry then wet mixtures about a quarter at a time, without pausing between additions. Scrap the sides of the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds.

6. Scoop bater into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when lightly pressed and a wooden skewer inserted in the deepest part of the pan comes out clean.

7. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, and then flip out onto a rack and let cool completely.

8. Combine glazing ingredients and whisk. Drizzle mixture over cake. If it will not pour well, add more liquid as needed.

{notes}

- I used about 2/3 spelt flour and 1/3 gluten-free flour and it tasted fabulous!

- I will use less liquid in my glaze next time, or let it sit for a bit before pouring because it was really runny.

- I also added 1oz of cocoa to the dry ingredients to give it a hint of chocolate taste. Recipe also suggests adding 1oz melted unsweetened and 3oz melted bittersweet chocolate to the wet ingredients for more chocolate taste <-- will be trying that next time!

- As you can see, I also sifted some extra powdered sugar on top to make it look pretty ;)

{please excuse the stand mixer in the photos!}

original recipe is from: United Cakes of America

Chocolate Raspberry Streusel Squares

It's been awhile, but here's a great (and easy) Christmas cookie recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oats, uncooked
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teas. baking powder
1/4 teas. salt (optional)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

1/2 - 1 cup raspberry preserves or jam
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate or white chocolate, melted (optional)


Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  In bowl, mix flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.  Reserve 1 cup oat mixture for streusel; set aside.  Press remaining oat mixture onto bottom of *ungreased 9 inch square baking pan.  Bake 10 minutes.  Spread preserves over crust (I tried not to get it too close to edges as it will burn).  Sprinkle with chocolate pieces.  Mix reserved oat mixture with almonds and sprinkle on top.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden.  Cool completely.

Drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired.  Let chocolate set before cutting.

*I did grease it with a little canola oil spray - it seemed to help it get out of the pan easier.  If you're using a glass pan, I'm guessing that won't be an issue as you can cut it in the pan, but if you use a metal pan, I'd suggest spraying it.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup oil

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup baking cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt or sour cream)

2 cups shredded zucchini

Frosting:

1 cup shredded coconut

6 TBS. butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup milk

In a large bowl, beat butter, oil, and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.  Beat in vanilla.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves;  add to batter alternately with buttermilk.  Fold in zucchini.  Pour into greased 13"X9"X2" pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine frosting ingredients.  Spread over warm cake.  Broil 4-6 inces from heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown (be careful...can burn very quickly!)  Cool completely before serving.   serves 12-15.

I made it without the frosting, and I used a little vanilla ice cream and fresh berries instead.  
From a friend, Debbie Terry

Perfected Peach Cobbler

From onehungrymama.com
I would use less sugar overall if I made this again.  It was still super tasty though!

6 c peach slices, 1-1 1/2″ wedges (about 8 peaches, peeled** & pitted)
1/4 c packed brown sugar, plus another 1/8 c
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 c white sugar
8 Tbsp (1 stick) cold butter, cut into bits, plus more for greasing pan
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375. Toss peaches with 1/4 c brown sugar, cinnamon & cornstarch. Spread in a lightly buttered 9″ inch pan.

2. Pulse remaining 1/8 c brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and white sugar in a food processor once or twice. Add butter and process until dough comes together. Put dough in a bowl and mix in the egg and vanilla in by hand.

3. Drop spoonfuls of dough across the fruit. Do not spread it around. Bake until all the dough turns golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Note: The easiest way to peel peaches without waste to is submerge them whole in boiling water for a minute or two. Plunge them in cold water immediately after taking them out of the boiling water. Leave for 30 seconds or so, after which the skin should just peel right off.

peach sorbet

My husband and I have been on an ice cream kick lately, but we wanted to have a healthier alternative for our post-dinner snack. This is what we came up with!

MAKES:: ~4 servings

Ingredients::

2 peaches (pitted and sliced)

1-1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt

2-3 TB agave syrup (optional)

2-4 TB fruit juice (optional)

Directions::

Put all ingredients in blender. Mix on "pureé" setting until smooth (30 seconds - 1 min). Pour into freezer-safe containers. Let sit in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

{***notes***}

- we used peaches, but you can certainly substitute any fruit you want!

- agave syrup is an alternative to sugar. it has a low glycemic index and is naturally sweeter, so you use less than if you were to use sugar. if you don't have agave syrup on hand (or don't want to buy some just for this recipe), substitute with sugar. You'll likely have to add a bit more than the recipe calls for- just increase the amount of sugar in small increments until it reaches your preferred level of sweetness :)

- the mixture will seem pretty thin and should pour well into your freezer-safe container. that's ok!

- - experiment with texture... if it's too thin or too thick it still taste great but can sometimes be really hard to scoop!

- my husband used blueberry-cranberry juice (I did not). I used agave syrup (my husband did not). You can use both or neither, it's completely up to your taste buds!!

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Makes a 9-inch round cake.

For the Rhubarb bottom:

• 3 1/2 cups rhubarb, washed, dried and chopped in 3/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons orange rind (or lime)
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a round 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and butter pan thoroughly. Mix together first four ingredients and pour into pan. Dot with butter and place in a preheated oven. Cook only as long as it takes you to put the cake batter below together.

For the Cake: In the bowl of a mixer combine all together:

• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

With the paddle attachment, beat ingredients for two minutes, scraping down sides as necessary. Then add:

• 1 egg

Beat for another minute.
Pour batter over rhubarb and return everything to oven. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan. Place a plate or cake platter on top of the pan and re-invert cake onto the platter. Remove tin and peel off parchment. Serve warm.

Serves 6-8 generously.

Super yummy!  I think next time I might lessen the sugar by a bit in the rhubarb topping and the cake part as well.  Recipe from simplebites.net

Car Bomb Cupcakes!

Tis the season... well... as far as March goes, St. Patrick's day seems to get some attention, and who can deny some Guiness and Bailey's?



This is a bit of a mashup of a few recipes I've found around with some modifications...
so first off -- the chocolate stout cupcake!
This is a halfsies version of this recipe. My adaptation makes about 2 dozen good sized cupcakes, so unless you are going for feeding a small army, this size seems just right!

Ingredients- Cake

• 1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 cups sugar
• 
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs

• 2/3 cups sour cream

Preparation
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake/muffin tin. Butter/grease/PAM these.
Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among cupcake papers. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Take cupcakes out, onto rack and cool completely.

BAILEY'S FROSTING:
[this is from HERE.]

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

In a medium bowl, blend together cream cheese, butter, and Bailey's. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well until it’s all incorporated. Use immediately. The frosting will harden in the fridge, so plan on bring it back to room temperature if you must refrigerate it before frosting the cupcakes.



........so this is my first time trying this frosting. Anyone have a variation or other ideas of what might go well on here? I love the flavor of these cupcakes, as they're a more "grown up" flavor, and very rich, yet not over-sugary.

chocolate-dipped shortbread

These are some shortbreads that I shipped to my hubby overseas {he's deployed with the US Army}... hehe, and I may have eaten a few before they got packaged! To send them, I wrapped each individually in wax paper, then vacuum sealed them all in a gallon-sized bag.

.: Directions :.
Beat 2 sticks butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Whisk 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt, then stir into the butter mixture. Press into a buttered 8-inch square or 9-inch round tart pan. Score into strips with a fork, then chill 30 minutes. Bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees. Cool, then slice along the scored lines. Dip in melted bittersweet chocolate and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

original recipe from Food Network Magazine

stand mixer cupcakes

These were made using my go-to yellow cake recipe and buttercream frosting! It's a KitchenAid recipe, from the book "Great Baking and More." In the past I have substituted 1 cup of the flour with spelt flour, and also I've used butter instead of shortening.

.:Quick Yellow Cake:.
.:ingredients:.
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. low-fat milk
2 eggs

.:directions:.
Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Add eggs. Continuing on Speed 2, mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed 6 and beat about 1 minute.

Pour batter into two greased and floured 8 or 9-inch round baking pans, . Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

.: Buttercream Frosting :.
.:ingredients:.
1 1/2 sticks butter, softenend
2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
low-fat milk {optional}

.:directions:.
Place butter in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to Speed 6 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl.

Sift powdered sugar into bol. Add vanilla. Turn to Speed 2 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed 6 and beat 2 minutes, or until fluffly.

maple-oatmeal scones

so this recipe is from Barefoot Contessa on FoodNetwork. I made these on a whim and found out a few things:

1) you don't have to use the oats if you don't care for them {I accidently forgot them, and the recipe turned out quite well hehe}

2) I substituted 1c of all-purpose with buckwheat flour. It gives it a very different taste, but if you like buckwheat, it's great!

3) in the glaze, you can substitute with agave syrup if you're out of maple. I ran out after about 1/8c maple syrup, topped off the 1/2 cup with agave syrup {it's a sugar substitute}, and added 1 tsp maple extract. you still get a great maple taste!

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup cold buttermilk
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

Directions

Glaze:

• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes, and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be. {I would recommend leaving the scones on the parchment until the glaze has dried some as it does run quite a bit!}

easy whoopie pies

{my husband's platoon describes these as "oreo cookies on steroids"}

Ingredients

1 1/4 c granulated sugar

1 stick butter

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder*

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

6 oz melted semisweet chocolate

1 jar marshmallow fluff**

* Dutch-processed is hard to find sometimes, you can use Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, which is a blend of Dutch-processed, but you can't straight substitute with regular cocoa powder

** you could also substitute with a cream recipe instead of the fluff, this would give it a more traditional whoopie pie taste!

Directions

Beat granulated sugar and butter until fluffy, then beat in eggs, semisweet chocolate, and vanilla. Whisk flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, salt and baking powder; stir into the butter mixture.

Chill 30 minutes.

Roll into balls and bake 6 to 8 minutes at 375 degrees; cool slightly.

Flip over half the cookies, top each with a marshmallow and return to the oven to soften, 2 minutes.

Top with the remaining cookies. {I would test first with one sandwich and wait a minute or two, if the marshmallow is too soft, the top cookie just slides off!}

from Food Network Magazine