hi, my name is jess and i am a chocoholic.  (hi, jess)  i’ll take chocolate pretty much anyway that i can get it.  i made up a batch of these cupcakes for a superbowl party this weekend.  with all of the junkfood available for consumption, these would just be another log on the fire.  :)  i’d highly recommend making a batch of them for your valentine.

the cupcakes are from martha stewart’s recipe for one bowl chocolate cupcakes and it is true, they really are.  the frosting recipe is a swiss meringue buttercream (swbc), my second attempt at this type of frosting.  if you’ll recall, the first one that i used had too much butter.  i found a very helpful tutorial on howtoeatacupcake.net.  i am much happier with the results, but i still want to make a few more tweaks.  overall, the frosting is great for piping, as long as it is cold.

chocolate cupcakes

slightly adapted from: marthastewart.com

• 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 c warm water
• 3/4 buttermilk (if you don’t have this on hand, add 3/4 tbsp of white vinegar to a liquid measuring glass.  fill to the 3/4 c mark with milk.  let sit for 5 min.  voila!  instant buttermilk.)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. pre-heat oven to 350°.  line standard cupcake pans with paper liners, set aside.  addcocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl, stir to combine.  add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 3 min.  scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
2. divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each about 1/2 full.  (warning!  this is the soupiest cake batter i have ever made.  prepare yourself to wipe drips from the cupcake pan.)  bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 min, rotating pans once if needed.  transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

swiss meringue buttercream, enough to frost 24 cupcakes.

source: howtoeatacupcake.net

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 c unsalted butter, at room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water.  whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm, 160°.  (see picture above, a candy thermometer works wonders for this step  and no, i don’t have purple burners.  the pic is kinda weird.)
2. pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks.  continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 min.
3. switch to the paddle attachment.  with mixer on medium-low, add butter 2 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition.  increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 min.  reduce speed to low; add vanilla extract and continue beating 2 min. to eliminate air bubbles.
4. refrigerate frosting for 30 min. and frost cupcakes, as desired.

enjoy!

so this guy named paul often comes over to our apartment and more times than not, raids the mountain dew in the fridge.  it was paul’s birthday last week and to celebrate, i made up a batch of mountain dew cupcakes.  i thought it was the only appropriate way to celebrate such a cool guy.

happy birthday, paul!

adapted slightly from slush

cupcakes (makes 1 dozen)

• 1 stick butter
• 1 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c mountain dew
• juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime
• zest from 1 lemon and 2 limes (separated into two piles)
• 3/4 tsp orange extract
• 1 1/3 c flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

1. beat butter on medium for 30 seconds.
2. add sugar and zests.  beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
3. add eggs one at a time, scrape sides of bowl in between additions.
4. whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  add to mixer bowl.  turn on low for 5 seconds.
5. add the mountain dew, lemon and lime juice and orange extract.  mix to combine.
6. scoop into cupcake liners until 2/3 full.
7. bake for 18-20 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.
8. cool.

mountain dew buttercream frosting (be prepared to eat this by the spoonful)

• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 2-3 c powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp mountain dew
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• lemon and lime zest from second pile (above)
• 1/2 tsp orange extract
• yellow and green food coloring

1. beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy.
2. add half of the sugar, mix until blended.
3. add the mountain dew, zest and orange extract.  beat until combined.
4. add food coloring to the desired color (i did 2 drops each of yellow and green.)
5. gradually add remaining sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.  (i prefer to beat frosting on high until it is light and fluffy.)
6. frost cupcakes, by placing 2 tbsp of frosting on each cupcake and smoothing with an icing knife.

enjoy!

this recipe would qualify as “semi-homemade”.  however, when you’re hungry for breakfast in the morning, i think the quicker the prep time, the better.  :)

• 1 tube reduced fat croissant rolls
• apple pie filling or fried apples from cracker barrel or chopped apples with brown sugar and cinnamon
• cinnamon
• frosting (see blog: sugar cookies and frosting)

1. preheat oven to temperature indicated on croissant packaging.
2. chop apples in apple filling down to small pieces.
3. spoon 1 tbsp of apples onto the wide end of the croissant. sprinkle with cinnamon. roll up to the small end.
4. place on a non-stick baking sheet.
5. bake as the croissant packing calls for, or until golden brown on the edges.
6. while croissants are baking, prepare a small serving of frosting.
7. when croissants are finished baking, remove from oven and place on a plate.  frost croissants as desired.

enjoy!

thanks to an early Christmas present to myself, i can make festive sugar cookies all year round!  the cookies pictured above were decorated at my sister-in-law’s house Christmas eve.  it was a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit!  here are the recipes that you will need:

rolled sugar cookie recipe

• 1 1/2 c butter, softened
• 2 c white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 c all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

1. in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.  beat in eggs and vanilla.  stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.  cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. preheat oven to 400°.  roll out dough on floured surface 1/4-1/2″ thick.  cut into shapes with any cookie cutter.  place cookies 1″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven.  cool completely.

(courtesy of: allrecipes.com)

after these bad boys are done baking, you’ll want to frost them with something delicious.  because i tend to be on the messy side, i like to make several smaller batches of this frosting and dye it.  i made three batches of this size to frost the aforementioned cookie recipe.  here is what you will need.

buttercream frosting

• 2 c powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp margarine from the tub
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• a few drops of milk

1. in a small bowl, start by adding the powdered sugar.  add remaining ingredients.
2. beat well with a fork.  if the mixture is runny, add more sugar.  if mixture is too thick, add a few more drops of milk.
3. add food coloring as desired.

frost your cookies and as always,

enjoy!