Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

   

  Right after the holidays, I picked up a box of this cupcake mix on clearance.  When I eventually made them, I wasn't all that impressed.  They didn't really remind me of hot chocolate at all.  It was basically a chocolate cupcake with a marshmallow glaze.  I know, I know -- I can't expect perfect from a boxed mix.  Of course, I considered this a challenge, though, and decided I had to come up with my own hot chocolate cupcake recipe.  The result was pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.  The cupcakes really taste just like a mug of hot chocolate and the marshmallow frosting is light and fluffy and dreamy.

     I usually take all the food that you see on here to work to be eaten, but I don't usually toot my own horn.  I just set it out and let it be eaten.  But let me tell you, when I made these and took them to work, I tooted my horn all over the whole building.  Seriously. I sent out e-mail blasts telling everyone how amazing my cupcakes were.  And they came.  And they ate them.  And they all agreed.  So, try them.  They're delicious.  

What you need for the cupcakes:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
4 Eggs
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Water
1 Box of Chocolate Pudding Mix 
12 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
6 Individual Hot Chocolate Packets

What to do for the cupcakes:
1.  Preheat the oven according to the directions on the box of the chocolate cake mix. 

2.  Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. 

3.  Put everything in a bowl and mix well. 

4.  Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake according to the directions on the box of the cake mix. 

What you need for the icing:
1 stick Butter, softened
1 jar Marshmallow Fluff (7 oz)
2 cups Confectioners Sugar
A Pinch of Salt 
1 tsp Vanilla 


Here's what you do to make the icing:
1.  Beat butter on high speed until light and fluffy. 

2.  Add marshmallow fluff and continue to beat until incorporated. 

3.  Add sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on high for 5-6 minutes, scraping down the bowl.

I piped the marshmallow frosting on top of the cupcakes to make them pretty.  I also found that if you toss these in the microwave for about 15 seconds, they're even more delicious when they're just a little warm.

Enjoy! 

Copy Cat Recipe: Mini Warm Delights

I've eyed these Mini Warm Delights in the grocery store for a looooong time, but always refused to buy them because you have to pay about $3.00 for two teeeeeny tiny little single serving cakes.  I also thought that if I wanted a chocolate cake that bad, I'd just whip up an entire cake.  Well, in a moment of weakness, I finally bought them a few weeks ago.  I thought they were good, but still didn't think they were worth $1.50 each.  However, I was quite consumed with the idea of making myself a delicious little cake in just a couple of minutes. So, I decided I'd try to copy the recipe. 


I searched the Internet far and wide and found a lot of different recipes, but none were really all that appealing to me.  So, I experimented with my own recipe.  It turned out fabulous!  Much better than I ever could have expected.  And, I did a little taste test with my man friend and we both determined that my little recipe beats the Mini Warm Delights!  My cakes are more moist and more dense than the Mini Warm Delights.  I also think mine have a stronger chocolate flavor.  Take that Betty Crocker! ;-)  


I will warn you, the recipe below makes massive quantities.  But, you have options.  You can  make the recipe as directed below and store your mix in Tupperware at home.  I've even placed individual servings into small sandwich baggies and taken them to work so that whenever I need chocolate, it's there for me.  Or you can just cut the recipe down and have less on hand -- if you do so, just make sure you maintain the chocolate cake mix to brownie mix ratio (1:2). 


What you need for the cakes:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Box of Instant Chocolate Pudding
2 Boxes of Chocolate Brownie Mix
Miniature Chocolate Chips
Water


What you do to make the mix:
1.  Pour the chocolate cake mix and instant pudding mix into one bowl.  Stir well to combine the two powders.
  
2.  Add the two boxes of brownie mix.  Stir well. 


THAT'S IT!


When you want to make yourself a little cake, put 1/4 cup of the mixture and a teaspoon or two of miniature chocolate chips into a ramekin dish.  Add 7 Tsps (or 2 Tblsps + 1 Tsp) of water.  Stir well with a fork.  Microwave for 30-45 seconds. Then enjoy!


I put 1/4 cup of the mixture + some miniature chocolate chips into some baggies and took those, a ramekin, and a teaspoon to work.  So, when I need a little pick-me-up, it's there -- more delicious than the Mini Warm Delights, less expensive, and just as convenient!


Also, if you add about 1 Tsp of  Fudge Ice Cream Topping (like this, not like Hersey's Syrup) to the center of the ramekin before you microwave, you end up with a mini lava cake.  See the gooey fudge there:

Experiment away with toppings for these little cakes!  We've added whipped topping and ice cream and loved both! 


Enjoy!

Heath Bar Cake

My mom has this very sweet friend at her work named Karen.  Karen is a great cook and has a heart of gold.  One year for Christmas she made me a homemade recipe book with some of her family recipes.  It is still my only recipe book.  Right before Easter my mom told me about this great cake that Karen had brought in to work and asked me to make it for Easter.  This cake is delicious and ridiculously easy.  I made mine the night before Easter and let it sit overnight, which I think made it even more moist and delicious. 


Here's what you'll need:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix and the additional ingredients called for on the box
1 Can Condensed Milk
1 Tub of Cool Whip
1 Jar of Caramel Sundae Sauce
1 1/2 King Size Heath Bars


Here's what you do:
1.  Make the chocolate cake according to the box instructions. 


2.  Let the cake cool slightly (about 7 minutes).  Take the handle end of a wooden spoon (or something of similar size) and poke holes throughout the cake.  I made mine pretty uniform in a grid pattern. 


3.  Pour the caramel sundae sauce and condensed milk over the entire cake, trying to distribute evenly. 


4.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. 


5.  While the cake is in the refrigerator, crush the heath bars.  (I put mine in a Ziploc baggie and used my wooden spoon to break up the bars). 


6.  After the cake has chilled for at least one hour, "frost" the cake with cool whip. 


7.  Garnish the cake with the Heath Bar pieces.  I suggest waiting until right before serving to garnish. 


Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

See that right there?  That's the most amazing mistake ever.  Seriously.  I decided to try to make this.  Except I didn't really read very closely and I accidentally bought the wrong ingredients.  And, I love cupcakes, so I made them in cupcake form, of course.


I was making these for one of my book club meetings.  Except I ran out of time to make them in advance and had to make them after I got home from teaching the night before our meeting.  So, I got home around 9:30 pm and quickly threw together my version of this cupcake.  But I didn't want to make a whole batch of my version and have them be terrible, because I had no time to make something delicious if they bombed.  So, I made one cupcake and put it in the oven, thinking if it came out terrible, I could try to save the rest of the batter.  Then I heated up my dinner and sat on the kitchen floor in front of my oven and watched my single cupcake bake.  It was kinda like watching grass grow, except way more exciting.  And, the end result was much more rewarding, I think!


See how the center of the cupcakes are darker than the outside?  That's because the center is filled full of delicious moist fudge.  And see how the tops look all sticky and gooey?  They are.  In the most delicious way possible, too.  I thought the marshmallow would have been over the top with all the chocolate, but I couldn't have been more wrong.  Marshmallow + Chocolate = LOVE.  


These cupcakes must be eaten warm. (See the italics PLUS the underline??? I'm not kidding.)   I took leftovers to work and left step by step instructions requiring those eating them to heat them in the microwave before eating.


The marshmallow melts into the cupcake, which gets pretty messy.  I recommend eating with a fork. 


Source:  Confessions of a Cookbook Queen 


Here's what you need:
1 Box Devils Food Cake Mix and the eggs, oil and water called for on the box
1 Jar Hard Shell Chocolate Ice Cream Topping (like this)
1 7oz jar Marshmallow Fluff


Here's what you do:


1.  Prepare and bake cupcakes according to directions on the box. 


2.  As soon as the cupcakes are baked, pull them out of the oven.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke one large hole in the center of each cupcake (you want one large hole, not many small ones). 


3.  Fill each hole with the chocolate ice cream topping.

4.  Put a dollop of marshmallow fluff on top of each cupcake. 


5.  Return the cupcakes to the oven and bake for about 2 more minutes. 


6.  SERVE WARM!


Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies -- Day 11: M&M Cookies

Remember when I said these Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies were too sophisticated for me?  Well, they were.  But, these cookies aren't.  These cookies are right up my alley.


When I was little I was fat.  F.A.T.  I have a hard time convincing people that it's true because I'm little now.  But, trust me I was fat.  And not cute little kid pudgy.  I was F.A.T.  I was like a miniature ginger sumo wrestler.  The miniature part related only to height.  If you don't believe me, you can ask my Aunt Jean.  Aunt Jean only says nice things about everyone.  She doesn't have a mean bone in her body.  And, she says I was fat. 


Anyhow, I'm pretty sure that fat kid lives on in this adult body. Which is why I get overly excited about things like sprinkles and frosting and M&Ms.  And, that, folks, is why M&M cookies HAD to make the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies.  I have an M&M Cookie recipe, but I wanted to try a new one, just to see what else was out there.  So, I found this one and decided to give it a whirl. 


You all should know that I have finally moved into my new house. FIN-A-LLY.  Seriously, I was starting to think it would never happen.  Now, don't get me wrong.  It's not done.  At all.  But, one day I decided I was tired of paying a mortgage for a house I didn't live in.  So, I spent the next week pulling nearly all-nighters in order to get my bedroom done.  And in I moved.  


I'm currently surrounded by tons of boxes, some left over construction tools and materials, and one super stocked, super cute kitchen!  And, these cookies are the first product of my brand new refrigerator and brand new stove in my brand new kitchen.  Now, everybody "ooooh" and "aaah" and then go try these cookies.  Because they're good. 


Slightly Adapted from: Kokocooks


Here's what you need:
1 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 Egg
2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/8 tsp Salt
2 cups M&Ms

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 

3.  Beat in the egg and the vanilla.

4.  In another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. 

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. 

6.  Stir in the M&Ms.

7.  Drop cookies by about one tablespoon full onto cookie sheets. 

8.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven when they are golden brown. 

Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies -- Day 6: Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies

My birthday was not too long ago.  L-town's parents were very kind and got me this book.  Of course, I had to try one of the recipes immediately.  And, since I was in the middle of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, it worked out perfect.  These cookies turned out pretty good, but they're not my favorite.  They taste like a dark chocolate cookie.  I'm not a dark chocolate fan.  But, I ate a couple of them.  So, if you like dark chocolate, you would probably like these.  The name is quite fitting in terms of the texture -- they do have the texture of a brownie. 


Adapted from: Taste of Home Christmas Cookies & Candy


Here's what you need:
3/4 cup Butter, cubed
4 squared (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Baking Cocoa
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips


Here's what you do:
1.  Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate. 
2.  Transfer melted butter and chocolate.  Add sugar and eggs.  Beat until smooth.
3.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. 
4.  Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  
5.  Stir in chocolate chips. 
6.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  I refrigerated for a couple nights and they still turned out fine. 
7.  Before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
8.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet.  
9.  Bake for about 8 minutes. 
10.  Remove from baking sheet and immediately put on cooling rack upon removing from oven. 


Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies -- Day 3: Hot Chocolate Cookies

I can think of few things more symbolic of cold winter weather, snow, and the holidays than a warm cup of hot chocolate.  I love hot chocolate.  My mom used to make me a cup every morning during the winter before I woke up for school.  Hot chocolate brings back some great memories for me.  And, guess what.  Someone made hot chocolate into a cookie!  Awesome!  These cookies taste just like the real deal.  They're definitely going into my cookie rotation.   


If you get these while they're fresh out of the oven, there is melty chocolate inside the cookies with melty marshmallow on top.  Delicious!  These definitely taste better when served warm, so if you don't get them fresh out of the oven, throw them in the microwave for a few seconds before eating them.  It will be totally worth it. 


Adapted from: Dine & Dash


Here's what you need:
1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 1/4 cups Flour
4 packages Hot Chocolate Mix
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups Mini Marshmallows
2 cups Chocolate Chips
2 tablespoons Milk


Here's what you do:
1.  In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. 


2.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.


3.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda.


4. Slow add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix until well blended.


5.  My dough got a little dry and hard to work with, so I added the milk while mixing in the dry ingredients.  If your dough isn't dry, omit the milk.  If 2 tablespoons of milk isn't enough to make your dough workable, add more. 


6.  Stir in chocolate chips. 


7. Place by rounded teaspoon onto baking sheets.


8.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until slightly firm.


9.  As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, begin topping with marshmallows.


10.  After you've topped the cookies with marshmallows, remove them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack to finish cooling. 


Enjoy!

Oreo Pie

I know it's Fall now and this is kind of a Summer recipe, but I've spent every. waking. moment. fixing up the house I bought so that I can move in already.  This project is a lot more time consuming than I expected.  So, I just haven't been able to cook nearly as much as I'd like (almost not at all **gasp**).  This will all be worth it in the end.  There is a brand new oven/stove just waiting for me to get the house done so I can get in there and use it!  This is a delicious pie that is super simple to make and I haven't shared it yet.  So here it is.

Here's what I used:
1 Oreo Pie Crust
8 Ounces of Cream Cheese, softened
8 Ounces Whipped Topping (Cool Whip), thawed
2 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Package of Oreo Cookies

Here's what I did:
1.  Crushed 10 Oreo Cookies.  I placed mine in a plastic baggie and beat them with a meat tenderizer.

2.  Combined the Cream Cheese and the Whipped Topping.

3.  Mixed in the vanilla.

4.  Stirred the cookie pieces into the cream cheese/whipped topping mixture.  Be careful to stir only long enough to evenly distribute the cookies.

5.  Poured the mixture into the pie crust.

6.  Refrigerated for a couple of hours to let it set up.

I garnished the pieces with a whole Oreo Cookie when serving.  I've tried this with Double Stuff Oreos and it comes out just as good -- just a little more rich.

Enjoy!

Super Moist Chooclate Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Peppermint Frosting

(Yes, I lack enough self control to take a picture before trying my latest creation.  Sue me.) 

I'm sure to some people the title of this post makes it seem difficult.  It really isn't that hard.  Read on and give it a shot. . .


As I said before, I recently took a cake decorating class with my friend Kat.  The class was fun, but I've concluded that I'm more suited for making the cakes than decorating them.  Kat, on the other hand, can decorate a cake like it's nobody's business. 
Anyhow, this cake turned out really delicious.  The cake itself was very moist and stayed that way for the entire time it existed.  I make a delicious crock pot cake, which, among other delicious things, is incredibly moist (I'm sure that recipe will be posted here at some point in the future).  When making this cake, I tried to model it after the crock pot cake and it worked!  I made a simple cream cheese filling which was a great contrast to the peppermint icing that I made and decorated the cake with.

 Here's what I used for the cake:
1 Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
Eggs, Oil and water called for on the cake mix box
12 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips 
8 Ounces of Sour Cream


Here's what I did to make the cake:
1.  Made the cake mix according to the box directions.


2.  Added the sour cream to the cake mix. 


3.  Stirred the chocolate chips into the cake mix.


4.  Baked according to directions on the box of the cake mix.


5.  Set the cake on a cooling rack.  After it had cooled for about 10 minutes, I removed it from the pan and returned it to the cooling rack to finish cooling.




Here's what I used to make the filling:
8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla


Here's what I did to make the filling:
1.  Mixed the cream cheese and vanilla together.


2.  Mixed the powdered sugar into the cream cheese, 1/4 of a cup at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition of sugar.




Here's what I used to make the icing:
1 Cup Solid Vegetable Shortening (Crisco)
1 Tsp CLEAR Peppermint Flavoring
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
7-8 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Meringue Powder
Dash of Salt


Here's what I did to make the icing:
1.  Mixed together the vegetable shortening, meringue powder, and powdered sugar.

2.  Mixed the peppermint flavoring into the icing mixture.

3.  Added water and mixed into the icing.  Tailor the number of tablespoons of water you use to the consistency of icing that you are looking for.

4.  Add a dash of salt and fully mix into the icing.


The icing has a great texture -- very light and fluffy.  The salt in the icing helps tone it down a bit so it's not excessively sweet.

Here's what I did to assemble the cake:1.  Cut fully cooled cake in half.  Removed the top half and placed to the side. 

Check out this post for tips on cutting the cake in half.    

2.  Spread the cream cheese filling on top of the bottom layer of the cake.

3.  Replaced the top layer of the cake on top of the chocolate mousse.

4.  Iced the cake.

I stored my cake in the refrigerator to help preserve it for as long as possible.  I personally prefer this cake served cold, straight from the fridge.  But, it tasted great at room temperature as well.  

Enjoy!

French Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling and Vanilla Icing

I've been taking a cake decorating class with my friend Kat.  I've learned some pretty important lessons in class.  The most important of which is that I should stick to cooking and let someone else worry about the pretty.  But, in the process of preparing for this class, I've made a couple of delicious cakes.  This is one of them.  I started with a boxed mix, but jazzed it up by filling it with a chocolate mousse.

Here's what I used for the cake:
1 French Vanilla Cake Mix and all ingredients called for on the package

Here's what I did for the cake:
Make the cake according to directions, baking it in a greased and floured pan.  Remove cake from oven and cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.  Run a knife between the edge of the cake and pan.  Invert the cake pan onto another cooling rack to remove the cake from the pan.  Let cool completely.

Chocolate Mousse recipe slightly adapted from:  Hersey's Chocolate Mousse Filling

Here's what I used for the filling:
1 Tsp Unflavored Gelatin
1 Tbsp Cold Water
2 Tbsp Boiling Water
1 Cup cold Whipping Cream
1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp Hershey's Cocoa
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Dash of Sugar

Here's what I did for the filling:
1.  Sprinkled gelatin over cold water in small coffee mug.  Let stand several minutes.

2.  Added boiling water to coffee mug.  Stir until dissolved and mixture is clear.

3.  Set coffee mug to the side to side to allow to cool.

4.  Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until thickened.

5.  Added the contents of the coffee mug to the chocolate mixture and beat until stiff.

6.  Added a dash of sugar and stirred.

Icing Recipe slightly adapted from:Wilton's

Here's what I used for the icing:
1 Cup Solid Vegetable Shortening (Crisco)
1 Tsp CLEAR Vanilla Extract
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
7-8 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Meringue Powder
Dash of Salt

Here's what I did to make the icing:
1.  Mixed together the vegetable shortening, meringue powder, and powdered sugar.

2.  Mix the vanilla extract into the icing mixture.

3.  Add water and mix into the icing.  Tailor the number of tablespoons of water you use to the consistency of icing that you are looking for.

4.  Add a dash of salt and fully mix into the icing.

Here's what I did to assemble the cake:
1.  Cut fully cooled cake in half.  Removed the top half and placed to the side.

     Hint:  If you plan on filling multiple cakes, you should seriously considering purchasing
      one of these tools.  They make cutting your cake in half ("torting") simple, easy.

2.  Spread the chocolate mousse filling on top of the bottom layer of the cake.

3.  Replaced the top layer of the cake on top of the chocolate mousse.

4.  Iced the cake.

The cake and icing in this cake are very sweet.  The salt in the icing helps tone down the icing so it is a little less sweet.  The icing is also very light and fluffy.  The chocolate mousse, which is a bit bitter, brings the whole cake together, toning down the sweetness of the cake.

Enjoy!

The Best Chocolate Cookies Ever.

 So, I made these for my book club.  I cook for them a lot.  :-)  I can take no credit for these because I followed this recipe exactly, but these were way too good to not share.  I picked this recipe because I had buttermilk that needed to be used and I wasn't really interested in making biscuits.  These turned out to be a fabulous find!  They were crispy, yet chewy.  They stayed soft for days, literally.  And, the best part, the chocolate chips stayed melty (even days later) so that when you bit into them you got that fabulous taste of just baked cookies.  And they're chocolate on chocolate.  Beat that. 

Seriously, I think I'm going to have to make more of these tonight.  That. Good. 

Source: Baking Bites

Here's what I used:

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1/2 Cup Butter

3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder

2 Cups Sugar

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

2/3 Cup Buttermilk

2+ Cups Chocolate Chips

Here's what I did:

1.  Preheated the oven to 350 degrees.  Lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Whisked together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set that bowl aside.

3.  In a small bowl, I melted the butter.

4.  In a large bowl, I combined the melted butter and the cocoa powder.  Do this while the butter is still warm.

5.  Whisked together the butter and the cocoa powder until the mixture was smooth.

6.  Whisked the sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk into the cocoa powder mixture.

7.  Stirred the dry ingredients into the wet ones.  I did this slowly, pouring a fraction of the dry ingredients into the wet ones and stirring until completely combined and then pouring in more.

8.  Stirred the chocolate chips into the cookie dough.  ** This is the only place I deviated from the recipe.  The recipe calls for 2 cups of chocolate chips.  I happened to be craving chocolate the day I made these, so I threw in an extra handful or two.  Because, clearly, chocolate chocolate chip cookies would not have enough chocolate in them if made as directed.**

9. Spooned the cookie dough onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Be sure to leave plenty of room between the cookies as they do spread out quite a bit while cooking.

10.  Baked for 11 minutes.  Remove them from the oven when they are set along the edges.  Don't cook them for too long or you'll end up with dry cookies.

11.  Let them stand on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool.

I think I'm going to try these with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips -- I'll let you know how it goes.

Enjoy!

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I went to a 4th of July Celebration and tried some Snickers Cookies.  They were peanut butter cookies with a miniature Snickers baked in the middle.   I liked them a lot so I thought I'd give them a shot.  Except I had to add my own twist, of course.  I started out with this cookie dough recipe, although I changed it up a little bit.  Then I experimented with a bunch of candy.  I finally settled on Reeses Peanut Butter cups.  

Here's what I used:

1 Cup of Butter, Room Temperature

¾ Cup Light Brown Sugar

¼ White Sugar

3.2 oz French Vanilla Pudding Mix

2 Eggs

1¼  Tsp Vanilla

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Salt

2 ¼ Cups All Purpose White Flour

¼ Cup 2% Milk

1 Bag Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

 

Here's What I did:

 

1.  Preheated the oven to 350 degrees.

 

2.  Creamed together butter and sugars.

 

3.  Added the pudding mix to the butter/sugar mix.  Mixed well.

 

4.  Added vanilla and eggs to that mixture.  Mixed well.

 

5.  In a separate bowl, I combined the baking soda, salt, and flour.

 

6.  Slowly added the dry ingredients to the wet ones, mixing well.  I found my dough to be a little dry, so I added the milk to get it to the right consistency.  You may not need the milk.  It's possible that you could need more or less milk.

 

7.  Unwrapped the peanut butter cups.  Made a ball out of the dough.  Put the peanut butter cup in the middle of the dough and rolled the dough around the peanut butter cup. 

 

8.  Baked for about 8 minutes.  Take the cookies out of the oven when they are golden brown.  Here are what mine looked life fresh out of the oven:

 

 

Let them cool before eating them.

 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting

Apparently I made something with buttermilk recently.  I know this because I found an almost completely full container of buttermilk in my fridge.  It was set to expire the next day.  I can't, for the life of me, remember what I used that buttermilk for.  Anyhow, I didn't want to waste the leftover buttermilk, so I googled recipes using buttermilk and came up with this one.  I thought the cupcakes turned out well, although I'd probably tweak the recipe a bit if I made them again.  But, I thought the frosting was ahmazing!  I will be using this frosting recipe for many different things.  Or maybe I'll make it just to eat all by itself.  Out of the bowl.  By myself.  Don't judge.

Slightly adapted from: Emeril

Here's what I used to make the cupcakes:
3 Cups Flour

3 1/2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Stick Butter

1/2 Cup Shortening

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Water

2 Eggs

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Cup Buttermilk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract

Here's what I did to make the cupcakes:
I lined a muffin pan with cupcake holders.  I mixed the flour, cocoa, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  On the stove, over medium heat, I combined the butter, shortening, sugar, and water.  I let that mixture boil.  Once it boiled, I poured it into the bowl holding the dry ingredients and mixed them all together well.  Next I added the eggs, soda, buttermilk and vanilla.  After all was mixed together well, I filled each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full and put the pan in the oven.  I baked the cupcakes for about 18 minutes.  Make sure to pull them out of the oven when they spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Here's what I used to make the frosting:

1 Stick Butter

1/2 Cup 2% Milk

1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

1 Pound Powdered Sugar (half a bag) 

1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Here's what I did to make the frosting:
First, I mixed together the powdered sugar and the coca powder.  In a pan over medium heat I combined the butter and milk and heated until it boiled.  I added the butter/milk mixture to the sugar/coca mixture and whisked everything together well.  I added the vanilla and whisked to combine.  I iced the cupcakes while they were still warm.

     Hint:  If you do not ice the cupcakes while they are warm and the
     frosting is fresh, the frosting will be dull when it cools, rather
     than shiny.  It will not affect the taste at all, the cupcakes will just
     be less attractive.
This recipe made about 27 cupcakes for me.

Enjoy!