Death By Chocolate Cupcakes

Yellow Cupcakes

• Prep Time: 15 mins

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Serves: 12, Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake batter:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ( 7 1/2 ounces)
• 1 cup granulated sugar ( 7 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature ( 1 stick)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 bag of Hershey Kisses

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer.  Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
3. Place half of batter evenly among cups of prepared tin using 2-ounce ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon. Add Hershey Kiss in center of cupcake and cover with other half of batter.  Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 16 to 20 minutes. Use skewer or paring knife to lift cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

 

Chocolate Chip Frosting

Ingredients:

• 6 oz pkg semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c sugar
• 5 tsp butter
• 1/3 c milk

Directions:

1. In microwave, bring butter, milk and sugar to a boil (around a minute and half).  Remove and add chocolate chips and beat until smooth.  Spread over cupcakes.

 

Pink Strawberry Cupcakes

Its that time of year…the time to celebrate Cupid & love 🙂  I tried this cupcake recipe and it is my all time new favorite.  However, it is really sugary and so if you are watching your waist line this one probably isn’t the best.

https://cm.g.doubleclick.net/push?client=ca-pub-1601477034266482

Yield: About 18 cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup pureed frozen strawberries (about 1/4 of a 1 pound bag)
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/3 cup milk
• several drops of red/pink food coloring or gel paste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 18 cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl use an electric mixer to blend the butter with the strawberry puree. Add the flour mixture and blend until light and fluffy (the batter will be very thick).
4. In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and dye. Add whites in three parts to the batter mixture, mixing only until incorporated after each addition.
5. Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/05/25/pink-strawberry-cupcakes/print/

Easy Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 to 6 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions

• 1. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Yield: About 3 cups.

Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 

Healthy Shrimp Scampi

Its that time of year.  Time to watch the waistline 😦  This is one of my favorite scampi recipes.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound cleaned, large deveined shrimp, patted dry
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3/4 pound multi-grain angel hair pasta
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon juice (optional)
• 2 cups steamed baby spinach (optional)

Directions

• Bring an 8- to 10-quart pot of salted water to boil.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers, then saute shrimp,turning once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add garlic,  chicken stock and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper to skillet and bring to a boil, let it reduce to 1/2 cup. Add butter and stir until melted, then remove skillet from heat and stir in shrimp.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 6 minutes. Toss pasta in bowl with shrimp mixture, parsley and lemon zest.  Squeeze lemon juice on top if desired.  Place on top of steamed spinach if you’d like.

 

 

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/6 recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 316   Calories from Fat 94
Total Fat 10.4g
Saturated Fat 2.3g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 153mg
Sodium 225mg
Total Carbohydrates 39.2g
Dietary Fiber 4.2g
Sugars 1.3g
Protein 19.4g

Healthy Shrimp Scampi ~ Ready in 15 Minutes

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Buttercream Frosting

My new cupcake obsession continues 🙂  To start the New Year off right, I made this one for everyone and they were gone in a flash.  Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes recipe:

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup milk

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar together just until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Add in vanilla and beat again.
2. Combine, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
3. Alternating, add flour and milk, starting and ending with flour, beating just until combined.
4. Spoon batter into cupcake tins lined with paper liners or lightly greased, to 2/3 full. I use a cookie scoop. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 16-18 minutes, until done. Use a toothpick to test for doneness, inserting in center, if it come out clean with no batter or crumbs, they cupcakes are ready.
5. Let cupcakes rest in pan for 20 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely. Once cool, frost as desired.

NOTES: If you make mini cupcakes, fill baking cups 1/2 full and reduce cooking time to about 12-14 minutes.

recipe source ChocolateChocolateandmore.com

 

Maraschino Cherry Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 lbs powdered sugar
• 6 Tbsp juice from maraschino cherry jar (plus more if needed)
• 1 tsp almond extract

Instructions

1. Beat softened butter in a large mixing bowl until completely smooth and fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in about two cup of powdered sugar.
3. Beat in the maraschino cherry juice and almond extract until completely combined.
4. Gradually beat in the rest of the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time.
5. If your frosting is too thick, beat in additional maraschino cherry juice one teaspoon at a time.

Recipe by Mom On Timeout at http://www.momontimeout.com/2015/02/maraschino-cherry-frosting-recipe/

Best Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

I am, like most of you probably are, so glad the holidays are over.  With how exhausted everyone in my house is, this nice warm dish is simple and hit the spot. 

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless  chicken breasts

1 cup  BBQ sauce

1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt to taste

Directions

1. Season chicken breast lightly (a small pinch per breast)  with some sea salt and place in your crockpot.

2. In a mixing bowl combine BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined.

3. Pour over chicken, cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 5-6 hours.

4. Once time is up, you can serve the breast whole, or shred with 2 forks. If shredding, recover and let cook in sauce for about 10-15 more minutes to soak up the flavor.

5. Serve on buns, over rice, in wraps, on a salad or eat a plateful as is!

http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2014/06/best-crockpot-bbq-chicken.html

 

Sparkling Christmas Cosmo Cocktail

If you are like me today, you are busy finishing wrapping and cleaning and last minute baking.  I decided to take a deep breath and make the cocktail above.  Yum!  I better pace myself.  Happy Holidays!

 

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 8 glasses

Ingredients

• 1 lime
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup ice cubes
• 3 cups cava/sparkling wine
• 3/4 cup cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1/4 cup triple sec

Instructions

1. Cut the lime in half. Squeeze the juice from one half into a serving jug. Chop the other half of the lime into thin rounds and place into the jug with the cranberries and the ice.
2. Pour over the cava or sparkling wine, cranberry juice, vodka and triple sec and stir.
3. Serve immediately whilst cold and store the jug, covered with tin foil, in the fridge until all the cocktail has been drunk.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

I have been addicted to Cupcake Wars for week or two and have taken to binge watching on Netflix.  Yesterday, I tackled these tasty cupcakes and, for my first time in a long time, I made them from scratch.  This ended up being very tasty, but my suggestion is double on paper cupcake wrappers or use something stronger as the molasses makes the bottoms a little greasy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature¹
• 1/2 cup (156g) molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/3 cups (167g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz (224g) full-fat brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature²
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream or milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. Make the cupcakes: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the milk, molasses, and vanilla on medium speed. Mixture will be piecey and not fully combined. That’s ok.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full, no more. Bake for 19-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
5. Make the frosting: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and 1 Tbsp cream. Beat for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and 1 more Tbsp cream if needed to thin out. Beat for 1 minute. Taste the frosting and add a pinch of salt if too sweet.
6. Frost cooled cupcakes immediately before serving. Unfrosted cupcakes remain fresh covered tightly at room temperature for 2 days. Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

© Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Slow Cooker Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Are you hosting a holiday party?  Caroling with friends and family? Decorating your tree?  This Peppermint Hot Chocolate is for you 🙂  My family likes a little less peppermint so we only use 4 candy canes but if you like more, you can use up to 7.

Author: Little Spice Jar

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  2 hours

Total time:  2 hours 5 mins

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• ⅓ cup hot water
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (roughly chopped)
• 4 cups (1 quart) milk
• ¼ cup half and half (or replace with additional milk)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 4-7 candy canes (pulsed in food processor)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the hot water and the cocoa powder, stir until smooth.
2. Add the bittersweet chocolate, milk, half and half, sugar, and candy canes to the slow cooker along with the cocoa paste. Heat on the low setting for 2 hours, stir every 30 minutes or so. If you notice the chocolate is not melting after the first hour, switch to the high heat setting and let cook the remaining 1 hour on high (stirring every 30 minutes).
3. Serve warm with marshmallows, whipped cream, crushed candy canes, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, or chocolate shavings.

Cozy Peppermint Hot Chocolate {Slow Cooker}

 

 

 

 

Christmas Fudge

Holiday baking season has officially begun and what would it be without some tasty fudge!  This recipe yields a high amount if you cut into small pieces. You can also alter to have just white fudge or all chocolate fudge instead of layering and alter amounts.

 

Yield: 64 small pieces of fudge

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

Chocolate Fudge Layer:

• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 of a 14-ounce can full-fat sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons marshmallow creme

White Fudge Layer:

• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 of a 14-ounce can full-fat sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons marshmallow creme
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup red/green sprinkles, plus a few more sprinkles or nonpareils for the top

Directions:

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil (leaving a good overhang on all sides), and spray lightly with nonstick spray.
2. Prepare the chocolate fudge layer: In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme and heat over medium heat.  Stir constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon as the chips melt.  Once the mixture is melted and smooth, remove from heat and scrape into the prepared pan- spreading to create an even layer.  Set aside.
3. Prepare the white fudge layer:  In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme and heat over medium heat.   Stir constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon as the chips melt.  Once the mixture is melted and smooth, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Then quickly stir in the 1/3 cup sprinkles.  Don’t stir too much or they will begin to melt into the mixture.  Scrape the mixture on top of the fudge layer- spreading to create an even layer.  Sprinkle a few additional sprinkle or nonpareils on top, if desired.
4. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until set.  Once set, remove the fudge from the pan by lifting it out of the pan with the foil overhang and then peeling the foil off and discarding.  Set the fudge on a cutting board and cut into small pieces.  Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze in a well-sealed container until ready to munch.

SOURCE:  RecipeBoy.com (adapted from Sally’s Candy Addiction cookbook)

Print Recipe

 

© RecipeBoy – http://www.recipeboy.com/2016/11/christmas-fudge/

Shower Cleaner Wand

You survived one holiday with family but now is the big one…Christmas.  I found the best way to handle to clean the shower is to fill a kitchen dish scrub wand (you can find them at the 99 cent store) with vinegar and dish soap and hang on a hook in the bathroom for ease of cleaning.  Of course, if you have really young kids, maybe keeping the wand in the laundry room or in master bathroom would be better.  It makes cleaning up after a crowd a breeze.