Peanut Butter Blossom....cupcakes

My son's class was having a Christmas party earlier in the week, and he volunteered me to make cupcakes.  Thanks!  I never mind baking, but I get nervous when it is for people I do not know.  Also, there is the transportation factor, especially when I am not the one doing the transporting.  

When I bake for those I am not familiar with, I like to eliminate all potential allergens as much as possible.  I made the base cupcakes using a recipe that does not call for milk, eggs, or butter.  I add about 1/2 cup of extra flour to this to make it a bit more sturdy since it will be a cupcake.  I literally just dump everything into the bowl and mix.  

2 C flour
2 C sugar
6 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C warm water
2/3 C oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 tsp mint) extract

Put in cupcake liners and fill about 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 F for about 10-15 minutes (toothpick will come back clean).  

I made a batch of standard buttercream and decorated with royal icing to look like holly leaves and berries.  I still had some cupcakes left over, so I decided to make peanut butter frosting (no recipe....just 1/2 cup butter, PB to taste, milk and powdered sugar).  I dusted with sanding sugar to mimic the sugar on peanut butter blossom cookies and then topped with a Hershey kiss.  I saved 1-2 for me and packed the rest separately from the holly decorated cupcakes.

I sent my son off with these cupcakes to school.  When he got home that evening, I asked him how everyone like everything.  He fell to his knees and did the "we're not worthy" thing from Wayne's World.  I think it's fair to say everyone liked them!  Mission accomplished!

Snicker Doodles aren't just cookies anymore!!

My husband and son are cinnamon addicts.  They go absolutely crazy for anything with cinnamon in it.  In stark contrast, my husband does not like things too sweet.  What a dilemma for someone who wants to pursue baking!  I wanted to surprise them with a cupcake packed with cinnamon, and I found this recipe on Pinterest.  Let me just tell you, they did not last more than 2 hours in my house!  My husband told me I could make these often if I wanted.  

Cinnamon is not my favorite, but I tried one of these cupcakes anyway.  Oh my…it was good. Considering you put cinnamon in the cupcake batter, brush the still warm cupcake with melted butter and dunk it into sugar and cinnamon and THEN put cinnamon in the frosting..I thought it would be cinnamon overkill.  However, it was quite the contrary.  The cake was moist and the flavor subtle.  

You can find the recipe here

I guess I’m going to have to put this in the regular rotation….only I might just have to double the recipe so they last the day!

Gingerbread cookies

When people think about the holidays, they think about gingerbread cookies and houses, egg nog, peppermint bark and shopping 'til you drop.  That's most people.  Me?  I think of peanut butter fudge, but I have an somewhat obsessive relationship with peanut butter.  I HAVE to have it.

Anyway, I digress.  Since not everyone shares my opinion on the peanut butter thing, I have to satisfy the cravings of my family for the normal holiday faire.  My dear husband does not have a particularly sweet tooth (seems almost unnatural doesn't it?), so I decided to start with gingerbread cookies.  

I shopped for recipes and stumbled across this one from Glorious Treats.  I went to work making the dough and boy, about that dough.  There's a ton of it....and it's thick.  My poor KitchenAid was begging for mercy.  It was all worth it in the end though.  To say there were a lot of cookies would be an understatement.  

The first thing I noticed was the aroma coming from the oven.  It was heavenly.  I decided to try one, and I was glad I did.  I might just be tempted to come to the "normal" side of holiday treats!  They were fantastic.  You control whether or not the cookies are crispy or soft by the thickness of the dough.  

A note about the frosting...the first time I made the frosting, I added too much water and the frosting was way too thin.  It slid right off the cookies.  The second time around, I added a bit of clear corn syrup (because the powdered sugar just isn't sweet enough), and that seemed to do the trick.  

My husband was drawn to the kitchen by the aforementioned heavenly smell of these cookies baking.  He found me decorating these.  He is a very artistic person, so I think his interest was piqued.  He asked me if he could help decorate them.  Against my better judgment, I agreed.  I gave him the piping bag and he went to work.  Within 5 seconds, I see frosting spewing from his hand like lava from a volcano.  He looked at me like I was going to beat him.  That man and his Kung Fu grip, I tell ya'.  We had a good laugh about it, and it's something that we will remember every time gingerbread cookies are made.

Peanut butter fudge

I am pretty much in love with all things peanut butter.  However, good peanut butter fudge is hard to find.  I do not like my fudge to taste more like marshmallow or sugar than peanut butter.  I volunteered to bake some goodies for a fundraiser to benefit my son's indoor percussion unit and I wanted to include peanut butter fudge.  I found lots of recipes with the marshmallow fluff, creme, etc. in it.  I was getting a little discouraged when Pinterest pulled through again.  Thank you, Shop Girl!

I liked the fact that I did not need a science degree to make this fudge.  No stirring constantly for 3 minutes and 24.6 seconds exactly.  It could not have been easier.  

I could barely contain myself long enough for the fudge to set.  When I could no longer stand the wait, I cut into the fudge and sampled a piece.  I was literally weak in the knees.  So smooth, so peanut buttery, so fudgy.  I cannot wait to make more!

Here's the recipe (from Shop Girl):

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup milk

2 1/4 cups brown sugar

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional: add chopped unsalted peanuts for extra crunch

DIRECTIONS:

First, measure out all your ingredients, because you will need to have them on hand, as the fudge comes together pretty quickly. Place the confectioners' sugar in your electric mixer bowl. Then, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, making sure that it doesn't burn. Once the butter has melted, add in the milk and brown sugar and whisk until you have a smooth mixture. Constantly whisking, bring it to a boil, then cook for another two minutes, continuing to whisk. Remove from heat, and add in the peanut butter and vanilla extract and stir until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Pour it into your electric mixer with the confectioners' sugar, and mix until completely smooth and creamy. Pour into an 8x8 inch pan (line the pan with parchment paper) and let chill until the fudge is firm, then cut it into small pieces using a sharp knife. (*Note: I cut the recipe in half and made a smaller batch, and it was still a lot of fudge!)