Chocolate Cupcakes & Peanut Butter Buttercream

I have a 4-day weekend and what better thing to do than bake?  I've been itching to try out the decorator bottles my parents gave me for Christmas, so it was the perfect excuse to find a new cupcake recipe to try.  Do you know how many different cupcake recipes there are?  In case you didn't know, there are a lot.  I probably could have spent hours looking through all the different recipes and cupcake/frosting combinations, but I stopped when I spotted a chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter frosting (but trust me, I bookmarked about 10 recipes along the way).  Also, I did want to bake sometime today, so I needed to stop being so indecisive if I was going to get anywhere.  ;)

These cupcakes are delicious.  Just be careful not to over bake the cupcakes or they will be dry.  The frosting is absolutely amazing.  I wasn't sure about a peanut butter buttercream at first.  I didn't want it to be an overwhelming peanut butter taste.. but it wasn't.  I may or may not have eaten a big huge spoonful before frosting the cupcakes.  He he.  It was like peanut butter and sugar and heaven all whisked together and it was just begging for me to eat it.  I probably would've licked the bowl if I didn't have any self-control...

Chocolate Cupcakes
recipe from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• optional:  chocolate shavings for decoration

TIP:   Don't have buttermilk on hand?  No worries!  Place a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup,  then add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.  Let stand for about 5 minutes.. then voila, use as much as you need!  Buttermilk substitute!  I use it all the time.  :)

Preheat oven to 350 F and put 12 cupcake liners in a muffin tin.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.  Add sugar and beat about 2 minutes, until blended with the butter.  Add the egg, then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear.  Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.  Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it in with the rubber spatula.  Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins, about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean - be careful not to over bake!  Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and let the cakes cool for 5 minutes before unmolding them.  Cool to room temperature before frosting.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
recipe from Cook's Illustrated

• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or natural peanut butter)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp heavy cream

In a medium bowl, beat (or if you have a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment) the butter and peanut butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.  Add the powdered sugar and salt, beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined (make sure to get all those lumps out.. you want a smooth frosting).  Scrape the bowl again, then add the vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium-high speed until the buttercream is light and fluffy - about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl a couple times.

Makes 1 1/2 cups of frosting (will frost 12 cupcakes).

Also, I absolutely loved using the decorator bottles.  It was so easy to use.. no mess, and an easy clean-up!  And I must say, I like anything that makes my life easier.  :)

90-Minute Soft Pretzels

I always want what I can't have, and being in Korea is making it worse (being pregnant while in Korea sure isn't helping, either)!  We have no Texas Roadhouse, Target or Walmart, Coldstone (ok, there is a 'Coldstone'.. but it is NOT the same), Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel... and there is definitely no Auntie Anne's!  Oh, what I would give for a warm and delicious Auntie Anne's pretzel!

There are about a million recipes for homemade pretzels out on the internet - no joke, I looked!  Then I found one in my bread recipes folder, so I decided to go with that.  I do want to try out a couple other pretzel recipes that I had my eye on, though.

You know how I said I was intimidated by crepes?  Yeah, well working with yeast just plain scares me!  Maybe it's because a few months back I attempted one of my Grandma's most famous recipes - Sweet Petals - and totally jacked it up and had to throw them all away.  But these pretzels were a complete success.  I have gained confidence and I see Sweet Petals in my future!  These pretzels are soft and delicious.  I topped some with cinnamon and sugar, dipped plain ones in mustard, and glazed a few with a honey butter sauce that I made.  Great for a Sunday afternoon snack!

90-Minutes Soft Pretzels

recipe from my Grandma

• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp. margarine
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 1 tbsp. water
• Coarse salt (optional)

Mix sugar, salt, 1 cup of flour, and undissolved yeast together in a large bowl.  In a separate dish, heat 1 cup water and margarine to 120 to 130 degrees.  Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer.  Add 1/2 cup flour.  Beat at high speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.  On a floured cutting board, knead dough for about 5 minutes.  Make dough into a round ball, and place into a greased bowl.  Cover (with a towl or with plastic wrap); let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 40 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each into a 20-inch rope.  Shape into pretzels.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Cover with a towel; let rest for 5 minutes.

Mix egg yolk and 1 tbsp. water, brush on pretzels so they get a nice golden color.  Sprinkle with coarse salt (optional).  Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, or until done.  Cool on racks.  Makes 1 dozen.

Best served warm.  If eating them the next day, just pop one in the microwave for a few seconds!

Peabody Vanilla Muffins

This is one of those recipes that I dug out of my Grandma's bread recipe folder.  I must say, her recipes never disappoint me!  I love muffins, although my favorite is blueberry, I thought I'd give this one a go.  At first I was afraid that this one would be too plain and boring, but not at all!  It's very simple, but still elegant.  My Grandma had a note written next to the recipe saying that they serve these at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis (an extremely beautiful and historic hotel), so I asked my husband about that since he's from that area and he said that they do serve them - not that I was doubting my Grandma's notes!  I just thought it was neat.  :)

The view of Memphis from the top of the Peabody, while we were in town visiting family in 2009.

The famous Peabody ducks.

Peabody Vanilla Muffins
recipe from my Grandma

• 2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix milk, egg, and melted butter, and vanilla together.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour all of the milk/egg mixture into the well.  Stir with a fork, only until all the ingredients are  moistened - over-mixing will result in tough muffins.  Spoon muffin batter into well greased muffin tins (or use paper baking cups), filling each slightly more than half full.  Also, before I bake them, I like to sprinkle a little bit of sugar over the top.  It makes the muffins all sparkly and pretty when they're done baking.  :)  Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes.  Remove from muffin pan immediately and serve hot.

This recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins, or 30 mini muffins.

My husband likes his with a little jam.  I like them with a little honey!  But they're just as delicious plain.

Strawberries & Cream Filled Chocolate Crepes

This was my first time ever making crepes.  I have to admit, I was a little nervous.  Crepes were a bit intimidating to me!  They're so thin and delicate.  But this recipe that I made was surprising fast and easy as well as husband-approved!  I see many more crepe recipes in my future.  There are just so many different thing you can do with them.

These particular ones would make a great dessert (or fancy breakfast... *cough, cough*.. yes, I did have about 5 of them this morning) for your special someone on Valentine's Day!

Strawberries & Cream Filled Chocolate Crepes
recipe adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 large (whole) egg
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 1 bag of frozen strawberries (I used frozen because strawberries are not in season right now, so it's much cheaper.. otherwise I would use fresh)
• whipped topping
• chocolate syrup, for serving

Put flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk, eggs, and oil in a bowl and whisk until they're smooth and there are no lumps left.  Then heat a nonstick pan on medium-low heat (I used a 9 1/2 in. pan).  When hot, spray the bottom of the pan with the butter flavored cooking spray.  Pour about 1/4 cup of crepe mixture into the pan and swirl pan slightly to make crepe thin and smooth and so it covers the bottom of the pan completely.  Cook for about 1 minute or until the bottom of  the crepe is light golden brown.  Flip and cook the other side about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until light golden brown.  These do not take very long at all to cook, so pay attention!  Also, your first one may not turn out the best - don't worry, the rest of them will turn out great.  :)  Repeat with the rest of crepe mixture, spraying the bottom of the pan before you make each crepe.

When you're ready to serve, spoon roughly 2 tbsp of the whipped topping into the center of each crepe and then put some strawberries on top of that... however many your heart desires!  Then fold both edges of the crepe over the filling.  Gently flip over so the seam side is down.  Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and drizzle with chocolate syrup.  They are absolutely wonderful when served warm, but they're also good when they're not so warm (they tend to get cold fast).  ENJOY!

The great thing about these?  You can make the batter ahead of time, and just stick it in the fridge!  The batter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.  Nifty!

Weekly Menu Jan. 3rd - 9th

Trying to get back into the swing of things after Christmas isn't easy.  We've gone out to eat the past couple nights.  We have just been too busy!  But one of our goals for 2011 is to cut back on getting take-out, just to save a little bit of money especially with the new baby due to arrive in June.. we need to start preparing!  :)  I find that it helps us to cut back on going out to eat if I plan out meals ahead of time.  I planned quite a few quick & easy meals because I've been so exhausted lately.  Any leftovers we have, we usually eat for lunch.

Monday, Jan. 3rd
--Tater Tot Casserole
Tuesday, Jan. 4th
--Homemade Pizza, Half Pepperoni/Half Ham & Pineapple
Wednesday, Jan. 5th
--Maid Rites with Sweet Potato Fries
Thursday, Jan. 6th
--Steak Fajitas with Rice
Friday, Jan. 7th 
--Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Grilled Ham & Cheese
Saturday, Jan. 8th
--Pork Tenderloin with Veggies & Sweet Potatoes
Sunday, Jan. 9th
--Chicken Pot Pie (ultimate cold-weather comfort food... mmm)

Other cooking/baking:
--Homemade Pretzels, Peabody Vanilla Muffins, Chocolate Crepes with Strawberries, Homemade Hot Chocolate, Sticky Buns.

What's everyone else having for dinner this week??

Kitchen Christmas Loot 2

We had Christmas over Skype with my family this morning, and I received a few new kitchen-related items!

 

My brother and sister-in-law gave me a fondue recipe book!  I love fondue and they don't really have any fondue restaurants here in Korea, so now I'll be able to make my own at home.  :)  My parents gave me some utensils - I really needed some good wooden spoons, and these are awesome.  They also gave me a beautiful apron (which everything is laying on in the photo) and some decorating bottles.

 

I can't wait to try out these decorating bottles.  Pastry bags are a little fussy to deal with in my opinion, so I'm interested to see how these bottles work out!  They look like they'll be easy to use and a lot less messy.  Now I have a great excuse to make cupcakes.. or cookies.. or a cake, perhaps.

Today we finally took the Christmas decorations down, and now I'm just wiped out!  Time for a mug of hot chocolate and be a couch potato for a little while before I go to bed.  :)

Kitchen Christmas Loot

It has been such a long week, with being sick and everything during Christmas (no fun!), so I haven't cooked a whole lot since Christmas dinner.  That's okay - it's nice to have a break every once in a while!

I made out like a bandit for Christmas this year.  My husband and I are really very blessed!  And I must admit, he did spoil me just a little bit.  :)  But I can't wait to get using all of the kitchen things I received for Christmas, especially the stand-up mixer!!

I received a Sinsinsawa Mound cookbook from my Grandma, it's from the place where she works and it's filled with recipes from all of the nuns.  And I don't know why, but nuns probably make the best food in the world - particularly breads, cinnamon rolls, etc.  Just one of the things I miss about home is the farmer's market and all of the delicious treats the nuns cell there!  Ok, I just really miss the farmer's market in general.  It was one of my favorite things to do on Saturday mornings.

My husband bought me the Cook's Bible, which I think is one of the coolest things ever (does that make make me a nerd?).  It it filled with so much useful information!  Healthy eating and all about the five food groups.  All about kitchen equipment - different types of knives, scales, pots & pans, ovenware & bakeware, spoons & spatulas, and a lot of random kitchen equipment.  Preparation techniques, cooking methods, oils, vinegars, flours, pastas, beans & nuts, herbs, spices, sugars, and so so SO much more.  I could go on forever and bore you to death about it (if I haven't already).  It also has some really great recipes that I'm excited to use.  I definitely think this cook will make me a better - or at least more knowledgeable - cook!

You can click on the images to make them larger.

 

  

From Gabe and Jaala, the wonderful new friends we've made here in Korea, we received a Starbucks mug and hot chocolate mix.  Can you ever go wrong with Starbucks?  I think not!  It was really sweet of them to think of us.  :)  My husband also got me a stand up mixer, a new blender, some Martha Stewart prep bowls, and some new spatulas (great stocking stuffers!).  I love everything, and it all makes me excited to get in the kitchen and try some new recipes!  I'm so blessed that my husband will at least try anything I put in front of him.  ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!