Cherry-Chip Cupcakes with Cherry Almond Buttercream Frosting

The Winter Olympics are well underway. Having been in Russia this past summer, I am even more excited about it. One of my favorite parts of the Olympics (I'm cool, I know ;) is watching all of the different countries walk in, during the opening ceremony. I love seeing the people of all of the countries I've been to, and reminiscing. It so cool to see the world come together, if only for a little while. 

I love the hockey (obviously) and the figure skating more than anything. When my sister and I were little, we would dress up our "skating outfits" and pretend we were figure skaters. We worked so hard to master our "jumps",  and would even pretend we were out of breath when our "scores" were being read. We even had medals for every event. Needless to say, we got REALLY into it. Seeing it now, reminds me of how much fun we used to have. 

Valentine's Day is almost here, and I figured it was time to make some cupcakes. I wanted do something different than the typical red velvet cupcake. I love cherry, and I happened to have some cherry flavored baking chips lying around the house. These cupcakes are sweet and light at the same time. I found another frosting recipe that I am currently obsessed with. If you want something fun an sweet for Valentine's Day, then here it is.

For the Cupcakes: Recipe adapted from: www.tasteofhome.com

Makes 24+ cupcakes

3/4 cup shortening 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon cherry oil 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2-1/2 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup cold water 4 egg whites 1/2 cup cherry baking chips find them: here

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar
until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Beat in Extracts. In a separate bowl; combine flour, baking powder,  and salt.

Add to creamed mixture, alternating with water.
Beat until just combined.

In another bowl, beat egg whites on
 high speed until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.

Stir in cherry chips

Pour into  greased and lined muffin tins 

Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

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Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans
to wire racks to cool completely.

For the Frosting: adapted from: http://thecakegirls.com

Makes: 9 cups of frosting

You will need: 

6 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar 

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoon cherry flavoring (I recommend Wilton)

1/2 cup boiling water 

2 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 

2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened and cubed into 1/2" pieces 

24 jarred maraschino cherries

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, stir together the sugar, salt almond extract, and cherry juice.

 Add the boiling water and whip on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Continue to whip until the mixture is cool, about 10 minutes. (The mixture will look like liquid glaze).

 Add the shortening and butter and whip the mixture on medium-high, scraping the bowl down frequently, until doubled in volume. 10 to 15 minutes.

Put icing in a large piping bag with a coupler and desired tip (I used Wilton 2D). Swirl desired amount of frosting on each cupcake. Dust some sprinkles on cupcakes, and top each with a maraschino cherry.   

Super Bowl Sunday: Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies

If you are anything like me, you love having excuses to bake or cook. Super Bowl Sunday is one of those days where you get polish up on your cooking and baking skills. A lot of it is centered around little bites and appetizers, but everyone loves a show-stopping dessert. I really get into the whole thing, so I like to keep my dessert pretty simple. 

I have seen so many recipes for copycat "Lofthouse" cookies. Honestly, I am not impressed with any of them. None of the recipes can acquire that ultra airy texture, those cookies are famous for. The icings also leave a lot to be desired. I say that is one recipe we should leave to the original. That being said, I have found a different type of soft sugar cookie, that suits every occasion. They are a very unique take on sugar cookies, that is hard to describe unless you try them. The icing is more like a glaze, but nonetheless, very nice. We all know how much I love almond extract. I had to use that, but you are welcome to use any flavor or extract of your choice.

My Denver Broncos are playing in Super Bowl Sunday today! Needless to say, I had to show a little "Orange" pride. I decided to turn these cookies into "Bronco Nation" cookies. You can definitely color your icing however you would like. You can even leave it white, and top them with some colorful sprinkles. The possibilities are endless. 

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday, and Go Broncos!

Ready to serve for game time!

Recipe: adapted from: Seeded at the Table

For the Cookies:

(Makes: 5 1/2 dozen)

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 5 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 tablespoons (king Arthur) cake enhancer
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cake enhancer, and salt. In a large bowl , beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, around 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the almond extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients just until incorporated and evenly mixed. form the dough into one large disc, and wrap in saran wrap. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
  When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop about a tablespoon of dough and roll each piece into balls, and place on the baking sheet. (space cookies 2 inches apart) Using your fingers, slightly press the top of each cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through baking. Be careful not to over-bake.  Let cookies cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then move them to a wire rack to allow them to completely cool. 
  
  For the frosting:
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon  almond extract 
• Touch of Bavarian Cream flavor oil (optional)
• 7 Tablespoons milk 
• Food coloring
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              In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the (sifted) confectioners' sugar, melted butter, almond extract, bavarian cream flavor oil, and milk until smooth. You will want a somewhat thick consistency. Make sure it is not too hard to spread on a cookie. If necessary, whisk in additional milk, one teaspoon at a time. Add food coloring, if desired. Spread each cooled cookie with the frosting. Top with sprinkles if desired. (These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.)

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I'm dreaming of a white chocolate Christmas...

It's that time of the year again! I cannot believe it is already here! Time has flown for me this past year. I am just finishing up my first semester at Parsons. I cannot believe how exciting it has been so far. It is everything I thought it be, and so much more. I needed a study break from finals, so I decided to do a little baking.

This time of the year also features one my favorite things, the Cranberry Bliss bars at Starbucks. I found this wonderful recipe by: Gimmie Some Oven, and knew I had to give a try. Even if you don't like cranberries, you will still love these cookies. They are a perfect holiday treat. If you are looking for a great gift to make for your friends or loved ones, this cookies are it. They are different than the traditional holiday cookies. I love the balance of the white chocolate and the cranberries. The icing really sets the cookie off. I hope you love these little guys as much as I do, and I hope you all have a blessed holiday season!

You will need:

For The Cookies:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips (Whole Foods sells mini chips, which I used)
• 1 cup chopped dried cranberries
For The Frosting:
• 1 (8 oz.) bar cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave or double-boiler
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
For The Topping:
• 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave or double-boiler

 Cream together
 butter and sugars together, until fluffy.

Add egg and vanilla

In a seperate bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda.
 gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture

Stir in 1 cup of cranberries & 1 cup white chocolate chips

Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

Scoop tablespoon sized balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (Cookies should be lightly golden).

Frosting: mix together room temperature cream cheese, and
melted white chocolate chips. Add vanilla. 

Finally, gradually blend in
sifted confectioners' sugar. Blend until fluffy

Allow cookies to cool.
Frost with icing and sprinkle the remaining chopped cranberries on top.

Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup melted chocolate chips,
and serve once frosting has set.

Merry Christmas!

Brown Sugar Bliss: Brown Sugar Cookies

I feel that we are quickly becoming a future oriented society. Instead of living in the present, we seem to be focused on the next big thing. I feel that is being pushed on us by the media and big business. The day after Halloween, Starbucks puts out their holiday red cups, and you cannot go to the grocery store without being bombarded with Christmas candy and baking supplies. It is not even Thanksgiving yet. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday we do not get to even enjoy that holiday anymore (since midnight shopping has become the norm). It is sad that we do not get to just enjoy Fall and the present moment. We are forced to move on before we can really acknowledge it. Fall is my favorite time of the year, and though I love Christmas, I refuse to be rushed through this season.

In honor of Fall, I thought I would make something warm and buttery. These are not the typical cookies you will see on every website. They are perfect for this time of year, and are a nice little change to traditional cookies. They are cakey, and caramelly, much like most Fall foods. They still have an airy lightness, from the sour cream. It truly is a baker's/pastry chef's secret weapon.

Enjoy these cookies, and don't get too carried away with all of the Holiday chaos!

Recipe from: Taste of Home

You will need (for cookies):

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Icing:

• 1/4 butter 
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar (sifted) 

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Cream together brown sugar and butter

Beat in egg

Add sour cream, and mix well

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add flour mixture to dough. Mix until just combined.

Drop dough onto baking sheet by the tablespoonful. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool completely, before frosting.

For Frosting:

Over low heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar, and stir occasionally.

Stir in milk, and bring to a boil.

Once it starts bubbling, remove from heat and stir in confectioner's sugar. 

Spread on top of cooled cookies. The longer this frosting sits,
the thicker it gets, so I recommend working somewhat quickly. 

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

It's been a while since I have posted anything. I apologize for the brief hiatus. I have been super busy with school and work, that I have barely had a free moment. Fashion school is everything I expected and much more. Anyone who has gone to art school knows how intensive it is. I love how challenging it is, because it is something I am so passionate about.

 Fall is here; my absolute favorite time of the year. Comfort food is a definite must. If you are looking for something that is super comforting, then look no further. These brownies are so good. They have a nice twist with the peanut butter, Reece's pieces, and peanut butter chips. They are easy to make, but they certainly do not taste like it. They make a great fall dessert.  There are also a definite crowd pleaser.

Brownies:

2/3

cup granulated sugar

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

1/2

cup butter or margarine, softened

2

tablespoons milk

2

eggs

3/4

cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/2

teaspoon baking powder

1/4

teaspoon salt

1/4

cup peanut butter

1/2

cup peanut butter chips

1/3

cup baking cocoa

1/3

cup Reece's Pieces

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper,
and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, stir flour, salt and baking
powder together. Set aside.

Combine: butter, sugars, eggs, and milk. Gradually add flour mixture.

Divide batter in half: Add Peanut butter & peanut chips to one half, and cocoa powder
 & Reece's Pieces in the other. 

Stir until combined.

Drop chocolate batter in 8 spoonfuls into the pan. Follow with the peanut
butter batter, between the chocolate batter. Take a knife, and swirl the batters together. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before serving/cutting

Bon Appétit!

Recipe adapted from: Betty Crocker