Chocolate Fudge Cookie Stuffed Cupcakes With Chocolate & Vanilla Butter Cream

I recently celebrated my 18th birthday and decided to create an extra special cupcake just for my special day. I combined some of my favorite flavors and managed to stuff it all into one cute little cupcake! I knew from the moment I took the cupcakes out of the oven that everything was going to be delicious... and I was right! Stuffed with the most decadent cookie, these chocolate cupcakes satisfy everyone's sweet tooth. I hope you all enjoy them as much I did. And always remember: "Life's short, eat a cupcake!"

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix of your choice.

Prepare as directed; bake according to directions on box.

Cookie Dough Center:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add 1 egg and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls; place onto a baking sheet, and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting:½ c. butter.
½ c. margarine.
3 c. confectioners’ sugar. (SIFTED!)
1 tbsp. vanilla.
¼ tsp. salt.
2 tbsp. milk.

Beat butter and margarine for a few minutes at medium speed. Add confectioners’ sugar and reduce mixer to low speed. Blend until sugar is incorporated. Increase to medium speed and add vanilla, salt, and milk. Beat for 3 minutes. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with miniature chocolate chips.


Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting:
½ cup butter
½ cup margarine
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk

Cream butter and margarine for a few minutes on medium speed. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.


Enjoy!






　

Quite Possibly One Of The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies... Ever!

Whenever I would search "the best chocolate chip cookie recipe" on the internet, this recipe kept popping up, so I figured my computer was trying to tell me something. It was the little things about this recipe, 2 cups PLUS 2 tbsp. flour, one egg PLUS one egg yolk, that had me believing that maybe everyone was right! Maybe this was the best chocolate chip cookie out there! So, of course, I had to try it and, either prove everyone wrong, or have the privilege of tasting one of the best cookies on the planet! Lucky for me, it was the second thought! I now understand what everyone has been talking about when they labeled these "the best". So, here it is... the recipe for the best chocolate chip cookie!

"The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie"

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Scoop dough out with cookie scoop and place the formed dough balls on parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets, and get ready to bite into one of the best cookies in the world! Enjoy!

Sprinkles Cupcakes NYC

Just a few short years ago, in Los Angeles, CA, I visited the very first cupcake bakery, Sprinkles Cupcakes, founded by the one and only, Candace Nelson. Located on the west coast, and, me, living on the east coast, I could not wait until Sprinkles came to an area near me. Finally, in early 2011, Sprinkles opened a new location in New York City! I was super duper excited and couldn't wait to go back so I could enjoy that delicious cupcake that I haven't stopped dreaming about. After all those years of waiting for that cupcake, I returned to Sprinkles the other day! For their Holiday special, Sprinkles was offering a unique flavor for the month: Eggnog Spice Cupcake. The moist spice cake was complimented by a creamy eggnog frosting that simply melted in your mouth. While I enjoyed my eggnog cupcake, my parents were delighted by the most wonderful chocolate cupcake topped with only the best chocolate frosting. For a cupcake queen, like me, this wasn't just a visit to some cupcake bakery, but the highlight of my week!

For those cupcake lovers, like me, I highly suggest you visit the nearest Sprinkles. As a matter of fact, it is totally worth hopping on a plane if you are not within driving distance. I would never lie about cupcakes, so it is safe to say that these are the world's best little treats!





French Chocolate Macaroons

After spending some time in Paris, France this past April, I've been dying to make french macaroons. They are so light and delicious and I love a new challenge! I always have to work some chocolate into my baking one way or another, so my best bet was chocolate macaroons. For a first timer, I must say that I think I did pretty well in my macaroon making. It took a bit of time, considering I wasn't a pro at it, but overall, I will definitely make these again.

FRENCH CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

Macaroons:

1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Filling:1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

　Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the macaroons: Pulse the almonds with 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add the cocoa powder and the remaining 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar and pulse until well blended.

Beat the egg whites with the salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl just until the whites form soft peaks when the beaters are lifted. Add the granulated sugar and beat just until the whites form stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the almond mixture.

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe out 1-inch-diameter mounds about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tops are cracked and appear dry but the macaroons are still slightly soft to the touch.

Transfer the cookies, still on the parchment paper, to barely dampened kitchen towels and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully peel the paper off the macaroons and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the filling: Bring the cream just to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Add the chocolate and butter and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm enough to hold its shape when spread.

If desired, transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe the filling, or spread it with a knife, generously on the flat side of half of the macaroons. Top with the remaining macaroons, flat-side down, pressing together gently to form sandwiches.

Chocolate Pumkpin Pie.

Happy Black Friday everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as I did! Of course, the best part was the dessert, which is why I wanted to post the recipe for my delicious Chocolate Pumpkin Pie. I must admit, I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, but I thought a chocolate pumpkin pie just might do the trick. I found this great recipe which added semi sweet chocolate bits to the spiced pie filling. Made with a fillo dough crust, this pie is a healthier version of your typical pumpkin pie. Yet still so tastey, you won't feel as guilty going for that second slice. I also topped the pie with light whipped cream for extra flavor and decoration.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Butter flavored cooking spray
6 sheets fillo dough
½ cup light cream
½ cup fat free cream
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate bits
15- ounce can pumpkin puree
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
3 egg whites



Unroll fillo dough, then cover with plastic wrap while you work. Lay one sheet of fillo dough on the counter. Lightly mist the fillo with cooking spray. Set a second sheet of fillo over the first, rotating it slightly. Mist the second sheet of fillo, then repeating this process with the remaining fillo sheets, rotating each time a sheet is added. Mist the final sheet of fillo. Use a knife to carefully trim the stack of fillo into a 12- inch circle. Discard the scraps. Carefully lift the stack and set into the prepared pie pan, gently pressing the fillo against the bottom and sides of the pan.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan over medium-high, heat the cream until just bubbling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate bits. Stir until completely melted and smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and the chocolate cream mixture. Add the egg whites, whisking until everything is thoroughly combined.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the center is set and no longer jiggles.

Nutritional Info:
Calories- 290
Fat- 14
Carbohydrates- 40

Thanksgiving Eve Baking.

Carrot cupcakes have been on my list of new things to bake for quite some time now. Never making a carrot cake before, I searched and searched for the perfect recipe and finally constructed something that was moist and delicious and, not to mention, extremely light on the calories and fat! Thanksgiving seemed to be the appropriate time to try out these little beauties, and I must say, they were a success! Usually carrot cake is paired with cream cheese frosting, which I find to be amazing, but I thought it would be interesting to put a little spin on the typical cream cheese frosting and spice it up with some cinnamon. After sampling my precious treats, I've decided that carrot cupcakes were going to be on the menu for years to come. Enjoy!

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES FOR THANKSGIVING
2 1/2 cup or whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup natural applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups finely shredded carrots

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
Sift together the first 5 ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutritional Info:

Calories- 160

Fat- 5

Carbohydrates- 25

　

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

3 (8 oz.) Pkgs. Cream Cheese; softened.
¾ cup butter; softened.

3 cups confectioners’ sugar.

2 tsp. vanilla.

1/4 cup cinnamon.*

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in vanilla. Gradually stir in sugar and cinnamon.

* Yes, this seems like alot of cinnamon, but because the recipes makes quite a bit of frosting, I wanted the cinnamon flavor to be strong.

I also divided up some frosting and added green and orange food coloring to it to pipe on the carrot decorations.

Happy Thanksgiving Bakers!

Chocolate Chip Muesli Cookies

On my recent visit to London, England, I discovered a new breakfast cereal called Muesli. Very similar to oatmeal, Muesli, is packed with a blend of fruit and nuts, along with oats. At first, I thought Muesli was only sold in the U.K., but when I returned home to the states, I found some in my local grocery store. I became a fan immediately, and knew that I had to try to incorporate Muesli into some kind of cookie. So, once again, I started creating a cookie like no other. I decided to use my basic, yet delicious, oatmeal cookie recipe, and replace the oatmeal for Muesli. The result was out of this world! The cookies were soft and chewy, so this recipe is definitely a keeper! I added some chocolate chips for a bit more flavor which was an absolute plus! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Muesli Cookies:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup Muesli

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir until combined. Add Muesli and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 1 dozen.



Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies.

As usual, I was thinking of some kind of new cookie recipe to whip up. This time, I took a slightly different approach and combined sweet and salty flavors into one DELICIOUS cookie! The idea came to me one day when I saw the new chocolate chips that my mom had purchased at the store. Nestle Toll House is now selling dark chocolate chips and I thought that dark chocolate would pair perfectly with peanut butter. But that just wasn't enough for me, so I decided to add some pretzels. The result was an absolutely delicious and perfect cookie that I have to share.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies:

1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter*

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup dark chocolate chips**

1 cup crushed pretzels

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and both sugars until well mixed. Stir in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, and blend together. Add the flour mixture and stir together all the ingredients. Fold in your chocolate chips and pretzels.

Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Pop the cookies in the oven and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes, depending on your cookie size and oven. As soon as the edges turn slightly brown I take the cookies out and allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet.

*It is extremely important to use chunky peanut butter to add that extra crunch!

** It is also extremely important to use dark chocolate chips. This is what brings out the deliciousness in this sweet and salty combination.



Whole-Grain Chocolate Chip Muffins.

A perfect and healthy snack for any time of day, these muffins are heart healthy, yet still delicious! I ended up making only five muffins instead of six, because the batter made a little less then I expected, but the size of the muffins were perfect. This was the first of many times making these terrific little treats!

Whole-Grain Chocolate Chip Muffins.

1 c. old-fashioned oats.
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour.
2 tsp. baking powder.
1/2 tsp. baking soda.
1/2 tsp. salt.
1/4 c. brown sugar.
1 c. low-fat buttermilk.
1/4 c. orange juice.
2 tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce.
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla.
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 6-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In bowl, whisk oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. In small bowl, whisk buttermilk, juice, apple sauce, egg, and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter into pan; bake 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

Each muffin: About 170 calories, 5 g protein, 28 g carbs, 5 g total fat, 3 g fiber.

Chocolate Chip Scones.

Any chance I get, I try to incorporate chocolate chips into my creations. So, once again, I've tossed some chocolate chips into this scone recipe, which usually calls for raisins. I also recommend serving these scones with clotted cream and jam. For those of you who don't like jam, like myself, it's worth a try! The cream and jam pair perfectly to give these scones a moist, and very delicious flavor!


Chocolate Chip Scones

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. Mix in the orange juice to form a dough. Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Roll into about a 9 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into equal sized wedges. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Move to wire racks to cool. Serve with clotted cream and jam!

50th Birthday Cake

This past Halloween my mom turned 50. Every year I tell my mom to pick out any kind of cake she wants and I will be more then happy to make it for her. This birthday, however, we had a huge party with the whole family. The pressure was on this time! I had to make a huge sheet cake for more then 20 people! So, my mom got to thinking and the cake she came up with was: Vanilla cake, Nutella filling, and the most delicious Fudge Frosting you can ever imagine! I took this into consideration and created one of the best cakes I've ever made in my life! For the first time, I experimented with making roses out of frosting, which I must say, came out pretty great! It was such a relief when everyone liked the cake! And of course, I had to take pictures! Check it out!!!

Seriously One of the BEST Cookies I've Ever Had!

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened hazelnut paste* or peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped out, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces or larger
*1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional).

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars. Add the hazelnut paste or peanut butter, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla bean pulp or extract, scraping down the bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, the baking soda and the salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and combine at low speed until the dough comes together. Mix in the chocolate pieces and, if desired, the nuts. Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets, flattening them slightly by hand.

3. Bake until lightly browned, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookie sheets on a wire rack before removing the cookies.

*Hazelnut paste is a paste made from roasted and ground hazelnuts. To make: Roast nuts slightly in oven; let cool; ground in food processor.

*Personally, I don't like to use nuts when baking, especially when a recipe calls for hazelnut paste or peanut  butter. When using peanut butter, it gives the cookies a natural nut flavor, which will over power the cookie if you add more nuts. But, of course, feel free to add more if you would like!

Cake Batter Truffles

Cake batter? GOOD! Truffles? EVEN BETTER! I came across this recipe on my daily "dessert search" and had to give them a try. They were so simple to make and even better to eat! The truffles are no bake so we don't have to worry about turning on the oven in this hot weather. I prefer to use Baker's Semi Sweet chocolate bars for coating, but of course, you can use anything you want! The recipe calls for yellow cake mix, but, once again, you can use any cake mix. If you do use another kind of cake mix flavor, please let me know how they turn out!

Cake Batter Truffles:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup yellow cake mix

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3-4 Tablespoons milk

Truffle Coating:

16 ounces (8 squares) Baker's Semi Sweet Chocolate

4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix

Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.


While dough balls are chilling, melt Baker's Semi Sweet Chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into melted chocolate. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet repeat with remaining balls until finished.

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.