vanilla, caramel and ancho chili cupcakes :)

afternoon ladies and gents... i trust you are all enjoying your holiday weekend, i know i am :) we've had quite the busy weekend down here in lovely cape may... Saturday was the coast guard yard sale... and people come from all over to find some deals and steals... we weren't really selling anything, just a jogging stroller a surf board and some baby things... but some of my friends made out like bandits... and with money from the sale, and from a cupcake order i had on Friday, i was itching to spend...

so myself and two lovely ladies had an amazing dinner at this place in town called "island grill", then we headed out to see "bridesmaids"... now, just a quick story before i get on to the post... yes, the movie was hilarious and raunchy to boot, but the very best part of was the actual movie theater audience... besides myself and my friends, we were amongst what looked like a senior citizens outing... and then if that wasn't enough, mom of the year was there with her 6 year old son! hello lady! what in the *bleep* were you thinking!! at one point the unmentionable of bad lady slang words was muttered (you know, the "c" word), and the kid blurts out "mom what's a C---?"... needless to say the whole audience lost it... i kid you not!!! hilarious!!

anyways, i just had to share that comical gem... so onto the post... moist vanilla bean cupcakes, vanilla cream cheese frosting, drizzled with rich dark buttery salt caramel, and an ancho chili sprinkle... oh my, really good! no reason or rhyme as to why i chose to make this cupcake, it just kinda happened to come together... and i'm so happy it did

cupcake ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
8 tbsp (1 stick) melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/8 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt

directions:
1. preheat oven to 325°F and prep cupcake tins with paper liners
2. sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside
3. in mixer, beat together melted butter and sugar until combined, then add egg whites and beat until mixture is smooth and light, and then add in vanilla
4. add flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the yogurt.
5. bake for 20-25 minutes, until cupcakes are barely golden on top, remove from oven, let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then cool on wire rack

top with a tangy vanilla cream cheese frosting, some smooth salt caramel, and sprinkle to your hearts content with chili powder, or some nutmeg or cinnamon... mmmmm... enjoy!
happy baking everyone!

chocolate chip cookie cake

well good afternoon all... i hope everyone is enjoying their day... i know i am... i had a busy busy week... not only did i have the privilege of making cupcake favors for one of my very best friends wedding... i was also one of the bridesmaids... it was a spectacular wedding... we all looked beautiful, the bride especially... the party was rocking, we danced the night away to an awesome band, ate some amazing food, and had a lot of laughs... but as for now, my dancing shoes are off and i am relaxing...

so... back to the kitchen...

here is a yummy little treat that my little guy jack was begging me for... his words were: "mommy, you know what would be awesome... a giant cookie cake... with m&m's... and frosting... lots of frosting... and even more m&m's... and don't forget the chocolate chips..."

so i busted out a 10 inch spring form pan, mixed up dorie greenspans best chocolate chip cookie recipe, and got to baking...once cooled i decorated this tasty treat with some creamcheese frosting, and sprinkled the heck out of it with some mini m&m's (as per jacks request)

dorie greenspan's best chocolate chip cookie recipe:
*i halved the recipe*
ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ouncs bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans(optional)

directions:
1.center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, lightly grease the sides and bottom of a spring form pan
2. whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda
3. working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth
4. add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well-blended, then beat in the vanilla
5. add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated
6. on low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts
7. evenly spread the dough into the pan, pressing it down lightly
8. place the spring form pan, on top of a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway... remove from oven and let cool before frosting :)


happy baking everyone!!

chocolate chip cookies with candied bacon... awesome :)

so i know bacon has been everywhere for the past few months... bacon topped cupcakes, bacon vodka, bacon cookies, even bacon flavored bacon... i might be reaching with the last one, but i doubt i am... but anyways... i've dabbled in the bacon cupcakes, and i've made deep dark chocolate bacon brownies... so it only was a matter of time until i chopped up some good ol' candied bacon and mixed it into some classic chocolate chip cookies...

so... let's talk about these cookies... crispy, buttery, sweet and salty, everything that an amazing cookie should be... these cookies are all good... but there is one down-side... they are so good in fact, that i basically had to put them under lock and key so i wouldn't eat the entire 3 dozen...

dressing the bacon up for it's date in the oven...

candied bacon and chocolate chip cookies:
ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup candied bacon, cut into small bits

directions:
1. preheat oven to 325, line three baking sheets with a silicone liner or parchment paper
2. beat the sugars and butter together until smooth, mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda, whisk together the flour and salt, then sift them into the batter, then stir in the chocolate chunks and bacon bits
3. using a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon, scoop the cookie dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter, and place them 2 inches apart on each of the baking sheets
4. bake for 14-16 minutes, or until pale golden brown... rotate sheets halfway through baking for even browning, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack

candied bacon
adapted from David Lebovitz
ingredients:
8 strips bacon
1/2 cup light brown sugar

directions:
1. preheat oven to 400
2. lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny side down
3. sprinkle half of the brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon
4. bake for about 15 minutes, midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet
5. add the rest of the brown sugar and continue to bake until a deep mahogany color, then remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack

i could have seriously eaten that whole plate... sooooo delicious...

happy bacon everyone :)

happy birthday to my amazing hubby!

hey everyone! hope you're all doing fabulous today... i just want to take this time out to wish the love of my life a happy birthday... i bust his balls that he's an old man now that he's turned thirty, but to me he's still that cute 23 year old guy who stole my heart...

did i ever tell you guys how we met?? i was actually his boss at abercrombie and fitch... although, he never really did listen to me at work... but something just clicked between us, and before i knew it we were a family... and i couldn't be happier :)

so for my hubby, i wanted to combine lots of delish-ious flavors... so i made two layers of vanilla cake, a fudgy brownie layer, and topped them with peanut butter cream and vanillabean buttercream... it was sinfully good... almost too rich that my thighs were burning... but hey, each bite was worth it!!!
how good does that look!! and if everyone wants the recipe let me know... it is amazingly good!!

here are the three loves of my life... my three men :)

all my love to my awesome hubby... wishing you a very happy birthday...

and as always... happy baking everyone!

i'm back baby... how about some upside down banana cake

hello baking world! i have returned!!

get ready for a whole landslide of back to back posts people.... i have lots to share... and all are so-so yummy!! i'm going to start off with a delish-ious sugary, sticky sweet banana upside down cake... i'm going to apologize by saying that these pictures don't do any justice for this delectable cake... but i still have to share...

who doesn't love caramelized, well...anything!!! this cake itself is slightly sweet, and just dense enough... the bananas weren't too soft, kind of almost bruleed in the brown sugar... which gave a slight sugary crunch... so, next time you have ripe and ready bananas, skip the got0 banana bread, and go for this... you won't be disappointed :)

banana upside down cake (recipe from baking bites): ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
2 large bananas (or 3 small)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk


directions:
1. preheat oven to 350
2. lightly grease a 9-inch spring form pan and wrap the outside bottom of the pan well with foil (this will prevent caramel from leaking out and making a gooey mess)
3. in a small microwave-safe bowl, melt together 2 tbsp butter and lemon juice, then stir in the brown sugar... pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly
4. slice the bananas on the diagonal, making each slice approx. 1/4-inch thick, and arrange in a single layer in the brown sugar mixture on the bottom of the pan, set aside
5. in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and cinnamon
6. in a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt... add the flour mixture in two or three additions, alternating with the milk
7. pour batter into pan and spread evenly, ensuring that all banana slices are covered
8. bake for 80-90 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed
9. once the cake is out of the oven, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and turn cake out onto a plate... let cool to warm or room temperature before serving

i wish my pictures came out a bit clearer and more detailed... i was just having a bad camera day :(

well, until next time... happy baking everyone :)