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These cookies don’t look particularly spectacular, but I found their taste to be unbelievably delicious. I have never baked cookies using coconut oil before, and I’m now hooked. The oil provides a very subtle coconut flavor that goes very well with the molasses and dark brown sugar.
These cookies are soft. Pleasantly so. I was always a fan of Entenmann’s chocolate chip cookies because they were always soft and chewy. No matter how long they had been left sitting on the supermarket shelves, you could always count on biting into a nice, soft cookie. Entenmann’s put a lot of junk into their cookies. Their cookies contain quite a few ingredients that I bet you don’t have in your own kitchen, and which I’m sure you don’t want to include in your own baking. These cookies on the other hand, remain soft with regular ingredients from your pantry. I love that.
This is another cookie recipe where you won’t have immediate gratification. The cookie dough has to chill for at least two hours, and ideally for longer than that. If it doesn’t, the cookies will spread like mine did. Of course, I didn’t read the recipe in its entirety and made these cookies just before company arrived, so I put my dough in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and it wasn’t quite enough time. The cookies still tasted delicious, but they were quite thin.
The directions say that the cookies should bake for 8 – 10 minutes. I found that 9 minutes was a good time for mine. I took my first tray out after 8 minutes and found them to be a little underdone. Delicious, but underdone. That extra minute did the trick for me. These cookies will be made again. I just bought some more coconut oil so I can bake another batch.
Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar Coconut Oil Cookies
Recipe from Averie Cooks
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened (softened to the consistency of soft butter)
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vanilla extract (yes tablespoons, not teaspoons), or to taste
1 tablespoon unsulphered mild to medium molasses
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the coconut oil, egg, sugar and beat on medium-high speed to cream until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Note – Coconut oil should be the consistency of soft butter like you’d use to cream with sugar and eggs in traditional cookies.
Stop, scrape the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla and molasses, and beat to incorporate, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour, corn starch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
Using a medium cookie scoop, form mounds that are 2 heaping tablespoons in size; or divide dough into approximately 15 to 16 equal-sized pieces. Place dough mounds on a large plate, and slightly flatten each mound. Very important to get the dough mounds in the exact shape you want to bake them in because after chilling, flattening or re-shaping them is very difficult. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours; up to 5 days. If you don’t chill the dough enough, the cookies will really spread.
Preheat oven to 350°F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray. Place dough on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tops have just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. They firm up as they cool.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before moving. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yield: ~16 cookies
One year ago: Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Beans
Two years ago: Vegetable Parmigiana
Three years ago: The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes
Four years ago: Snickerdoodle Blondies
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I made this dinner the other night in 30 minutes. No kidding. It was really quick. That said, I started with shrimp that had been deveined and shelled, so that was already taken care of. These days, I only buy shrimp that have already been cleaned and shelled. Costco sells them frozen in 2 pound bags. I always keep a bag on hand for a quick dinner.
These shrimp are coated in a Dijon mustard mixture and the mustard flavor comes across pretty strongly, so if you’re not a mustard fan, this recipe is not for you. My husband and I really like mustard.
When you brown the panko for this recipe, make sure you stay with it, stirring, until the crumbs are lightly browned. When they start to toast, they go very quickly, so if you get distracted you can easily burn them.
When you coat the shrimp in the mustard/egg mixture, you can dip the shrimp individually, or you can do what I did and dump all of the shrimp into the bowl and toss them around with a big spoon until they’re coated. I then dipped each shrimp into the coconut-breadcrumb mixture individually.
My shrimp were cooked in 12 minutes. I picked up the first one by the tail to try it and found that some of the breadcrumbs stuck to the rack. I then removed the rest with a metal spatula and had more luck with the breadcrumbs sticking to the shrimp.
This recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal because it comes together in no time, and it’s absolutely delicious. We had some leftover and they were equally as good, cold from the refrigerator for lunch. This is another recipe that will become part of our weekly rotation. Yum!
Coconut-Crusted Shrimp
Recipe from Sarah Carey at MarthaStewart.com
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 large egg whites
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on (mine were 21-24 shrimp to the pound)
1 lime, cut into wedges
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add panko and toast, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer panko to a medium bowl; stir in coconut. In another medium bowl, whisk together Dijon, curry powder, and egg whites.
Dip shrimp in Dijon mixture, then coat with panko mixture, gently pressing to adhere. Place shrimp on rack and bake until opaque throughout, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.
Yield: 3 servings
One year ago: Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two years ago: Marinated Swordfish
Three years ago: Irish Cream Caramel Cheesecake
Four years ago: Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
Five years ago: Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins
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Sometimes I make a soup and it immediately displaces all others as my favorite. This is one of them. It’s now at the top of my list. I knew from the ingredient list that it had great potential, but in this case the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Instead of Italian sausage, I decided to use Trader Joe’s vegetarian chorizo. My friend Jini told me about it and I have been dying to try it. When it came out of the casing, it didn’t have the consistency of meat, but it fried up nicely in the pan with the onions and garlic. In the soup, you’d never know it wasn’t meat. It’s pretty spicy and added some nice heat to the soup.
I bought the greens for the soup at Trader Joe’s as well. They have a mix called Power Greens. It’s a mixture of spinach, kale and swiss card. I dumped two 6 oz. bags into the soup, and next time I might add a third bag. I do love greens in soup, and the pieces in the Trader Joe mix are the perfect size. No chopping necessary. If I had used vegetable broth, this soup would have been entirely vegetarian!
Of course the boys didn’t want any of this, so there’s a lot left for leftovers. Tomorrow’s lunch is going to be delicious!
Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup
Recipe from Martha Stewart via Shutterbean
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 sweet potatoes (1 pound total), peeled and cut into a medium dice
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup small pasta shells
6 cups chopped mixed greens (I used half spinach half kale)
grated Parmesan for serving
In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes; season with salt & pepper. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until browned, about 5 minutes.
Add sweet potatoes, broth, and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cool 3 minutes less than package suggests. Reduce to a simmer, add greens and cook until pasta is tender and greens are wilted, about 4 minutes. Serve with Parmesan (be generous with it if you like cheese).
Yield: 6 servings
One year ago: Indian-Style Mustard Greens
Two years ago: Vietnamese Style Chicken Salad
Three years ago: Orange Scones with Chocolate Chips
Four years ago: Sugar Cookie Bars
Five years ago: Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancakes
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I have been intrigued for a while now by a recipe that has been touted on numerous blogs as, “the best vanilla frosting I’ve ever had!” The recipe looked a little odd because it contained flour that has to be cooked. I’ve never heard of flour in a frosting recipe, but yesterday I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t disappointed. My husband actually said that this is the best vanilla frosting that I have ever made, and I have made a lot of it because I LOVE frosting. I thought the frosting was interesting at first – it reminded me a bit of whipped cream, but I have to admit that it then grew on me. The boys really liked it, one of them liked it even more the second day.
I found the frosting recipe, along with the chocolate sheet cake recipe over at Ree Drummond’s blog called The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She advertised the chocolate cake as the best chocolate sheet cake ever. How could I not try it? I do love a chocolate sheet cake like this because frosting is my favorite part of a cake/cupcake and in my mind this cake to frosting ratio is perfect. I’ll make both of these recipes again.
Chocolate Sheet Cake (aka The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.)
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) cocoa
2 sticks butter
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 whole beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Take out a half sheet pan (looks like a big, rimmed cookie sheet, approximately 18″ x 13″).
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into ungreased sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
Yield: 1 sheet cake
Vanilla Frosting (aka That’s the Best Frosting I’ve Ever Had)
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen, courtesy of Ree Drummond
5 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (To speed this up, you can place the saucepan into some ice water so the mixture cools. Don’t let the water get into the frosting!) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. You can now frost your cake.
Yield: enough frosting for one sheet cake
One year ago: Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto
Two years ago: Carrot Coconut Milk Soup
Three years ago: Mexican-Style Slaw with Jícama, Cilantro and Lime
Four years ago: Vanilla Brown Sugar Breakfast Polenta
Five years ago: Chick Pea Soup
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I served this dish for a dinner party a couple of weeks ago, but we inhaled every last bit of it so I didn’t get a photo. Technically, I didn’t make it. My friends had to make it because although my husband and I love to entertain, I don’t think I’ve ever thrown a dinner party where I wasn’t still cooking when the guests arrived. This time, not only was I still cooking, I hadn’t made a couple of the dishes. My friend Jay made this dish for me with some help from Nancy who made the executive decision that the it was a waste of time to cut the tomatoes in half. My friend Nicole had to make the cous cous with peas and mint. I was able to have all of the appetizers ready by the time the guests arrived, and all of the desserts were made too, it’s just the main course that I had a little trouble pulling together. Thank goodness for great friends. I actually love cooking with friends over a glass of wine, so maybe I subliminally delay my preparation. Who knows!
I love this tomato dish. I also love that it’s a gratin but doesn’t have any cheese in it. I recommend using big cloves of garlic when you make this, and don’t skimp on the fresh parsley either. The crumb topping is delicious. Since the boys wouldn’t touch this (no big surprise), my husband and I ate it for leftovers. It was just as good as a leftover. The crumbs are really full of flavor and when you roast the tomatoes, they almost become slightly sweet. Delicious and great as a side dish for a dinner party.
Provençal Cherry Tomato Gratin
Recipe by Ina Garten as seen in the Wall Street Journal
3 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 cups coarse bread cubes from country bread, crusts removed
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes in 9×13-inch ceramic or glass dish. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Toss together. Spread tomatoes evenly in pan.
Place garlic, parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor fitted with steel blade. Process until garlic is finely chopped. Add bread cubes and process until bread is in crumbs. Add 3/4 cup oil and pulse a few times to blend. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over tomatoes.
Bake gratin until crumbs are golden and tomato juices are bubbling, 40-45 minutes. Serve hot or warm.
Yield: 6 servings
One year ago: Black Bean and Pepper Jack Burgers
Two years ago: Strawberry-Orange-Vanilla Smoothie
Three years ago: Shortbread Cookies
Four years ago: Sweet Potato Bread
Five years ago: Asian Salmon Burgers
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We try to have meatless Mondays in our home and last Monday was no exception. It makes my son the vegetarian very happy. He never likes to eat things like this, he’s just happy that we’re not hurting any animals.
I am always drawn to recipes that stew vegetables in coconut milk. Yum! I made a couple of substitutions when I made this. I didn’t want to run to the store, so I used what I had on hand. I used Trader Joe’s coconut cream instead of coconut milk. Basically the same thing, the cream is just thicker. I didn’t have any sun dried tomatoes on hand, but I did have a jar of sun dried tomato pesto, so I used a tablespoon of that.
I served this over cous. It was both hearty and delicious.us
For me, this is comfort food at its best. My husband loved this dish as much as I did. The boys didn’t want to go near it. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s really their loss.
Braised Coconut Spinach and Chickpeas with Lemon
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger, from a 3-inch piece
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large lemon, zested and juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)
Dash of red pepper flakes
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 pound baby spinach
14-ounce can coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Heat the oil in a large, deep Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and red pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and they are coated with the onion and garlic mixture.
Toss in the spinach, one handful at a time. This will take about 5 minutes; stir in a handful or two and wait for it to wilt down and make room in the pot before adding the next handful. When all the spinach has been stirred in, pour in the coconut milk and stir in the salt, ground ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are warm through. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if necessary.
Serve hot over cous cous, rice or quinoa.
Yield: 4 servings
One year ago: Peanut Butter Cup Blondies
Two years ago: Caramels
Three years ago: Yukatan Pork Tenderloin
Four years ago: Carole’s Country Style Spare Ribs
Five years ago: Buttermilk Bran Muffins
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I love caramels. I love chocolate. The two together? Delicious.
Making caramels is not hard if you have the right tools. You’ll need an 8″ x 8″ square metal pan, parchment paper and a candy thermometer. You won’t be able to make the caramels without a thermometer because you have to let the candy boil until it reaches 255°F.
We saw Pippin on Broadway the other night with some friends, and I brought small bags of these to the theater for a snack during intermission. If you live in NY, or plan to visit, I HIGHLY recommend Pippin. It’s one of the best Broadway shows I’ve seen in a long time. Really.
The feedback on the caramels was good. I chose not to use salt on top. One of my sons sprinkled a little salt on his and said he liked the caramels better salted. I preferred them unsalted. Our friend Chris came over the other night and put ghost chili flakes on them and gave them a thumbs up. I haven’t been brave enough to try them with really hot chili flakes on them, but I have heard that chili and chocolate go well together.
Salted Chocolate Caramels
Recipe from Gourmet via Smitten Kitchen
2 cups heavy cream
10 1/2 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped [Deb note: my in-house options were Toll House chocolate chips or high-quality 72% chocolate. I went with the 72 percent. The slight extra bitterness is fantastic.]
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
1 – 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Vegetable oil for greasing the cutting knife
Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch straight-sided square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment.
Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, then reduce heat to low and add chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat.
Bring sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt to a boil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, uncovered, without stirring but gently swirling pan occasionally, until sugar is deep golden, about 10 minutes. Tilt pan and carefully pour in chocolate mixture (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously, so be careful). Continue to boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 255°F on thermometer, about 15 minutes. Add butter, stirring until completely melted, then immediately pour into lined baking pan (do not scrape any caramel clinging to bottom or side of saucepan). Let caramel stand 10 minutes, then sprinkle evenly with sea salt. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours.
Carefully invert caramel onto a clean, dry cutting board, then peel off parchment. Turn caramel salt side up. Lightly oil blade of a large heavy knife and cut into 1-inch squares. (If desired, additional sea salt can be pressed onto caramels after cutting.)
Caramels keep, layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper, in an airtight container at cool room temperature 2 weeks. To package them up pretty, the caramels can be wrapped in 4-inch squares of wax paper; twist ends to close.
Yield: 64 caramels
One year ago: Monkey Bread Muffins
Two years ago: Baja-Style Fish Hand Pies
Three years ago: Chicken, Ham and Swiss Roulades
Four years ago: Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas
Five years ago: Sweet Corn Muffins
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On the way home from Maine last summer, we stopped at the Stonewall Kitchen store. We had a delicious lunch and walked through their beautiful store. I was tempted by a box of their doughnut mix which came with a doughnut pan. Their doughnut mix, like all of their other products, was delicious. After using their mix, I decided to try to make my own baked doughnuts. They were a huge flop. They were so dense and heavy that they hit your stomach like a rock. It wasn’t until yesterday morning that I was brave enough to try another doughnut recipe. This one got excellent reviews online and I just happened to have some canned pumpkin left after making these muffins (sans frosting) the other day for breakfast.
The picture that you’re looking at shows the doughnuts bottom-side up. The top of the doughnuts weren’t so pretty and even. I spooned the batter into the doughnut pan and put it into the oven all lumpy, figuring that it would smooth itself out during the baking. It didn’t. Next time I make these, I’ll smooth the batter in the pans until it’s fairly smooth before tossing them in the oven. I think I’ll get a better looking result.
If you find that you’ve waited too long before tossing the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and the sugar won’t stick, try spraying them with a light coating of canola oil. You can also brush them lightly with melted butter. The sugar/cinnamon will then stick to them.
These doughnuts were great. I love that they’re baked and not fried. They were both light and moist and the boys inhaled them.
Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts
Recipe from King Arthur Flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coating
3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans.
Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well.
Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool.
While the doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar.
Cool completely, and wrap airtight; store at room temperature for several days.
Yield: 12 doughnuts
One year ago: Mexican Lasagna
Two years ago: Chocolate Dutch Baby
Three years ago: Meyer Lemon Sorbet
Four years ago: Sweet and Sour Pork Chops
Five years ago: Candied Carrots
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I’m a big fan of crumb cake for breakfast. My favorite part is the crumb topping, but the cake part isn’t bad either. I saw this recipe and was grabbed by the title. Anything with a chocolate cinnamon swirl is right up my alley.
This coffee cake reminded me of something that you’d buy at Starbucks. It’s very moist and the topping is delicious. My boys loved it. I was actually surprised by this, because they’re typically not fans of things with nuts in them, and this crumb topping is loaded with nuts. My husband loved it too. I thought it was very good, but I happen to be a bigger fan of this type of cake for breakfast. Just a personal preference.
This recipe makes a lot of coffee cake, so it’s a great recipe to make for a crowd. Your next brunch, perhaps?
Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl
Recipe adapted very slightly from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis, as seen on Lottie + Doof
Crumb Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, toasted
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cake
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Crumb Topping:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of food processor and pulse to combine. Add the pecans and pulse until they are finely chopped and incorporated. Add the butter and pulse until mixture looks like coarse sand. Cover and refrigerate.
Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl:
Mix ingredients in small bowl.
Sour Cream Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Scrape down bowl and add sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl as needed.
Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat just until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, scraping down the bowl before each addition and beating only until each addition is just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Pour one third of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to spread batter evenly in pan. This may take some doing. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Do the best you can. Sprinkle half of the chocolate cinnamon swirl mixture over batter, covering the entire surface of the batter. Spoon half of remaining batter over the swirl mixture and spread it evenly. Again, this may be challenging. It’s a little tricky to get the batter to spread nicely over the chocolate cinnamon mixture. Just take your time and do your best. It doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect. Top with remaining swirl mixture, then the remaining batter, and spread the batter evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake in the center of the oven for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Yield: 16 Servings
One year ago: Sugar Cookies with Nutella and Sea Salt
Two years ago: Chocolate and Meringue Angel Pie
Three years ago: Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp
Four years ago: Sweet Potato Muffins
Five years ago: Quick Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
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The triplets just celebrated their birthday and I made these cupcakes for one of my son’s classes. He asked for “Worms in Dirt” cupcakes. This (above) is how I frosted them prior to adding the worms (crushed chocolate wafer cookies) and dirt (gummy worms). The after picture is below. He was so happy and almost all of the children in the class loved them. I tried a new chocolate frosting and I thought it was delicious. It was nice and fluffy and did very well when piped from a pastry bag. I find it much faster to frost cupcakes using a pastry bag then it is to frost manually by hand. I think they look better too.
I used my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe for the cupcakes. Yum!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.
Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed to incorporate all of the chocolate.
You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.
Yield: Enough frosting for 12 cupcakes
One year ago: Chipotle Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans
Two years ago: Oatmeal, Cranberry and Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Three years ago: Crisp Roasted Potatoes
Four years ago: Herbed Basmati Rice
Five years ago: Grandma Sachs’ Crumb Cake
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