Lemon Bar Cupcake with White Truffle Frosting

October 12, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Cupcake

There’s bite-size lemon bar surprise inside each cupcake. The lemon pairs flawlessly with white chocolate.

Shhh! This is a relatively easy cupcake to make, but it will have guests thinking that you labored endlessly to make gourmet cupcakes.

First, start with the lemon bars. Yes, I could have made these from scratch but a mix will do nicely because it isn’t the sole flavor in the cupcake. Make these lemon bars the night ahead so that they cut cleanly. I used an 8×8 pan and cut into 36 small squares. This was the perfect size to place in a regular sized cupcake.

Second, any white cupcake will do the job. While I used a recipe that used a white cake base, I added vanilla pudding which turns the mix more yellow than white. The recipe is rich and moist and tastes great, but hides the lemon bar inside. (which is why I didn’t photograph a split-in-half cupcake) It may look better if you use a true white cupcake. Place about a Tablespoon of batter in each paper cupcake holder, making sure the entire bottom is covered. Press a lemon bar square into the batter. Cover the lemon bar with more batter. Reduce the normal bake time for the cupcakes. I baked mine for 17 min. at 350.

I used a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. This is a substantial flavor in the cupcake. Quality counts. I used Lindt White Chocolate Truffles instead of standard white chocolate. Remember, don’t use chips instead of chopping up white chocolate bars. It very much affects the consistency.

Directions: Cream together: 1 lb cream cheese (room temperature) and 1 stick of butter (room temperature). Add 12 oz melted white chocolate and 2 tsp vanilla and mix thoroughly. Slowly add and mix in 5 cups of powered sugar. Allow to cool and firm up in the refrigerator until stiff enough to frost the cupcakes. (not too long or the frosting will become hard)

Store completed cupcakes in the refrigerator.

HAPPY BAKING!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (gluten free)

October 2, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Cookies, gluten free

What’s your comfort food?

In general, I don’t care to repeat recipes. I get a lot of pleasure from finding new combinations of flavors and textures. There’s also a bit of a thrill in finding new desserts that dazzle and impress.

But then there are some days where I find myself craving certain flavors and no new recipe attracts my attention. Those are the times when I know I need to hit up one of my favorite recipes. This is the dependable kind of recipe that is guaranteed to satisfy. It’s also relatively easy to make; a recipe that requires a ton of effort zaps all the comfort.

Here’s my comfort dessert. They’re not fancy. They’re easy to make. And the flavors are perfectly comforting.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not instant oatmeal or quick oats)

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Cover 2 cookie sheets with wax paper
Place oatmeal and peanut butter in bowl to later add to hot ingredients.
Place butter, sugar, cocoa, and milk in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Immediately add oatmeal, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir until completely incorporated
Spoon batter onto cooking sheets covered in wax paper. Allow to air dry (about 1 hour)

Like many, my kids’ comfort food is chocolate chip cookies. One kid likes the cookie dough and the other one likes the warm cookies.

HAPPY BAKING!

Chocolate Banana Bread

September 25, 2015September 25, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Chocolate

There’s always a recipe to find when you have a few simple ingredients in your house. This time, I had some left over sour cream from a cake that I made a few days ago and a few bananas that were past their prime. I wanted a new recipe so I went to one of my favorite sites:

http://www.yummly.com

I really like this site because you can input a few ingredients and it will pull recipes that incorporate them. That is how I found this recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread. In addition, you can bookmark favorite recipes by adding them to your “YUM” list.

See Related Posts:

Banana Crumb Muffins

Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (gluten free)

Nutella Banana Bread

HAPPY BAKING!

Snickerdoodle Cupcake – comfort food for all the senses

September 12, 2015September 13, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Cupcake

For me, cinnamon is synonymous with comfort food. The aroma in the kitchen while I bake something with cinnamon makes me happy. The day I made these, it was a cold rainy morning, which called for something comforting. Also, I hadn’t baked in about two weeks – I was practically going through withdrawal.

This is a well-rounded cupcake. The buttery texture of a snickerdoodle melts in the mouth. The yellow cupcake balances the sweetness of the cinnamon and sugar of the cookie. The creamy feel of the cinnamon buttercream is a perfect compliment.

Here’s a snickerdoodle cupcake. I can’t deny that it is a little cumbersome to make because essentially you’re making two desserts and combining them.

Directions:

First, I baked a batch of snickerdoodles (any recipe will do). I baked the cookies until they were done but still on the moist side – only 10 minutes. Then, I cut 12 cookies into quarters.

Second, I prepared cupcake batter (I used a regular yellow cake mix). I place a scoop of batter in each of 24 cupcake papers. Then I place 2 quarters of the snickerdoodle cookies in the cake batter. I covered the cookies completely with more batter. I baked the cupcakes for only 18 minutes.

I made a Wilton Buttercream frosting and mixed in 1 tsp of cinnamon. I decorated with a simple swirl. I was sure to add enough to support a cookie topper.

You should have 24 leftover pieces of cookies to top off the cupcakes.

And, as added bonus you’ll have more whole Snickerdoodle cookies to enjoy.

HAPPY BAKING!

Oreo Lover’s Care Package

August 24, 2015August 25, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Bars, Brownies, Chocolate, Cookies

Image above: Oreo brownies, Oreo chunk cookies, and Oreo bars

It’s that time of year when the college kids go back to school. They get to meet new people and start new classes. It’s a lot of change and it can be stressful. I find that baked goods are excellent for stress. This care package was inspired by my nephew who likes Oreos. I have done other cupcake recipes with Oreos hidden inside, but I didn’t think the buttercream was a good idea for shipping. Hopefully, I packed the container well enough that he won’t be receiving a box of crumbs.

Oreo Brownies: This recipe is pretty straight forward. Double-up any brownie mix. Place half of batter in a pan, place a layer of Oreos, and then pour the rest of the batter on top of the Oreos. Found recipe at iheartnaptime.net

Oreo Chunk Cookies: This is a very simple recipe. The base of this recipe is similar to most whoopee pie recipes that I’ve seen: cake mix, one stick of melted butter, one egg, and vanilla. See the exact recipe for full details. I deviated from the recipe in that I only choose to use only Oreos as my add-ins. I didn’t want to use chocolate chips. I used a combination of Oreo chunks and ground Oreos. Found recipe at http://insidebrucrewlife.com/2014/02/chocolate-chip-cookies-cream-cookies/

Oreo Bars: These bars are similar to rice krispie treats. However, instead of using cereal there are chopped up Oreos. Make sure you use a large enough bowl to melt the marshmallows and butter. I had a bit of explosion in the microwave. Found recipe at picky-palate.com

See Other Oreo Related Posts:

Oreo Cupcakes

Oreo in a Cupcake

Slutty Brownies, for a Chocolate Whore

HAPPY BAKING!

Snickers Cupcakes

August 15, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Chocolate, Cupcake

Chocolate, caramel, nugget, and peanuts – oh how this combination satisfies! Just like the Snickers’ commercials suggest, the Snickers make these a satisfying cupcake.

It’s a chocolate cupcake with a surprise Snickers bite inside. It has a caramel frosting and is topped with more Snickers pieces and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips.

Most importantly, make sure you buy enough Snickers bites for inside the cupcakes and to cut into pieces to lay on top. Also, buy some extra, because it’s nearly impossible not to snack on some while making and baking these cupcakes.

Directions:

Chocolate Cupcake:

Any favorite Devils Food recipe will do (even a box cake mix). After placing paper in muffin tins, fill the muffin cups with about 1 tablespoon of batter – enough to cover the bottom of the muffin paper. Next, place a Snickers Bite on top of the batter in such a way that the candy is centered and is perfectly parallel to the bottom of the muffin tin. Place another heaping tablespoon of batter on top of the candy. Smooth out the batter on top of the candy. The entire muffin cup, candy included, should be filled about to 2/3 to 3/4. You probably with be able to make a few more cupcakes than you normally do with the same mix. Reduce your baking time by 5 minutes and carefully watch. A cupcake is done when you touch the top and the cupcake springs bake a little.

Caramel Frosting (no need to double frosting recipe – I always plan for lots)

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup caramel sauce

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter, caramel sauce, and salt until smooth. Add the powdered sugar slowly and beat until a fluffy frosting forms. Pipe immediately.

HAPPY BAKING!

Happy National Smores Day

August 10, 2015August 10, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Chocolate

Here’s a small bite size alternative to traditional smores. It has a graham cracker based crust. I used dark chocolate instead of standard milk chocolate, which was less sweet and a nice compliment to the marshmallows. Of course, it’s topped with a toasted marshmallow.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

8 honey graham cracker sheets

6 Tbls of melted butter

1/4 cup of powered sugar

12 Hershey’s dark chocolate miniatures, broken in half

12 large marshmallows, torn in half

Directions:

Preheat one oven to bake at 350 and set another oven to broil

Spray 2 12-cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray

In a food processor, chop the graham crackers sheets until all is finely chopped. Add the melted butter and powdered sugar to the graham crackers and mix well.

Evenly separate the graham cracker mixture into the 24 cups. Press the mixture firmly onto the bottom and sides. Bake for 4 minutes in the oven set at 350.

Remove from oven. Place one piece of the halved chocolate miniature in each cup. Top with a torn marshmallow, smooth side up.

Place in broil for about 1 minute. WATCH CLOSELY! Remove when marshmallow is lightly browned.

Allow to cool a bit before indulging.

HAPPY BAKING!

Oreo Cupcakes

August 9, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Chocolate, Cupcake

While I’m not a huge fan of store-bought cookies, I can’t argue with the fact that Oreos are hugely popular. More importantly, Oreos can be used to create other fantastic desserts.

These chocolate cupcakes have an Oreo stashed inside. The last time I baked a cupcake with an Oreo inside, I used yellow cupcake batter. it’s a bit more difficult to see the cookie when you bite or cut into these chocolate cupcakes. However, if you’re a chocolate lover, does that really matter? These cupcakes are best to be eaten one day after baking because the Oreo inside becomes very soft. The buttercream on top is loaded with finely chopped Oreo cookies (not just the cookie part, but the delicious cream filling as well). By including the cream filling, the frosting tastes even more decadent. Finally, I couldn’t resist garnishing the cupcake with one half of an Oreo.

Directions:

Chocolate Cupcake:

Any favorite Devils Food recipe will do (even a box cake mix). After placing paper in muffin tins, fill the muffin cups with about 1 tablespoon of batter – enough to cover the bottom of the muffin paper. Next, place a full Oreo on top of the batter in such a way that the cookie is centered and is perfectly parallel to the bottom of the muffin tin. Place another heaping tablespoon of batter on top of the cookie. Smooth out the batter on top of the cookie. The entire muffin cup, cookie included, should be filled about to 2/3 to 3/4. You probably with be able to make a few more cupcakes than you normally do with the same mix. Reduce your baking time by 5 minutes and carefully watch. A cupcake is done when you touch the top and the cupcake springs bake a little.

Oreo Buttercream Frosting:

I started with a basic Wilton vanilla cupcake recipe (1/2 c butter, 1/2 shortening, 1 tsp vanilla, 4 c powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of milk – I used more than the recommended amount because of adding the Oreos). Cream butter and shortening; add vanilla, slowly add powdered sugar while alternating with milk; beat until fluffy. Crush 12 Oreos in a food processor until there are no chunks (any chunks will block your piping tips and become a headache later). Mix the chopped cookies with your frosting. Pipe the cupcakes. The more frosting the better.

See Related Posts:

Oreo in a Cupcake

Slutty Brownies, for a Chocolate Whore

HAPPY BAKING!

Brownie A La Mode

July 26, 2015 lizellyn more sweets Brownies, Ice Cream

1 Picky Eater + 1 Picky Eater = 1 Awesome Dessert

My daughter informed me last weekend that it was National Ice Cream Cream and she decided we needed to make some coffee flavored ice cream. I’m a bit partial to mochas so I decided to throw in some chocolate chips for flavor and texture. However, my son doesn’t like anything coffee flavored. I couldn’t very well do a dessert for only one child. That’s when this idea came to me – brownie a la mode. Seemed like a perfect solution: my son eats the brownie and my daughter enjoys the ice cream. I wasn’t neglecting either one of my kids. The result was beyond all expectations! It was a sensational flavor and texture combination.

ICE CREAM RECIPE

This ice cream is ridiculously easy to make. It doesn’t require an ice cream maker. And, it tastes amazing. I simply added 7 Tbls of vienna coffee power and 1 cup of chocolate chips (chopped to 1/4 original size)

Here’s a video on how to make it …

BROWNIE RECIPE (really any favorite recipe would work)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 c granulated sugar

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c cocoa powder

1 c flour

1 Tbls vanilla

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease 8×8 pan

2. Beat eggs until fluffy

3. Add sugars, beat until mixed

4. Add cocoa powder, flour, vanilla, butter, salt. Beat until mixed.

5. Stir in chocolate chips

6. Pour into greased 8×8 pan

7. Bake 40-45 minutes, until middle doesn’t jiggle

8. Allow to cool thoroughly before slicing and serving

French Hot Chocolate for Bastille Day

July 14, 2015 lizellyn more sweets Chocolate

Here’s another recipe curtesy of my teenage daughter’s inspiration. She absolutely loves studying French and decided that we must celebrate Bastille Day. This French Hot Chocolate is unbelievably decadent. Unlike hot chocolate in America, this drink is very thick. A little goes a long way.

French Hot Chocolate

The most decadent dark hot chocolate recipe that tastes just like the French hot chocolate found in Paris cafes. Intense, rich, and absolute heaven for any chocolate lover. Recipe based off of the famous Cafe Angelina in Paris.

YIELD: 2 large, intense cups of hot chocolate or 4 more reasonably-sized cups

PREP TIME: 3 minutes

COOK TIME: 5 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, but delicious. Will intensify chocolate flavor)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, at least 72%, chopped*
Giant bowl of whipped cream, for serving

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and espresso powder until small bubbles appear around edges. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
Remove from saucepan from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted, returning the sauce to low heat if needed for the chocolate to melt completely. Serve warm, topped with lots of whipped cream

*Choose the best quality chocolate you can, as the flavor really carries the drink. I love Guittard for a splurge or Godiva, but the Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% dark bar is quite good too. I do not recommend chocolate chips, as they contain stabilizers and do not melt as well.

Leftover French hot chocolate can be cooled to room temperature, then refrigerated in an airtight container (empty mason or jam jars work particularly well). Reheat gently the in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat.

Recipe based off of Cafe Angelina’s Le chocolat chaud à l’ancienne dit “l’Africain,” as interpreted by several sources, including Tastebook and Cooking by the Book.

Recipe (taken from http://www.wellplated.com/french-hot-chocolate/ )