Turtle Cupcakes

This all started because of these amazing folks. Snooks Candies in Folsom, CA is one cool place. I'm all for candy stores and chocolate shops, but a place where the candies are created on site...just magical. And family-owned to boot - plus, the people at Snooks are truly lovely, although they don't know me from Adam. I happen to be friends with Snooks on Facebook, and while this probably means little to them, a couple of weeks ago they posted a photo of their pecan caramel turtles going through the milk chocolate enrobing process (and while we're on the subject, how marvelous is the idea of a chocolate enrober? Beats a paltry "chocolate fountain" any day).

I remember my introduction to the candies known as turtles - I was about twelve years old. We had a secret Santa game going at my Catholic school, and I freely admit I was probably the third-least-popular kid in the class (as for the other two, one was certifiably insane and the other didn't bathe) - so when I got a box of "turtles" I was suspicious, to say the least. In my defense, I knew the giver already and she'd bragged about going on vacation to Panama in the summer (she'd meant this place, which I'd never heard of), and I knew that couldn't be right. Turns out turtles are a wonderful chewy combination of toasted pecans and caramel, blanketed in chocolate (usually milk), and they are delightful. That may have been the only time I've ever eaten a turtle.

Still, this picture got me thinking...what if you turned that into a cupcake? I've done it with Heavenly Hash, Twix, Snickers, M&M's, and Almond Joy - so why not another candy? And this really did turn into more candy than cake. That's not to its detriment at all - this is one good cupcake. It's rich and heavy as all get out. And let me tell you it didn't turn out at all as I expected.

~ Says Julia Child, "“You should never apologize at the table. People will think, ‘Yes, it’s really not so good.’" ~

I'm not apologizing! This just isn't how I expected these cupcakes to turn out. I was leaping from crisis to crisis and changing the plan with every step! Plus, this took forever. I actually stretched the process over days, I was getting so frustrated. So believe me when I say that although this cupcake it totally worth it, you'd better commit yourself. To the cupcake, I mean.

~ Retailiates Ms. Child, ""The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a ‘What the hell?’ attitude." ~

Well, okay, then. What the hell? (Sorry, Mom! I'm not exactly swearing...I'm quoting!)

 
~ Chocolate Pecan Crust ~

• 2 cups pecan pieces (ground up in food processor)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Press about a tablespoon's worth of the crust mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner, pressing down to make an even layer. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes (be aware of the smell - if you smell toasted nuts, the crust is ready. If you smell burning nuts, you'd better start over). Set aside to cool while preparing the cupcake batter.

~ For Cupcakes ~

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt

Melt the chocolates together; you can do this either in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Set aside to cool a bit.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.

In separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture. Add in the yogurt and mix until combined, but don't overmix. Spoon into your prepared muffin cups, about 2/3 full.

Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes or until a tester inserted into the cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack; let cool.

~ Soft Caramel Filling ~

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 8 tablespoons water
•  1/2 cup heavy cream, hot
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.
Stop stirring and let the syrup boil until it reaches a deep amber color (about 300 degrees, for you precise people). Remove the caramel from the heat, and carefully pour in the hot cream. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Return the pan to very low heat, and continue stirring until mixture is uniform in color, 1 minute. Remove the caramel from the heat, and stir in the butter. Let it cool for about five minutes, and stir in the vanilla and salt. Let it sit, undisturbed, until you can touch it (wait about 20 minutes before you try. I will not be held responsible for your fingers). Gently stir in the vanilla, and allow the caramel to cool until no longer hot to the touch, stirring gently three or four times.

Don't touch it!

Color change starting. You'll also start to smell cooking sugar. Don't touch it!

Okay, so I skipped some steps. I was making caramel, people! I'm not a photographer!

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the caramel filling into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

(You can take a break now. You want to top the cupcakes with the pecans and the ganache as the last step, together. It's almost over. The hard stuff is definitely behind you.)

Actually, I don't even want to talk about these cupcakes right now. I want to talk about this guy.

h

"Conan the Barbarian" was our family movie when I was growing up. No lie. Otherwise, we watched PBS. I have seen this movie so many times...it's full of awesome images (green soup with heads and other body parts in it!), the music is so dramatic that it comes in second in my book ONLY to Star Wars (I wish I could host some awards ceremony and only play music from Conan and Star Wars...but no one would come), and it's chock full of quotes that really, you ought to throw into your conversation tomorrow morning at work.

Mongol General: This is good, but what is best in life?
Mongol : The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

Conan: Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!  

That's right, Crom. Stick it where the sun don't shine!

My Conan is not this Conan.

Not that the new movie is bad, because it isn't, especially when you don't look at it as a remake, but as its own entity. I'm not saying it's good, but I wasn't angry about it either. But, of course, the villain wasn't this guy...

You know you love this guy.

And Thulsa Doom, though he says many marvelous things, has my favorite quote in the whole movie: Contemplate this on the tree of woe. 

Too bad he gets his head lopped off.

Okay. I feel strengthened now, and can carry on. Let's move forward with the cupcakes.


~ Candied Pecans ~

• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars and salt, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water in a medium bowl until frothy but not stiff; add in melted butter. Add pecans, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (NOT foil). Bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate the nuts as they cool.

~ For ganache ~

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

On the stovetop, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, stir in chocolate and butter and mix well until fully incorporated and the ganache is shiny. Let cool for about 5 minutes before using, but you still want the ganache to be fairly warm and pourable.

~ Final assembly ~

On top of each filled cupcake, scatter some candied pecans. Using a large spoon, pour a bit of ganache over the top of the pecans until the top of the cupcake is mostly covered. This doesn't have to be perfect. Chocolate turtles aren't exactly pretty and these cupcakes aren't either; they don't have to be. Which is good, because I bet you're pretty tired of looking at the damned things.

(Yes, Mama, I swore there. I earned it.)

Keep these in the fridge, or they'll melt everywhere, but I promise, these really benefit from coming to room temperature before serving. And do remember to serve them with a napkin.

Are you contemplating??? ARE YOU????? Dooooooommmmmmmm!

Oatmeal cookie cupcakes with cinnamon-cream cheese filling and brown sugar frosting

First of all, I put it to you - did you know that you can make your own brown sugar?

No kidding! You can! And it's so easy - all you do is mix in a tablespoon of molasses for every cup of white sugar and stir it all in (I used my fingers, because I'm traditional that way...sort of sugary paleo, if you will), and there...brown sugar. You can make it as dark as you like depending on how much molasses you add in. Keep it in an airtight container and there..now you have no excuse not to bake because you don't have any brown sugar.

The original MO-lasses

Brown sugar! Homemade! Well, home...stirred...

So this isn't a summery cupcake. This is an "I am climbing the walls and have to bake something but need to use what I've got kind of cupcake." I keep receiving oatmeal. I don't know why. I don't really eat it. It's not that I dislike it, but I don't really eat breakfast anyway and most of the time I'm not willing to bother to make regular oatmeal, and I think that instant oatmeal is weird. If I'm going to have a hot grain for breakfast, it's going to be grits.

(I have those, too, but I hadn't really considered a grits cupcake until just this minute...anyway...)

So I have oatmeal, and I made brown sugar, and I have half a package of cream cheese left from the plum cupcakes, and, as you do, I think, "I can make oatmeal cookie cupcakes! With a cookie on the bottom! And a cream cheese (I don't have that much cream cheese)...filling! Right! And (ok the cream cheese is going in the filling and now I have a whole lot of brown sugar because I made four cups' worth)...brown sugar frosting! Brilliant!

And this is a cupcake, although it looks a bit like a muffin ("I am not a muffin!" declares the cupcake. I don't know why my cupcake sounds like Richard Nixon). It's not very sweet, which is a mercy, because holy mackerel, the frosting sure is! Do you like brown sugar fudge? If you do, this frosting is the ticket for you. For me, it's tooth-achingly sweet. I mean, it's good...I promise it's good. But I ate half a cupcake and I feel like a tightly-wound spring.

'Course, I'm not a sweets person. I'm a salty/cheesy person (as friends and family will attest). Once I stepped back from this cupcake for awhile, though, I had to admit that it's a good one. I like the crunchy bottom and the dense cake with the creamy filling, and yes, I do like the frosting. In moderation.

So get yourself an unsweetened beverage and pull up a chair, because I present...a very brown cupcake.

Brown on brown! Filled with brown! With a brown bottom!

~ Oatmeal Cookie Cupcakes ~

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners.

~ Oatmeal Cookie Crust ~

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup regular oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine melted butter, flour, oats,and brown sugar in a small bowl. Put about a tablespoon of the oatmeal mixture into each lined muffin tin. Press down with your fingers to make an even crust on the bottom of each one. Bake for about 10 minutes until starting to brown. Let cool before filling with cupcake batter.

Before baking

After baking

~ for cupcakes ~

• 2 cups regular oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of freshly-ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk

Combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a food processor and run until the oatmeal has pretty much ground up, but you can still see some texture (about 30 seconds or so).
Cream the butter and sugars in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, yogurt and milk and beat until fully incorporated.
Add in the oat/flour mixture and beat until all is just combined. This is going to be a thick, well-textured batter. Don't be scared.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Don't be concerned if the tops crack a little bit.
This will make between 21 and 24 cupcakes.

Sorta looks like oatmeal, doesn't it? The kind you'd get at a breakfast buffet...

~ Cinnamon - Cream Cheese Filling ~

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• Milk, if needed for consistency

Cream together butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add in salt, cinnamon, and vanilla and beat well. Add in powdered sugar and beat on low until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add in milk if you want to thin out the mixture a bit - you want it to be thick, but not stiff (think of what you'd like to encounter in the middle of a cupcake).

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the cinnamon filling into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

Cupcakes, stuffed.

 ~ Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe ~

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 -4 cups sifted powdered sugar

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add the brown sugar, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low, and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk and return to a boil, stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and cool to lukewarm.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the salt and vanilla into the butter-brown sugar mixture. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is thick enough to pipe onto the cupcakes.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe a bit of frosting onto each cupcake. There is no need to smother the cake with frosting - this frosting is SWEET. In fact, if I were making it just for myself, I would probably just spread it on. The cupcakes wouldn't be so pretty though.

As usual, store the cupcakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve, and let them come to room temperature if possible before serving.

Liam and Deirdre say, "Que Bueno!"

"I am not a muffin!"

Plum cupcakes with almond crust and plum-cream cheese frosting

We have a plum tree in the back yard. Last year, it produced two plums. One of which fell to the ground unbeknownst to me and the other of which just sort of dangled until it dried up.

This year there are so many plums on the tree that one of the branches broke clean through under their weight, frightening Sebastian the cat (I was in the backyard when it happened).

I don't make a lot of fruity cupcakes, going more the chocolate-y route, but it's darn hot and the idea of making something rich and heavy isn't a pleasant one. Plus, I have about a million plums to go through. I have already made jam (and used it liberally in this recipe), but I thought that adding the plums to the cake would be mighty fine, too.

And it was! The cake is not too sweet, and the bits of plums add a bit of freshness to the cupcake - it may look like a muffin, but it's the lightest muffin I've ever tasted. Nah. It's a cake. Filled with jam. And then, cream cheese...mixed with more jam...

Oh, and I had to do the almond crust again! I love the flavor of almond with stone fruit, and this didn't disappoint. So here we have an edible memory of the summer of the thousand plums...the summer where I learned to make jam, and the children...to devour said memories and smear them all over the furniture.

Ain't life grand? It's certainly sticky on Hyatt Lane!

Almond Crust for cupcakes ~ 

• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds (ground in food processor)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with baking liners; set aside.

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Press about a tablespoon's worth of the almond mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner, pressing down to make an even layer. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes (be aware of the smell - if you smell toasted nuts, the crust is ready. If you smell burning nuts, you'd better start over). Set aside to cool while preparing the cupcakes batter.

Liam helped me make the crusts for the cupcakes

  ~ Plum Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes) ~

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of fresh-ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 cups chopped plums (may leave skins on)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cardamom and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy. Add in the eggs, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bow, and then the vanilla extract. Gently mix in the yogurt. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the plums.

Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full with the batter (these will rise, but not too much).

This is likely more than 3/4 full...

But see? Not too poufy...

~ Plum Jam for Filling ~
This was plum jam I made last week; the recipe is from the Ball Blue Cookbook for Damson Plum Jam. I'm not going to post it here, but you can certainly search for it, or just use plum jam that you already have.

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the plum jam into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ Cream Cheese - Plum Frosting ~
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup plum jam
4 - 5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer; mix in the jam. Add in the salt. In 1-cup increments, mix in the powdered sugar and beat in at a low speed until frosting is of the desired consistency. Pipe onto each cupcake using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. If you measured it right, you should have enough for 24 cupcakes. If you didn't, as I didn't, you can leave the cupcakes nekkid or you can spread them with additional jam and claim they're for your lactose-intolerant friends. Because you're always thinking about the other guy.

(What?)

Think how much the other guy will appreciate this. You altruist, you!

 Store these in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature if you can before serving.

Liam says, "Yummy!"

Deirdre is pleased.

Still pleased.

Yep. This passed the test.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

If I were going to do these again, I probably would involve more strawberries, mounding them on top or something. However, since I plan to serve these at a birthday gathering to a lot of, frankly, messy people, I don't think that'd work too well. Then I thought about calling them "Sort of Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes" and then I thought, you know, why do I care anyway what these are called, or how close they are to strawberry shortcake proper?

These are light and delicate and they really don't care what their name is. I doubt you'll be in the company of this cupcake long enough to name it anyhow. You're just going to eat it. Which is as it should be.

What we have here is a crisp, light, shortbread crust, topped by a super-moist, buttery cake. The filling is a homemade strawberry jam, although you can totally cheat and buy that part. The frosting is an airy whipped cream made just a teeny bit more complex with cream cheese and then the whole shebang is topped with a ripe strawberry. Cool, summery, and perfect for a birthday.

Yassum, I like my Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes. And I'm not saying sorry, either.

'Course, I was also a HUGE fan of this doll that "blows strawberry kisses" (remember, Mama???), so admittedly, my taste is suspect.

Seriously. I loved this doll. 

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

~ Shortbread Crust ~
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chilled butter

Preheat oven to 350F.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to blend.
Cut butter into large chunks and add to food processor. Blend for about 1 minute, until dough has a very sandy appearance and starts to clump together.

Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Press about 2 tablespoons' worth of the shortbread mixture into each muffin cup, pressing down with your (clean!) fingers to form a solid layer.

Bake the shortbread-lined tins in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cookie is just starting to turn golden. Set aside to cool while making your cupcake batter.

~ For cupcakes ~

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2s teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well-combined and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla and mix well. Add in half the buttermilk, half the flour, and then the rest of the milk and lastly the rest of the flour, beating after each addition until just combined (and scraping down the sides of the bowl).


Fill each shortbread-lined cupcake tin with the batter to about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until an inserted tester comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes or so in the muffin tin, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling with the strawberry jam.


~ Strawberry Jam ~
(lifted from chocolate moosey - I had to make a double batch to fill twenty-four cupcakes, with a little leftover for toast. You can also use a good-quality strawberry jam and just skip this step, but why would I ever want to make things less complicated for myself? If you have a toddler hanging onto your legs as you make the jam, so much the better.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberries, sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

Place berries, sugar, and lemon juice into a somewhat-deep skillet. Heat and stir until it reaches a rolling boil. Keep stirring until it thickens, usually 10 minutes. (From Rachel: It will be ready when it slides off the spoon in a sheet rather than runny drops. Look it up on a site that is more jam-proficient than mine!) Just make sure you don’t overcook it, even if you have to test every minute or two. Turn off the heat. Let the jam cool completely before using it to fill the cupcakes.

After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the strawberry jam into the cupcake's cavity and then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ Cream Cheese - Whipped Cream frosting ~

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Halved ripe strawberries, for garnish

Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until light, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup cream and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add in vanilla, salt, and remaining cream and beat until peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

Using a large star tip, swoop on the frosting and top each cupcake with a strawberry half. Store in the refrigerator, and serve as soon as you can after frosting (the sugar and the cream cheese stabilizes the cream a bit, but you still don't want to keep them too long).

Really, do you think this needs anything else?

Almond Joy cupcakes

Almond joy cupcakes look unassuming...

...but check out what's inside!

I have been talking about these cupcakes for months. No lie.

Almond Joy candies have to be one of my favorites, although I've always thought they'd be better if they were enrobed in dark chocolate rather than milk. Not that I won't devour them anyway regardless of the chocolate intensity, but don't you think that a marriage between a Mounds and an Almond Joy would create the perfect candy? And then throw a cupcake into the mix...

My mom and sister and I all love coconut. I don't really get people who don't (but then, I don't care for jelly beans and I also like Cadbury Cream Eggs so what do I know?), and granted, this cupcake is geared towards a specific audience. I'd probably not take them to my niece's fifth-grade class and expect them to vanish. But I'd not trust their chances at a Kessler family reunion (that's my mom's side of the family and we appreciate our groceries, and the more off-the-wall, the better). Even I, and I'm not really a sweets person, am having a hard time not dipping into the tray of these tucked into the back refrigerator. I was downright grateful to send my sister back to the desert with over a half-dozen, and I hope to gift the rest of these tonight to some unsuspecting friends. I need to make a cupcake I won't eat.

Be that as it may, this one turned out better than even I'd hoped. I've seen other cupcakes with this theme on the internet, but I wasn't satisfied with what I saw. I knew I wanted white cake, not chocolate, and I knew I wanted the dark chocolate to coat the cupcake just like the candy. Had I any of the filling leftover, I would have frozen it and dipped it in melted chocolate for homemade candy bars.

However, I had the most wonderful helper in the kitchen this time, my beloved sister Deirdre (for whom the baby at the end of this post is named), and she is generous with her filling. The cupcake lids were perched on top of the filling like jaunty, spongey berets! She was also responsible for the almonds on top, and as the family artist, they looked perfect. I probably would have just lumped them on there. Deirdre has a far more delicate touch than I. Not to mention she's one of my most gratifying tasters! But back to the cupcakes...

I haven't used nuts like this as the crust before, and I really flew by the seat of my pants on this one - I just added a little of this and a little of that and used what sounded good and then hoped for the best...and it worked (and I love it when that happens!). So what you have is a crunchy, deeply nutty crust, with a moist, springy white cake, filled with a coconut filling just like the candy (but better, because you can add more coconut and vanilla) and topped with a dark, not very sweet ganache. It's like the perfect coconut, almond, and chocolate candy reborn as a cupcake, and the contrast of flavors and textures (sweet! bittersweet! savory! crunchy! gooey! smooth!) plays together really, really well. I would have to say this is one of my very favorite cupcakes...and it makes about 24, so feel free to share.

~ Almond Crust for cupcakes ~ 

• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds (ground in food processor)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with baking liners; set aside.

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Press about a tablespoon's worth of the almond mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner, pressing down to make an even layer. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes (be aware of the smell - if you smell toasted nuts, the crust is ready. If you smell burning nuts, you'd better start over). Set aside to cool while preparing the cupcakes batter.

~White cupcakes ~

• 1 cup milk
• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature (I used the ones from a carton and you can, too!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into small bowl, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating on low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs.

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to bowl and beat at medium speed for two minutes. Add remaining half cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium speed and beat 20 seconds longer.

Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes. Let cool completely before filling and frosting.

~ Coconut filling ~

• 1 14-ounce can condensed milk
• 1 7-ounce bag of shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoons salt

Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a medium bowl. After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the coconut filling into the cupcake's cavity, then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Chill before topping with ganache.

~ For ganache ~

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• toasted sliced almonds, for garnish

On the stovetop, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, stir in chocolate and mix well until fully incorporated and shiny. Let cool for about 15 minutes before using (this will also let your cupcakes chill).

Carefully spoon the cooled but still liquid ganache on the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle the toasted almond slices around the outside of each cupcake.Chill the cupcakes in the refrigerator until the ganache is set (about 15 minutes).

This is the mighty Baby Deirdre

Baby Deirdre with cupcake...

Baby Deirdre heartily approves of the cupcake.

S'mores Cupcakes, part deux

Yes, obviously I've already made s'more cupcakes - but even then, I wasn't very happy with them. At the time, one of my dearest friends, whose opinion I value so highly, didn't think they were quite up to snuff either, although he'd never have said so. You know how you can just tell, sometimes? He did, however, heartily approve of my torching them on top.

This version comes much closer to the mark - they really are like the best parts of a s'more all put together (although my sister is now touting the benefits of Nutella in a s'more, so who knows, there may be a part trois coming up before summer's end) - the crunchy graham bottom, the graham cake, the fudgey middle, and the roasted marshmallow on top. Eagle-eyed readers (and my sainted mother, who misses nothing) will notice that these are made up of bits and pieces of cupcakes that I've posted before. Well, that's cooking, isn't it? Taking something you know and expanding on it and playing with it until it evolves into something new.

These were fun to share, and fun to make - and I got to use up the last of my graham cracker crumbs and whip up some more wonderful hot fudge sauce a la David Leibowitz (did you get The Perfect Scoop yet? What are you waiting for???) - and it's a little bit of summertime in a foil wrapper.

This makes about 18 cupcakes.

~ Graham Cupcakes ~
For graham bottom:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter, salted
1/4 cup sugar
For cupcakes:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 standard-sized muffin cups with baking liners (or grease well).

In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar, mixing until crumbly. Press a small amount into the bottom of each muffin cup, dividing the total evenly, and press down with your fingers to form a smooth(ish) bottom layer. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and let cool before filling with cupcake batter.


Cupcakes now:
Beat the butter for about 30 seconds until well creamed. Add the sugars and mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla and mix again.
Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt into a small bowl. Add in about half of the dry mixture into the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk and mix well. Finish with the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. 
Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (the ones you already have the graham cracker crust baked into, remember?) and bake at 350 for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tins for 2 minutes or so, then remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
 
 ~ Hot Fudge Sauce (from David Leibowitz's The Perfect Scoop) ~

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Mix together the cream, brown sugar, cocoa, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add in the chocolate and butter, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in vanilla and serve. This will make more than you need for the cupcakes - store any leftover in the refrigerator and serve warm over ice cream. Let the sauce cool completely before using to fill the cupcakes.

To assemble:
After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of fudge sauce into the cupcake's cavity, then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Chill before frosting.

~ Marshmallow Frosting ~
8 large egg whites, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler, or set your (immaculate) mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.  Mix in the vanilla until combined. 

Use a large star tip to frost the cupcakes however you like. Now the fun part - carefully using a kitchen torch, heat the top of each cupcake until just toasty, like a roasted marshmallow.

Keep the cupcakes in the refrigerator until serving, of course, but let them come to room temperature before you eat them, if you can. They're also good cold.

The one complaint I heard about these was that they were messy. Well, yes. So is summertime.

M&M's cupcakes

 

These were the third set of cupcakes for this weekend's fundraiser (the other two can be found here and here) - and I hate to say this, but I think they will be the biggest hit of the three. They look really impressive, especially en masse, what with all the colors and all. And besides those who abhor chocolate, who doesn't like M&M's?

I'd been thinking about a cupcake using these candies for awhile, but I'd wanted to use the mini's. Two stores later and no luck (really? Because both stores actually use the mini candies in cookies from their respective bakeries), so I just threw caution to the wind and used the regular size. Did some of them sink to the bottom? Sure. Did I mind? Not at all.

The real show stopper here was the fudge filling. If you don't have it yet, David Leibowitz's The Perfect Scoop is a wonderful book that I have used over and over again. It's worth it for this hot fudge sauce recipe alone. And the fresh mint ice cream. And the toffee. And...well, I could go on and on about it. You can grab one here. It is dark and rich and almost pudding like, and I plan to incorporate it into many future cupcakes. He's also got a marshmallow sauce...well, anyhow...

These cupcakes would be perfect for a kids' party, a baby shower, a Thursday...whatever. There's not too much frosting, they are colorful and fun, and really, they are quite delicious. And it just goes to show that you don't need to be fancy to impress. Sometimes I forget that (with cupcakes - I'm anything but fancy otherwise).

M&M-studded white cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)

• 1 cup milk
• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature (I used the ones from a carton and you can, too!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 
• 1 cup m&m's candies (mini if you can find them, but regular is okay too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with baking liners; set aside.

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into small bowl, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating on low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs.

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to bowl and beat at medium speed for two minutes. Add remaining half cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium speed and beat 20 seconds longer. Fold in candies.

Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes. Let cool completely before filling and frosting.

Hot Fudge Sauce (from David Leibowitz's The Perfect Scoop)

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Mix together the cream, brown sugar, cocoa, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add in the chocolate and butter, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in vanilla and serve. This will make more than you need for the cupcakes - store any leftover in the refrigerator and serve warm over ice cream. Let the sauce cool completely before using to fill the cupcakes.

Basic Vanilla Buttercream

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 - 4 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• gel food coloring (I used blue, green, red, and yellow)

 In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add in half of the powdered sugar and all of the salt, and mix until combined. Add in the heavy cream and vanilla. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar, and mix until incorporated. Add in more cream and/or sugar until the frosting is of the desired consistency. Set aside about 1/2 cup of white frosting for your m's, then divide the rest evenly and color however you prefer. You'll need a separate bag for each color, unless you want to clean the bag after every use, and I used a large round tip for frosting.

To assemble:
After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of fudge sauce into the cupcake's cavity, then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Chill before frosting.

To decorate:
Using a large round tip, pipe a swirl of frosting over the cupcake, not quite touching the sides (you want this to look like a flat round surface sitting on top of the cupcake). Smooth this surface as much as you can with a spatula (but it need not look perfect). Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Let set at room temperature until the frosting has crusted over (give yourself about an hour to be safe). Fill a small bowl with warm water; set aside. Using a CLEAN finger, dip into the warm water and gently smooth over the frosted surface of each cupcake. Change water between colors and wash your hands frequently. Let cupcakes dry for about a half hour. Using the white frosting and a small writing tip (or use a ziptop baggie and snip off the corner), write an "m" on the top of each cupcake.

Rough surface before smoothing

Store in the refrigerator. These are optimal if you let them come to room temperature before serving, but they're pretty tasty cold, too.

So some of the candies sank to the bottom. Big deal!