Sunday, September 25, 2011

Hot Fudge Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Are you sitting down?  You will need to be when you see these decadent little beauties…so trust me…please, sit down.  Are you ready?  Drum roll please…

Hot Fudge Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Have you ever seen anything that knocked the breath out of you quite this much?  When I first saw the recipe for them on the Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen site, my pulse and breathing quickened and I KNEW I had to make these.  My two favorite combinations in the universe are chocolate and coffee AND chocolate and peanut butter (there seems to be a chocolate theme…hmmm…I shall need to consult my shrink…or maybe my nutritionist…about this).  When I saw the mound of peanut butter with that oh so enticing drizzle of hot fudge, I thought I had finally attained nirvana.  So I made them.  And I loved them.  And I am tempted to go into the kitchen and make them again.  I shall try to refrain.  My butt will thank me.

I did make them slightly differently than the original recipe, so here is what I did.  You can check out the original at the link above.

Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 Egg
¾ Cup brown sugar
½ Cup milk
½ Cup, plus 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
½ Cup butter, melted
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 1/8 Cup flour
¼ Cup cocoa powder
1 ¼ Teaspoon baking soda
½ Teaspoon salt
¼ Cup hot fudge (recipe below)

Frosting
½ Cup butter, softened
2/3 Cup peanut butter
3 Cups powdered sugar (you may need more depending on consistency)
1 Tablespoon milk (you will probably need more on hand to make it the right consistency, I did)
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Pinch salt

Hot Fudge
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup cocoa powder
1 Pinch salt
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Cup hot milk
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Step 1
The first thing you will need to do is make the hot fudge.  The original is written using a double boiler, so that is how I started.  But I stirred and stirred for a very long time and it did not thicken, so I ended up over direct, but low, heat.  You may have better luck with the double boiler than I did, so feel free to try that first if you would like.  This is just to warn you, you may need to switch over to a pot over low heat if it’s not thickening.


Combine the sugar, cocoa, salt and flour in a bowl over the double boiler (or in a pot over low heat).  Heat the milk in a saucepan until it is scalding or you can microwave it until it is hot.  Gradually add the milk to the chocolate mixture and stir constantly until the mixture thickens.  It will probably take about 5 minutes, or 15 if you are like me…but it should have taken closer to five.  When it is your desired thickness, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.  Then let it begin cooling while you start the cupcakes.

Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin tin (one recipe will make 12 cupcakes) with cupcake papers.

Step 3
Now it is truly cupcake time…step 2 was just to fake you out.  Combine the egg and brown sugar until they are smooth. 


Add the milk, cream, melted butter and vanilla and mix until they are combined. 


Stir in the sour cream.  Now add all the dry ingredients and mix until they have just combined.  An overmixed batter will result in a tough cupcake…and no one likes a tough cupcake. J  Add the hot fudge and stir it into the batter by hand.


Step 4
Fill the cupcake liners with ¼ cup of batter (as you can see, I am not adverse to using my fingers, but I would imagine a spoon is much more acceptable) and bake them for 15 – 18 minutes.  Let them cool and it’s time to make the frosting.


Step 5
Cream the peanut butter and butter together until they are fluffy…about 3 – 5 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar and then gradually add the milk and vanilla extract.  Add the pinch of salt and beat until it is fluffy.  If the frosting is too thick, add more milk; if the frosting is too thin, add some more powdered sugar.

Step 6
I decided to stuff the cupcakes with hot fudge instead of frosting…the thought of biting into chewy chocolate was just too tempting!  So I filled my pastry decorating apparatus with fudge and inserted the tip into the cupcake and just added a little fudge to the center. 


Then I frosted the cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting...


 and finished by drizzling the hot fudge on top.


I know there are a lot of steps to these cupcakes, but they really were not that difficult and the results were oh so delicious!  Hmm...I may need to get the oven preheating ...just in case...

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles


Central Pennsylvania is being pummeled with the worst flood in YEARS, perhaps ever.  I am praying for all those being affected by the storm; please use caution during this weather! 

Since I can’t do anything to stop the rain, I decided to make the most of the cool, wet morning stuck in my home by making Pumpkin Pecan Waffles.  I had some pumpkin puree and pecans in my freezer and thought this would be the perfect way to make a dreary day special.  They had wonderful flavor, were soft and fragrant, and crunched with the nutty pecans.  Some syrup and butter on top and they made for the perfect breakfast treat!

Ingredients
1 ½ Cups pumpkin puree
2 ¼ Cups flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
½ Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
2 ½ Teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ Cup packed light brown sugar
2 Eggs, separated
¼ Cup sour cream
1 Cup buttermilk
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
¼ Cup pecans, chopped
Syrup

Step 1
Get your waffle iron preheating.  Chop your pecans.  Now get a cup of coffee for yourself because that was just so dag gone exhausting.

Step 2


Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  In a separate bowl whisk the brown sugar and egg yolks.  Then add the pumpkin puree, sour cream and buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, just put 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar in your measuring cup and fill with milk to 1 cup).  Whisk in the melted butter.  Now add the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined (it will be lumpy).  Beat the egg whites with a mixer until they are stiff and then gently fold them into your batter.

Step 3


If your waffle iron is not nonstick, grease it with cooking spray or butter.  Pour the batter onto the waffle iron and sprinkle some pecans on top.  Cook the waffles until they are golden.  Then keep finished waffles warm in the oven (set to “Warm”) until you are finished.  Serve with butter and syrup!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Spicy Corn Chowder

Spicy Corn Chowder (adapted from the Neelys)


Ah summer…slipping away so quickly.  The nights are crisp, the days pleasant and Labor Day is almost upon us.  How do you come and go with such ease?  We wish you would stay longer, but we will celebrate you while we still can. 

I believe I have mentioned my obsession with corn.  The end of summer, means the end of corn on the cob and that makes me sad.  But even when the frigid wind is howling outside my kitchen window, I will still be able to make this soup and remember the warm, still-sunny evenings when I made it…and I will rest in the fact that the seasons will once again change and summer WILL come around again!

Ingredients
7 Slices bacon, chopped
1 Vidalia onion, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1 Habanero, cleaned and minced (use a jalapeno if you can’t handle the heat J)
3 Cloves garlic, minced
¼ Cup flour
4 Cups chicken stock (I like unsalted)
2 Large red potatoes, diced into ¾ inch cubes
1 Cup fat free half and half (or you can use heavy cream)
16 Ounces frozen corn
¼ Teaspoon cayenne
1 Bay leaf
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper

Step 1


I love roasting vegetables because it adds so much flavor to them naturally.  When I made this, I decided to try roasting the corn kernels and it worked!  You could obviously use corn still on the cob and grill it for even more flavor if you are so inclined…but this is what I did:  I set the oven to 375 degrees.  Then I placed the corn on a baking pan and drizzled 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on top.  I mixed the corn around and then arranged it in a single layer.  The corn roasted in the oven for 10 minutes and then I stirred it.  It roasted for another 6 – 8 minutes (until it had a little color, but hadn’t lost all of its moisture).  Then I let it cool while I worked.  But while the corn is roasting, you can start the bacon and prep the veggies in Step 2…

Step 2


Get a heavy bottomed pot heating on the stove over medium-high heat.  Chop the bacon into ½ inch “lardons” (a fancy French word for small pieces of bacon J) and place them in the pot.  While then begin to brown, you can begin prepping the veggies; just make sure you check on the bacon and stir it occasionally.  When it is browned, remove the pan from the heat.  Dice the Vidalia onion.  Then clean out the seeds and veins from the bell pepper and dice it.  Mince the garlic and small dice the red potatoes, without peeling them.  Finally, to prepare either the habanero or the jalapeno, don some gloves and remove the seeds and veins before mincing.  Whew!  At this point, the corn should be out and cooling and the bacon should be finished.  Remove the bacon to a plate covered with paper towels.  Leave 2 Tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot (discard the rest or save it…your call), add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and proceed…

Step 3

Vegetables Sauteing


Flour at Blond Stage


Simmering after Water is Added

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and red bell pepper to the pot.  Add some salt and pepper and sauté the vegetables until they are tender (approximately 5 minutes).  Add the habanero or jalapeno and the garlic and sauté them for 1 minute.  Now stir in the flour until it is evenly distributed through the vegetables and has reached the “blond” stage (it will only take about 1 minute).  Stir in the chicken stock and potatoes and then cover the pot.  When the soup begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just becoming tender.

Step 4


It’s time to add the half and half, corn, cayenne and the bay leaf.  At this point, taste it and add salt and pepper to your own taste.  Then cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 15 more minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and serve the soup topped with some of the bacon.

Enjoy this ode to summer - all year long!