Friday, September 6, 2013

Chocolate Salted Carmel Cupcakes


Tonight was my first time making my own carmel and to be honest I was a little terrified after all the horror stories I have heard about ruining pots and pans.  

In the morning I made the cupcakes, which I was a little worried about because the batter was so runny.  They ended up turning out good and delicious in the end though:)

Later when I went to my parent's house for dinner I attempted to make the carmel.  I sat at the stove for ten minutes watching and waiting for my carmel to get to the correct temperature but unfortunately had to quickly run to the bathroom (no more than 1 minute) and I can back and the carmel was burnt. Lessoned learned. Second round went much better and after filling my cupcakes I actually had some left over which we put on some parchment paper to have for a snack later on. YUM!

The frosting was good but a little too thin for me.  I like a little bit of a thicker and stiffer buttercream.  It was interesting though, as I have never made a frosting like this one before.  Seemed to be a hit.

Recipe From Martha Steward's Cupcake Book... (I made half of everything)






Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Cinnabon Copy Cats


So I've been craving cinnamon rolls for awhile now.  However, after looking though all my recipe books, I couldn't find a recipe that looked perfect to me.  I was looking for something that was going to be like going to the mall and getting those heavenly cinnabons.  So my search for the perfect recipe proceeded online until I found the blog "Lauren's Latest".  It had looked like she had done her research and so this recipe looked like the one to try.  Success.  These were heavenly, a hit with the family, and going to made again very soon.


Since I was going to my grandparents for dinner and didn't have to time to make them while there (or we would have eaten dessert at least 3 hours after dinner) I decided to calculate the time it would take to make and started about 3 hours before I was going to head over.  Since there are two periods of letting the dough rise it actually worked out perfectly.  I headed out pretty close to after I started to let them rise the second time (the car was a perfect warm environment for them) and then by the time we just started to eat dinner, they were ready to be put in the oven.  Perfect.

If you want to make these a night ahead for a morning treat (I would not attempt making them in the morning unless you want them for lunch) I would suggest that you go through all the steps until you roll and cut up the buns.  Put them into the container you want to bake them in and stick them in the fridge.  When you wake up take them out and leave them out for 3-4 hours then bake them.  Yes, this is a long time, but you can get out of bed and take them out, then get back into bed for a couple hours.  Much better then doing all the work so early in the morning.

For the frosting, since I would be making it at my grandparent's house, I measured out all the ingredients and put them in plastic bags and little Tupperware and after dinner all I had to do was beat them together for five minutes and it was ready. Easy.  



Recipe from... http://www.laurenslatest.com/my-cinnabon-cinnamon-rolls/

My Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

After several attempts at recreating this famous recipe, I've finally come up with one that might be just as good if not better than the original!
yield: 15 ROLLS APPROXIMATELY

prep time: 6 HOURS

cook time: 17 MINUTES

total time: 6 HOURS 17 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

for the dough-
3/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast {use the fast acting kind!} I only had regualar active dry yeast and I researched and debated substituting what I had for the recipe but in the end, went to the store...still curious what would change with active dry yeast...
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 egg
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 1/2-5 cups all purpose unbleached flour -- I used only 4 1/2 and it seemed like plenty

for the filling-
1/2 cup softened margarine -- I used room temp. butter
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch

for the frosting-
2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup softened margarine -- I used room temp. butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Making the Dough- 
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour in water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Stir and proof 5 minutes. 
2. Once mixture looks bubbly and frothy, pour in remaining sugar and salt. Stir on low for 15-20 seconds. In a small bowl, measure buttermilk, oil and egg. Whisk ingredients together until egg is incorporated to other two ingredients. 
3. Pour contents into the water and yeast mixture. Stir another 20 seconds in the mixer. Pour 2 cups of flour into mixer and stir on low until incorporated. 
4. Sprinkle flour in by 1/4 cup increments until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. (This takes awhile) Dough should be sticky but not sticky enough to stick to your hands when touched. Once it has reached this stage, turn mixer on and knead for 5 minutes. (Maybe it was my mixer, but this did not work with me. The dough kept on come out of the bowl.  So I ended up simply taking the dough out kneading it myself for about 6-7 minutes.)
5.  Remove dough from bowl, grease and replace back into same mixing bowl {since it's practically clean anyways.} Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Rise 1-2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
Filling and Cutting Rolls-
6.  In a medium size bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch together until combined. Set aside. Punch down dough. Flour a large clean table liberally with flour. Lightly flour dough as well. 
7. Roll dough out to be a 20x30 rectangle (Mine was much smaller then this because I couldn't get it this big and didn't have somewhere to roll it out that big.  Mine was about 20x15) while moving dough around to ensure it's not sticking to your work surface. If it's a little short or uneven, feel free to cut off the edges to even it all out. 
8.  Spread softened margarine over dough, being sure to go right to the edges leaving a 1-inch strip untouched on one of the longer sides of dough. 
9. Dump brown sugar mixture onto the middle of the dough and spread with your hands, creating an even layer over top of the margarine, still leaving that 1-inch strip of dough untouched. If you have any filling that falls off the sides of the dough, use a bench scraper to replace. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the margarine using a rolling pin. 
10. Roll the dough up into a tight log, finishing with the plain dough on the bottom to seal the entire thing together. Cut off the uneven ends to even out the log.
11.  Score log every 2 inches and then slice your rolls using those marks. Place into parchment paper lined, margarine greased pans. 12 into a 9x13, 3 remaining into a loaf pan, or 8x8 with the small ends. Cover pans with plastic wrap and dish towels. 
12. Let rolls rise another 1-2 hours or until they are touching and have risen almost double. My rolls always spread out more than up, so just be aware that they will most likely spread out more than up. Bake in a preheated 350 degree for 17 minutes, or until tops start to brown. Watch them carefully!!
For the Frosting-
13.  While the rolls are baking, whip cream cheese and margarine together. Stir in vanilla, corn syrup and lemon juice. Scrape sides and mix again.
14.  Pour in powdered sugar and stir slowly until it starts to incorporate. Then mix on high for 5 minutes or until frosting starts to lighten in color. Scrape sides and mix again briefly. 
15. Once rolls have been removed from the oven, frost using half the amount made. Then after they have cooled a few more minutes, frost again with remaining frosting. The first frosting will melt down into the rolls and the second layer should stay put. Serve warm.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream


These cupcakes were a hit and everyone seemed to really like them, especially my dad.  I was pleased, but still not satisfied.  I think the cupcakes still need a little tweaking (maybe add a bit more moisture?) and then I will be satisfied.  However, a very solid start.  Chocolate buttercream is always an easy and delicious frosting and always turns out the way that I want it to.  I also topped these cupcakes with cocoa nibs, which I think was perfect and gave them a good crunch.

Recipe from Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas


Chocolate Buttercream from Cooks Illustrated

MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS, ENOUGH FOR 12 CUPCAKES

Any of the buttercream frostings (see related recipes) can be made ahead and refrigerated; if refrigerated, however, they must stand at room temperature to soften before use. If using a hand-held mixer, increase mixing times significantly (at least 50 percent).

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then reduce speed to low and gradually beat in chocolate. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.


Triple-Chocolate Espresso Brownies


These are an all time favorite and I have made this recipe for over five years again and again.  First, I am not a coffee drinker nor do I like the taste of coffee.  That being said I LOVE these brownies.  You can always control how much espresso powder to put in and the combination of chocolate and espresso is heavenly even to someone who doesn't like espresso.  The taste of espresso is a little masked by the chocolate and really helps bring out the richness of the chocolate. Also the espresso can be completely be taken out if you want (maybe just add a bit extra cocoa powder).

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated....

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
     To develop a rich, deep chocolate flavor for our fudgy brownie recipe, we ultimately found it necessary to use three types of chocolate: unsweetened chocolate laid a solid, intense foundation; semisweet chocolate provided a mellow, even, somewhat sweet flavor; and cocoa smoothed out any rough edges introduced by the unsweetened chocolate (which can contribute a sour, acrid flavor) and added complexity to what can be the bland flavor of semisweet chocolate. We focused on flour, butter, and eggs to arrive at the chewy texture we wanted in our brownie recipe. Too little flour meant the batter was goopy; too much made the brownies dry and muted the chocolate flavor. (less)

MAKES 64 ONE-INCH BROWNIES (HAHAHA, maybe 64 Bites...)

Either Dutch-processed or natural cocoa works well in this recipe. These brownies are very rich, so we prefer to cut them into small squares for serving.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Fold two 12-inch pieces of foil lengthwise so that they measure 7 inches wide. Fit one sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; overhang will help in removal of baked brownies. Following illustration #1 below, fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. 2. In medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa and espresso until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. 3. Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then fold in flour with spatula until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners, and level surface with rubber spatula; bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan using foil handles (see illustration #2, below). Cut into 1-inch squares and serve. (Do not cut brownies until ready to serve; brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 5 days.)