Thursday, July 29, 2010

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes



Following my cupcakes summer fun, here I share with you ones that you will love! Not only because they are fun to make but also because they are delicious! Seriously, who doesn't enjoy cookies and cream flavor with an oreo on top?!?! Hope you try it, you won't regret it!


Ingredients:

- For the cupcakes:
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (I quarter them)

- For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. heavy cream

- For garnish:
Oreo cookie crumbs
24 Oreo cookie halves


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.




Source: Recipe Courtesy of "Annie's Eats"

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes



Cupcakes have become an addiction to make! They are so much fun! A long time ago, I made these delicious ones for a friend. Hope you enjoy the richness and lovely coffee flavor of them!

Ingredients:

- For the cupcakes:
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. instant espresso powder
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup warm water
¾ cup buttermilk
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract


- For brushing the cupcakes:
Kahlua liqueur

- For the frosting:
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
7-8 tbsp. Kahlua liqueur
2 tbsp. heavy cream


Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk well to blend. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix on medium-high speed until smooth, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed lightly, about 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Poke a few holes in the top of each cupcake with the tines of a fork and brush with Kahlua while still warm. Allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated. Add in the Kahlua and beat on medium speed until well blended. Add in the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.


Source: Recipe Courtesy of "Annie's Eats"

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes



This beauties will blow your mind! They are out of this world!!!! I have a friend that just had her little baby and I was looking for a special treat for her and OF COURSE, I went to my favorite food blog "annie's eats" and after browsing all her cupcakes, many of them I have already made, but some how I was driven by this chocolate seduction... let me tell ya, I wasn't disappointed, actually I feel like I was rewarded!


Ingredients:
Yield: about 32 cupcakes


- For the cupcakes:
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¾ cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1¼ tsp. coarse salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2¼ cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

- For the ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

- For the frosting:
14 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sour cream

- For the chocolate curls:
Large block of high-quality semi- or bittersweet chocolate


Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally to combine, until the butter is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed, 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let stand about 1 minute. With a whisk, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles. When the ganache has become smooth, whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until incorporated. Transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator to chill and thicken the ganache a bit. Whisk every 5-10 minutes to help it cool evenly. Once the mixture is slightly thickened and no longer runny, you are ready to fill the cupcakes.

To assemble the cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake with a small paring knife. Cut off the pointed end of the cone and discard (or eat) so you are left with a cap of cake to cover the filling. Drop a spoonful of ganache into the center of each cupcake and recover the hole with the cap.





To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool until just barely warm. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Frost cupcakes immediately.

To make the chocolate curls, warm the block of chocolate just slightly (heat in 5-second intervals in the microwave - be careful not to melt). Use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate curls. Top cupcakes with curls immediately. Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it workable.



As you can tell by the pictures, I wasn't able to conquer the curls, they most likely look like chocolate shavings. It takes a little practice and the right kind of chocolate to get those lovely curls!


Source: Recipe Courtesy of Annie's Eats.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Grilled Peaches, Homemade Vanilla Ice cream and Melted Chocolate



What a delicious summer dessert and so easy to make, especially when you have company!


Ingredients:

8 fresh peaches, pitted and halved
Vegetable oil
1 batch of Vanilla Ice Cream (homemade is even better!)
4 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, melted
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted and chopped


Directions:

Heat grill to high. Brush peaches with oil and grill, cut side down, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate, scoop the ice cream inside the cavities and drizzle with melted chocolate and toasted walnuts.

Enjoy!

Cantaloupe Sorbet


My family is not a cantaloupe lover, but my husband is. So, I bought one yesterday, then I asked myself how can we use the rest of this whole thing, and after browsing some recipes, I decided to make it into a sorbet. The result was incredible, my little guys asked for seconds, and I cannot lie, that cantaloupe sorbet was pretty darn good!

So, if you want to give this recipe a try, just get your ingredients and utensils ready... it's pretty easy!!


Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1 fresh mint sprig (about 3 to 4 medium leaves)
1 cantaloupe, diced (about 2 1/2 lb.)
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbspn. corn syrup


Directions:

Place sugar, mint leaves and water in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat to medium and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved to make a simple syrup - you will have about 1 1/4 cups of simple syrup. You can fill it up with water to get this amount if you ended up having less. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool completely.

Place the melon cubes in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to chop, then process until completely pureed -it should yield about 6 cups. Stir in the orange and lemon juice, corn syrup and the simple syrup (without the mint sprig). Process until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and chill for 2 hours or longer.

Pour the mix into an ice cream maker, and let it mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The sorbet will have a soft slushy texture, similar to a freshly scooped Italian ice. If you want a firmer consistency, just transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!


Source: Adapted from Cuisinart Recipe Booklet

Monday, July 12, 2010

Mini Cupcakes



I've been baking a lot of cupcakes lately, so I decided to share this wonderful and versatile recipe with all of you. Sometimes you just need to keep it simple, to make it look and taste wonderful. This is a very easy and quick recipe. Just add some here and there and you can end up with amazing creations from it.



Ingredients:

- For the Cupcakes:

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract (I substituted for vanilla extract)


- For the Easy Vanilla Buttercream:

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/8 tspn. salt
2 tspn. vanilla extract
2 Tbspn. heavy cream



Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your mini muffin pans with the mini cupcakes liners (The recipe makes about 60).

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the tough. Transfer the cupcakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then unmold them and let them cool completely.

In the mean time, start preparing the Buttercream icing.

In a stand mixer fitted with the 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 the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds. Scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.



Source: Adapted from "Baking From My home to yours" by Dorie Greenspan (cupcakes)
"Annie's Eats" - Easy Vanilla Buttercream

Gift




I got this cute witch from my friend Angelica. Thanks so much!!! It took me forever to be back, sorry everybody!!!!!

Here are some blogs that I recommend you guys to go visit:

- Cocina Chilena by Angelica
- La Brujita de Jenjibre by La Brujita
- Cocina de Mercado by Sol
- Cool e Chic Style, confidential by Stefania
- Dulcinea by Claudia
- En mi cocina hoy by Pilar
- Recetas y Condimentos by Annie
- La cocina de Blo by Blo

Amazing recipes (chilean and worldwide flavors)