Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes (Vegan!)

       I love vegan cake.
       I don't know what it is, but there's something about vegan cake that is just incredibly delicious.
       The oil? The trivial amount of vinegar? I don't know. But I love it. :)
       This is definitely one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes ever! It's so amazingly moist and delicate and melt-in-your-mouth. And dark. And chocolatey. Oh, so chocolatey. But yet, still light. And airy. Oh, God I'll stop. I'm making myself hungry.

       These cupcakes are delish. I'm a fan of anything chocolate and mint. They're almost like thin mints...but giant...and in cupcake form...
       And, plus, they're just so dang adorable. With precious Easter cupcake wrappers, and a nice powdered sugar finish, they're beautiful little darlings. Daww. Go make these for somebody! Yumm!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
(Note: to make this recipe officially vegan, use organic and pure ingredients. I'm just not going to type it out...because I'm lazy)

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teapspoon vanilla extract
1/2-1 teaspoon peppermint extract (depending on how pepperminty you want it)
2/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 cups cold water
powdered sugar (for garnish)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla and peppermint extracts, and vinegar.
4. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Don't overmix.
5. Pour batter until cups are two-thirds of the way full.
6. Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan to 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar using a sifter.

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

1. Happy Late Easter!
2. I'm really glad Lent is over.
3. I love peanut butter.
4. I really really love peanut butter.

       So, I've had this trusty peanut butter cookie recipe that I've been using for a while. It's a pretty good recipe, that yields very soft and chewy peanut butter cookies, with a little crunch from honey roasted peanuts. Well, in the store the other day, as I was browsing the baking aisle, I saw some Reese's peanut butter chips. I buy them every once in a while, so I decided to pick up a pack and make something when I got home.
       Well, when I got home, I really had this urge for peanut butter. And, lots of it. So, naturally, I went online and searched for a peanut butter cookie recipe...I just wanted to change things up from my old recipe.
       Best decision ever. Now, not to diss the old cookies. They're wonderfully delicous, still. But. I. Love. This. Recipe.
      

Normally, I'm not a fan of recipes from the back of boxes and such. But, oh goodie, these are fab.
       They're so soft and sweet and peanut buttery and flaky, and have that little extra kick from the peanut butter chips. (Which I love, by the way. I could eat 4 bags of those suckers).
       So, please, go make these. And then send me some.

Reese's Double Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe from Hershey's

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat butter, peanut butter, and sugar in large bowl until creamy.

3. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. Gradually add to butter mixture, and beat until well blended. Stir in the peanut butter chips.

6. Drop by tablespoons full onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.

7. Bake 12-16 minutes, or until lightly browned on edges.

8. Allow to cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

 

Chocolate Bundt Cake (In a loaf form)

       Oh. My. Lord.
       I. Love. Chocolate.
       This. Is. Annoying. I'm. Sorry.
       But, seriously, you need to try this cake. Yes, I realize that it's a bundt cake recipe and that I made it in a loaf form. Well, you see, I didn't want an entire chocolate bundt cake sitting around my house just beckoning me to eat it. I devoured this loaf. I can't even imagine what would've happened if I had a full bundt.
       It's just so good! It's extremely chocolatey, but not overly sweet, and the chocolate glaze just gives it a nice little finish. Notice how the pictures aren't very good...that's because I dove into it before i could get a chance to take some good ones. :D oops
       Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry for being absent for so long. This time I had a legitimate excuse--I was on vacation. :)

       I put mine in the fridge overnight (after having a large slice warm, of course) and, oh my goodness! I think it's even better cold! Somehow, it gets even MORE rich and chocolatey and delicious. Oh wowoowowowow. I want this again.
       By the way, the glaze that the recipe calls for called for more coffee, and I didn't have enough on hand, so I just made a random chocolate glaze. It turned out pretty good, but I'm sure the original glaze would've been fantastic!
       Oh, and for this of you who are wondering, you totally can't taste the coffee in the cake. I'm always hesitant  about baking with coffee or espresso powder, because I absolutely despise all things coffee. But, the coffee just serves to enchanse the flavor of the cocoa and really make it shine. Yummmmmmmmm

Chocolate Bundt Cake (with chocolate glaze)

Recipe from Joy The Baker

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tablespoon brewed coffee

3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tablespoon buttermilk*

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoon canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups, plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

For the Glaze:

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups powdered sugar

5-8 tablespoons hot water

Directions
For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside.
2. Put brewed coffee and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and let come to room temperature.  

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment, (I just used a wisk, as I don't have a stand mixer) mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low speed for about 1 minute. 
4. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.  

5. Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
6. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.  The batter will be very loose.
7. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean. 
8. Pour the glaze over the cake, covering it completely.

8. Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack.  

For the glaze: 
1. Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl.
2. Add the melted butter and 5 tablespoons water.
3. Wisk until combined. Add more water depending on how liquidy/glazy you want it.

*Don't have buttermilk? No worries. To a measuring cup, add one tablespoon of white vinegar OR one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Then, add enough milk to bring it up to the "1 cup" dash. Let set for 3-5 minutes. Wala! Buttermilk!

Apricot Chicken

       Look at me, switchin' things up.
       Yes, folks. Today, I bring you something...savory.
       No, I don't ONLY bake. No, I don't ALWAYS have to put sugar in what I make.
       Geeze, guys, back off.

       This lovely apricot chicken is just the perfect balance of salty and sweet, is super easy to make, and goes wonderfully with some steamed sugar snap peas. Oh, and did I mention that it's incredibly healthy? Bonus!
       So, what are you waiting for? Go make this for someone!

Apricot Chicken
Recipe from Eating Well

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt

pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 medium shallot, minced

4 fresh apricots, pitted and chopped (I used canned because they're not in season right now)

2 tablespoons apricot preserves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon , or 1/2 teaspoon dried (I used dry because I had it on hand)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts (one at a time) between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a rolling pin or heavy mallet, until flattened to a 1/2 thickeness. (the chicken I bought was already very thin, so I skipped this step. Woohoo)

2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredged in flour, shaking off excess.

3. Heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, cooking until browned and no longer pink in middle, about 3 minutes per side.

4. Remove chicken and set aside. Turn off heat.

5. Add shallot and white wine. Return to medium heat. Cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

6. Add apricots and cook until fruit begins to break down, about 2 minutes.

7. Stir in apricot preserves, terragon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Return chicken to pan and cook until heated throughout, about 1-2 minutes.

Dulce de Leche Bars

Mmmmmmm.
       Boy, do I love food.
       Boy, do I love Sundays during Lent, when I get to eat all the food that I'm not allowed to have during the week.
       I went a little overboard this Sunday. Ate a little more than I should have.
       But, that happens a lot. I've gotten used to it. It still hurts, though. Still hurts.

       These babies are good. Mm mm mm good. I was a little upset when I first started making them, because, upon opening the can of what I thought was Dulce de Leche, I was surprised to find out that it was, in fact, only sweetened condensed milk.

       However, being the innovator that I am, I made my own Dulce de Leche (or something similar...) by heating the sweetened condensed milk really high and stirring it really fast.

       My arm got quite sore...but I made my own dulce de leche! Wooo! And, although I'm sure they would've turned out better if I had the right stuff, the bars were delicious.

       For the toffee bits on top, I just bought a bag of mini heath bars and chopped them up. At my grocery store, I couldn't find the baking toffee bits :( But, it worked, because the top had a little chocolate melted into it. Yum.

Dulce de Leche Bars

Recipe from Weekly Bite

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 13 oz can dulce de leche
1 cup toffee bits
Directions
1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt.
3. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until crumbly.
4. Press 3/4 of the oat mixture into the bottom of a 13×9″ pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
5. While the crust is baking, heat the dulce de leche over low heat until spreadable.
6. Once the crust is done, spread the dulce de leche evenly over the crust.
7. Sprinkle the toffee bits over the dulce de leche.
8. Top with remaining oat crumble.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Let cool for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bars. Let cool completely before cutting to serve.

Note: For me, this recipe didn't make enough oat crumble. Maybe that's because I put too much in the crust, but I don't think so...it still turned out fairly thin. I ended up making another fourth of what was called for...but next time I'll probably make another half of what was called for. I like a lot of crumbly stuff.

Cinnamon Cookies

Hello Bloggies-

       I just wanted to apologize for my massive absence from the internet.
       You see, I'm a student. And, being a student taking some of the absolute worst (by worst I mean hardest) classes I am able to take, I have almost no life.
       So, sometimes, between all my studying and working and all that other stuff I do, I don't find a lot of time to bake.
       And, a lot of times when I do bake something, I forget to take pictures.
       I'm an idiot.
       But, I have returned! And, I promise to have post 3 more recipes (with pictures!) within the next couple of days. Yeeeehaw!
       Also, I've gave up everything unhealthy for Lent. It kinda sucks. So, I've been trying to whip up some healthy desserts...so far I've had some nice vegan chocolate cookies and vegan banana muffins that were pretty fab. But, like I said, forgot to take pictures. :(

       Anyway, let's move onto these cookies.
       The recipe I got them from is called "Chewy Cinnamon Cookies". Well, mine did not come out chewy. At all. After cooling down, they got quite crisp and a little hard. It's because I didn't have bread flour on hand and used all purpose instead.
       But, regardless, they were delicious, packed with yummy cinnamon goodness. I took them to my friends and they ate them all up!
       And, no, these cookies are not healthy. But, I made them last Sunday. And, if you're Catholic, you know that you can have whatever you gave up for Lent on Sunday. :) Tomorrow...well, let's just say tomorrow's gonna blow my fricking mind.

Cinnamon Cookies
Recipe from Kitchen Addiction

2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour*
1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons bread flour   (I used all purpose, and they came out crisp. Use bread flour for chewy cookies)
1 1/4 teapsoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
granulated sugar
cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. With a mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon together on medium high for 5 minutes, until very light and fluffy.
4. Mix in eggs, one at a time, and then vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Cover at surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate at the very least 4 hours, but preferably 24 hours before baking. (I chilled mine for about 7 hours)
6. To make the cinnamon-sugar topping, combine 1 teaspoon cinnamon for every 1/4 cup sugar.
7. Place 2 tablespoon rounds of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle each ball heavily with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
8. Bake 18-19 minutes, until golden brown, but still a little moist in the middle.
9. Cool 4 minutes on the sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
*Don't have cake flour? No worries. Take one cup of all purpose flour, and remove two tablespoons for it. Then, add in two tablespoons of corn starch. Sift this mixture 3-4 times, until well combined and smooth. There you go- cake flour!