Vanilla Peppermint Cupcakes

I found this on Oprah’s website while searching about how to become a guest on her show. Just kidding (not really). I brought them to my Aunt & Uncle’s house for Christmas Eve dinner and everyone loved them, or at least they told me they did.

Ingredients & Directions:

Vanilla-Peppermint Cupcake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk , room temperature
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter , room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg , room temperature
• 2 large egg whites , room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk and extracts; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes.

Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Vanilla-Peppermint Frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter , firm but not cold
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar , sifted
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 1/2 tsp. milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the extracts and milk and beat until smooth and creamy.

Do not overmix or the frosting will incorporate too much air; it should be creamy and dense, like ice cream. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if frosting does not have a spreadable consistency.

Top with crushed candy canes!

This is from Two Coast Table, where I am doing most of my food blogging these days. Check it out! Hope you had a great Christmas.

Steven.

Stepping Out of My Kitchen: Cupcake Class at the BCAE

This past Wednesday night I helped out at Dustin's 'How to Bake the Perfect Cupcake" class at the Boston Center for Adult Education. If you know me, you know I love cupcakes, and I would never pass up an opportunity to bake and eat them for three hours. We made 13 different cupcakes and eight different frostings. Amazing, right?

The class was broken up into stations and each of the stations worked on a different cupcake and frosting. While the cupcakes were cooking, Dustin talked about different tips and answered questions.

One of my favorite tips is his use of the ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins. You get the same perfect amount in every cupcake without the mess you might get when using a spoon.

The best frosting of the evening was the peanut butter frosting. I included the recipe.

Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe:

• 1 C Butter Flavored Vegetable Shortening
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 4 C Confectioners' Sugar
• 2 T Milk
• 1 C Peanut Butter

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and mix thoroughly.

Another fun tip I loved was using white chocolate to make spiderwebs (or other shapes depending on the season) to decorate the cupcake. Simple ideas like that really add to the presentation.

Here are a few of the sample cupcakes Dustin made. The Necco wafer flower cupcake was really cute, but my favorite was the peanut butter and strawberry jam cupcake (use jam instead of jelly because it holds up better and will not run like jelly).

If you are in Boston check out some of the other classes Dustin is teaching at the BCAE. I am looking forward to the Cupcakes & Cocktails class!

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Ingredients & Directions:
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1/3 C Butter, softened

1/3 C Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 C Sugar

1/4 C Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 3/4 C Flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1 1/4 C Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 standard muffin pan cups with foil baking cups. Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth; beat in sugars until mixed. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched and toothpicks inserted in centers come out clean. Remove cupcakes to racks to cool. Once completely cool, remove from foil baking cups.

I was snacking on a few (ok many) Reese's peanut butter cups and had already planned on spending the rainy Saturday baking. So, when I finally decided I wanted to make cupcakes I had the inspiration in my stomach. I've made peanut butter cupcakes before, but never the delicious combination of peanut butter & chocolate. I was going to change that today. Here is my attempt at recreating Reese's peanut butter cups in cupcake form. Try them and let me know what you think.


Chocolate Ganache

8 oz Chocolate Chips
1 C Heavy Cream

Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until all the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. It may look done after 1 minute of stirring, but keep going to be sure it's emulsified.


Once the ganache is cooled a little, dip the cupcakes covering the tops. Set back on the wire rack until the ganache is set and then eat.


I think the next time I make these I might dip the entire cupcake in chocolate, but other than that these were really tasty and satisfied my craving for peanut butter cups.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Memorial Day weekend was approaching and I was having another family get together. I wanted to make a dessert to bring and figured this would be the best time to make red velvet cupcakes. I know most of my family have never tried them before and I have been dying to make them again...perfect timing!

One of the things that I do when baking with flour, probably obvious to some, is to sift it; it makes everything smoother and gets rid of those nasty flour clumps.

My favorite thing about making red velvet cupcakes is that the are such a vibrant color. They are always something people just love to look at and eventually eat.


Another important thing I always think about when making cupcakes is what kind of baking cup I will bake the cupcakes in. The finished presentation of the cupcakes is about 1/3 of the overall cupcake eating experience.


Ingredients & Directions:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup softened butter
2¼ cups granulated sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp red food coloring
1½ cups buttermilk
1½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with foil cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt. I usually sift all ingredients into the bowl. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. One at a time, add eggs; beat on medium speed after each. Beat in food coloring on low. Alternate between adding flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture; beat on low-medium after each just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter; beat just until combined. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake about 15. Cool pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Gently remove cupcakes from pans; cool.

Whipped Buttercream Frosting (adapted Wilton Recipe)

1 Cup butter softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

In large bowl, cream butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Frost the cupcakes. I use a piping bag with a large circular tip, but I have used a sandwich bag before with a small hole cut out of the corner. Then sprinkle with some chocolate sprinkles, or jimmies if your from the North. One thing I do when adding sprinkles to cupcakes is to put the cupcakes on a wire rack over the sink. This way sprinkles that fall off the cupcakes can be simply washed away.