Heaven in a paper liner: Triple Chocolate Cupcakes.

Let's talk about the look in my eyes. What caused that?

 

Maybe I've been single too long. 

Maybe Grad school has made me crazy.

Maybe since I only ever hang out with girls (there are only 2 guys in my program, one married, one engaged)

Maybe it's because there is no cocoa bean, no sweet tooth fairy, no sprinkles, no creme de la creme. There's just me and my oven that cooks 25* hot... 

But I think the look in my eyes is because that cupcake I'm gazing at lovingly is likely the best thing that has passed through my lips since daddy took me to Brio, and even that's comparing apples and oranges. 

I shared these with people in my program, the local sister missionaries, and all of my professors... who has brownie cupcake points. This girl!!

Direct quotes:

"Zimmerman, I've had cupcakes from big fancy cupcake places, including Sprinkle's cupcakes, yours could stand up to any of them" -Wilkerson (who I later found out is diabetic... oops!)

"I tried to steal Wilkerson's before he realized what he had been given"- Wendy, the dept secretary

"I don't even like chocolate cake and that was the best cupcake I have ever eaten"-- Swift, department head

A real conversation:

Me, bearing cupcakes: "Happy International Chocolate Cupcake Day!"

Swift: "Ohh, we like Zimmerman."

Weems (graduate school dean): "But we didn't realize how much till just now"

So yeah. These are AMAZING. AND! I can't find the link for the recipe!! But! Never fear. In order to make them without getting my computer dirty, I wrote out the recipe! Unfortunately it means I can't site my source. But whoever you are. My mouth (and half of the population of Portales) thanks you!

Without Further Ado:

Milk Chocolate Cupcakes:

2/3 cup butter

1 3/4 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1/4 c sour cream
1 cup milk (I forgot to put this in the recipe and when I was making these for to impress someone I couldn't figure out why the batter was so darn thick!) 

1 1/4 c cocoa powder

1 1/4 c flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and brown sugar, add eggs and sour cream, and milk; mix till smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix till just combined. 

Fill 24 lined cupcake tins. (I know sizes/how full you like them varries, I ended up with 24 cupcakes and glass ramekins filled with deliciousness). 

Bake at 350* for 17-19 minutes. I've quit poking my cupcakes to check for doneness, I just tap the tops, if they stay depressed, not quite done. If they spring back up, perfect! 

Let the cupcakes cool COMPLETELY. (I made them before I went to institute for an hour and a half or so. They were cool when I got home)

Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling

(yup, you read that right. Don't let that Ganache word scare you-- it's easy peasy!)

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream 

1 t vanilla

Mix all in a microwaveable bowl. Heat in microwave for about a minute on medium-high power, then mix it until it is smooth. At this point I let it sit for a few minutes to thicken to make it easier to work with. 

See what I mean! Easy. 

CHECK OUT THAT GANACHE! MMMMMMM. And also the cake texture. Perfect!

White Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting

Look close at the frosting! It's PERFECT. Light. Airy. Delicious!

1 cup white chocolate chips

2 sticks (1 cup) butter at room temp

6 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp Vanilla

2-4 Tbsp milk

Melt chips completely in microwave. (Heat on 50% power for a minute, stir. If not melted, put back in the microwave for 30 second increments on 50% power). 

Beat the white chocolate chips in with the butter till nice and creamy. 

Add powdered sugar and vanilla.

Slowly add just enough milk to get the right consistency. 

Assembly:

Take a serrated knife and cut a hole in the tops of the cupcakes (for me this wasn't a precise science, I just tried to make a hole that would allow enough ganache to make it worth while, you know?) Some bakers put tops over their filling, but why? It's going to be covered in frosting anyway... Use the tops for... snacking? Cakeballs? Feeding the ducks? 

Spoon the slightly thickened ganache into the hole made in your cupcake. 

You can always frost with a knife, but I like easy... so I put the frosting in a disposable piping bag, cut the tip off of it and piped an easy swirl on top of all 27 cupcakes! 

I put on chocolate sprinkles just for fun. 

Use these cupcakes to win friends and influence people. 

Or as a substitute for a love life... who needs men when you can have cupcakes.... (oh dear, but seriously)

Also, for easy transportation/mess fee use short clear Dixie cups. They're perfect size! You could even cover them, if you are ambitious. 

Muffin tins: one of the world's best inventions.

Last night was the Air Force Birthday Ball. My boss being active duty AF, she and her husband went. Somehow, I got voluntold to have a pizza/ice cream party at our house with all the neighborhood kids. There were 4-5 little boys, and one little girl running wild around the house last night.
Wednesday, when I did the shopping, I picked up 3 cartons of ice cream; chocolate, vanilla and cookie dough. Yesterday, as I prepared for the party, I remembered seeing this on Pinterest:

source

I thought it was brilliant and worth a try. So I scooped 4 of each flavor into a lined muffin tin. I popped it in the freezer and several hours later when it was time for ice cream I just pulled out the muffin tin and told the kids they could have two scoops of different flavors. 

I popped the balls of ice cream into the plastic bowls (you don't think I'm crazy enough to want to do all those dishes, do you?) And the kids decorated to their heart's contents (whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate syrup... the goods). 

My bosses even came home and were impressed with my ingenuity. (Thank you pinterest!)  

The upshot is: next time you have a party with lots of *super patient* children, give this a try. Brilliant I tell you. Brilliant.  

Fruit Pizza

Fruit pizza is one of our family's favorite desserts and I like to use it as my go-to dessert when we have company. There isn't any specific measurements I use, but after eye-balling it this past weekend this is what I came up with:

1 1/2 rolls sugar cookie dough (yes, you can make the dough, this is just WAY faster)
2 lbs strawberries
2 bananas
3 kiwis
1/2 package cream cheese (4 oz)
1/2 tub whipped cream
1 yoplait yogurt (I prefer peach or lemon)

First, set out your cream cheese and cookie dough for about 30 min so that they are soft enough to work with.
Roll out your cookie dough onto a cookie sheet until it covers the entire thing. Bake as directed BUT keep an eye on it. You may have to adjust to cooking time but it takes about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
In a medium sized bowl combine your cream cheese, whipped cream, and yogurt. Once the cookie has cooled, spread it evenly across the entire cookie.
I like to wait until the end to cut my fruit so that it all stays nice looking. Cut your strawberries horizontally (so they make circles) and layer those first. Then cut and layer on your bananas, followed by your cut up kiwis. I personally like to add berries on top, but most of my family doesn't like that. It does add nice coloring to add raspberries and blueberries.
Slice and enjoy!

When Neighbors Give You Lemons.

Here at Ft. Meade we have the most amazing neighbors. They moved in just after we did and they are wonderful! This week, they went on vacation to upstate New York, up to the finger lakes, and I miss them dearly. However, before leaving the wife came over with two or three bags of groceries that won't last till they get back in a week. This included 6 lemons that have been staring at me for DAYS, I knew I'd have to do something with them, or they'd go bad. So today, I was feeling up to the challenge. So far I've made lemon curd which I didn't scorch this time. (Because really... how could you go wrong with that? And B asked for it.), I also made.

I also made Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles from Whipped the blog (they're also called easy-dreamy-lemon popsicles) They're in the freezer as we speak/as I type.

Finally, I made Lemon Sweet Rolls adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe's Orange Rolls. Or rather, I've made the dough, it is supposed to raise for 2-2 1/2 hours. I'm thinking we'll probably get it 1 1/2 and then I'll need to keep my momentum going!

Lemon Sweet Rolls

from melskitchencafe.com (Adapted)

*Makes 12-14 rolls/twists

Dough:

¾ cup buttermilk, warm (I pour the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power)

6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

3 large eggs

4 ¼ cups (21 ¼ ounces) flour

¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

Orange Filling:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Grated orange rind/zest from two large lemons (reserving 1/2 teaspoon grated rind for the glaze below)

Orange Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 1  large lemon

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind/zest reserved from the filling above

For the dough, whisk the warmed buttermilk and butter together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook (or you can use a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or electric handheld mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (knead for 15-18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes of kneading, the dough is still overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips. (See this tutorial for a visual.)

Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 ½ hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

For the filling, combine all the filling ingredients (reserving 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest for the glaze) in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter (I use my trusty roul’pat for this step) and press it into about a 16 by 12-inch rectangle (if you have doubled the recipe, split the dough in half and roll out one half at a time). Gently brush the filling mixture over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula.

Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls,more or less. You can slice them thinner or thicker as you like. For a traditional cinnamon-roll-look, arrange the rolls cut side down on a lined or lightly greased baking pan. If you want to try the twist method, one at a time grab each sliced roll and holding on to either end simultaneously pull and twist the roll into a figure eight and place it on the prepared pan. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through. While the rolls are baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls.

As most of my creations are still in process, You'll just have to wait for the pictures :) 

Butterfingers Popcorn and some craftiness

So, once upon a time, a long long time ago, this summer, I had a hankering to make and eat something I'd seen on Sister's Cafe. It was white chocolate popcorn with M&M's in it. And let me tell you, we all thought it was AMAZING! (We is me, Amy, the girls, the girls at the inn, everyone!) Anyway, I've had some left over white chocolate from my valentines day dessert but didn't have any M&M's, but I DID have a Butterfingers bar. And then the genius struck. (Side note: I also have a friend who's been having a rough time and well, my language of love is baking/cooking)

It's so easy!
Here's what you'll need:
1 Bag of popcorn (I like the extra butter kind... but it's even good with the 'healthy' kind)
1 butterfingers bar
3 bricks of almond bark white chocolate

Pop 2 bags of popcorn. Meanwhile chop the chocolate up then melt it in 30 second intervals at 50% power till it's about half melted. Then you can just keep stirring and the rest of it should melt.
While that's going on, chop up your butterfingers bar. as small as you want your pieces (I did mine pretty fine and I liked it that way).
Then, you just mix it all together in a big bowl (popcorn first, then white chocolate then the butterfingers)
Mix it up then dump it onto a sheet of parchment paper to let set!

While the popcorn was drying, I got crafty :) I have 4 different pirouette cans leftover from different projects that I've been saving for the most perfect occasion: today!

I just took the cans, and covered them with scrapbook paper and decorated them, and filled them with the hardened popcorn (but definitely I tried some first... so yummy!)

Here's the finished product:

Wouldn't you be happy to get one of these on your door? 

THE BEST Valentines Dessert EVER Part 1: The Chocolate Bowls

I'm not going to lie (and I have 15 other people who can back me up) this might be the most delicious recipe that I have ever made... It was so good.

You'll soon find out that sister's cafe is one of my most favorite blogs ever (and!! my sister just figured out that one of the sisters lives in my hometown and attends church in the same building as my family! How sweet is that? I love the small world!) So you can find the recipe there, but I'll also put it up with my pictures, and observations.

Edible Chocolate bowls with Dark Chocolate Cake, White Chocolate Mousse and White Chocolate Drizzle
(I know-- there's so much chocolate in that title it's almost a crime... almost)

Chocolate Bowls: 


1 Pkg Chocolate Almond Bark (I'm sure you could use more expensive chocolate or melting chips-- but I'm on a college student budget, and I found it on sale at Target)
15 Balloons-- water balloons are what a lot of websites suggested, but I found that smaller party balloons-- 7" worked really really well and weren't as hard to blow up as water balloons.

In my cooking class we learned that despite what the directions say, the BEST way to melt dipping chocolate is to chop it like this:

Note the use of my Alaska Ulu and the cutting board it came with-- I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

and then melt it in the microwave in 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring well in between melting. The chocolate should never get hot, or even warm (some blogs talked about the balloons popping, but I made 30ish and had no popped balloons!)

Use a deep bowl to make dipping the balloons easier and keep lots of chocolate in the bowl. Place on cookie sheets with parchment paper covering. Let sit for a few hours, or over night, or outside when it's cold out-- but be careful, the sun might come out and you'll get melted bowls (this is the voice of experience speaking):

You just cut a little hole in the balloons and let the air leak out, then let them sit for a few minutes and then peel the balloon away from the chocolate carefully!

I used a brick of White Chocolate that I had lying around to decorate the inside-- cute huh?

But when they turn out well, you get something LOVELY like: