Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

As we speak I am without Internet and cable. It’s been four days and counting.  It’s frustrating to say the least especially when you rush home for the cable guy and he never shows up. Is having cable crucial for survival? NO. But Internet. Yeah, kind of necessary (My sister is rolling her eyes as she reads this in an Internet cafe in Sierra Leone where she pays ~$3 every week to use the internet and read my ramblings on this blog. I love you Alex and I'll bring you a cookie soon!). 

But back to my ramblings. I am not one of those people who would think no Internet is liberating or would go find something in nature to do with my time. I make plans, schedules and not having Internet this week was not one of those. My plan for the week was catch up on my blog reading after being away all last week, do some recipe research (aka pinteresting) and write some posts before we get to another busy weekend. But no, none of that has happened. 

Instead, guess what happened?? Random thoughts. Lots of random thoughts. I won't bore you with all of them. But this thought crossed my mind a few times: “This is the last year of my 20s!” The thought was frightening so I distracted myself by baking some cookies. Not these ones here though.

These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies were made last week for a special friend. To thank her for the wonderful birthday present she sent in the mail. They are particularly chewy and the lack of butter in them makes me smile and reach for more. Oh also, they are not too sweet which makes them perfect for breakfast! I may have had a few with my morning tea, just saying.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: ~15 – 20 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons coconut oil, solid

1 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups old-fashioned oats

2 tablespoons flaxseeds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, oats and flaxseeds

In another large bowl, mix the coconut oil and the sugar on medium speed. Add the egg, mix until combined. Then add the applesauce and vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture and stir by hand until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoon sized cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet and flatten each cookie slightly. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly brown on the edges. Cool on baking sheet for three to four minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Adapted from Bakerita

Any plans for the weekend? Other than hoping the cable man shows up for his 6PM appointment tonight, I have one heart-breaking goodbye that I am not looking forward to (one of my dearest friends is moving clear across the country) and a flea market date with the hubby I am excited about. 

Hope you all have a great weekend!! 

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Despite today being Monday, I am not feeling the usual Monday blues because of the wonderful wedding of the weekend. There is something about weddings that just puts one in a very good mood. Or I might just be a romantic at heart and it's about time I stop denying it.

My friend's wedding was a beautiful fairytale; one of those you see in a chick flick movie. The bride is a country girl and throughout the planning we struggled to combine that with a simple/ elegant theme. At the end of the day, she pulled it off perfectly. She got married in the beautiful backyard grounds of her childhood, above a creek where she rode down to the ceremony in a horse and carriage. Yes, not kidding. Her mother surprised her with that. It was super awesome and was definitely a tear jerker. The reception and party were held in an elegantly decorated tent, studded with shades of purple (regency and wisteria to be exact) and hints of the couple's favorite pastime: fishing. We danced our (troubled) feet out till the wee hours celebrating the newlyweds. I am still recuperating from all the excitement and jello shots!

Ok, I'm sure you are not here for wedding details but for these decadent cupcakes. I made them for friends last weekend during my birthday celebrations. I called them dark chocolate salted caramel cupcakes but the consensus was "Mocha chocolate goodness" and I think that describes them perfectly. It's a moist dark chocolate cake that is topped with salted caramel buttercream.

I made homemade caramel sauce, using this recipe from Two Peas and their Pod, and used it in the frosting. The sauce is SO good on it's own and we have been drizzling it on everything from ice cream to cookies. Next time I make these cupcakes, I will fill them with the salted caramel sauce for some added oomph. You totally should if you would like added salted caramel flavor!

If you've ever had a salted caramel mocha drink at Starbucks, then this is it in a cupcake form. A very decadent chocolate cake with a sweet and salty topping! 

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Yield: ~12-15 cupcakes

Ingredients: 
For Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup Cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 
½ cups strong black coffee, hot

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue buttercream

5 egg whites, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 ½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup homemade salted caramel sauce (recipe I used: here)

 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the Cake:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. Sift together all the dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.
3. In a medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients using a whisk. 
4.  Mix the dry ingredients on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and add the wet ingredients. Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed and scrape the sides and bottom of bowl. Mix for additional minute on medium speed.
5. The batter will be thin. Divide evenly among the cupcake liners.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
7. Cool cupcakes on wire racks completely. Meanwhile you could start on the frosting. 

For Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue buttercream: 

1. Whisk together sugar and egg whites in a heatproof mixing bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Whisk until warm and sugar is dissolved (mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingers), 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg white mixture 5 minutes (using the whisk attachment). Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue has cooled (test by feeling bottom of bowl), about 6 minutes.
3. Reduce speed to medium and switch to the paddle attachment. Add butter, one piece at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.  Mix the salted caramel into the buttercream.  
4. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in fridge for up to a week.

Hope you have a great start to the week!!

S'more Cookie Bars

Do you ever get fixated on one thing? Like an intense craving for something and that's all you can think about for days? This happened to me recently and the result were these s'more cookie bars. 

I've been craving s'mores since two weeks ago when we visited my in-laws at their camping site for a day. The kids put together a fire pit and there was roasting of marshmallows and making of good ole s'mores. But unfortunately for me on that day, I was fasting and was unable to indulge in the festivities. Bummer right? That's how my fixation with s'mores started and last weekend I settled the score with these bars and boy just looking at them satisfied my s'more craving.

This is an incredibly quick and easy recipe to make. You start with a graham cracker cookie dough that is topped with a layer of  marshmallow creme (or fluff). Top that with hershey chocolate squares and then add a layer of mini marshmallows. Finally, top with the remaining graham cracker dough. Oh and sprinkle some chocolate chips on top too just because you can never have too much chocolate. Such goodness my friends!

You get a soft, chewy graham cracker cookie bar that is filled with ooey gooey melted chocolate and marshmallow and is everything a s'more should be! A lot better in my opinion, but you can be your own judge. Since I am not a fan of camping, I got my campfire treat in my living room without the dragon flies!! If it wasn't so hot outside, I would have turned on the fireplace to set the mood :) (Hmmm, I just might make this again in the winter!)

Whether you are heading up to camp or just a family BBQ, these will be a great hit so bring them along. Just try not to taste them before the party starts because I can't promise how many might make it! 

S'more Cookie Bars
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup Graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
7 ounces jar of Marshmallow Creme (Marshmallow fluff)
6 (1.55 oz Bars) Hershey's Chocolate bars, unwrapped and cut in squares
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8" square baking pan with baking spray and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Reduce speed to low and stir in flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder until just combined.
Divide the dough in half and spread half at the bottom of the pan. Smooth with a rubber spatula. Evenly spread the marshmallow creme over the dough and smooth. Place chocolate squares on top of marshmallow creme. Top chocolate with the cup of mini marshmallows. Top with the remaining half of the dough. Spread with a rubber spatula. It is OK if you can still see the marshmallows. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cookie dough.
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow cookie bars to cool COMPLETELY in pan before cutting. Otherwise you may end up with some oozy marshmallows (it's not the end of the world).

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies {Brown Butter Week}

These cookies actually started my obsession with brown butter that manifested into brown butter week. I was testing a few recipes for salted caramel cookies for June Bakin Friends when I came across these. The first batch were too chewy for my taste so I didn't end up sending them to my baking friend. But I kept working on the recipe and I changed a few things and then browned the butter and the second batch gave me these wonderful cookies.

I made them twice to be sure and mailed them to my biggest critique and taste tester in Virginia. She is brutally honest and isn't afraid to hurt my feelings as my husband can sometimes be. She loved them so much that she called me three times in one day, each time with specifics about what she liked. 

I like soft cookies and that's exactly what these are. They are very soft and gooey on the inside and so crisp on the exterior. You will love them too! There is nothing not to like here. Seriously! Brown butter and salted caramel were made for each other because the flavors complement each other perfectly. I know you shouldn't pick favorites, but these are my favorite cookies yet!

This is a great recipe and a perfect way to end brown butter week!! We've had peanut butter brownies, some fluffy peach cupcakes and now these soft salted caramel cookies all loaded with wonderful brown butter. Thanks for putting up with me this week as I went on and on about my new found secret ingredient. You are the best! And I hope you will give some of these recipes a try, especially these cookies! 

Have a great weekend :)

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: About 20 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and cooled to room temperature

1¼ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg and 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

¼ cup homemade salted caramel sauce (I used this recipe)

Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

To brown butter: Cut butter into pieces and melt in a saucepan over medium heat. Start to whisk constantly once the butter begins to foam. When the butter starts turning brown, fragrant and you see brown bits at the bottom of the pan, remove from heat. Transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two cookie sheets lined with wax or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cooled butter and sugars on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Add in half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the rest of the flour and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand and stir until combined.

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop one tablespoon of dough, press the center with your thumb and fill with about 1 teaspoon of caramel sauce. Place another scoop of dough on top and press together to seal the caramel sauce inside. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for about two minutes and sprinkle cookies with sea salt. Transfer to cooling rack.

Adapted from Bakingdom

Bakin Friends: Caramel Pretzel Delights

It's time for another Bakin Friends reveal! Remember these marshmallow cookies? Bakin Friends connects a group of bakers who love sweets and each month we send each other baked goods with a secret ingredient.

This month's secret ingredient was CARAMEL and I received the most delicious chocolate caramel pretzel delights from Jenifer. The best snack bites ever.

Jenifer sent two packed zip-lock bags and one of them was gone within 2 hours. I kid you not. I totally forgot I had to take pictures, luckily there were a few left the next morning. They are so easy to make too. All you need to do is melt Rolo's on pretzels and top with pecans. A super easy, grab-to-go snack. I love it! And all you chocolate lovers out there will love it too.

I enjoyed them very much, Jenifer. Thank you!!


Caramel Pretzel Delights
Source: Jenifer Mathewson

Ingredients:
Bag of small pretzels
Bag of Rolo's
Pecan halves

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place pretzels on sheet and top with a rolo. Bake 3-5 minutes or until rolo softens but not melted. Remove from oven and press each rolo with a pecan half, Cool in the refrigerator and enjoy!

If you would like to join Bakin Friends, contact Steph here.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Before we get to these amazing salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars, I have a housekeeping item to address. At the end of last week,  I received a few emails from readers that were unable to access the recipe for these strawberry lemonade cupcakes. After several Google searches, I found out that internet explorer users sometimes can't see text after page breaks in blogger. So it's been a long frustrating weekend of emailing back and forth with my website designer (who is the best ever!) and it seems as if the issue has been resolved after re-installing my template. However, if you are still having trouble getting to any recipe, please let me know or consider using another browser. Thank you!!

But enough of my woes, let's talk about these salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars. Or ooey-gooey bars of goodness as I call them. The softest chocolate chip cookie is sandwiched with melted salted caramel that oozes out of every side. Goodness!

They are also very easy to make. Simply make the best chocolate chip cookie dough, spread half at the bottom of an 8'x 8' baking pan, pour lots of caramel on, sprinkle with some sea salt and top with the rest of the cookie dough. Easy enough right? The soft cookies and warm caramel make this a delicious treat with the perfect combination of sweet and salty. You need to try it and if you love chocolate and caramel, you will LOVE this!

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
6 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Sea salt, for sprinkling over caramel and bars

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 8' X 8' baking pan with parchment paper (or foil) leaving overhang. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or medium bowl), beat the melted butter and sugars together until combined. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined about 1 minute. Then stir in the chocolate chips for additional one minute.
4. Combine the caramels and heavy cream in a medium microwave safe bowl and melt in a microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until caramels are melted. This will take about 2 minutes, depending on your microwave.
5. Add half of the cookie dough to the prepared pan. Press gently and smooth the top with a spatula. Drizzle/pour the hot caramel sauce over the cookie dough and sprinkle with sea salt. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of cookie dough over the caramel. Spread the dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle again with sea salt.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool bars on a wire rack to room temperature. Cut bars into squares and serve.

Enjoy!!!

Bridal Shower Recap

Hey guys! As promised here are some pictures to recap the bridal shower this past weekend. To start with I am sorry for the sub-par photos...the table was in the darkest part of the room.

It all started a few months ago when my friend (&MOH) asked me to make 60 cupcakes for her sister's bridal shower. It was nerve racking and humbling at the same time because I have never done anything more than 24 cupcakes. Of course I said yes because the bride is like a sister to me and now I am a bridesmaid in the wedding!! As you can see I went beyond just cupcakes. I had a vision of setting up a dessert table and that's exactly what I did. I loved how it turned out!! What do you think?

The MOH decided on a wine-themed shower and since the bride's favorite color is purple, we went with it. I made chocolate red wine cupcakes (coming soon) to go with the theme. In addition, I made a batch of fluffy vanilla cupcakes with whipped vanilla frosting (recipe here). 

I made a batch of vanilla almond sugar cookies from Bake at 350 which I attempted to decorate. Clearly, cookie decorating is not one of my strong fortes but I loved how they turned out. It was also a fun activity to do with the MOH (who decorated the two cookies with "Tia" and was very proud of her creations). 

 

And finally I wanted a centerpiece, so I made a confetti cake (recipe coming soon) designed simply with dots. I made it for the groom because they always seem to be left out of the bridal shower celebrations but this way he had something too. 

For the decorations, I wanted a banner backdrop and a cake bunt. I found a simple tutorial that was very easy and planned on using it. But because I am a procrastinator, I waited till last minute and I didn't have time to make the bunt, banner and bake/decorate. So the hubby volunteered to make them the day before. I steered him towards this tutorial and he did a great job!! He is the best helper EVER.

In the end, I loved how everything came together. The table looked just as I had envisioned and most importantly the 'client' and bride loved it!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Dark Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

 

Dark chocolate strawberry cake. That is summer-y right? I promised you I will eventually get into summer after starting off the season with macarons. Strawberries are my favorite berries... right in front of raspberries :) So when they are in season, I always have at least a pound of fresh strawberries around to add to anything from salads to frosting.

This cake starts with a very moist "one-bowl" chocolate cake that's then topped with my favorite vanilla swiss meringue buttercream with fresh strawberry puree. You can find the cake recipe here on Sweetapolita. I used two 8-inch round pans instead of three 6-inch pans that she suggests. Other than that, I followed her recipe closely. I used semi-sweet chocolate for the glaze and just drizzled it randomly on top of the cake. I wanted the chocolate cake to be the star so I went easy on the glaze ( by all means, go crazy!). 

This is a great cake for chocolate lovers because the dark chocolate cake is (for lack of a better word) oh-so chocolate-y and the light, fluffy strawberry buttercream spruces up an already decadent chocolate cake. I made it memorial day weekend for a special out-of-town chocolate lover who was very happy with it.

I hope you will try it. It would make for a great birthday cake as well. It may not be as summer-y as the next cupcakes I just made to share with you next week, but I think having fresh strawberries in the frosting definitely puts this chocolate cake in the season.

What are some of your favorite summer desserts?? 

Chocolate Espresso Macarons

I hope you guys had a wonderful memorial day weekend. Summer is officially here and it is time to fire up the grill, bake pies and eat frozen desserts. However, I'm starting my summer with some macarons! Chocolate espresso macarons.

I am in love with these tiny cookies and I can tell our relationship is just the beginning to a very long one (I am planning our wedding already :P). This is my second time making macarons since this first try here.  I think I love making them because you can see a progression since the last time. If you haven't tried these cookies yet, you really should because they are full of delicious crunchiness.

I was at Barnes & Nobles a few weeks ago picking up some summer reads when I found a book called "Macarons & More" on cleareance for $2.99 and you know I had to pick it up!! I adapted this recipe from their double dark chocolate macarons by adding a teaspoon of espresso powder to the cookie recipe for a little kick and filled the sandwiches with chocolate buttercream.  

There is a good dose of chocolate in these and after 24 hours refrigerated they are chewy, crunchy and soft on the inside. Very decadent!

The possibilities of flavors and colors are endless with macarons so expect to see some summer flavors soon!

Peanut Butter High Hat Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes this weekend for a small surprise graduation party we were hosting at our place. The graduate didn't want a party but her mother and I threw her a small get-together anyway to celebrate her Master's Degree!!

A little bit about the graduate. She is one of my best friends and is the kindest, most self-less person I have ever met. We met four years ago at graduate school orientation when she was drawn to my yellow dress and I to her infectious smile!  These days, we are together almost every day on a coffee or bubble tea date.  As her graduation neared, I worried about how empty my afternoons would feel without her around at school.  I was so relieved and happy when she landed a job in a lab right down the road! I'm beyond proud of her and know that she will be very successful in all her future endeavors.

The cupcakes are a fluffy vanilla yellow cupcake topped with a creamy peanut butter marshmallow frosting and coated with dark chocolate. Yummmmmyyyy!!!

Actually, they were her idea like six months ago. She bookmarked all the cupcakes she would like me to make in this cookbook (Betty Crocker The Big Book of Cupcakes) and these were at the top of her list. Since it was her day, she got them!!

And I think she loved them. Hats off Lovey!!

Congratulations to Chrissa, Laura and Nicole as well!! PhD recipients as of yesterday. So proud of all you :) And I promise you will all get your treats at your defense parties!

Now for the recipe:

Six-Layer Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling and Malted Chocolate Frosting

Celebrations always call for chocolate. I made this cake last weekend for a dear friend who just landed her dream job!!!... in San Diego :(. And there is no better way to say "I am so happy for you" and "I'm going to terribly miss you" than a super moist chocolate cake.

Did I mention this friend of mine was the one who introduced me to baking?? Yeah, I made my first cake in her kitchen using her Kitchenaid and baking supplies. She was so kind and laughed gently as I sprayed the cake pan and splattered PAM all over my face and her counter :). I am very grateful!!

I first saw this cake on Sweetapolita's recipe index a year ago and recently Brown Eyed Baker recreated it for her birthday. I knew I had to try it and this occasion was the perfect time.  I needed a WOW cake and this cake delivered!

Let's discuss the cake. It's six-layers of very rich chocolate cake enriched with hot coffee which makes for a moist cake. Then, the cake is filled with a toasted marshmallow frosting made with crunchy toasted marshmallows, butter and marshmallow cream. Such goodness!!  The malted flavor in the chocolate frosting was achieved by adding Ovaltine (who knew???) and it complimented the chocolate so well.

This is the best cake I have made so far!!!

And I am glad it was for this occasion. I am so happy for my friend and so proud of her great achievement. I will undoubtedly miss her and her baby so much but on the bright side...I now have San Diego on my vacation list and can't wait to visit!

Double Birthday Celebration!!

This week, Mr J's nieces were celebrating their birthdays and we were hosting a birthday dinner party at our new home for the girls! Obviously, I handled the desserts and the hubby tackled making dinner.

I decided to make two different cakes for the girls. Our youngest niece, Madison, was turning 12 and she is the most colorful young lady I have met. And to honor her, I made her a funky neon cake imploring my recently acquired fondant skills, seen here.

 

And for our other niece, Megan, I kept her decorations simple yet elegant as she was turning 19. The daisy and pastel sprinkles gave the cake a spring feeling (despite the 20 degrees weather we are experiencing now).

 

At their request, I made this chocolate cake with swiss meringue buttercream (recipe here) for the orange cake and this lemon cake for the other. Both girls loved their cakes and were excited to bring the rest home.

As we were watching 'Rise of the Guardians', I realized that just three years ago I meant Mr J's family for the first time. We had been dating for six months and he invited me to his nieces birthday party at his sister's house. I was so nervous but that was quickly put to rest by his welcoming family! I am so blessed to have them as in-laws. 

Hope you all have a great weekend!

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

There have been lots of things happening in my blogging development this week. Since my experiments in lab are acting up, I am indulging more into baking!

First, I successfully made basic or 'American' buttercream. It has only four ingredients and should be very straight forward. But it is not. At least not in my hands. It comes out thin and UN-pipeable. After several tries, this recipe (below) did the trick.

My Momma in the US was coming up to visit this weekend and I wanted to make her some cupcakes to take back with her. She loves peanut butter and chocolate and that was exactly what I made. The chocolate cake and frosting recipes are from Krissy's Creations. The frosting was light, fluffy and extremely easy to pipe. Definitely a keeper!


The second accomplishment of the week was the start of a cake stand collection. I have always wanted pretty cake stands and so I went hunting this Friday for one at Marshalls/Home Goods where to my surprise the options were limitless.

  

I loved these white ones and had to get the set of three so I could use it as a cupcake stand too. Totally makes sense! And I had to get this pink one, the scalloped edge is just so beautiful.

At the end of the night, I ended up with 5 and I was in cake stand bliss. I told the hubby to consider getting me cake stands when he thinks I deserve flowers. I hope he listens because there are endles options at T.J. Maxx as well (rumor has it). 

And finally, I started experimenting on picture-taking techniques. Played around with some colored background and lighting  (even though it was a very cloudy day today). Loved the way the pictures turned out.

Valentine's Day {Baking Anniversary}

Love is in the air and it is all about hearts. Chocolate cookie hearts, red velvet hearts, red and pink hearts!! Cupid's symbol all over.

Here at Blahnik Baker, it is also my 'baking' anniversary. I baked my first cake ever a year ago in my friend Chrissa's kitchen, seen here. It was a small step at the time that now looks like a giant leap!

In honor of Valentine's day and this anniversary, I decided to recreate this cake again. The cake inspired this blog and I think it deserves a comeback. And because just baking a cake doesn't seem like a challenge anymore, I decided to make some cookies and decorate them!!

The red velvet cake is a recipe from Sprinkle Bakes. 

I used heart shaped pans this time and the heart came out looking like a heart lol! I decided not to do the crumb coat, just for something different.

For the cookies, I used this chocolate roll out cookie recipe from Glorious Treats since chocolate and Valentine's day seem to be synonymous.

Chocolate Cake {Super Bowl XLVII}

Be warned, this is not a post about football. It is about a chocolate cake. I just used the Superbowl as an excuse to bake and decorate a cake (like I need an occasion, right?)

My next project after these perfect vanilla cupcakes was to hunt for a good chocolate cake recipe. I don't care much for chocolate...yes I know it is insane, but it's just not my thing. However, I knew as a budding baker, I should have a go-to chocolate cake recipe under my belt.

Well, I am glad to say that I have found the one!

 

Mr. J and I just moved into a new apartment and our friends were so helpful on that cold January day. I wanted to send them some cupcakes along with our thank-you cards. And I also wanted to bake a football-themed cake.

I found this cake recipe from Ina Garten and I made a double batch.  I was able to get two 8' square cakes and 36 cupcakes, killing two birds with one stone.  I used my favorite go-to frosting; a Swiss Meringue buttercream, with a chocolate addition. This cake is moist, rich, fluffy and yet not too sweet.

 'It is the best chocolate I have ever had' - Mr J.