Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Cupcakes

Hello Cupcake Lovers!!

This recipe is one of three adaptations of the Chocolate Buttercream M&M Cupcakes from New Years Eve, made on New Years Day for a dinner party with some of our close family friends, Jana, Andy, Alexander, and Larissa! 

If you have any fun cupcake-related experiences, please share them in the comments at the bottom of the page, or send me an email or google+ comment! 

The Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Cupcakes (Total Recipe makes 12 cupcakes and 6 mini cupcakes, but only 6 became this flavor and the others had additions to their filling and frosting). 

The Cake: 

• 1 cup flour
• 7/8 cup sugar
• 3/8 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2.5 tbsp shortening (aka Crisco)
• 1.5 mashed bananas
• 1.5 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 dark chocolate chip (for shavings)

The Filling/Icing: 

• 3 stick butter, softened
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp hazelnut powdered creamer
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

The Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176.6 degrees C). 
2. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Cut shortening into small pieces to make it easier to mix with dry ingredients. 
4. Mash banana into another, smaller bowl. (Don't tell the kids there's banana in their cupcakes!!)
5. Add one egg to the bowl with the banana. 
6. Break other egg into a small cup or bowl and whisk so that it becomes relatively homogeneous. Pour half of this into the bowl with the banana.
7. Mix oil, milk, and vanilla extract into bowl with banana. 
8. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat. 
9. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners (or butter and flour the sides of the pan). 
10. Fill cupcake liners about halfway with batter. 
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer (or toothpick) can poke the center and come out with some moist crumbs. You will be able to see the cupcakes rise and smell when they are done. Use the pictures as a guide as each oven is different. 
12. Allow to cool with paper towel covering. 
13. Blend ingredients for filling/icing.      
14. Use cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake and replace its center.
15. Fill an icing press with remaining icing.          
16. Press into desired pattern. 
17. Shave dark chocolate on top. 
18. Enjoy! :) 

The Calories:

Flour:  455 calories

Sugar: 665 calories

Cocoa: 70 calories

Baking Powder: 0 calories

Baking Soda: 0 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Shortening: 260 calories

Banana: 150 calories

Egg: 115 calories

Oil: 482 calories

Milk: 30 calories

Vanilla: 12 calories

Hazelnut creamer: 35 calories

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TOTAL: 2274 calories 

Granted, this recipe was for about 12.5 cupcakes. So each cupcake really only had about 182 calories :) 

What went right: 

          They were very delicious and looked prettier than the first batch. 

What went wrong:

          This batch was less moist than the last batch. Not sure why, but might have been a minute or two over cooked, comparatively.

What I would do next time:

         Technically, this batch was basically the same as the M&M batch, and the changes were made in the other cupcakes you see below (coming soon! ;) ) 

Would I do this in college: 

          Totally! In fact, I'm working on reducing this recipe for single serving cupcakes without waste so that I can easily make a quick cupcake for a friend's birthday without having to make an entire batch. One of my least favorite things about baking is that the amounts can be so arbitrary because they depend on your specific baking equipment. One of my goals for this page is to be able to have a mix for every common number of cupcakes desired. Recipes can always be doubled, but the hard part is reducing and keeping the consistency of the original. Keep watching for single serving cupcakes :)

Overall, a wonderful party treat and a great time in the kitchen. It took much longer than I planned to make all three different types of cupcakes, but they turned out fantastic so I don't even care. Everyone enjoyed and I had a blast baking them and honing my icing skills. 

Having a cupcake for 182 calories is actually quite good! A plain bagel has 260-280 calories, and a scone or muffin can have 350-430 calories. However, it's not particularly healthy, so if you'd like to ensure you wake up with your toned body in tact, be sure you've done any of the below before you indulge...

1. Run 1.5 miles
2. Walk 2 miles
3. Dance for 40 minutes
4. Rearrange furniture for 30 minutes
5. Play darts for 70 minutes
6. Play badminton for 40 minutes

Any of the above will burn about 200 calories, making your cupcake guilt-free ;)

                                                            

Chocolate Buttercream M&M Cupcakes

Hello Cupcake Lovers!!

Sorry I'm a little late on this one! This recipe was my version of New Years Eve this year. As a non-drinker, I've found that chocolate and sugar and delicious baked goods tends to produce the same happy effect my friends seem to exhibit while drunk. Even if it doesn't work as well as I think it does, it's never too early in the day for chocolate ;) So after dinner and before midnight, I decided it had been a while since I had a good cupcake and anything goes on New Years Eve, so it was the perfect time to fulfill my cupcake needs :) 

I don't know about you, but cupcakes are definitely a weakness of mine. A few wonderful quotes regarding cupcakes in my life...

1. While discussing with a friend how to best manage one's weight, he confidently suggested (like most men, who can eat whatever they want and still end up losing weight by some ridiculous and terribly unfair force of nature) that I, "run and don't eat that cupcake", referring specifically to the birthday cake batter cupcake I bought for myself from Crumbs a few days prior. Just so we're all on the same page in terms of the irresistability of this cupcake, here's a link. 

2. While enjoying the cupcake you're about to watch being made with my family, my mom asks, "So what kind of cake is this?" and my dad, with flawless as always comedic timing and tone, replies, "Cup!". (Honestly, I'm still laughing while typing this and it's been about a month.)

If you have any fun cupcake-related experiences, please share them in the comments at the bottom of the page, or send me an email or google+ comment! 

The Recipe: Chocolate Buttercream M&M Cupcakes (makes 8 cupcakes)

The Cake: 

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/3 +1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2+1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2+1/8 tsp baking soda
• heaping (not leveled) 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 tbsp shortening (aka Crisco)
• 1 mashed banana
• 1 egg
• 1/6 cup canola oil
• 1/6 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

The Filling/Icing: 

• 1 stick butter, softened
• about equal parts powdered sugar (so in this case, about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tbsp hazelnut powdered creamer
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Dark Chocolate M&Ms

The Process:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176.6 degrees C). 
2. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Cut shortening into small pieces to make it easier to mix with dry ingredients. 
4. Mash banana into another, smaller bowl. (Don't tell the kids there's banana in their cupcakes!!)
5. Mix egg, oil, milk, and vanilla extract into bowl with banana. 
6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat. 
7. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners (or butter and flour the sides of the pan). 
8. Fill cupcake liners about halfway with batter. 
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer (or toothpick) can poke the center and come out with some moist crumbs. You will be able to see the cupcakes rise and smell when they are done. Use the pictures as a guide as each oven is different. 
10. Allow to cool with paper towel covering. 
11. Blend ingredients for filling/icing. 
12. Use cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake and replace its center. Ice its top and coat with dark chocolate M&Ms to taste :) 
13. Try not to eat them all before midnight!!

The Calories:

Flour: 300 calories

Sugar: 390 calories

Cocoa: 49 calories

Baking Powder: 0 calories

Baking Soda: 0 calories

Salt: 0 calories

Shortening: 203 calories

Banana: 109 calories

Egg: 75 calories

Oil: 318 calories

Milk: 20 calories

Vanilla: 12 calories

Hazelnut creamer: 35 calories

____________________________________

TOTAL: 1511 calories 

Not counting the M&Ms (70 calories per cupcake), this makes a single cupcake only 189 calories! This is actually pretty fantastic for cupcakes. Plus, there's banana in it :) 

What went right: 

          These cupcakes were SUPER moist. My family inhaled them in minutes and I was super proud :) They're very chocolatey and having the filling is a wonderful addition to the classics. Even my brother loved them with the banana and hazelnut. (Shhh ;) )

                               

What went wrong: 

          I didn't have enough butter to make a good amount of the filling/icing and at the time I didn't know that we had an icing press with pretty design tips. I had fun with design tips later though (hint hint!) It was still plenty, but it would have been better with more. 

What I would do next time: 

          Well there were more than enough next times with this very malleable base batter. These cupcakes went so well, I ended up baking a whole other set of three entirely different cupcakes all originating from this batter for a dinner party the next day. It took SIX HOURS. I gained a new respect for cupcake makers everywhere. Keep watching for these three recipes! 

Would I do this in college?: 

           Yes and no. The cupcake spree, probably not. Mostly because I don't have a cupcake pan and don't feel like buying/storing one for the maybe one time per semester that I would make cupcakes. It doesn't take that long to make the basics, but it takes long enough. It would be easier at that point to just use my springform pan and make a whole cake. 

Overall, an AMAZING first cupcake experience and a delicious start to 2014! 

And now for the workout...naturally, I went back into my fitness routine after the new year began. It wasn't really a new years resolution, because I had been working on it for over a year prior. However, I decided it was time to revise my morning workout for the sake of variety: 

• 150 regular crunches
• 100 ankle tap oblique crunches
• 100 reverse crunches
• 200 crunches with legs extended and feet flexed
• 20 leg lifts
• 20 bridges
• 20 leg lifts with the other leg
• 20 bridges
• 20 leg lifts with the other leg
• 20 bridges
• 30 clams in side plank
• 10 push ups
• 30 clams in side plank on the other side
• 30 tri push ups
• 20 second plank
• 20 second plank with leg lifts
• 20 second plank with alternating hip touches 
• Stretch as needed

This should be more than adequate toning to justify cupcake enjoyment :) 

Happy baking!! 

Apple Truffles

Happy Holidays! 

Welcome to my blog, thanks for visiting :) 

                                  

Today's recipe was inspired by the massive amounts of dark chocolate Lauren gave me for Secret Santa (thank you Lauren!!) and the classic chocolate covered pretzels we usually make back home. 

This recipe is super quick, easy, and great for serving to guests, bringing to parties, and making with friends/kids!

Thanks to Addie and Justin for helping me chocolate dip, as chocolate covered anything is more fun with friends :) 

The Recipe: Apple Truffles

• 5 Apples
• 2 bars of 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate
• Crushed Candy Canes

The Process: 

1. Line baking sheets with tin foil.
2. Cut apples into slices, removing the core. 
3. Break Dark Chocolate bars into small pieces. 
4. Microwave chocolate in a microwave-safe container in 30 second spurts, stirring in between. It should take at most 1 minute total. 
5. Dip apples in chocolate.
6. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. 
7. Freeze to harden chocolate. 
8. Try not to eat them all!!

The Calories: 

Chocolate: 420 calories

Apples: 570 calories

Candy canes: 30 calories

____________________

TOTAL: 1020 calories

Let's be real: this recipe makes around 60 servings, and is essentially just apple slices. Each slice has about 17 calories. Indulge guilt-free ;)

What went right: 

          Everything! These were super delicious and loved by everyone who ate them. They were also a great treat for my Gluten Free/Vegan friends who could not eat the toffee or most other treats we made. 

What went wrong: 

          I didn't have pretzels :( 

What would I do next time:

          Potentially use caramel as well to make them Turtle Apples, or try dipping in butterscotch or white chocolate. 

Overall, a super quick, easy, healthy recipe for everyone to enjoy!! 

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Toffee

Hello and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Despite the cold, November through January is my favorite time of year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving, American New Years, Ramadan (depending on the year), anything else, or nothing at all, there's never a lack of holiday spirit and joy! 

                                

My floor at Emory is undeniably the MOST full of holiday spirit on the entire campus. Finals or not, we have a fully decorated lounge complete with Christmas Tree and Menorah, Santa letters on the walls, a Secret Santa exchange, and overall glee is at an all time high. 

Back home, this is the time of year I would normally spend practice baking for the week of Christmas through New Years. In high school, I used to bake a different treat for all my AP classes during the last week of school, and we had classic high school parties during the school day with treats and movies and almost no students in each room. There was something about December that always made me dress up in red and green and paint my nails with a new Christmas theme every day. Finals put a slight damper on this time for me, because studying > baking, nail painting, and dressing up. I wasn't my usual super happy holiday self, and it really worried me for a while that I didn't feel at home. 

Then finals ended and I was able to make up for lost time with some holiday favorites. For the rest of my time at Emory, Turman Hall smelled remarkably like home.

Thank you Emmy, for making this with me!!

Thank you Adrienne, for the original recipe using walnuts and milk chocolate!

The Recipe: Dark Chocolate Peppermint Toffee

• 60 Saltine Crackers
• 1 cup Brown Sugar 
• 1 cup Butter (2 sticks, 16 tbsp)
• 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup Crushed Candy Canes (Optional)

The Process: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line baking sheet with tin foil. 
3. Lay saltines on baking sheet.
4. Melt butter and brown sugar in a pot, stirring constantly, until it reaches the color and consistency of the below photo. 
5. Pour butter/brown sugar over the crackers. 
6. Bake for 5 minutes. 
7. Spread dark chocolate chips over the toffee base and cover the pan with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. 
8. Put candy canes in a bag. 
9. Crush against a hard surface with pot. (as desired)
10. Use a spatula to spread chocolate chips into a layer of chocolate. 
11. Top with crushed candy canes (and sprinkles!) 
12. Allow to freeze for 30-45 minutes. 
13. Break and share to spread holiday cheer!!

The Calories: don't matter at the holidays. But if you're really that curious...

Crackers: 758 calories

Butter: 200 calories

Brown Sugar: 839 calories

Chocolate: 860 calories

Candy Canes: 50 calories

________________________________

TOTAL: 2707 calories

Mind you, this is for an entire PAN of toffee. If we assume a pan makes 60 servings, each serving is a mere 45 calories! So indulge away ;)

What went right: 

         I baked with a friend, it was super quick and easy as usual, and everyone who ate it LOVED it. In fact, it was so easy that we made another pan later and added some dark chocolate covered cherries to part of the recipe. Game changer. Once again beloved! It's really one of those recipes you can do in almost no time with very little necessary technique and few ingredients, but it never ceases to please! 

What went wrong: 

         There's always that one recipe that tends to go a little TOO fast...

What would I do next time: 

          Make two pans ;) Otherwise, it would be nice to try with a pretzel base, though that might be a bit more sticky, and with different types of toppings like dried fruit, white chocolate or nuts. 

Overall, this is a perfect college treats recipe that everyone can participate in and enjoy :) 

Keep looking out for more fun holiday baking!! 

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

This recipe is a family favorite from my grandmother Mary Ann. Every Thanksgiving, we make this pie as a family. Unfortunately, I missed the baking this year because I was at school. Fortunately, my friend Ali was awesome enough to throw a Thanksgiving Potluck Party at her apartment, and kindly offered to bake it with me :) 

I'm not going to claim that this pie is healthy. There are ways to make it healthy. But let's be very honest about Thanksgiving: it's one of those times when food is supposed to be very decadent, very special, and shared with a large group of other people so no one eats too much of one thing. So don't be afraid to dig in for a big Thanksgiving meal, as long as you share with the people who love you most in the world- your family. 

If you really feel compelled to work off one of the best meals of the year, sign up for a Turkey Walk/Run, or simply go for a family walk after your meal :) 

The Recipe: Chocolate Pecan Pie

Crust: 

• 1.5 cups Flour
• 1 stick Butter
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• Water

Filling:

• 1 cup Karo Corn Syrup (Light or Dark)
• 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 eggs

Topping:

• 1 cup roasted Pecans

The Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour and sugar for crust. 
3. Soften butter slightly and mince before stirring into dough. Your mixture should be rather chunky. 
4. Slowly add small amounts of water and stir, repeating this process until your dough forms one ball. 
5. Flour a hard surface. 
6. Roll out your dough to about 11 inches in diameter. this will allow you to fill a 9 inch pie plate and have enough dough to cover the sides as well.
   
   
   
    
7. Put your dough in the pie plate and pinch the sides of the crust in a desired pattern.
8. Keep crust chilled while you make the filling. 
9. Soften the butter in the microwave.
10. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, setting it for only 30 seconds or so and stirring before heating again. This is REALLY important, because the chocolate will burn and it is not easy to get burnt chocolate off of anything. 
11. Mix all ingredients (except pecans) together in a large bowl using a hand mixer. 
12. Pour into crust. 
13. Top with pecans. 
14. Bake for about an hour, watching and testing to see that it is finished. 
15. Allow to cool for an hour before serving. 
16. Allow yourself to indulge!

The Calories: 
Flour: 683 calories
Butter: 150 calories
Sugar: 96 calories
Karo: 1920 calories
Chocolate: 160 calories

Vanilla Extract: 6 calories
Eggs: 234 calories
Pecans: 684 calories
________________________
TOTAL: 3933 calories

Granted, this is for an entire pie. It depends how large your slices are, but it should serve at least 8-10 because it is very rich, which means a serving is 492-393 calories per serving.

What went right:
         The pie was absolutely delicious and the crust was perfection.

What went wrong:
         The cooling time is very important. If you don't want a slight chocolate lava pie, allow it to cool completely. I cut it only just too early, but it was still very good.

Would I do this again:
         Absolutely. Only for a group of people, never for just me, but absolutely. I might even consider making a miniature version of the pie for personal consumption.

What would I do next time:
        Other than allow it to cool completely, nothing. This pie is a family favorite and personal favorite. There is nothing that should be added or taken away from it. Even whipped cream would take away from the amazing. However, if this pie is being served in smaller slices, a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream is a tremendous complement.

Overall, this is my absolute favorite pie of all time hands down.

...and to that statement and to myself (and to all of you wonderful people!) I say: Challenge accepted. ;)