Chocolate Raspberry 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

The Filling/Icing: 

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Raspberry Preserves

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 icing. 
14. Use cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with 1 tsp raspberry preserves and replace its center.
15. Fill an icing press with raspberry icing.          
16. Press into desired pattern. 
17. Sprinkle red sugar 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

Raspberry Preserves: 67 calories

____________________________________

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 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

____________________________________

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 ;)

                                                            

Banana Apple Bacon Grilled Cheese on Cinnamon Raisin Bread

If you've chosen this post, you're more than likely intrigued as to how such a strange combination tasted so addicting, I made and ate TWO that night. And even though I've already had dinner, writing about it makes me want another one right now. It's that good.

The Recipe: Banana Apple Bacon Grilled Cheese on Cinnamon Raisin Bread

• 2 slices of Cinnamon  Raisin Bread
• 1/2 banana, sliced long ways, thinly and then each slice should be cut in half
• 1/2 apple, sliced thinly, no core
• 1 strip of bacon, cooked, broken into pieces
• 1 tbsp shredded, low fat Mozzarella
• 1/4 tsp butter

The Process: 

• Heat your panini pan and press on a large burner using high heat
• Set the press aside on the stovetop
• Spread butter on both sides of both slices of the bread
• When the pan is hot enough, place both slices of bread on the pan...remember to turn the heat down!!
• Sprinkle mozzarella on both sides of the bread
• When mozzarella is securely melted on each slice, lay the banana slices on one slice of bread
• Next, lay the apple slices on top of the banana slices
• Finally,  lay the bacon pieces on top of the apple slices
• Close your sandwich, and press until grill marks brown to desired color
• Enjoy with cinnamon sugar pita chips or other all natural snack

The Calories:

Bread: 170 calories

Banana: 45 calories

Apple: 40 calories

Bacon: 42 calories

Mozzarella: 20 calories

Butter: 25 calories

_____________________

TOTAL: 342 calories

As a sandwich goes, this is a pretty healthy option! Your typical panini has more than that in the bread alone. If you're looking at that and thinking, "Wait...but you ate two!", think for another second about what I really ate: a banana, an apple, two strips of bacon, and a relatively small amount of cheese and butter, on homemade cinnamon bread. And still ate only 684 calories for a main course for dinner.

What went right: 
           It's a strange but perfect combination! Healthy, natural, well-rounded...I love this sandwich.

What went wrong:
           The first time I almost burnt the bread because I didn't turn the heat down. Came out great though once I noticed.

Will I do this in college:
           Definitely. I might not eat two at once but I will for sure be making it.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful sandwich not only for dinner but for lunch, or even for appetizers if they were cut in diagonal fourths. It's quick, easy, and healthy...Just what every college student needs!

Loaded Oatmeal

Hello hello!

Thanks for being such an avid reader :)

While on my oatmeal kick, I decided to see what was so wrong about normal, instant oatmeal...

The Recipe:  Loaded Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
• 1 cup warm water
• 5 strawberries, cut in 1/4 slices
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 apple, sliced and diced
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 cup wheat germ

The Process: 

• Preheat the oven for 325 degrees
• Mix the water and oats
• Microwave until oats are saturated
• In an oven-safe bowl, mix the apple chunks, honey, and wheat germ into the oatmeal
• Lay the bananas and strawberries on top of the oatmeal
• Sprinkle the top with brown sugar, so that it will create a caramelized layer over the oatmeal
• Bake the oatmeal for about 10 minutes, or until the brown sugar has all caramelized
• Remove and transfer to a normal eating bowl 
• Enjoy?

The Calories:

Rolled Oats: 150 calories

Strawberries: 15 calories

Banana:         105 calories

Apple:            77 calories

Brown Sugar: 17 calories

Honey:           21 calories

Wheat Germ: 104 calories

__________________________

TOTAL:        489 calories

Not terrible, considering this is high fiber and has three different fruits.

What went right: 

            The heated fruits were awesome!

What went wrong:

            I am not a fan of oatmeal.......the mushiness was definitely combated well through the fruit additions and they really don't taste like anything, so that's fine...

Would I do this in college:

           Can't say that I would! However, I could try a sort of baked fruit salad...hmmm...foreshadowing??

Overall, I did everything right and learned a valuable lesson about why oats are great in cookies and bread, but oatmeal...not so tasty! Oh well, I still ate it all :) 

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Hello health food fan!

My house is pretty empty as of late. We really only have some remnants of old meals, bread, cereal, drinks; nothing really that would be enough to make a dish. Or so I thought! I came across a recipe for cookies that included only bananas and dry oats, which were coincidentally two of the few edible products in the kitchen.

The  Recipe:  Banana Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 large old bananas 
• 1 cup dry oats
• 1 tbsp Wheat Germ (personal health addition)
• Preferred toppings/mix-ins (I tested toppings of chocolate chips, coconut,  almond slices, and honey)

The Process:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
• Mash the bananas into a medium sized bowl 
• Mix in the oats and wheat germ using a spoon
• Mix in any other desired mix-ins (I didn't mix in anything this time, but I got some ideas for next time!)
• Use a spoon to make small cookies on a pan, spaced out enough to be separate, but they don't expand, so no worries on that one. (They could be made in a muffin tin, or as larger cookies as well. My batter made 20, 1.5-2 inch diameter cookies.)
• Apply toppings as desired 
• Bake for 15 minutes

The Calories: 

The two bananas were each about 105 calories, so 210 total. 1 cup of oats is 150 calories. 1 tbsp of wheat germ is 25 calories. The base mixture has a total of 385 calories. Divided by 20, that makes each cookie about 19 calories. The amount of each topping I added was trivial enough to not matter, such as a single chocolate chip, or a drop of honey. 

What went right: 

              The cookies are really good, and very healthy. I can see this batter being a very useful base for even a type of cake, or muffins! My family enjoys them very much; even my brother ate two. Within minutes, they were all gone. The coconut and the chocolate chip went over best. From start to finish, the whole process took about 30 minutes. Well worth it! 

What went wrong: 

               The honey isn't the most fulfilling topping. It tastes good, but only in the one small spot. Oh well! Other than that, the cookies are way too addicting!!

What I would try next time:

                This base batter comes with a world of possibilities! I would like to do it with fruit, peanut butter, pecans mixed in, mini chocolate chips mixed in, cocoa powder mixed in, toasted coconut mixed in, granola mixed in, butterscotch chips, or even pretzel pieces. I might also try a variety of extracts. Other than toppings, I might try baking the cookies in muffin sleeves for slightly less time, or making larger cookies. I might even use it as a pie crust, or bake a thinly spread pan into chips. Another possibility would be to freeze it in small truffles, and dip it in chocolate, butterscotch, or anything really that would harden around the batter. 

Would I do this in college?: 

               100% Yes. The batter is super easy, very healthy, and has a high potential for variety. I think it would freeze and keep well, so I could make a large batch, and only bake as needed. It also tastes amazing. This is being added to the top of my no-guilt snack list! 

Overall, the recipe was a HUGE success! I'm making another batch after dinner tonight.