S'more Cupcakes

So awhile back I had this idea to make S'more cupcakes. I thought I was being all creative and stuff but it turns out several people have beat me to it. Fortunately that means I don't have to do any guessing. I found this recipe for Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting from marthastewart.com but the recipe is actually from Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle.

A bunch of my college friends from the University of Washington were getting together for a long weekend of camping, sailing and clamming. One of our friends was also celebrating her birthday so I thought S'more cupcakes would be perfect. These can be made in advance as I was forced to do but I think for presentation sake they are best served right after you torch the cupcakes. One word about the torch....feel free to use the one that is in the garage. They work just fine. I had actually put one on my wedding registry when the Baker of my wedding cake actually told me not to bother with the fancy kitchen torches. She said they are a pain with all the safety switches and advised me to just use the 25 dollar ones from the hardware store. So that is what I did. I think you could also put them under the broiler if you don't have a torch.

These really are delicious, fun and just about as messy to eat as the original S'more.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped( I just placed 2 squares of Hersey's Milk Chocolate on the top of the graham cracker crust ).
  

For the Marshmallow Frosting

Makes enough for 24 generously frosted cupcakes

• 8 large egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

For the cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.
3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set cake batter aside.
4. Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.
5. Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.
6. Place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each muffin cup. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.
7. Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip (such as Ateco #867 or Ateco #809). Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

For the Marshmallow Frosting

1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

Recipe courtesy Trophy Cupcakes

Apple Dog Biscuits

Bodie our Black English Labrador (4) has been under the weather for the last few days. Sick as a...well you know what! I thought it was because we changed his food but when he would not even lick out the peanut butter jar I knew we had a problem. Labs are notorious for being chow hounds and Bodie is no exception so we got him into the vet and turns out he has a bacterial infection. He is doing much better now after fluids and antibiotics. His energy is just about back up to normal but he still refuses to eat his dry dog food. I think in his doggy brain he thinks the dog food is what made him sick so I think he is going to stay away from it for awhile. So for the last two days he has been getting spoiled with ground beef and barley and tuna and potatoes. If that was not enough I decided to spoil him a little more by making him some homemade dog treats. Bodie really liked these and even though he is spoiled he still has manners. As you can see he was patiently waiting for my "OK!".

Ingredients

2-3 dozen biscuits

• 2 cups oat flour
  
• 1/2 cup dark rye flour
  
• 2 tablespoons ground flax meal
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/3 cup natural and unsweetened apple sauce
  
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 apple, small dice

Note about flour: Many dogs are allergic to wheat, soy and corn (even though that is the first ingredient in many dry dog foods!), so that is why I use oat and rye flour.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter or spray baking sheets with cooking spray.

2. In a mixing bowl add the egg, apple sauce and oil and stir to combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the diced apple.

3. On a floured surface, turn the dough out and roll out to 1/4" thickness. Cut with cookies cutter or your choice.

4. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off oven and leave the treats in oven over night to harden ( Your pup might like to sneak one that is still a little warm. Bodie sure did!).

Recipe by me.

Ham and Egg Cups

I have come across ham and egg cups a few times and decided to make my own this past weekend. They are fun and really easy to make. I made two varieties. One with turkey and chipotle cheddar cheese and the ones above with black forest ham, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan. The later was my favorite. Because you can fill 12 or even 24 muffin tins if needed, this is a great way to serve a big breakfast crowd. You won't have to be in the kitchen over the skillet and these could even be assembled in advance except for the cracking of the egg.

Ingredients

12 servings

• 12 slices black forest ham
  
• 2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted and cut into cubes
  
• about 1/4-1/2 cups of sun-dried tomatoes pack in oil
  
• 12 eggs
• about 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter or spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. Line each muffin cup with a slice of ham. Add a few cubes of the toast in each cup and top with a few sun-dried tomatoes. Crack one egg in the center of each cup and top with parmesan, salt and pepper.

3. Place muffin tin in the top 1/3 of the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the egg is set to desired consistency.


Recipe by me.

Indian Carrot Pudding

Every week I babysit for my friend's daughter. She will be 2 in August and it is truly one of the highlights of my week. Anyone that knows me knows that I love kids. I am constantly trying to get people to pawn their kids off on me so I get my baby fix. I will have lots of practice under my belt for when we start our family.

One of the challenging things about watching this 22-month-old is getting her to eat something. She just really is not that interested in food ( I wish I was the same sometime). According to her mom, right now all she wants to eat is cherry tomatoes, bananas and ice cream. When she is with me I can occasionally get her to eat part of a sandwich, fruit and yogurt. I was trying to come up with some new ideas of what I could feed her that was a little more substantial than just fruit when I can across this recipe for carrot pudding. It sounded perfect so I gave it a shot and guess what?? She ate a ton of it. I tried some too. It is good but not something I would make for myself. I found other recipes for Indian carrot puddings that had rice and way more sugar. I probably would like those more but if you have a picky eater at home give this a try.

Ingredients

• 12 oz shredded carrots (about 2 large carrots)
• 2 cups whole milk
  
• 4 cardamom pods (optional, I did not have cardamom so I just added a little cinnamon)
• 4 T butter
• 2 T sugar ( I used agave nectar)
  
• 1/3 c. raisins (optional, I used craisins)
  
  

Directions

Mix the carrots, the milk and the cardamom in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring periodically, until the mixture is almost dry. Add butter, cook until butter is thoroughly melted and incorporated. Add the sugar(or agave) and the raisins, and serve warm or cool, but not cold.

Recipe from Savour Fare.