Black Forest Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Big NOTE!: These are rich but so good. Great for this holiday season. Also PLEASE remember to lower the temperature of the oven by 25 degrees if you are using a non-stick dark pan!!!! The bottoms will burn by the time the rest of the cookie bakes if you don't. These are yummy and worth the overnight or 6 hour wait for the dough to cool!
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz) dried cherries

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl & set aside.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not over mix.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (or 350 degrees F if using dark or nonstick pans). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Drunken Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

This recipe was adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Apple Apple Bread Pudding. It is rare that I change her recipes in any manner. But it's in my very humble, very unprofessional opinion that bread pudding really needs a sauce. I guess that's because that's the only way I've ever had it and it really enhanced the flavor.

FOR THE CARAMELIZED APPLES

3 medium apples, peeled and cored (Fuji/Galas)

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 Tbsp sugar

12 oz egg bread, such as challah or brioche, or good quality white bread, preferably stale, sliced 1/2 inch thick

About 1 cup store-bought spiced apple butter

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

5 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

FOR THE SAUCE

1/2 cup Apple Brandy

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

GETTING READY: Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect here), dust the inside with sugar and tap out the excess. Line a larger roasting pan with a double thickness of paper towels.

TO CARAMELIZE THE APPLES: Cut each apple in half from top to bottom, cut each half lengthwise into 6-8 slices and then cut each slice in half crosswise.

Put a large skillet (preferably one that's nonstick) over medium-high heat, add the butter and, when it melts, sprinkle over the sugar. Cook the butter and sugar for a minute or so - you want the sugar to caramelize but not burn, so adjust the heat accordingly. Toss in the apple slices - don't worry if the caramel seizes and lumps, it will melt and smooth out as you work - and cook, carefully turning the the apples once or twice, until they are tender but not soft, 3 to 5 minutes. They should be golden, and some might even be caramelized. Transfer the apples and the buttery liquid to a plate.

If your bread is not stale, spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and bake at 350 degrees F to "stale" it for 10 minutes.

Spread one side of each slice of bread with the apple butter, then cut each slice on the diagonal to get 4 triangles. Cover the bottom of the baking pan with half of the bread, arranging the triangles, buttered side up, so that they overlap slightly (don't worry about spaces between the slice). Spoon over the apples and their liquid and finish "the sandwich" with the rest of the bread.

Bring the milk and cream to a boil.

Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and the 3/4 cup sugar. Still whisking, slowly drizzle in about one quarter of the hot milk mixture - this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining milk. Add the vanilla and whisk to blend. Rap the bowl against the counter to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then spoon off any foam that has risen to the top. Pour the custard over the bread and press the bread gently with the back of a spoon to help it absorb the liquid. Leave the pan on the counter, giving the bread the back-of-the-spoon treatment now and then, for about 30 minutes.

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Put the baking pan in the roasting pan, slide the setup into the oven and very carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding pan. Bake the pudding for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Mix sugar, butter and vanilla paste in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat when thoroughly blended, and whisk in the brandy. Serve warm over bread pudding.               

Dorie's version/Non-sauce version: The pudding can be served as is or dusted with confectioner's sugar just before serving.

PLAYING AROUND:  I think raisins would be fantastic in this recipe. I would simmer them in the apple brandy until they plump and the apple brandy reduces.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

from a great cookbook Baked!

Yields 2 (9x5x3 inch) loaves

INGREDIENTS:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger (optional)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups (one 15-oz can) pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (I mixed chunks, minis and regular chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans, dust them with flour, and knock out the excess flour. (Or do like me and use the Pillsbury spray with both already in it!)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and oil until combined. Add the sugar and whisk again. Whisk the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add 2/3 cup room-temperature water whisk until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Gently knock the bottom of the pans against the countertop to even out the batter. Use the spatula to smooth the tops.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.

Transfer the pans to a wire rack & cool for 15 minutes. Invert the loaves onto wire racks and cools completely before serving.

The loaves will keep for 3 days, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Salted Caramel Golden Bars

adapted from delish.com

Serves 15 / Yields 15 bars
Total Time: 1hr 10 min
Prep Time: 10 min

INGREDIENTS:

• Vegetable oil, for greasing dishes
• 9+ cups Rice Krispies
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 2/3 up sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 tsp sea salt, plus more for topping
• 2 tsp vanilla extract / vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Liberally oil a large mixing bowl and a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place cereal in a bowl and set it and dish aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine corn syrup, condensed milk, light brown sugar, sugar, butter and sea salt. Allow mixture to come to a boil, while stirring continuously, until a light golden brown, 5-6 minutes.
3. Remove mixture from heat, stir in vanilla, and immediately pour over cereal. Stir to completely mix, and then evenly spread in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle additional sea salt on top.
4. Set aside to cool. about 45 minutes. Invert and release from pan. Drizzle with melted chocolate and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Cut into 15 bars.

Apple Cardamom Cakes with Apple Cider Icing

The recipe called for either small cake forms or cupcake pans. I just bought the Nordic Ware Petits Four pan and had to try it out. They turned out very cute.

I received lots of compliments on these and if Fall puts you in the mood for anything apple, then you should enjoy these. I have a few changes I made to the recipe and I will simply make note of them as I changed them.

Serves: 24
Yields: 24 individual single serving cakes (cupcake size)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups flour (I used 2 cups + 4 Tbs cake flour then 1/4 cup all-purpose)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla ( I used vanilla bean paste)
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup butter, melted + 2 Tbs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups peeled & chopped Granny Smith apples
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 Tbs apple cider (up to a cup if condensing to make flavor stronger)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F (if using non-stick or dark pan, preheat to 375 degrees F). Butter & flour 24 3 1/2 -ounce cake molds or 2 12-cup cupcake tins and set aside. ( I used the Pillsbury flour and butter spray mix).
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom together and set aside. (I use an egg whisk for this and it works perfectly every time.)
3. Here is where I have made a change and it does make a difference if you will do this with the zest and sugar: Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with fingers until the sugar becomes damp (this distributes the flavor throughout the cake evenly and really makes a difference).
4. Beat the eggs and sugar mixture together, using a mixer set on medium-high speed, until the mixture forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted from the bowl. Reduce speed to low and mix in the vanilla & applesauce. Add 1/2 cup of the melted butter and sour cream and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.
5. Fold in apples and divide the batter among the prepared molds (about 1/4 cup per mold) (If using the petits four pan, about 1 Tbs per mold). Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake tests clean -- 20 to 25 minutes for cupcake pan or 12-15 minutes for petit four pan.
6. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Unmold the cakes and cool completely on the rack.
7. FOR ICING: if you would like a stronger cider flavor, boil a cup of cider until it condenses to 3 Tbs.  Stir the remaining melted butter, confectioner's sugar, and apple cider together in a medium bowl and drizzle over the cooled cakes and let the icing set before serving. Another version of icing I tried was to use 3 ounces of cream cheese and a cup of the confectioner's sugar, no butter, and the condensed apple cider. This was less sweet and very good as well.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - Come on Fall!

Matt & Renato couldn't have said it better "try as we might, we were never huge fans of the traditional whoopie pie." Their version below was listed as one of the top 100 tastes of 2007 by Time Out New York. Their whoopie pie would satisfy any midnight craving, with its soft, cake like cookie and chilled cream cheese filling.

It was the first day of Fall today. This is my favorite time of year and seeing all of the pumpkins displayed at our local farms put me in the mood to make these babies! So here they are and maybe, just maybe, they will inspire nature to bring on the typical fall weather for us!

These were easy and fun to do with  my 6 year old daughter. A word of warning: don't assume you have enough of the spices on hand...I usually have small containers and they use take tablespoons rather than teaspoons here. Quick and painless to make so go ahead....try them! You won't be sorry...ok, maybe your hips will be, but your taste buds won't! Ha!

FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbs cinnamon

1 Tbs ginger

1 Tbs cloves

2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups chilled pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla paste since it was being baked)

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

MAKE THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until combined.

Use a small ice cream scoop (I used a cookie dough scoop) with a release mechanism to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the  pan while you make the filling.

MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FILLINGSift the confectioners sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful not to over beat the filling, or it will lose structure. (The filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using).

ASSEMBLE THE WHOOPIE PIES

Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up).

Use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to drop a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of the cookie. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving.

The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

Sweet & Salty Cake - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Well, this cake definitely had it's good, bad and ugly. By the time I was finished, I had an hour and a half to get a bit of sleep before the new day began. I really wanted a reason to try out this recipe that I found in "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking". The recipe sounded so interesting and with a lot of depth. I love caramel and with homemade salted caramel....how could it go wrong!? By the time I was finished I made 4 batches of homemade caramel and purchased a new medium sized covered pot! (I've been looking for an excuse to replace my pots I've, so I wasn't too heart broken!)

THE GOOD:

Wow, the accolades I received on this little bugger! This cake would make fantastic cupcakes by the way! I've never had such a response. This made all of the "downs" of this cake in making it for the first time worth it! Not so sure about the lack of sleep....but I think so!

This was the most level baking cake I've ever seen! I'm not sure if it's because of the new cake pans or if it was the recipe. I'll have to make cupcakes to test this. I was shocked when I checked on them and realized I didn't need to use my cake leveler. This perfection also lead to a "down" side of the cake...if that's really what you want to consider it. The down-side of this can be remedied though. I'll cover that in a bit.

Another point for the good is that it was easy to make outside of my learning curve and hopefully I can give enough tips that you will avoid some mishaps. If you expect out of the box easy...this cake is not for you. It does require you to make the cake, the filling and the frosting, but there are not any crazy tedious steps to the cake. I'll try my best to remember to give all of the hints in the instructions.

THE BAD:

Recipe called for dark amber
...looks dark to me...but it was burnt!

First...trying to find fleur de sel in Greenland, NH is next to impossible! Maybe in a typical city you can find it. I settled for another French sea salt that our local kitchen store sold and it worked out just fine...apparently everyone was happy with the resulting tastes! You can't use your typical Morton's sea salt so be prepared to find gourmet! If you live in an area like mine and can't find Fleur de Sel, either find another French subsititute or order online!

If you are experienced with your stovetop and making caramel, this will not be a downside for you. It was my first attempt so it took 3 times to get it right. But not only do you have to make it for the layers, you need to make caramel for the chocolate ganache frosting as well. Three times to learn was a charm for me. Good side...no expensive ingredients were lost and I learned that my caramel will continue to cook a tad after it's removed from the heat.....oh, and a new pot came of this too! Ha!

The bad side to the level cakes...I didn't use a leveler and therefore the layers still had the crust/shiny layer on the cake did not peel off much at all. I thought it was a good thing...help keep the moisture in. Well, the caramel was supposed to soak into the cake and with the first layer it didn't. I added a dam around the circumference to prevent leakage of caramel but that didnt' stop it from leaking out. I added more than the 1/4 cup to soak, which lent to the leaking as well. To prevent this leakage...1st remove the shiny top coating of the cake or a good portion of it. Second...use only 1/4 of a cup of caramel. Plan ahead and make room in your freezer for a quick setting of the cake and frosting for layering as well.

THE UGLY:

Well, my top photo speaks for itself! I think that if it's humid, this cake is best made into cupcakes or some other form of decorating. I was going for the smooth look and it just didn't work out. I couldn't use various techniques to smooth as I have had problems with the book's frostings not thickening enough. So here are 2 tips: 

1. BEAT BEAT BEAT AND BEAT SOME MORE: When you think you've done enough and stop to see just how sloppy it is....beat it some more. This is where the stand mixer earns it's keep in my kitchen. It took beating for 15 minutes or more.
2. THE FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND: By placing the cake in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, it will add a nice cold surface for your crumb coat. The crumb coat is a great way to work out the smoothness of your cake. Just add thin first coat to your cake and get as smooth as possible. Stick in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, add your final coat to your cake and the frosting will just grab and stick as the cold crumb coat make the butter harden a bit. To further smooth out if it gets too hard to fast...Run your frosting knife under warm/hot water and throughly dry then run it over the frosting. It will smooth right out. I didn't do this step as it was 4:30 in the morning at this point and I just wanted to finish!

The ugly...well, I didn't take any photos of my trash can after pouring out the burnt sugar. I believe we have finially removed the rest of the escaped caramel at the bottom. It burnt it's way through the plastic garbage bag...of course....I knew it would...but at the time, just didn't care...and down the sides of the trash can...which acted like glue and glued the bag to the trash can, which made double bagging a must. Not very green of me huh? :)

Ok, enough babbling, ranting and raving, and on with the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Classic Chocolate Cake Layers

3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups hot water

2/3 cup sour cream

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

For the Salted Caramel

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp fleur de sel

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs light corn syrup

1/4 cup sour cream

For the Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting

1 lb dark chocolate (60-70% cacao), chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs light corn syrup

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

To assemble the Cake

2 tsp fleur de sel, plus more for garnish

TO MAKE THE CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowlof an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until ribbonlike, about 5 minutes. Add the sugars and beat until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until incoroporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.

MAKE THE SALTED CARAMEL

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and fleur de sel. Bring to a simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved.

Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream mixture so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and the corn syrup, stirring the together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is a dark amber in color, 6-8 minutes. This is where I burnt mine twice. It burnt right after it read 350 degrees and was the right color. It seemed to continue to cook after being removed. I learned to remove this right before the 350 mark and just before it was the perfect color.  Remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute.

Add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture (NOTE: this is reactive! Drizzle the cream down the side of the pan slowly). Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container & refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.

MAKE THE WHIPPED CARAMEL GANACHE FROSTING

Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl & set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat.

Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream mixture so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and the corn syrup, stirring the together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is a dark amber in color, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat & let caramel cool for one minute.

Add the cream to the caramel and stir to combine (NOTE: this is reactive! Drizzle the cream down the side of the pan slowly). Let the caramel and chocolate sit for 1 minute, then, starting in the center of the bowl, and working your way out to the edges, slowly stir the chocolate and caramel mixture in a circle until the chocolate is completely melted. Let the mixture cool, then transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Mix on low until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high speed until the mixgture is fluffy.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

Place one cake layer on a serving platter, spread 1/4 cup of the caramel over the top (I wouldn't add more than the 1/4 cup or it may be too much and ooze out AND I would make sure to remove some of the crusty coating so that the caramel will absorb better)....(I piped a dam around the circumference of the cake first to help prevent leaking of caramel out the sides). Let the caramel soak into the cake, then spread 3/4 cup of the ganache frosting over the caramel. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the fleur de sel over the frosting. then top with the second cake layer. Spread with caramel frosting & sprinkle with 1 tsp of the fleur de sel. Then top with the third layer. Spread with caramel. Crumb coat the cake and put theh cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (5-10 in freezer) to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

This cake will keep beautifully in a cake server at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to 3 days. If your room is not cool, place the cake in a cake server and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

Orange Berry Muffins - TYVM Dorie G.

It never fails. If I want a delicious baked item, I pull out Dorie Greenspan's "Baking, From my home to yours". She has not let me down yet. Unlike another baking book of mine, whose recipes produce fabulous results yet they fail to tell give little secrets to make the first attempt successful... Dorie sets you up for success!

I loved her recipe as is, but I did create my own orange glaze to drizzle over the top of the muffins. It just sounded so yummy. According to my husband, it balanced the muffin off perfectly. Though not a professional taste tester...he's my best critic...and can be brutally honest. Take for example, last night's attempts at homemade salted caramel for a birthday cake for his boss. Three times was a charm at getting it right! But I'm glad I finally learned!

This recipe is the VERY first recipe in Dorie's book.

INGREDIENTS:
Grated zest & juice of 1 orange (I used navel)
About 3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 Tbs honey
1 stick (8 Tbs) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries - fresh, preferably, or frozen (not thawed)

Decorating sugar (I used raw) for topping (optional)
Orange glaze (an addition I made) (optional)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (375 if using nonstick or dark pan). Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter.

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough - the batter will be lumpy and bubbly, and that's just the way it should be. Stir in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake 22-25 minutes (my oven is hot and cooked in 20). If you want to top the muffins with decorating sugar, sprinkle on the sugar after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes (check at 6 minutes...it would have been too late at 10 minutes in my oven). When fully baked, the tops of the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

FOR THE ORANGE GLAZE:  These are all approximates. Adjust to your liking

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1-2 tsp orange emulsion

1+tsp water (added until you get right consistency)

Combine the above 3 ingredients. Add the emulsion to your taste. Do the same for adding water. Add 1 tsp at a time. Icing/glaze should be thick but pourable to just drizzle over the muffins.

Chez Panisse Almond Tart

This blog entry was created by my friend and busy mommy of two, Jennifer Jacobs. Thank you so much! I love having you and your creations as a guest blogger. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Happy 40^th Birthday to Chez Panisse! The famed Berkeley, CA restaurant opened its doors 40 years ago, and forever changed how we think about eating local and seasonal food.

I began thinking more and more eating whole foods after the birth of our second child, Josephine, in 2009 and read a lot about Alice Waters and her sustainable food movement. Chez Panisse Desserts and Chez Panisse Vegetables are 2 of my go to cookbooks for delicious, inspiring recipes. The Almond Tart recipe by Chez Panisse’s executive pastry chef and co-owner Lindsey Shere, was one of the most popular desserts on the menu. Once you taste the caramelized almonds in a buttery tart you’ll understand why. The trickiest part is getting the tart dough spread thin enough without any holes in the pan, but working with room temperature dough makes it easy.

ALMOND TART
One 9- or 10-inch tart
Adapted From Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Shere

FOR THE TART PASTRY
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon ice water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1. Mix the flour and sugar in a standing electric mixer or food processor.
2. Add the butter and mix or pulse until the butter is in very small pieces, the size of rice. Make sure the butter is well-integrated with no large visible chunks.
3. Add the water and extracts and mix until the dough is smooth and comes together, but do not over beat!
4. Press into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and chill thoroughly (about 45 minutes to an hour).
5. To put the pastry in the pan, let the dough come to room temperature and press the dough into a tart shell using your hand. I find dipping a flat bottom measure cup in flour and pressing it lightly towards to the edge of the pan, helps to spread the dough out smoothly and evenly. Once it reaches the sides, press it all the way up. It doesn’t have to be perfect, you just want to make sure the sides don’t collapse. If this does happen, you can take it out mid way through baking and push the half-baked dough back up the sides.
6. Put the tart shell in the freezer and chill thoroughly.
7. To bake the shell, preheat the oven to 375F.
8. Bake the shell for 20-25 minutes, until it is set and light golden-brown.

FOR THE TART FILLING
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla (the original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier or Kirsch but I realized this on a Sunday when our liquor stores are closed).

1. To bake the tart, line a sheet pan with foil or a Silpat. Keep oven on at 375F.
2. 
   Heat the cream, sugar, and salt in a big, wide pan. I use my 4 qt heavy bottom sauté pan. Continue to cook and when it starts to foam up, remove it from the heat and stir in the almonds, and the extracts.
3. Scrape the filling into the shell. If you’re using a 9 inch tart it may be too much, don’t toss it; in case the tart leaks, you can use it to add more. Make sure there are no clumps of almonds and that everything is evenly distributed, then put the filled tart shell into the oven.
4. After the first ten minutes, check the tart. With a heat proof spatula, gently tap the surface of the tart to break up any clumps that form as the tart cooks. Tap gently enough to break up the surface crust that is forming but not enough to break the tart shell.
5. Continue to cook, checking the tart every 8-10 minutes, and tapping the surface gently. As it begins to caramelize, stop tapping it and let the tart do its thing. I also like to rotate the tart 2 to 3 times so it caramelizes evenly.
6. Remove the tart from the oven when the filling is a nice light caramelized brown about 30 to 40 minutes. Let the tart cool a few minutes on a cooling rack.
7. Slide a knife between the tart and the pan to loosen it so the sides don’t come off when you remove the ring. Place the tart on top of a bowl or other elevated surface and slide the ring off.
8. Slice into small pieces and serve. The tart will last about 4 days wrapped in plastic wrap on the counter. Enjoy!

Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream

Found this easy, quick and fantastic recipe from The Cupcake Project blog. I've made it several times and it's been fantastic every time. I've made changes to it each time and each time it's been delightful. Not sure that I have a favorite. I'll list my options for you.


INGREDIENTS
1 cup heavy cream
14 oz sweetened condensed milk (tried low-fat / regular)
1 2/3 cup irish whiskey (I used Jameson's)
1 tsp instant coffee (instant espresso for more coffee flavor)
2 Tbs chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's)
1 tsp vanilla (I used vanilla paste)
1 tsp almond extract (Lorann almond emulsion for more almond flavor)

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender & set on high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Bottle in a tightly sealed container & refrigerate. Shake before using.
3. Will keep for 2 months.

Easy Peanut Butter Cake...Oreo...truffles

INGREDIENTS

1 package Oreo peanut butter cookies...use the whole cookie including cream
1 4 oz package cream cheese (softened)
4 oz peanut butter (I used Peter Pan Honey Peanut Butter)
Finely crush cookies in a food processor or place them in a Ziploc bag and crush them into a fine consistency.

Combined in processor & formed ball

Cream softened cream cheese and peanut butter together.

Stir in cream cheese mixture or add to the food processor to blend until the mixture forms a ball and will hold it's shape when rolled.

If not using a food processor, use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.

Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Cover with cellophane.

Place in freezer for 5 minutes ONLY for a fast cooling (do NOT freeze). Afterwards move into refrigerator. Remove only a few balls at a time to work with while keeping the others chilled.

Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate. Tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. You can sprinkle tops or drizzle them with the toppings of your choice. A peanut butter chip or broken up peanut butter cup would be great.

Ginger Icecream - surprisingly good

I thought I would give this a shot after my Aunt was telling me that this was  her favorite ice cream and that my great grandmother used to make this from scratch. This was surprisingly good. I like ginger, but I also know it can be a bit too much at times. This recipe if made in the same quantities as shown is very mild and surprisingly refreshing. The ice cream is very creamy and rich, but the ginger seems to cut that a bit. It adds a bit of interest. My 3 yr old son and husband even ate it and they typically do not care for ginger. My daughter...not so much.

It was perfect 2-3 hours out of the freezer after churning but did get a bit hard and there are a few things that you can do to prevent this. I have added them to the original recipe and added "*" next to the items.

INGREDIENTS:
* indicates ingredients that are optional. I've added these to help keep the ice cream from becoming too hard when frozen for over 4 hrs.

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp invert sugar / corn syrup *
• 1/4 cup coarsely grated peeled fresh ginger root
• 2 Tbs water
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp salt *
• 1 tsp vanilla (I used vanilla paste)
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum*
• 1/2 cup crystallized ginger (available at some supermarkets & specialty foods shops)

PREPARATION

1. In a large bowl lightly whisk yolks.
2. In a 3-qt heavy saucepan cook sugar, corn syrup/invert sugar if using, water, and fresh ginger over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add half-and-half and bring to a simmer.
3. Add hot half-and-half mixture to yolks by drizzling down side of bowl in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into a pan.
4. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170 degrees F. (Do not let boil)
5. Pour custard through a sieve into cleaned bowl & stir in cream, salt (if using), and vanilla. If adding xanthan gum, add a pinch/sprinkle in a little at a time while whisking. Do NOT dump in as it will be a clumpy mess.
6. Chill custard, cover its surface with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 3 hours, and up to 1 day. (To further help smoothness and make more scoop able, you may quickly whisk the custard again before putting into the ice cream mixer, but be careful not to overdo or you will end up with butter!!)
7. Finely chop crystallized ginger. Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker, adding the crystallized ginger three-quarters of the way through freezing process. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container to harden. Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.



Chocolate Chunkers - Caution: cookies taste yummier than they appear!

Another Dorie Greenspan recipe I had to try. Her description of these were "truly fabulous". Though these look kind of ho hum they are far from. In my photos you can only see the white chocolate chips and maybe a peanut here and there, there is also mixed plump raisins, semi sweet chips in there as well!

After reading the measurements again, I weighed the chocolate chips rather than use a whole cup.So my cookies are as filled and there's more cookie dough.  Don't forget, if you are not chopping up premium chocolate but using chips, it's a whole cup. Either way....wow!

A note on the chunks: these cookies are very good made with store-bought chocolate chips, but are stupendous made with hand-chopped excellent quality chocolate....according to Dorie Greenspan.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

3 Tsp unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store bought chocolate chips or chunks

6 oz premium quality milk or white chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, preferably salted peanuts or toasted pecans

1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or finely chopped moist, plump dried apricots

I used my favorite Sun Maid Mixed plump raisins for this recipe. I love using these. They are so big and plump and really add to any recipe that requires raisins.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Please do NOT forget..if your pan is dark or nonstick...make it 325 degrees! This does and will affect the cookies. The bottoms will burn before the cookie is finished. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats (I love mine).

1. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder.
2. Set a heatproof bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Add the butter, bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, just until melted - the chocolate and butter should be smooth and shiny but not so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside to cool.
3. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy.
4. Beat in vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted butter and chocolate, mixing only until incorporated.
6. With rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then on low speed, add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick, smooth and shiny.
7. Scrape down the bowl and, using the rubber spatula, mix in the semi-sweet and milk(or white) chocolate chunks, nuts and raisins - you'll have more crunchies than dough at this point. (The dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
8. Drop the dough by generous heaping tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about an inch of space between them
9. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 or 12 minutes. The tops of the cookies will appear dry but the interiors should still be soft. Remove the baking sheet and carefully, using a broad metal spatula, lift the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
10. Repeat with remaining dough, baking only one sheet at a time and making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.
11. If, when the cookies are cooled, the chocolate is still gooey and you'd like it to be a bit firmer, just pop the cookies into the fridge for about 10 minutes.



Vanilla Bean Cupcakes - I

For my daughter's birthday this year I needed light colored cupcakes for her cake tower and I was on a vanilla bean paste kick. I discovered this one little item and most everything centered around vanilla for some time!

The vanilla cake was delightful, the frosting outstanding and I filled them with a fabulous, light homemade caramel mousse. The other half of the cupcakes were pina colada cake with the same frosting as well. But this is about the vanilla!

INGREDIENTS FOR CUPCAKES
Makes 24 cupcakes

• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp almond extract (I used almond emulsion)
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 oz)
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 oz)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp table salt
• 12 Tbs unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool & cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake pans with paper liners.

Combine egg whites, milk, almond extract & vanilla paste in a large glass liquid measuring cup with a fork until blended.

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at low speed. Add butter and beat on low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixture and scrape down sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 30 seconds longer.

Divide batter evenly between cupcake cups. Bake on center rack for 20 minutes or until cupcakes test done - a toothpick should come out with moist crumbs.

Let cupcakes rest in pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully remove them from the pans and let them cool on a rack.

VANILLA BEAN FROSTING

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 pkg (8oz) Philly cream cheese
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract + 1/4 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out)
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.
3. Add the vanilla paste and 3 cups of powdered sugar and beat at low speed, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.

CREAMY CARAMEL MOUSSE

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tbs water
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla paste
• 1 oz (2 Tbs, 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1. Bring 1/3 cup of cream to a boil in a 1/2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook the granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, honey, and vanilla paste in a 2 quart heavy-duty saucepan over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Brush around the inside of the pan with a pastry brush at the point where the sugar syrup meets the sides of the pan to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. Do this two times. Cook the mixture over high heat, without stirring, until it turns amber colored, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Lower the heat to medium and slowly add the hot cream while stirring constantly with a long-handled heat-resistant spatula. The cream will bubble and foam. Continue to stir to make sure there are no lumps. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter until it is completely melted. Transfer the caramel sauce to a 2 quart mixing bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, cool to room temperature, then chill until thick, about 2 hours.
3. Whip the remaining 3/4 cup of cream in the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the wire whip attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Set aside 1/3 cup of whipped cream and fold the remaining whipped cream into the chilled caramel sauce in 3 stages.

Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

First of these were wonderful!!! I have a few hours a day to spend with my daughter while my son is at summer camp and I wanted to find something that she may enjoy making with me.

I ordered a book by Cindy Mushet of Sur la Table named "Baking Kids Love". I think we will be pulling some more of her recipes out as we approach the holidays for some new family traditions.

Something else you should know...this makes a lot! When it says you need 2 large bowls, you need 1 XLarge bowl to dump it all into. If you have 1 large and one x-large for the dry you are set. It took a bowl the size of the metal bowl of my KitchenAid stand mixer.

A tip I wish I'd read ahead of time: You can bake some of the cookies today, and freeze the rest of the dough balls for another day. Put the balls close together on a pan and freeze for 30 mintues, or until hard. Transfer teh frozen balls to a resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, take out as many cookies as you need, and space them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Let them thaw for 15 minutes, then press down on them to flatten slightly, and bake as directed.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tbs pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup canola or corn oil
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups tightly packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats (NOT instant)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes (for best results, stick to this brand)
• 1 (12 oz) bag miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Before you begin:

Postition 1 oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven and 1 oven rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the dough:

Put the butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl or x-large bowl & stir with wooden spoon until blended. Add the oil and beat well until combined. It will look like a mess, but that's okay.

Put flour, sugar, brown sugar, oats, salt and baking soda in another large bowl and whisk until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir well with a spoon. You can even use your hands to squish all the ingredients together. Sometimes your hands are the best tools.

Put corn flakes into a gallon size resealable plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal the top. Squeeze the bag until the flakes are broken into tiny pieces (do not use a food processor, it grinds the flakes too small). Add the crushed flakes and the chocolate chps to the dough and stir until evenly blended.

Shape the cookies:

Use a large (3 Tbs) or small 1 Tbs ice-cream scoop to shape the dough into cookies. You can also shape the dough by measuring out level tablespoons - 3 for each big cookie, 1 for each smaller cookie-- and then roll the dough between your palms into balls.

If you are making large cookies, bake only 6 at a time on each baking sheet, spacing the balls about 4 inches apart. These cookies spread when they bake. If you are making the smaller cookies, you can fit 12 cookies on each pan. Press down on each ball with your palm to flatten slightly.

Bake the cookies:

Place 1 baking sheet on each oven rack. Bake the large cookies for 7 minutes or the smaller cookies for 6 minutes. Using the oven mitts, switch the pans between the oven racks. Bake until light golden brown, another 7 to 8 minutes for large cookies, or 6 to 7 for smaller cookies.

Transfer the pans to the cooling racks and let the cookies cool completely. You may need to reuse the pans to finish baking all of the cookies. Let the pans cool before you put more dough on them for baking. Store the cookies in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 1 week.



Grasshopper Cupcakes

 

Looking through my new Baked cookbook I found a recipe for Grasshopper cake. They had taken the old grasshopper pie of the 1950s laden with alcohol and created a 3 layer 8-inch cake. I decided to use 2/3 of the batter for x-large cupcakes and the remainder for cakeballs. Let's see how it all turns out. The cupcakes ended up like Girl Scout cookie Thin Mints on steriods!

The chocolate cake recipe in this is just spectacular! I wouldn't change a thing and it will probably be my go to chocolate cake for many things. The chocolate mint mousse filling was easy to make and make the huge cupcakes, not quite so heavy. The chocolate mint ganache added a suprise between the cupcake and frosting. And the frosting...whipped creme de menthe buttercream (whipped, not heavy at all). The frosting had me very worried. It was runny and instructios said to refrigerate to firm up and so I left it overnight. The following evening I rewhipped it with my stand mixer to see it looking "curdled". I panicked, but looked up buttercream issues and found that until warmed up a bit, it wouldn't whip and would separate at first, but keep the blender going and sure enough....a thing a beauty about 10-15 mintues later.

FOR THE CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CAKE

Yields approximately 18 xlg cupcakes/36 regular cupcakes/3 8" round layers

3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1 1/4 cup hot water

2/3 cup sour cream

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans or line cupcake pans. Line the bottoms of cake pans with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream and set aside to cool.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachements, beat the butter & shortening on medium speed until light & fluffy & ribbon-like, about 5 minutes. Add the sugars and beat until light, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.
5. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
6. For the cake pans:  Divide the batter among the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the cneter of each cake comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.
7. For the x-large cupcakes: cook for about 20-25 minutes
8. For regular size cupcakes: start with 15 and add as needed. I didn't make these so it's a guessing game.

I changed a white chocolate mousse recipe I found on The Food Network to dark chocolate for the filling of the cupcakes.

MINT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:

• 9 ounces dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 1 cup heavy
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 Tbs creme de menthe 

1. Put the pieces of chocolate in a bowl, and sit this bowl over a pan over simmering water until it melts, stirring gently with a spatula every now and then. When it's melted, stand the bowl on a cold surface to cool down a little.
2. In another bowl, and using an electric handheld whisk for ease, whip the cream, egg white and extract together. You want soft peaking rather than a stiff mixture.
3. Put a big dollop of cream onto the slightly cooled chocolate and mix, and then gently fold the chocolate mixture into the cream.

FOR THE CREME DE MENTHE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbs creme de menthe



Now That's a lot of butter!

• 2 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Instructions for the buttercream:

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar & flour together. Add milk & cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
3. Add the creme de menthe & peppermint extract and mix until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put it in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then mix again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, then mix again.
4. Leave the buttercream at room temperature while you make the ganache.

WAY EASY GANACHE

• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1-4 Tbs butter (adds shine to the ganache, I used 4)

• sugar (as much as you like. I added just 2 Tbs)
• 1 tsp extract of your choice (vanilla was called for) I used peppermint

Directions

1. Dump the chips and butter into a food processor.
2. Bring the cream and sugar to a boil.
3. Don't burn it!
4. Dump cream mixture into chips, turn processor on.
5. Once it's mixed, cover and stick in fridge until the mix is the right texture for frosting.



Ganache layer before frosting

6. If you're in a hurry, put some ice cubes in a big bowl, and the chocolate mix in a smaller bowl.
7. Place the bowl with chocolate into the larger bowl on top of the icecubes (No! Don't put the cubes into the chocolate mix!) Stir and the mixture will thicken as it cools.
8. Perfect and yummy.
9. Don't work it too much or it loses its shine-- though it's always delicious.
10. I imagine a blender will work-- you might have to add more cream to supply more liquid. I haven't tried.
11. Add vanilla or, for a more grown-up taste, substitute a tablespoon of Kalua or Grand Marnier, etc.