Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I'm not normally a chocolate cake gal, but the idea of peanut butter frosting was too enticing to pass up. This peanut butter frosting recipe is light, fluffy, rich, and just all-around delicious. It's definitely going into my 'favorites' list. I was really pleased that it was so light and fluffy while still holding its shape enough to pipe on the cupcakes. Yum!


"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
From Hershey's

• 1 cups sugar
• 1/2 + 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.

3. Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (Do not overbake!). Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and place on wire rack. Cool completely.



Peanut Butter Frosting
From Barefoot Contessa

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Cupcake Mania (XP)

My Kitchen Aid was working overtime this last weekend!!! Saturday was they day I was planning to make a bunch of cupcakes for a church bake sale tomorrow (and a little for me, of course!). I knew I had nothing planned, so I could dedicate most of the day to the baking. Typical me, I couldn't decide what kind to make, so I made 3 kinds of cupcakes: Magnolia's Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream, Strawberry-Balsamic with Cream Cheese Frosting and Boston Cream Pie from "Cupcakes!" a cupcake cookbook by Elinor Klivans and France Ruffenach.

Here are all my recipes spread out so I could try to work on them all at the same time.

I started all my prep work by making the vanilla custard for the Boston Cream Pie and the strawberry balsamic syrup.

Strawberry-Balsamic Syrup cooking on the stove:

The first batch of cupcakes were supposed to be the Boston Cream Pie ones. This was a recipe I got from "Cupcakes!", a cupcake cookbook I received from a friend for my birthday. It was the first time I made these cupcakes. They are filled with vanilla custard and topped with a chocolate glaze and sounded incredibly delicious.

Well, when they were cooled enough, I picked one up and looked at it. The thing didn't rise! It was a little 1" solid lump of cooked cupcake. There was no air, no fluffiness. Nothing. Erm... Not good. My poor little lumps are still sitting on the counter. I have no idea what to do with them or if I should just throw them. I still don't know what happened to them; I followed the directions to a 't', or so I thought...

I had the filling made already, so I decided to go ahead and make a full batch of the Magnolia's vanilla (which makes 24, I was going to half the recipe) and turn half of them into the Boston Cream Pie cupcakes. Not a problem.

Here is the end result. My cupcakes turned out quite well. I love the flavor of them. And I think they're cute. I have about 30 of them for the bake sale tomorrow and I'm keeping about 9 of them for me and my family.

Strawberry-Balsamic Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes filled with Vanilla Custard and Chocolate Glaze

All lined up and ready for the bake sale. Cupcakes anyone?

Valentine's Day Goodies

Valentine's Day. That fun day to bake some sweet treats for the ones you love. And if you're like me, you always want to try something new. As a completely last-minute idea - I had no intentions of baking this year, I decided to scour the web for something to make. I found a few recipes from Bakerella for Oreo truffle kisses and red velvet cake balls. I combined the ideas into red velvet cake kisses which was perfect since I just happened to have a box of red velvet cake mix on hand. So, I decided to go for it.

As a disclaimer to all you food snobs out there (hehe!), yes, I used a box mix! Oh the horror! I actually usually turn my nose up at boxs, however, I found this in the "New Orleans" section of Cost Plus. The brand is Mam Papaul from the south. Since red velvet is a traditional southern cake, I figured I'd give it a go. Plus, I've heard horror stories of people trying to make their own red velvet cake and the taste came out awful because of how much red die is required. But feel free to make a homemade batch on your own if you want to try these.



I wasn't sure if any of these ideas were actually going to work, so I decided to make half a batch of cupcakes and the other half half red velvet cake ball kisses in dark Ghirardelli chocolate. So, half the batter went into cupcake pans/papers and half into cake pans.




To make the kisses, after the cakes came out and cooled, I took the blocks of cake and crumbled them in a big bowl. I used a pastry cutter and it worked perfectly. Once the cake was nothing but crumbs, I added a big glob of cream cheese frosting (also from the red velvet box mix, but I doctored it with a little extra cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla to get it the right texture and flavor).

With the pastry cutter, I blended the frosting with the cake crumbs until goopy and workable. With my fingers, I formed little kiss shaped cake balls (about 2 inches tall) and placed them in the freezer to prep for the chocolate. Once they were cool and firm, I melted dark chocolate in a double boiler with just a touch of canola oil to keep it smooth. I then poured the chocolate over each kiss, let the access drip off before setting it on waxed paper to set.


After the chocolate was completely set, I wrapped each in a square of foil (about 6" squares) with strips of paper printed off from my computer. They were adorable and tasted amazing! I gave them to a bunch of my friends, and of course, my husband. Everyone raved. The kisses were better than the cupcakes (though the cupcakes were cute). I sort of wished I had made the whole batch into kisses. They were a lot more work though so it probably would have taken me a couple more hours.





The kisses were moist, flavorful, and the touch of dark chocolate worked to keep the moisture in as well as add a level of decadence to the kiss. There's only one left. I hope I can get to it before my husband does! ;)

Raspberry Creme Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Coconut Ganache Frosting

A long name for a little cake, but that little cake has a ton of flavor!

My friend's birthday was a couple of days ago, so I decided to make her a batch of cupcakes to celebrate. It was a last-minute decision and my creation was from whatever I had in the house.

Magnolia Vanilla Cupcake: (I cut all this in half)

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

5. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Filling: (all of these are approximations)

• 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 3-4 Tbsp Seedless Raspberry jam
• 2-3 tsp. Grenadine (optional)

1. Whip cream until soft peaks form.
2. Add jam and grenadine.
3. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
4. Use a pastry decorator bag and tip to fill the cupcakes. (My preferred method, but it takes more time is to cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, cut the tip of the cone off, fill and cover with the cupcake top. It gives you more filling that way, but takes more time which I didn't have with this batch.)
   

Frosting: (again, approximations since I didn't measure)

• .5 cup Bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
• 2 Tbsp. Creme of Coconut (optional)
• 1/4 tea. Coconut Extract (optional)
• .25 cup Powdered Sugar (or more)
• 2-3 Tbsp. Whipping Cream (or more)

1. Start blending chocolate chips with coconut.
   
2. Add sugar and cream until consistency is soft and fluffy. Add more sugar or more cream depending on consistency.

Wine Cake

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this one, but it looks just like the Pistachio Cake below(minus the bright green coloring) =)

Ingredients:

• 1 small box (3.4 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 1 box Yellow Cake mix
• 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 4 Eggs
• 3/4 cup Cooking Sherry Wine
• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300
• Combine Pudding, Cake Mix, Vegetable Oil, Sherry, and Nutmeg in bowl
• Beat Eggs in a small bowl, then add to ingredients
• Blend all ingredients for 1 minute on low speed then Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
• Pour mix into a greased and floured Angel Food Pan
• Bake for 55 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean
• Let cool and remove from pan
• Optional: lightly sprinkle Powdered Sugar on top

Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 small box (3.4 oz) Pistachio Instant Pudding
• 1 box Yellow Cake mix
• 1/2 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
• 4 Eggs
• 1-1/4 cup Water
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
  7 drops Green Food Coloring

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl
• Blend at low speed for 1 minute then Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes
• Pour into a greased and floured Angel Food Pan (tap the pan on the counter a few times to make sure all cake mix is evenly distributed
• Bake for 50-55 minutes or until inserted tooth pick comes out clean
• Let cool and remove from pan
• Optional: lightly sprinkle Powdered Sugar (Confectioner's Sugar) on top

Gingery Gingersnaps

Cookies being cooled on the wire rack

Ready to go in the Christmas tin box!

With the holidays just around the corner, all of us are baking up a storm! Please feel free to share your holiday baked goods here. Yesterday, I baked a batch of gingersnaps cookies for a party and everyone loved it! Hope you will enjoy it as well! - Evonne

Recipe from the Williams-Sonoma "Essentials of Baking" cookbook

Makes about 48 cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup light molasses
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

DIRECTIONS

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 F. Line 3 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, molasses, brown sugar, egg and crystallized ginger. Beat on low speed with your stand mixer until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat until incorporated.
• Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
• Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the tops are crinkled and feel firm when lightly touched, 10 to 13 minutes.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  

Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies

Here is a yummy recipe that I found on allrecipes.com.

PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 1 Hr 20 Min
YEILDS 3-4 Dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (4.5 ounce) packages chocolate covered thin mints

DIRECTIONS

• In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, be careful not to overbake. When cookies come out of the oven, Press one mint wafer into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer. For smaller cookies, break mints in half.

Quick hint that I learned is to line the cookie sheets with foil and lightly grease.

Chocolate Lava muffins

I've been using Alton Brown's recipe for years now and it's always a hit! It's so easy to make and often-times better than the ones you get at restaurants. You just to have be careful that you don't overcook the muffins. Leaving the muffins in the oven a couple of minutes longer than suggested will cook the middle. The only revisions I have to his recipe is that I don't melt the ice cream and often don't add espresso powder (simply because I usually don't have it in my pantry).

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
Butter, to coat muffin tin
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon espresso powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a small metal bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl. Stir in vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Sift these into the chocolate and mix well with your KitchenAid. Add eggs one at time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Beat at high until batter is creamy and lightens in color, approximately 4 minutes. Chill mixture.

Coat the top and each cup of the muffin tin with butter. Dust with the cocoa powder and shake out excess. Spoon mixture into pan using a 4-ounce scoop or ladle. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Outsides should be cake-like and centers should be gooey.

While muffins are in oven, melt the ice cream in a small saucepan. Stir in the espresso powder. Serve over warm muffins.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

OK, it's time for a "non-dessert" recipe! =) I am allergic to cheese, so I usually eliminate the cheese portion of this recipe, but if you like it, you can keep the ingredient in. Enjoy! - Evonne

INGREDIENTS

6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
7 baking potatoes, peels and cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Place garlic cloves in a small baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, cover, and bake 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but firm. Drain, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Place roasted garlic, milk, Parmesan cheese, and butter into the bowl with the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Beat to desired consistency with a mixer.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

Bananas from our tree in the backyard

I have been making this banana bread for a while now since we have hundreds of bananas from our backyard all the time (photo #1 above). It's my favorite bread because it's a little healthier than the regular banana bread. So, enjoy! - Evonne

Makes 2 medium loaves

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 cup (12-1/2 oz) whole--wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
2 cups (1 lb) sugar
2 cups (1 lb) mashed ripe banana (4 large ones)
4 eggs
1 cup (4 oz) chopped walnuts or pecans

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch loaf pans and dust with flour
• In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until blended.
• Beat in the banana, then beat in the eggs until completely mixed; don't worry if the mixture looks lumpy and curdled. Stir in the nuts. Add the combined dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
• Pour and scrape the batter into the 2 prepared pans and spread evenly
• Bake until a thin wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean, about 1 hour
• Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely

Pumpkin Crunch

(Sorry it's partially eaten. I'll post a much more pleasant looking photo when I make this again for Christmas.)

FILLING (I've listed the brands that have worked best for me):

• 1 can (1 lb. 13 oz.) Pure Pumpkin (Libby’s brand—don’t get the stuff that’s ready-to-use pumpkin filling for pies)
• 1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated Milk (Carnation brand)
• 1 c. Sugar
• 3 large Eggs
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 box Yellow Pudding Cake Mix (don’t use a “Golden Butter” type cake mix—gets really oily)
• 1 ½ c. Walnuts, chopped
• 2 sticks Margarine, melted (I use Imperial brand—good for baking. Stay away from Nucoa brand—good for cooking. It’s way too rich/fatty and salty!)

FROSTING:

• 1 pkg (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/3 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip
• 1 c. Powdered Sugar
  

DIRECTIONS:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
• Line the bottom of a 13” x 9” x 2” pan with waxed paper. Mix pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon together. Pour into lined pan and spread evenly.
• Sprinkle entire box of yellow pudding cake mix (dry) over pumpkin mixture—don’t worry if it looks like a lot. Spread evenly and pat lightly with a fork.
• Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of yellow pudding cake mix layer. Spread evenly and pat lightly with a fork.
• Spoon melted margarine over walnuts. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until the top looks golden brown. I usually end up going the full hour.
• While pumpkin crunch is baking, mix softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together. (I actually sift the 1 c. of powdered sugar into the mixing bowl to break up any lumps.) Once incorporated, mix in the Cool Whip. Keep refrigerated until ready to frost.
• When completely cooled, invert pan, remove waxed paper, and frost.
• If you have the time, let the pumpkin crunch refrigerate overnight (so it can fully set) before frosting. Enjoy!

Walnut, Chocolate & Ginger Shortbread Fans

I just made these for a party and it was a huge hit! So I'd like to share this recipe with all of you. I actually substituted the walnuts with pecans because that's what we have at home and it turned out great. And if you really like ginger, you can add more than the 3 tablespoons that are recommended in the recipe. I think that's what I am going to do next time because I didn't think the 3 tablespoons were enough the last time I made them. Enjoy! - Evonne

Servings: Makes 1 dozen

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup (3 oz) granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (2 oz) walnuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup (2 oz) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons firmly packed chopped crystallized ginger
Vanilla sugar, optional

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat an oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch or 10-inch glass pie dish
• In a bowl stir together the flour, cornstarch and salt; set aside
• Combine the butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until beginning to gather together. Then mix in the walnuts, chocolate chips and ginger
• Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared dish, building up the edges so they reach 1/2 inch up the sides. Using a fork crimp the edges. Using a sharp knife and a ruler as a guide, cut into 12 wedges. Be sure to cut all the way through the dough. Pierce each wedge 3 times with a fork. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar, if desired
• Bake until barely firm to the touch and brown on the edges, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pie dish to a wire rack and recut the wedges. Let the cookies cool. Gently remove from the dish with a knife. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma "Cookies & Biscotti" book

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

My add on:
I'm not a big ginger fan but I loved these cookies :) FI found the recipe and really wanted to try them. We finally did and they were delicious, I can't wait to make them again soon. Enjoy!

Recipe is from marthastewart.com

Peanut Butter cookies with chocolate chunks

Makes 27 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned chunky peanut butter (about 9 ounces)
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Mix flour, oats, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, honey, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture in 2 additions. Stir in chopped chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until dough is firm and no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. With hands, roll 1 heaping tablespoonful of dough for each cookie into 1 3/4-inch-diameter ball. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies until puffed, beginning to brown on top and still very soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Inside Out Carrot Cake cookies

I made these last year as one of our Christmas cookies and they tasted fantastic, I think I may have softened the butter too much (i.e. melted it) which caused the cookies to run together and look funny. But they were still amazing tasting and people at work raved about them, I omitted the walnuts since I'm not a fan of them. From Epicurious.com

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

Servings: Makes about 13 cookies.

Ingredients

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 scant cup walnuts (3 oz), chopped
1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 oz)
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup honey

Preparation

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Butter 2 baking sheets.
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.

Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between.

Honey Pistachio Biscotti

This recipe was from "Healthy Appetite with Elile Krieger" of the Food Network. I just tried making it yesterday and it was delicious. Hope you all enjoy it! - Evonne

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 large eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl beat together the sugar, honey, eggs, oil, zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract until well combined. In batches add the dry ingredients until the mixture forms a dough. Stir in the pistachios.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead several times. Shape into a log about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Arrange on the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake the biscotti until golden 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Welcome Club Members!

Just wanted to be the first one to welcome all of our brand new KA Club members! We look forward to reading all of the wonderful recipes on here! Please feel free to post and make sure you include a photo so we know what the finished product looks like! =)

Happy Baking & Cooking!