Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

While these little goodies are labeled "cupcakes", I think of them as more of a brownie.

Either way, they combine two of my favorite sweet flavors together for one deliciously rich hand held treat.


from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Cupcake batter
2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.
Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
Make Peanut Butter filling by combining butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tablespoon of batter and top with 1 teaspoon filling. Swirl top of cupcake batter and filling with a wooden skewer or toothpick.
Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Strawberry Mascarpone Cupcakes (for Bunny)

Many of you are familiar with the tragic accident that took my dear, dear friend and sister-in-law, Bunny last month. I can't tell you how much I miss her.

She was my go-to girl when I wanted to talk baking. I loved working out a recipe idea with her. I loved getting random emails and phone calls from her telling me about a foodie blog that I had to check out. I loved to hear about what she had planned for her weekly "baking Thursday". I admired her ability to eat just one treat every Thursday and pass the rest out to her neighbors. That's why she was able to bake like she baked, and look like she looked!

She was a favorite running partner. She could push me up a hill better than anyone (I should say pull--she was always in the lead).
If you were lucky enough to know her, you loved her. If you didn't know her, well, I wish you had.

She left behind a sweet and good husband, and two adorable little girls. Boy, do they miss her.
I have learned so much this past four weeks.

I have learned the power of service. As a family, we have been utterly humbled by the incredible outpouring of love and support that we have felt. I can't count how many times we came home to a plate of cookies on the front porch, or a sweet note in the mail. Phone calls, drop-by's, flowers, hugs, prayers...people were inspired.  

I have learned the value of having people to mourn with you as you mourn, to help you bear your burden. I hope that I have become a more empathetic person.  We have been surrounded by so many good people.  

I have learned that I need to live every day so that I don't have any regrets. That's how Bunny lived. Everything she did, she did her best. She was a wonderful wife, mother and friend...someone who will never be forgotten.


These cupcakes were brought to us by a kind cousin. They were so delicious, I had to make them and share the recipe.
It is based on a Giada recipe, but Giada used a cake mix. Cousin Katelyn went above and beyond with this fantastic homemade cupcake batter. (Seriously, if any of you are batter lovers, don't even lick the spoon, or you'll find yourself making only 12 cupcakes, because you've eaten half the batter like it was pudding. Not that I did that.)

Strawberry Mascarpone filled Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen
Cake:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Pour in butter and water and mix with mixer on slow speed. Pour in muffin cups/tin and bake for 13-15 min. Wait til cupcakes cool to fill and frost.

Filling:
(8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, chilled
1/2 cup thawed and drained frozen strawberries (if using fresh strawberries, use 4-5 large berries, sliced)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a food processor combine the mascarpone cheese, strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Process the mixture until smooth. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. Push the tip gently into the bottom of a cupcake and squeeze in the strawberry mixture until the cupcake plumps. (I baked mine in cupcake cups, so I filled from the top of the cakes. They are probably prettier if you fill from the bottom.)

Icing:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a small saucepan make a vanilla syrup by bringing the 1/2 cup sugar, water, and vanilla extract to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved. In a medium bowl combine the vanilla syrup with the confectioner's sugar. Stir until smooth. Working quickly, use a rubber spatula spread the icing on the top of the cupcakes. If the icing begins to firm up, place in the microwave for a few seconds to warm up again.

Bunny would have loved these cupcakes. And if she made them, they would have tasted better and looked prettier than mine. I promise.

P.S. Thank you all for indulging me in a long, and personal post.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

My second-born turned eight last week. This girl brings a lot of spunk to my life. She loves to bake with me. She has her own set of wire whisks and is in possession of an impressive cookbook collection (four cookbooks is impressive for an eight year old).

For her birthday this year, she had some friends over for fun and games. They made their own pizzas and decorated cupcakes. (The cupcakes pictured were decorated by me and the cyclist. When the girls decorate, the emphasis is less on aesthetics...and more on sheer frosting volume.)

Recipe from I Like You; hospitality under the influence by Amy Sedaris

Cupcakes
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups milk

Line 24 standard size muffin cups with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar in bowl of mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add baking powder, salt, flour and milk. Mix until well combined. Pour evenly into muffin pan (about 2/3 full). Bake 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

One box of powdered sugar (3 1/2 - 4 cups)
1/2 cup softened, unsalted butter
1 t vanilla
1/4 cup milk or cream
Food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.

Happy Birthday Wee-Ah!

Candied Lemon Cupcakes

I found this recipe in a Donna Hay magazine. It is based in Australia so the butter measurement is metric. I have converted it to the best of my mathematical abilities. Don't be afraid to double check.

125g butter, softened (about 9 T)
3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla
2 T lemon zest
2 eggs
1 1/4 c flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk

candied lemon
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
l lemon, thinly sliced (you make 18 cupcakes, I couldn't get 18 slices from one lemon, so I would recommend two)

lemon icing
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
2 T boiling water

To make the candied lemon, place the sugar and water in a deep frying pan over low heat and stir to dissolve. Add the lemon slices and cook for 15 minutes or until translucent and candied.

Preheat oven to 325*. Place butter, sugar, vanilla and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10-12 minutes or until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Add the flour, baking powder and milk and beat until just combined. Spoon into standard size muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake for 15 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

To make lemon icing, place powdered sugar, lemon juice and boiling water in a bowl and mix well. Pour over cupcakes and top each with a slice of candied lemon. Set aside until icing is set.