Thursday, October 16, 2014

Funfetti Cake Batter Cookie Dough Brownie Layer Cupcakes

I'm always looking for a reason to create something sweet and wonderful.
An upcoming team building meeting, a gathering of friends and a birthday was the perfect excuse to try something that I had been meaning to make for awhile.
 
Funfetti Cake Batter Cookie Dough Brownie Layer Cupcakes
 
 
yup, that's a mouthful to say, so let me try to explain what this masterpiece is. It's funfetti cake batter mixed into cookie dough, sandwiched between layers of brownie and then topped with chocolate icing. In other words, melt in your mouth amazing! This recipe, brought to you by Life, Love & Sugar, is suppose to be made as a cake. Well, I'd much rather have cupcakes, so I modified it a bit.

Brownies

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Line the bottoms of cupcake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs and mix until well combined.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Slowly add dry ingredients to the egg mixture until well combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the three pans and spread evenly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
 
Remove brownies from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to cool on wire rack. While brownies cool, make cookie dough.
 
 
 
Cookie Dough

1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
two 15.25 oz boxes funfetti dry cake mix
1 1/3 cups flour
3-4 tbsp milk
4-5 tsp sprinkles
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chocolate chips
 

 Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Mix in vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low speed, add one entire box of dry cake mix, plus 1 1/2 cups from a second box of cake mix and mix until combined. 
 
Add 1 cup flour and mix until combined. Add milk and up to an additional 1/3 cup of flour to preferred thickness.
 
 
Stir in sprinkles and chocolate chips. Dough will be thick. Set aside.
 
 
Since we're doing cupcakes instead of cake, cut the brownies in half horizontally and place in cupcake liners.
 
 
Take a handful of cookie dough and mould into a round, flattened ball and place on top of brownie half. Once finished, replace the tops of the brownies on top of the cookie dough.
 
 

Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tbsp water or milk
sprinkles, for topping, if desired
 
 
Beat the shortening and butter together until smooth.
Slowly add the powdered sugar and cocoa and mix until smooth.
Add water or milk and mix until smooth.
 
Pipe icing onto the top of the cupcakes. Top with sprinkles.
 
 
Don't they look divine?
 
Everyone who had these wished that I had made more of them. Even I wished I had. These are quite time consuming, but totally worth making.
 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Happy Birthday To Me! Chai & Honey Cupcakes

So this past weekend was my Birthday! Yay! I am officially 31 and just getting better with age.
Not only was it my birthday, but also Canadian Thanksgiving. So I decided to make myself some cupcakes that would go well for both occasions.  
For my love of bees and the sweet goodness they provide; Honey
For the quickly coming fall and all the warm delights that go with it; Chai Tea
Mix them together to combine something amazing;

Chai & Honey Cupcakes

This awesome recipe comes from the same book as 
the Rose Water & Raspberry cupcakes that I posted about earlier this year.


So far these recipes have proven to be worth making

3 chai-spice tea bags
2/3 cup boiling water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, at room temperature
honey, to drizzle (or honeycomb, cut into 1-inch pieces, for garnish)

Position oven rack in the middle of oven; preheat to 350°; line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
In a small bowl, steep the tea bags in the boiling water for 5 minutes.
Discard tea bags and let the tea cool to room temperature.


In a bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together.


Look at that beautiful, organic, wildflower honey
soooo good....



In a big bowl, combine the honey, melted butter, buttermilk, and egg.


Add the flour mixture and, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until just combined, about 2 minutes.


Add in the cooled tea and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.


Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
Bake about 18-20 minutes, until a pick comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cook in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour (the unfrosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before frosting and garnishing).


Honey Whipped Cream

1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey

In a chilled bowl, combine the cream and honey; using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.
Gradually increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the cream holds soft peaks, 2-3 minutes; use right away.


I did n't have any honeycomb and neither did the store, so I opted for topping my cupcakes with a drizzle of honey.



If you let the honey sit on the whipped cream for a moment, it starts to sink in and leave these cute little indented lines in it.

These cupcakes were perfect. Not only were they better than I thought they would be, they were also the perfect fall treat!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Stay tuned, as I'm hoping to get my computer back up and running again soon so I can post more of the treats I made this summer.