Monday, December 20, 2010

Twisted Candy Cane Cupcakes


While getting a pedicure on Friday I was reading a lovely gossip magazine and these cupcakes were in the magazine.  As soon as I got home I 'googled' away to find the perfect recipe.  I thought that they were simply adorable and had to make them for my up-coming Christmas Pot Luck Party at work (tomorrow).  We are doing Secret Santa at work actually and these little babies add a little somethin' somethin' to my Secret Santa's gift.  I am so excited because she loves baking. 

These were super fun to make!  I loved decorating them the most....I mean aren't they adorable!?  These are obviously perfect for the holiday season.  I was a wee bit skeptical at first about making these because I am not the hugest peppermint fan but I am so happy that I did.  I am sure that I will make these again next year.

Source:  http://bakingbites.com/2008/12/candy-cane-christmas-cupcakes/

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/4 t. peppermint extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. red food coloring

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
3.  In a large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until mixture is light and creamy and the sugar has mostly been dissolved. (About 1 1/2 minutes.)
3.  Stir in milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and peppermint extracts.
4.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
5.  Pour into wet ingredients and mix just until batter is smooth.
6.  Measure out one cup of batter and place it back in the medium bowl. (I used a little less than 1 cup and had plenty left over. 
7.  Add red food coloring to this bowl and stir.
8.  Put a approximately 2-3 t. of the white batter into the center each cupcake paper. 
9.  Put a spoonful of red batter in the center of the white.
10.  Bake for about 15 minutes.
11.  Cool, frost and decorate. 




Enjoy!! Happy 1st Day of Winter (tomorrow)! =)

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Tis' the season to be jolly...

fa la la la la la la la la! ;)  Sorry...this year I am especially in the holiday spirit!

For the last few years I have made goodie bags for the girls at work and for close friends and I love it!  Being in the kitchen cooking or baking is so relaxing to me...too bad working out isn't relaxing, haha.  A few posts back (at my old blog) I mentioned what items would be going into my goodie bags so I had to follow up all let everyone know how they turned out.  Well....great!!  Everyone loved them and I got a lot of kuddos for the cutesy boxes too. 

So here they are...



I am so pleased with how everything turned out.  I think that I will be having a few repeat recipes next year!

P.S...
In case you missed it the goodies in the boxes are...
Magic Bars
Red Velvet Cake Balls
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
Sugar Cookie Peppermint Cookies

Have a great week!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

When making cookies I would rather just eat the dough and not even bake the cookies...it's that bad.  Obsessed...that is a good word that I would use to describe how I feel about this recipe.  I love these little things.  Trust me when I say "they are amazing!!!!!" I made these last Christmas for the first time and it was officially "LOVE AT FIRST BITE!"  I kid you not, if you haven't made these before..do so..now!  I know what you are thinking that they couldn't possibly be that good, but they are.  ;)  I am a huge cookie dough fan so this is perfect for those that love cookie dough like me. 

Source: Annie's Eats (http://annies-eats.com/2010/02/09/cookie-dough-truffles/) 

Ingredients:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter (room temperature)
¾ cup light brown sugar (packed)
2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla extract
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1½ lb. semisweet chocolate (chopped)
Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Directions:
1.  Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
2.  Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until smooth.
3.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture is firm.
4.  Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls.
5.  Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.
6.  Melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Dip each chilled truffle. 
7.  Transfer to a wax-paper lined surface.  Sprinkle garnish on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets.
8.  Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

 NOTE: I am still learning with this whole dipping thing so don't judge.  It can be tricky! ;)

Friday, December 17, 2010

Menu: December 17th - December 24th

Gotta love simple weeks of dinner planning!!

Friday - out with friends - Texas Road House

Saturday - chili, cornbread, ranch salad

Sunday - BBQ baked chicken, roasted broccoli, baked potatoes

Monday - BBQ steak, rice pilaf, garlic bread, fruit

Tuesday - spaghetti, ranch salad, rolls

Wednesday - leftovers (leave early the next morning.)

Thursday - Friday - out of town