See here’s the deal: I don’t just bake or make edible stuff for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My mixer isn’t pulled out for the holidays then covered up again for another year; she’s in a place of honor where she belongs. I always have a variety of flours & sugars, not to mention honey, sprinkles, buttermilk and unsalted butter in the house at all times. I’ve got cookie cutters that are discolored & well-worn, not brand new & shiny. I have baking pans & cookie sheets out the ass, most of which have seen better days. I have plastic bins overflowing with muffin & cupcake liners for every day of the week let alone season. I have Mason jars & lids stashed everywhere & there’s liquid pectin in my fridge. I’m a full-on, from-scratch baker/cook/canner, 12 months out of the year. I make time to bake & make homemade food & confections every week, because it’s not only enjoyable but also because it’s important to me. It keeps me happy, well-fed and most importantly sane. So I have recipes bookmarked (both on Firefox & literally bookmarked in books), earmarked, cut-out of magazines & taped to notebooks, some even stored in the “notes” section on my iPhone. They’re everywhere. I get them in e-mails from family members, on Facebook, on Twitter (or I should say via Twitter, since fitting a recipe in 140 characters is kinda hard) and more. Both virtual copies & hard copies. They’re stashed all over my house from the bedroom to the kitchen to the living room. I have notes on the calendar about them, memos in my phone about them, and reminders on my laptop. I spend my spare moments before I fall asleep searching the internet for things like whiskey-pickle recipes or unique ways to use up dried cranberries. Insane? No. It’s entirely possible that people who don’t do that are far more insane than I am. Because of the fact that it keeps me sane.

…

Anyway while I bake a lot, and make a lot of cupcakes… I wanted to make an extra special batch of cupcakes for this Thanksgiving, and I do think these fit the bill. I toasted the frosting & I think that just adds to it. Of course, I can’t have one yet because they’re all for tomorrow- but I tasted some batter & OH MY GOD. I don’t even like sweet potatoes & that’s some good shit.

Jay will be home from Texas for turkey day, too, which is an added bonus. I’m picking him up from La Guardia in a couple of hours, after a long day of baking & packing up food. Mi familia will be together tomorrow & stuff our faces full of that food, & that’s just the way it should be. This Thanksgiving is the first one I’m, or we’re, celebrating without my grandma. It’s rough, and I know Christmas will be tougher still. But she wouldn’t want me to complain or be sad. She loved the holidays, & so I’m doing my best to celebrate her memory as well as each holiday. This Thanksgiving we’ll all raise our glasses of wine & toast to Aggie, and of course Uncle Pat, and at the same time be thankful for all we do have & that includes family, and of course for me it includes these two sweet little faces…

..

SWEET POTATO CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned whole sweet potatoes (unsweetened), mashed
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Line twelve 2 ½-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set cups aside.
2. In medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; set aside.
3. In large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Add sweet potatoes and vanilla, beating until combined. Add flour mixture; beat until combined (batter will be thick).
4. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 minute. Remove from pan and cool completely.

..

SEVEN-MINUTE FROSTING

Makes about 4 cups, plenty of frosting for 12-18, possibly even 24 cupcakes, depending on how high you frost!

Directions:

1. Combine ¾ cup sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230° degrees.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining tablespoon sugar, beating to combine.
3. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230° degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

…

Just remember: you really do need a stand mixer for this frosting. Unless you have Incredible Hulk muscles & don’t mind standing there beating egg whites until stiff for possibly 15-20 minutes or more and then beating the hot frosting itself for 7+ minutes by hand. However, you can make a marshmallow frosting using Fluff that’s awesome too, and tastes similar (a bit sweeter) & can be toasted as well.

And of course I boxed them up in Bake-A-Box boxes. The liners are greaseproof natural, unbleached liners from Layer Cake Shop. I bought the fall leaves from Sugar Robot on Etsy. They’re paper… but they’re edible! How awesome is that?! Supposedly they taste like vanilla. We’ll see. Oh, and those other cupcakes are cinnamon-vanilla (recipe here) with a vanilla frosting in plain white liners for the finicky among us who perhaps won’t eat the sweet potato cupcakes. These have little vintage-inspired turkey toppers on ‘em.

…

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow, even those of you who don’t celebrate it for whatever reason. Enjoy your friends & families, & pets. I hope that you’ll consider a donation to help feed someone who can’t feed themselves tomorrow, or if you’re able to you’ll volunteer at a shelter or food bank or soup kitchen. But at the very, very least, please make a $5 or $10 donation to the ONE campaign, Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, or Share Our Strength. Please think about those less fortunate than you, when you’re “counting your blessings” tomorrow.

..

…

I’ve done one of these little compilation posts for Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas, Valentine’s Day & St. Patrick’s Day, so here’s my springtime/Easter version. I don’t really do “Easter”, I like bunnies, baby chicks, lilies & chocolate… so I celebrate those things & call it Easter. I’m not one of those Wiccans or “Pagans” either. I’m Agnostic, but I do love me some holidays. I can’t help it. I love to decorate and bake and cook and that’s the best part of life, in my opinion. So why not celebrate everything!?

The real meaning of Easter:

Easter (Old English: Ēostre; Greek: Πάσχα, Paskha; Hebrew: פֶּסַח‎, Pesakh, “Passover“) is the central religious feast in the Christian liturgical year.^[1] According to Christian scripture, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Some Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday^[2] (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday. The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and 36, traditionally 33. Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the northern hemisphere’s vernal equinox.^[3] Ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on March 21 (even though the equinox occurs, astronomically speaking, on March 20 in most years), and the “Full Moon” is not necessarily the astronomically correct date. The date of Easter therefore varies between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Christianity bases its calculations on the Julian Calendar whose March 21 corresponds, during the 21st century, to April 3 in the Gregorian Calendar, in which calendar their celebration of Easter therefore varies between April 4 and May 8.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In most European languages the feast called Easter in English is termed by the words for passover in those languages and in the older English versions of the Bible the term Easter was the term used to translate passover.^[4][5]

Relatively newer^{[citation needed]} elements such as the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts have become part of the holiday’s modern celebrations, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike. There are also some Christian denominations who do not celebrate Easter.

Yeah so that last part applies to me. Delicious chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs filled with creamy fondant? Yes please. I guess, though, I more celebrate just the coming of spring itself, which is more like Ostara:

Old English Ēostre (also Ēastre) and Old High German Ôstarâ are the names of a putative Germanic goddess whose Anglo-Saxon month, Ēostur-monath, has given its name to the festival of Easter. Eostre is attested only by Bede, in his 8th century work De temporum ratione, where he states that Ēostur-monath was the equivalent to the month of April, and that feasts held in her honour during Ēostur-monath had died out by the time of his writing, replaced by the “Paschal month“. The possibility of a Common Germanic goddess called *Austrōn- was examined in detail in 19th century Germanic philology, by Jacob Grimm and others, without coming to a definite conclusion.

Linguists have identified the goddess as a Germanic form of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn, *Hausos, some scholars have debated whether or not Eostre is an invention of Bede’s, and theories connecting Eostre with records of Germanic Easter customs (including hares and eggs) have been proposed.

Notice the spelling similarities between Eostre and Easter? Hmm. Food for thought. I’ll let ya chew on that one.

So in short, I like to eat and make stuff, and that’s what holidays are all about, really. I don’t think you have to believe in a God to celebrate the coming of spring, especially after a winter where here in New York we got a whopping 60.9″ of snow total. At any rate… here are some delectable cupcake confections that celebrate this time of year, and can be adapted/used whether your celebrations are referred to as Ostara, Easter, Passover or just plain spring.

One of my favorite Easter cupcakes; lemon-vanilla cakes with a lemon-vanilla buttercream, topped with toasted coconut “nests” and Cadbury mini-eggs. Super cute and so easy! These were a humongous hit with everyone who ate them, I highly recommend trying them. Recipe here: Nest Eggs.

…

I grouped these two together because they’re in the same post from last Easter. The top ones are Creamsicle mini-cupcakes topped with a thick marshmallow Fluff buttercream, and the bottom ones are carrot cupcakes topped with a lavender-tinted cream cheese frosting. Check both recipes out here: Easter?

…

I didn’t actually make these for Easter, I made them for my grandmother’s 92nd birthday… however they’re a perfect springtime cupcake idea. A light chocolate cake topped with an Earl Grey/lemon icing and candied lemon peel garnish (which is deceptively easy). Very sophisticated & delicious. Find the recipes for the cake, icing and lemon peel here: Earl Grey with lemon “tea party” cupcakes.

…

Another one I didn’t make for Easter, I made them for Cupcake Rehab’s 1st birthday, but yet they would be totally appropriate for spring. Neapolitan cupcakes- vanilla cake, strawberry Kool-Aid frosting and chocolate sauce drizzled on top. Extremely delicious. Recipes: Neapolitan “happy 1st birthday Cupcake Rehab” cupcakes.

…

These I definitely didn’t make for Easter. But being that they’re almond cupcakes with a white chocolate buttercream, they’d be so cute with marzipan fruits or hand-rolled marzipan Easter eggs on top for Easter, wouldn’t they? This is one of my favorite cupcakes ever. Try them yourself: Frau Marilla’s Alpenblume Weiße Schokolade Kleine Kuchen!

…

So that’s that. If you’re not drooling by now, there’s something wrong with you. Also, I also have a recipe for chocolate hi-hat cupcakes that I made for Easter a few years back that I didn’t include above. So knock yourself out!  And If you’re looking for something more Passover-y, I have a recipe for sweet noodle kugel. I also have TONS of other cupcake and cookie recipes that can be adapted or used for this time of year, with just a little creativity.

As usual, I’ll be posting more spring-y things in the weeks to come so stay tuned... and tomorrow I’ll be guest posting over at Frosting 4 the Cause, so please come and check that out. I promise you’ll like it.

I’m sure you’re tired of hearing by now how much I love Halloween. Well, tough noogies I say. I’ve got my costume all ready (Merlotte’s waitress, complete with bloody vampire bites on my neck & requisite t-shirt, black shorts, & black Adidas sneakers), my house is all decorated with orange & purple lights, pumpkins, mums, zombies, faux spider webs, scarecrows and other assorted scary creatures, my jack-o’-lantern is carved (well actually, it will be tonight), and I’m excited. Bring on the monsters! Anyway, today I’m not going to be showing you a cupcake that’s gorey, just gooey. No gimmicky Halloween stuff, just… Ovaltine. Yep. Ovaltine.

Ovaltine always reminds me of vintage, old-fashioned things. Maybe it’s because you don’t often hear of it anymore, maybe it’s because of ‘A Christmas Story’, who knows. Either way, to me, Ovaltine & “malted milk” are really old-timey notions. Notions? I’m even talking old-timey now. This is a recipe I got from Bon Appétit’s September issue. Chocolate malt cake with malt crumbs, chocolate fudge sauce mini-marshmallows). Sounds amazing, right? Yeah that’s what I said too. So I decided to adapt it into a cupcake for Halloween, since it was dark & chocolatey. I omitted the malt crumbs because they just didn’t fit in with a cupcake version of the recipe- since you don’t “layer” a cupcake, there was nowhere to put them! I figured there was enough going on with these as it is, you know?

So here we are. Chocolate-malt cupcakes, filled with malt-fudge sauce, topped with amazing marshmallow Fluff buttercream (& if you like, you can add some charred mini-marshmallows, or just char this frosting itself!), adapted from a recipe by Christina Tosi, Momofuki Milk Bar‘s pastry chef. You can also use Swiss meringue, but I know some people find it tricky. So I included a recipe for an easy and delicious frosting alternative that’s equally as “pile-able” and smooth. Happy Halloween!

Have a fang-tastic Halloween… perhaps I should’ve used those toppers on these?

…

CHOCOLATE-MALT CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate (70% to 72% cacao), chopped
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons Ovaltine Chocolate Malt mix (Classic Ovaltine can be used also)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place chocolate in a small, microwave safe bowl. Melt in microwave in 15-second intervals until just melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium high speed until fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs; beat on low speed to incorporate, then increase speed to medium high and beat until mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add melted chocolate & Ovaltine. Beat until blended, about 1 minute. Add buttermilk, oil, milk and vanilla; beat on medium high speed until pale brown, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed until just blended- about 45 seconds.
5. Divide batter amongst muffin tins, filling about halfway full. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pans on racks.

MALT-FUDGE SAUCE

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups Ovaltine Chocolate Malt mix
• 4 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate (70% to 72% cacao), chopped
• 1 teaspoon mild-flavored molasses
• Pinch of coarse Kosher salt
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• ¼ cup sugar

Directions:

1. Place first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Combine cream, corn syrup, and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
3. Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture in bowl. Let stand 1 minute.
4. Stir until smooth. Whisk until sauce is glossy, about 1 minute.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

First you get:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (7½ ounce) jar Fluff, or similar marshmallow cream
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Then you’re gonna:

1. Beat butter in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in marshmallow cream. Reduce speed to low, and beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat until fluffy.
2. Frost cooled cupcakes.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

PERFECT CUPCAKE FROSTING (courtesy of Our Best Bites)

First, get this:

• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk (whole milk is best)
• 1 cup unsalted butter (NOT margarine!)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

And then yer gon’ do this:

1. Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.
2. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. It should still be liquid-ish though. It’s okay if you have lumps, because we’re gonna strain those out right now. Place the mixture in a mesh strainer and stir with a rubber spatula to push it through.
3. You should end up with a nice, smooth mixture. It’s almost like pudding before it’s set.
4. Put this mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. When it is chilled, you can move on to the following step.
5. It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Don’t be scared. It’s going to look like a goopy mess and kind of lumpy and separated.
6. But you just wait. It’s gonna blow your mind in a few minutes. Beat on med-high for 7-8 minutes. Yes, that long. I know it seems like forever, but that’s when the magic happens!
7. After 7-8 minutes it will have transformed from that sloppy mess into something gorgeous, fluffy, and incredibly light and silky.

I should tell you I halved the cupcake recipe, but not the sauce recipe. I got 18 cupcakes and had PLENTY of sauce, so if you’re planning on making the entire recipe as cupcakes, you might not have to double the sauce.

Now you can use these elements in any way you like. What I did was I cut a hole out of the middle of each cupcake using a round Wilton 2A tip, then filled it with the malt-fudge sauce (when they were completely cooled but when the sauce was still warm and gooey). Then I frosted them high with a fluffy, creamy, shiny marshmallow Fluff  frosting that I split into two batches; I colored one batch violet and one green. I had already done the black & orange thing, and the blood red thing, so the only option left to cover this year was zombie skin green and mottled-flesh purple. Of course, to stay truer to the Momofuku version, you can also spoon the sauce over the tops of the cupcakes, then use mini-marshmallows on top and char them or just the frosting using a kitchen torch. That is if you use the marshmallow frosting. Don’t try and char Swiss meringue!!

…

Can you say DELICIOUS? It’s like eating a cup of Ovaltine with chocolate candy… in cake form. And if you added the marshmallows, it would be like hot chocolate or hot Ovaltine in a cupcake. Perfect for Halloween when everyone indulges in sweets & treats that really are just a bit too decadent. The fudge-malt sauce is to die for, and when it sets, it doesn’t get too hard, so it’s the perfect filling. But like I said, you could even use it as a frosting.

Liners and toppers are Martha Stewart for Michael’s, and the cupcake stand is by Wilton. Happy Haunting! And if you’re still looking for Halloween-themed treats… look no further than here, here and here.

]]> http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/10/vintage-style-chocolate-ovaltine-for-halloween/feed/ 4 http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/10/the-devils-road-is-paved-with-orange-marshmallow-buttercream/ http://cupcakerehab.com/2010/10/the-devils-road-is-paved-with-orange-marshmallow-buttercream/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:29:34 +0000 Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab http://cupcakerehab.com/?p=7145

Before I get started on this post, I want to say how awesome it is that on October 13th the official Tru Blood Beverage website wrote a post about my True Blood Velvet cupcakes on their news page! So exciting, especially for me, I’m a huge fan of the show True Blood & the Sookie Stackhouse books. It was really spiffy that they noticed me & my lil’ ol cupcakes. I really geeked out over it for a while, truth be told (and still am, kinda). If you missed the post, and can’t find it, don’t worry. If you check out my press page, you’ll see a screenshot of what was written.

In researching my latest cupcake endeavor, I found out an interesting new fact. I didn’t know that black licorice was referred to as ‘Devil’s Road Tar’, but once I did I was so excited. I’m a big black licorice fan, I’m that person who eats all the black jelly beans and gum drops and leaves the rest. Not to mention there’s nothing like a good quality piece of licorice candy. I love it. Fennel, anise, licorice… whatever. I love it all. When I was little, my grandpa used to share his licorice pastilles with me, when I was a kid I’d devour Good & Plenty’s like there was no tomorrow, and as I got older I fell in love with Luden’s Honey Licorice cough drops (which are really hard to find, but I’ve been suckin’ ‘em down like crazy the past few weeks since I’m just getting over a bad ass cold) whether I was sick or not. I used to brush my teeth with Tom’s of Maine fennel toothpaste for a while, too. And Sambuca? Yes please. But all that aside, when I discovered that alias above, I knew it was perfect that I make these for Halloween. I stumbled upon a few different licorice cupcake ideas on the web. Some didn’t really appeal to me, to be honest, and others were combined with odd flavors. I don’t like chocolate with licorice, sorry. Vanilla was a safe bet, but I wanted something a little different. And so inspired by a few other bloggers, I decided the best bet would be an orange marshmallow topping made with Fluff. Why orange? Well, there’s an ice cream called ‘Tiger Tail’ (thanks Tania) that is orange ice cream with licorice sauce, and also there was a candy made by See’s that was a licorice stick, but orange & licorice together. The combination intrigued me, since both flavors are in my list of favorites. And really, what’s more Halloween-y than black & orange? Plus they match my Halloween cupcake cookie jar & cupcake candle… heh.

…

Admittedly, these will not be for everyone. Most of you will probably gag at the thought of these. That’s alright. It’s my blog & I’ll bake licorice cupcakes if I want to! And if no one else likes them, then more for me. This recipe only makes 12, so it’s not like a lot will go to waste. Honestly, they were really delicious. Not too much of an in-your-face licorice flavor, just a pleasant anise taste. And I even added more anise to mine! Don’t be afraid to try them, even if you cut the recipe in half. I am not ashamed to say I ate three in a row. Okay, maybe I’m a little ashamed. But they’re made with egg whites, so they’re healthier. Right?

The cupcakes, with an interesting cast of characters on top.

…

.You know what I learned while looking up licorice? Licorice is not the same thing as fennel or anise, despite having the flavoring compounds.

The flavor of liquorice comes mainly from a sweet-tasting compound called anethole (“trans”-1-methoxy-4-(prop-1-enyl)benzene), an aromatic, unsaturated ether compound also found in anise, fennel, and other herbs. Additional sweetness in liquorice comes from glycyrrhizin, a compound sweeter than sugar.

But for our purposes, for this recipe, anise = licorice and does a pretty good job of it. Licorice has quite a rich history. It’s been used in drinks & teas for ages, and used to soothe many ailments. Not only that, but it’s just plain yummy.

Licorice. Just the word by itself evokes certain memories in each of us. Now imagine tasting some licorice right now; yum! In fact licorice has been enjoyed throughout the ages by pharaohs, kings, and people like you and I! Licorice comes in more varieties than the candy vines, it is used in teas, medicine, booze, food, and all sorts of candy. Let’s take a look at how licorice has become such a delectable treat worldwide.

Now, licorice wasn’t always used in candy of course, it was often put into a drink consumed by the ancient Egyptians. Often time warriors would use licorice because it could help out on long marches when a thirst needed slaking. Many wise men in many countries like Alexander the Great and the Indian prophet, Brahma, encouraged the use of licorice for its healing properties. Even today the Aveda Company makes a comforting tea using the licorice root, Glycyrrhiza Glabra. Licorice has even been used to soothe coughs and heal peptic ulcers.

In spite of all its medicinal qualities, its most popular quality is its wonderful sweetness and its use in candies. It can be found around the world: In the United States of course, and in Germany, England, the Netherlands, and Nordic countries. Its popularity knows no boundary.

In 1914 the American Licorice Company was founded in Chicago, Illinois. Black Vines were born that year and have remained a popular treat ever since. The chewy black goodness evolved into “yummies” such as: Black Crows, Licorice Snaps, Black Scotties, and an all time favorite, Good and Plenty. My favorite was a product call “Allsorts.” These were originally manufactured in England and looked like beautiful candy jewels with licorice surrounded by pink, blue, and yellow confections. They were cut into squares, cylinders, and rounds; usually layered so you could see the licorice in the center of say a pink round candy. The look was tempting and the taste magnificent. You can still buy these today.

Eventually, in 1920 the classic Raspberry Vines made their debut, and while they weren’t really licorice, they became synonymous with licorice because they were produced by the same company and had the same chewy characteristics as real black licorice. However, red licorice is made with strawberry or cherry extracts; they are not made with the licorice root, therefore, they don’t taste anything like black licorice, but are delicious in their own right.

Licorice has been used for kinds of purposes throughout the ages. One thing that stands true is the tastiness and the memories we get when licorice is on our palate. We reminisce a bit about when life seemed to move a bit slower, or when grandpa would hand us a licorice morsel out of his jar. Whatever the memory is, there is no denying the history and goodness of a licorice treat!

BLACK LICORICE CUPCAKES

First you get:

• 1 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons anise extract
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 2 oz white chocolate (good quality)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 5 egg whites at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Then you:

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in the top of a double boiler. When completely melted and combined, stir in the sugar, and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in separate bowl.
3. In a large glass measuring cup, mix together the milk, vanilla, and anise extracts.
4. Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 parts, starting and ending with the flour. Beat just until ingredients are combined after each addition.
6. With clean bowl and beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed for one minute,then on high until soft peaks form.
7. Transfer 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter bowl, gently fold to combine. Fold in the rest of the egg whites.
8. Fill 12 cupcake papers to ¼ inch from the top rim. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I frosted them with an orange marshmallow Fluff frosting that I striped with black & orange stripes, then piped it on and sprinkled it with orange and brown sprinkles with miniature black bats. I don’t often do the “holiday themed jimmies” thing, but these were so freakin’ cute with the mini-bats, I had to. The toppers are vintage, they include a jack-o-lantern, a flying witch, a black cat face, a witch’s head, a black cat, a scarecrow and a skull & crossbones. Cute, right? The liners are Martha Stewart for Michael’s, of course. She always pulls me in with these adorable liners and then I always buy way more than I need to. But that’s alright, it just means more cupcakes and muffins for this delicious holiday.

…

Honestly, even if you aren’t a big licorice fan, you might like these. They aren’t bold at all, they have a very light flavor. And if you’re looking for the frosting recipe, it’s here. Just add orange extract to it instead of vanilla and you’re ready for Halloween. And Arwyn, my darling little creature the color of licorice, is ready for Halloween too. As always.

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain).^[1] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes ^[2] regarded as the “Celtic New Year”.^[3] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.^[4][5]

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows’ Even (both “even” and “eve” are abbreviations of “evening”, but “Halloween” gets its “n” from “even”) as it is the eve of “All Hallows’ Day”,^[6] which is now also known as All Saints’ Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,^[3] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints’ Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints’ Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

God, what a great fucking time of year.

All the stores have already had all the Halloween decorations and candy out since late August, so I don’t think the first week in October is too early to be gearing up for it. This year, I decided to start out the season with a little compilation of my top 4 favorite Halloween cupcake posts, and also links to some of my other Halloween-ie themed baked goods, so that I might inspire some of you in your fright night baking. So I sat down with my favorite tea from Teavana and picked out some cupcakes worthy of a “Halloween Best Of” post. Don’t worry, I’m still making cupcakes this year (specifically something very special coming next week… bwahahaha), I’m just showing off some of my past ones.

…

These were my absolute favorite Halloween cupcakes ever. They look perfect, they were a fantastic tasting cupcake, and the white chocolate bones were too cute (and also delicious). You can find the original post and the recipe here: Creepy chocolate stout cupcakes with white chocolate “funny bones.”

…Now these… THESE are some bad ass cupcakes! Another perfect looking cupcake, and even though I made it after Halloween, it’s totally appropriate for the holiday. The key here is to use cinnamon oil, not extract, so you get the heat of the “Red Hots” flavor. Otherwise it’s just like tasting cinnamon gum. Also in this post I uploaded the files so you can print out these toppers and use them yourself! The original post is here: Coop’s devilishly delightful cupcakes.

…These were made to match a Jessie Steele apron Jay bought me for Halloween, but they’re perfect for those of you who aren’t into the themed Halloween stuff, or are more into celebrating fall than dressing up like a witch (spoil sports!). Delicious chocolate flavor with a hint of pumpkin. A grown-up pumpkin cupcake. The recipe and more can be found here: Jessie Steele (inspired) pumpkin cupcakes.

…These are such fun. Lyns sent me some sweetmelt white chocolate monster eyes and I knew right away my cupcakes would be little green monsters. Great for kids, it’s just a plain vanilla cupcake and vanilla buttercream colored green. The fun comes in with the black frosting used for facial features & the amazing edible eyes. In this post I also explain why Halloween is my favorite holiday. Check out the post here: Slimer’s fright night gorey eyeballs cupcakes.

…

But sometimes, you may not really be in the mood for cake. Or frosting. So now we move on to non-cupcake treats. ‘Cause like I said, sometimes you aren’t in the mood for a cupcake, but maybe something else spooky, sweet & appropriate for the season. Or maybe you’re having a Halloween party and you want something that’s impressive but yet not as time consuming as cupcakes. Well I’ve got you covered on that too. Are you ready?

…

These little treats were so easy to make, plus they were a HUGE hit. Everyone loved them! Homemade marshmallow bones… great in hot cocoa or eaten by themselves. Find the recipe & more photos here: Mr. Bones, Mr. Bones, how do you feel Mr. Bones?

...As far as baked treats go, I have a recipe for pumpkin muffins. But they aren’t like your average, boring pumpkin muffin made from pumpkin in a can. The interesting thing about them is that the pumpkin you use is the cut out parts of your jack-o-lantern! It’s a recipe I’ve had since kindergarten when my teacher passed them out for Halloween, and I’ve made them every year since. Get the recipe & the story behind it here: Mrs. Blach’s pumpkin muffins.

…

And there you have it. That isn’t by any means the end of my Halloween themed treats, you can find more in my “halloween” category over there. I also have a recipe for roasting your own pumpkin seeds, which is another thing I make every year when I cut out my jack-o-lantern. If you’re looking for more cupcake ideas, another excellent cupcake recipe that would work really well for Halloween are Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes that have cinnamon and pumpkin in them, which I used for Thanksgiving a few years back, but it would be perfect for this holiday. So would cinnamon vanilla with Mexican hot chocolate buttercream, it’s a fall-flavor but it isn’t too overly-theme-y. Also, this recipe for mocha cupcakes with orange-vanilla buttercream is a great fall flavored cake & frosting combination. Another amazing cupcake recipe that fits this season perfectly are the apple cupcakes with brown sugar buttercream I made last year. Apples are a-plenty now and if you can pick fresh ones and use them, it’s even better. A great idea for fall-tasting treats that aren’t cupcakes are Donut-Muffins. They taste like donuts, but they’re muffins. The cinnamon sugar & nutmeg flavors are perfect for this time of year. Same goes for homemade apple cider donuts. And last but not least, Jay’s absolute favorite cookies… maple-iced fall leaf sugar cookies. And stay tuned later on this month for some new Halloween cupcake ideas. You know I won’t let you down.

As far as decorating goes, Lyns at Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supplies has an awesome section in her store called “Our Halloween Party” with awesome liners, cupcake wrappers and toppers that will dress up any kind of cupcake for the holiday. Another place that has awesome cupcake decorating ideas is sweet estelle’s baking supply. Black & white liners, vintage looking toppers like these or these and orange /black sugars can make your Halloween cupcakes look even spookier.

And like I said… stay tuned this week for the start of some new Halloweenie cupcakes & more.

My creamsicle Easter cupcakes reignited my love of marshmallow Fluff. I bought a huge jar of it without realizing I only needed 7 ounces for the full frosting recipe and I was going to halve it anyway. So I had a lot leftover. And I ate some of it, with a spoon, I’ll admit. Surprisingly, in two tablespoons, Fluff only has 40 calories. I would’ve thought it was more like 140. Anyway… I couldn’t possibly eat the ENTIRE jar, and not being one to waste such a delectable treat like Fluff, I thought of this: FLUFFERNUTTER CUPCAKES.

Fluffernutters, for those of you uninitiated in the ways of Fluff, are as follows:

A fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme. Its name comes from the common use of “Marshmallow Fluff” brand marshmallow creme.^[1] It is particularly popular in the Northeastern United States and has been proposed as the official Massachusetts state sandwich.^[2]

A fluffernutter is made by spreading peanut butter on a slice of white bread, then spreading an equal amount of some kind of marshmallow (small, large or cream) on another slice, and finally combining them together to form a sandwich. Variations of the recipe include wheat bread instead of white, and the addition of bananas, honey, or other ingredients that are compatible with peanut butter.

Delicious, right? Who wouldn’t love that? Non-nutritious sandwiches are awesome. Like Nutella sandwiches. Mmm.

Allright so anyway… fluffernutter cupcakes. Really easy concept. Peanut butter cupcake, frosting made with marshmallow Fluff, because I thought it was a cute idea.

PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, or grease and flour cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter alternately with the milk.
3. Mix in the peanut butter chips until completely combined. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

First you get:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (7½ ounce) jar Fluff, or similar marshmallow cream
• 3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Then you’re gonna:

1. Beat butter in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in marshmallow cream. Reduce speed to low, and beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat until fluffy.
2. Frost cooled cupcakes.
   

   I know you love that I matched the liners to the Fluff jar *wink*

…

Okay so these cupcakes didn’t look very good. They cracked on the top & just didn’t look right. However, they tasted perfect. And the frosting? Forget it. I could eat Fluff right out of the container anyway. It’s odd to be calling a Fluffernutter  ‘decadent’, but it really is. Decadence. It’s so rich it’s insane. They would be cute with a banana slice on top too, since a lot of people make Fluffernutters with banana. This is like the perfect kids cupcake. The frosting is so sweet it makes your teeth ache and the taste is really like a Fluffernutter! However this cake would transfer really well to a PB&J cupcake: fill it with grape jam or jelly, top it with peanut butter frosting and voila.

I couldn’t frost them in a fancy way, like I wanted, because my large coupler developed a big crack in it, and I had no disposable bags left. So I just lopped the frosting on with an offset spatula. Doesn’t look all that fantastic but what can you do? It does sort of remind me of the way the Fluff looks in the drawing on the jar… all pretty and swirly, and also the way it looks when you spread it over the peanut butter, and it has a sort of retro 50′s look, so maybe it worked out for the best. However, I was going to use these as a section of part two of the frosting tutorial, but this set me back. So this week I went and got myself a new coupler, some new disposable pastry bags, a brand spankin’ new tip, and some fancy liners… and I promise I’ll get that second tutorial up A.S.A.P. Speaking of liners, thanks to sweet estelle baking supply for the retro stripe liners. I used the green for my St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes and the orange on my honey cakes. I love them. After Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supply, sweet estelle baking supply is one of my top stores for awesome liners & stuff. Then comes Bake It Pretty and Fancy Flours. I’m telling you, these four sites will have you spending ALL your money on liners, tips and other things you suddenly realized you “needed.”

Keep checking back for part two of my frosting tutorial (find part one here). Or, find out exactly when it’s coming by following me on Twitter and becoming a fan on Facebook.

This year for Halloween (a.k.a. thebestholidayevar), I decided to actually make two batches of different cupcakes for the big day, mainly because my dad’s birthday is tomorrow, the 29th, so I needed more than just Halloween cupcakes. I had this chocolate stout cake recipe for a long time (thanks to Bon Appétit), and I’d been wondering what to do with it, I mean, I knew I’d probably convert it to cupcakes but I wasn’t sure what or when I’d make it for. It seemed perfect for my dad’s birthday because it has beer in it so it’s a manly cupcake (sorta), but yet  I needed to think about my Halloween cakery plans. So I thought maybe I could incorporate the remainder of the cakes in with my Halloween treats. It was when I was trying to figure out how to make them spooky that my mother showed me a recipe she found online for “Funny Bones.” Funny bones are basically mini-marshmallows stuck on the ends of pretzel sticks, then dunked in melted white chocolate to create little bones. Genius!

(By the way, if you haven’t seen my first batch, it was these ghost cupcakes)

…

So I made the cupcakes, and while they were cooling I made the bones. When I was making the bones I realized if I didn’t let the white chocolate get too liquidy, I could just mold the chocolate by hand instead of coating the pretzels and marshmallows, so that’s what I did. I’m gonna give the recipe for the funny bones here but I didn’t use it for mine. So I made those, popped them in the freezer to harden, and then put the little candy bones on half the cupcakes, along with my skeleton toppers that came with the liners. This way, I can use the other half as Birthday Beer Cupcakes for my dad (I just stuck some chocolate chips on top of those). This cake is made with stout, specifically chocolate stout, but I used cream stout. I used Samuel Adams Cream Stout, which is my new favorite (yes, more so than Guinness now). According to the website:

Samuel Adams® Cream Stout is a true cream stout, balancing body and sweetness with the natural spiciness of grain and hand selected English hops. Our Brewers use generous portions of roasted chocolate and caramel malts as well as unroasted barley to impart a fullness of body, a roasty malt character and rich, creamy head. Its dark mahogany color make it almost as easy on the eyes as it is on the palate.

It really is delicious.

So this cake recipe makes way more than two dozen cupcakes. I halved it, and half the recipe made 18 (I used 2 eggs).  I’m going to give the full recipe here. It’s absolutely delicious, but I seriously recommend buying the Samuel Adams Cream Stout to use for this, or another chocolate or cream stout. Guinness would totally work, as would any stout, but the cream/chocolate sweetness of the Sam Adams really makes the cake. Having a glass of the stout while eating the cake is amazing too. It’s great how they work together. Although I do really enjoy a few other stouts me & Jay have tried, like Rogue chocolate stout & Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, I just was able to get my hands on the Sam Adams stout. Otherwise, you can also use Sierra Nevada Porter or Sam Adams Honey Porter in this, and Brooklyn Brewery‘s Black Chocolate Stout would probably also be amazing.

It’d be really cute to drizzle some red food coloring on the tops, like blood. I didn’t have any left or else I would have. I used plain old chocolate buttercream, but vanilla would work well too. Especially a vanilla bean buttercream. Or, if you really wanna go all out with the stout theme, make a chocolate stout buttercream: instead of milk, add stout.

CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE/CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped*
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• ¾ cup chocolate stout
• 2/3 cup freshly brewed strong coffee

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with liners and set aside.
2. Placed chopped chocolate in a medium metal or heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and set aside.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside.
4. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar until fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in lukewarm melted chocolate, then stout and coffee. Beat flour mixture into chocolate mixture in two additions, just until incorporated.
5. Using clean and dry beaters and a new clean bowl, beat egg whites and 3 tablespoons sugar in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into cake batter to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites in two additions.
6. Divide batter between prepared muffin tins, filling each up about halfway. If making a cake, fill two buttered and floured 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 ½-inch-high sides with about 3 cups each, then smooth tops.
7. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean and tops spring back. Bake cakes for 30 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean.

…

FUNNY BONES

Ingredients:

• 36 pretzel sticks
• 1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate chips
• 72 mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
2. Place the chips in a double boiler over just simmering water and melt, stirring frequently. As soon as the chips are just melted (there may even be a few solid ones left), remove the pan from the heat and remove the top section of the double  boiler so the chocolate’s temperature doesn’t keep rising.
3. Stick marshmallows onto both ends of the pretzels, with the marshmallow’s flat sides parallel to the pretzel.
4. Dip each pretzel in the chocolate and lift out with a fork, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Lay the bones on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to harden the chocolate. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at a cool room temperature.

* I’d recommend using dark chocolate. I didn’t, but sorta wish I did. They’d have been more dramatic and Halloween-y looking.

For the half I used as my dad’s birthday cupcakes, I just put some chocolate chips on top.

Happy birthday, dad

..

I highly recommend this recipe, it’s phenomenal. And make sure you crack open a stout to drink with them, like I said it’s awesome. The liners and skull toppers are Wilton for Target.

If you’re looking for some other Halloween cupcake or treat inspiration, check out my Halloween archives here.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

MARSHMALLOW BONES

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup cold water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ ounce unflavored gelatin (1 tablespoon)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper. Combine ½ cup cold water and the vanilla in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over top, and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Bring granulated sugar, corn syrup, and remaining ¼ cup cold water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, washing down sides of saucepan with a wet pastry brush, until mixture registers 234 °degrees to 240° degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk gelatin mixture with a mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. With the machine running, carefully pour hot sugar mixture down the side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Whisk mixture until very fluffy and almost stiff, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip.
4. To form the bones: In a continuous motion, pipe a small figure 8, then a straight 5-inch line, then another small figure 8. Repeat. Let bones stand, uncovered, for 10 to 12 hours in a cool, dry place.
5. Generously sift confectioners’ sugar over bones, turning to coat. Shake off excess. (The marshmallow bones will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

I highly recommend using a stand mixer for this. I did not read the recipe in full before starting, and used a hand mixer, and my arm almost fell off. Also, if possible, use a disposable pastry bag. This stuff is fucking crazy.. like edible glue. If you use a good pastry bag- you’ll never use it again, trust me. I practically glued my hands together making these. In total, I made roughly almost 40 bones; 20 something mini-ones, 18 larger ones and I also filled a waxed-paper-lined brownie pan with the rest and made square marshmallows.

These have possiblities coming out the yin-yang. You could make ‘em flesh colored, shape them long, stick fake nails on ‘em and make fingers, make them round, draw red squiggly lines on them and put eyeball candies in the middle and float them in hot cocoa or punch like eyeballs… make them black and make spiders, etc, etc, etc. I could go on but I think you get it by now. I was even thinking it’d be cool to make an entire skeleton- just print one out, slide it under the waxed paper, and trace it in different parts. Then when they’re ready, reassemble them on a long black tray as a Halloween (or medical student graduation) party novelty.

Oh- and contrary to what you may think, don’t worry about using clear vanilla extract, the brown stuff disappears and it all turns white anyway.

Happy haunting!

I realize that maybe s’mores don’t exist in other countries so here’s a quick explanation thanks to Wikipedia:

A s’more is a traditional campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker.^[1]. They were first mentioned in the Girl Scout Handbook in 1927, which stated they were inspired by Loretta Scott Crew’s campfire treats.

S’mores are associated with recreational camping. Part of the enjoyment of this simple dessert is the way in which it is made on such camping trips. A marshmallow is skewered on the end of a long stick and held just above the campfire until (according to personal preference) its outer surface starts to brown, char, or even catch fire. Once heated, the inside of the marshmallow becomes soft. The marshmallow is quickly pinched off its stick with the waiting graham crackers, one of which has a piece of chocolate on it (typically a section of a milk chocolate bar). Ideally, the heat from the roasted marshmallow partially melts the chocolate into a gooey mess. However, some people assemble the entire s’more on the stick and cook it all at once to ensure gooey chocolate. Some people add peanut butter to the mix for additional flavor. The peanut butter may be added between a graham cracker and the chocolate piece or between the chocolate piece and the marshmallow. Many s’more consumers will set the waiting graham cracker and chocolate near the campfire to help melt the chocolate.

Making s’mores in this manner is so popular in the United States that supermarkets often carry graham crackers, marshmallows, and huge chocolate bars in the same shelf section during the summer months. In recent years “S’More Kits” for making the treats on the kitchen table at home have been sold at housewares stores. These consist of a small heating element to cook the marshmallow, metal skewers and a lazy susan to hold the “raw” ingredients. These are similar to fondue sets. Different items sold as s’mores may be found in restaurants, prepared at home, or even bought ready-made. These confections usually contain the three ingredients of graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow, but they are not necessarily heated or served in the same shape as the traditional s’more.

Pretty cool. I’m not into camping, as you can probably imagine. I like having my makeup and a hair dryer with me on trips, not to mention an actual bathroom… however this little campfire treat translates amazingly into cupcakes, so I can pretend I’m camping while sitting in my warm house watching a DVD. And its the perfect time of year for these. If only I was able to toast the marshmallow frosting a bit. *sigh*

S’MORES CUPCAKES

Get this shit together:

• 7 whole graham crackers, coarsely chopped
• 1 & ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¾ cup buttermilk

And then you’re gonna:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. Place about 1 tablespoon of chopped graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of each liner. Set aside and reserve the remaining crushed crackers.
3. Mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk until smooth.
4. Scoop batter into pan and bake 22-27 minutes until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
5. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

First you get:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (7½ ounce) jar Fluff, or similar marshmallow cream
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Then you’re gonna:

1. Beat butter in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in marshmallow cream. Reduce speed to low, and beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat until fluffy.
2. Frost cooled cupcakes.
3. Top frosted cupcakes with graham cracker crumbs and a mini chocolate bar, if desired.

I’d like to give a big thanks to CB at I ♥ Cuppycakes for her review of how to bake in party nut cups, because it really stuck with me and since this was my first time using them, it was super helpful! I love how these look when used as cupcake liners. That said, I found that CB was right, filling them 5/8 of the way full makes them puff up perfectly. These cups are also very convenient because they’re so stiff, you just fill them standing up, and put ‘em on a cookie sheet to bake them. No muffin tins to clean up!

Oh- this makes roughly a dozen cupcakes, if you use those cups. I got 13. I’m not sure about if you use regular liners… since the sizes are different. Also, 7 graham crackers is way more than you need. Try 4 and go from there. I ended up with so much crushed graham cracker left I’ll have to make more of these this week to give away.

When I say these are delicious- please believe me. They’re literally heaven in nut cups. Haha. Heaven in nut cups. I’m funny.

Sorry for the absence, I had to upload and upgrade to a new version of WordPress. Huzzah.

My venture into the world of marshmallow frosting came fairly easily since I used a recipe I found on Bake & Destroy (she used it for S’more cupcakes) and just tweaked it to my needs. I did not attempt any sort of homemade marshmallow-type frosting. I would have, I’m game for a challenge, but I didn’t feel like it today.

These cupcakes are basically chocolate cupcakes frosted with Oreo marshmallow frosting. However, seeing as how I have to rename all my recipes, I call them “Man in Black” cupcakes. Unless you live under a rock- the Man in Black was (and is) Johnny Cash. I don’t care what you heard, nobody is punker than Johnny Cash. The man had no legal name for goodness’s sake; his official birth name was just initials: “J.R.” Now thats punk. So like I said, in tribute to Mr. Cash, I made these delectable cupcakes that would surely make even a dark somber man like himself smile.

Or at least I hope they would.

“MAN IN BLACK “CHOCOLATE OREO CUPCAKES

Makes roughly 16 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (7.5 ounce) jar marshmallow cream (Fluff)
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10-12 crushed Oreos (fairly finely crushed)

Then you’re gonna:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
4. Make frosting: Beat butter in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in marshmallow creme. Reduce speed to low, and beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Add crushed Oreos. Increase speed to high; beat until fluffy.

I would’ve piped my frosting on with a big fat round tip, but I didn’t crush my Oreos small enough and they wouldn’t pipe out well. So I slathered it on. Johnny had this to say about that:



Eff you, large Oreo chunks!

…

Eat them while listening to ‘Ring of Fire’ and make sure to rip your bathroom sink out of the wall and hide pills in your guitar as well. If you don’t have a guitar… well.. just don’t hide them in the cupcakes.