Growing up, one recipe I always remember my mother making was what we like to call Championship Bars. The recipe is a Hershey’s original, straight from the back of a bag of chocolate chips. Simple, but oh so good. I’ve heard people call them Magic Bars, or layer bars, or something of that nature, but Championship Bars has always been the title my family called them.

These cookie bars are a delicious combination of shortbread, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk, which pulls everything together in a gooey layer of goodness. Although this recipe is delicious as is, I decided to thicken it up a bit by adding 8 ounces of cream cheese to the sweetened condensed milk step. Honestly, I’ll probably never make them without the addition of the cream cheese again.

I think one of the best features of this recipe is that it’s made in a 9×13″ pan, so cutting these up and feeding a room full of hungry people is a sinch. With football season in full effect now, these are a perfect treat to bring to the table!… Or to the office. Considering the 50+ mouths in the sales department alone that want a piece of whatever it is that I’m bringing in, making something that yields a dozen doesn’t exactly work out very well.

Championship Bars
adapted from Hershey’s

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut, divided

Directions
In a food processor, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Press firmly into a greased 13×9 in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese on medium until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add the milk, egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Hand mix in half of the walnuts, 1 cup of chocolate chips, and half of the coconut. Spread evenly over hot crust. Top with remaining nuts, chips, and coconut. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. 

Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

Guinness infused, chocolaty cupcakes, filled with Jameson Irish whiskey ganache, topped with sweet and creamy Baileys buttercream. Did I get your attention yet??

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought to add beer to my cupcakes. Okay, I might have thought about it, but I wouldn’t expect it to taste any good. When I think beer I think… wings, sliders, football, barbecues, pretty much anything but cupcakes. But my friends, I have to tell you, combining a cup of stout beer like Guinness with this chocolate cupcake recipe resulted in a surprisingly moist, rich, chocolaty cake I would recommend to anyone.

Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner (March 17th to be exact) and Hoboken is celebrating with Lepre-con all day today, I figured now is a perfect time to introduce these Irish Car Bomb cupcakes.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with America’s staple St. Patrick’s Day cocktail, here’s what it contains: 3/4 pint of Guinness, 1/2 shot of Irish whiskey such as Jameson floated over 1/2 shot of Irish cream such as Bailey’s. The shot is dropped into the beer and chugged quickly, before the mixture begins to curdle. Some say it tastes like a chocolate milkshake. I must agree.

For those of you who are very familiar with this St. Patty’s Day drink-of-choice, are you also familiar with what an Irish car bomb is exactly? I would assume that if you’ve never looked into the meaning, you’d have no idea where the name came from. Well, it’s your lucky day (no pun intended), here’s a little history lesson!

From the 1960s to the later years of the 1990s, Northern Ireland was involved in a period called the Troubles. During the Troubles, war was declared and ongoing violence took place. On July 21, 1972, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) used 22 car bombs in the city of Belfast. These bombs took the lives of a few innocent people, while many were left severely injured. This day became known as Bloody Friday.

Many people these days find the use of the name ‘Irish Car Bomb’ to describe a popular drink to be offensive and distasteful, while some find it fairly harmless. In American culture, this is a drink we are simply accustomed to ordering on St. Patty’s Day. So next time you order one, you’ll know a bit of the history, too.

Now, I didn’t mean to be a Debbie Downer telling you the historical meaning behind an Irish car bomb, so let me lift your spirits a little. Irish car bombs as a drink are very tasty, but as a cupcake – even tastier! As I mentioned earlier, these cupcakes are alcohol infused from top to bottom (literally). Guinness is baked right into the cupcake batter, resulting in a rich, chocolate cake, Jameson is poured into warm ganache which is piped into the center of the cupcake, and they’re all topped off with creamy, rich, and decedent Baileys buttercream. Although the process to make these cupcakes many seem like a lot of work, they’re worth it, trust me. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Irish Car Bomb Cucpakes
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2-3 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Baileys Frosting

• 4-5 cups confections sugar
• 2 ½ stick unsalted butter, at room temperatue
• 6-7 tablespoons Baileys

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

The insides will look like this:

Frosting Directions: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Enjoy, and Happy Hoboken St. Patty’s Day!

My college career is coming to an end, and while so many people advise me to, “Stay as long as you can” or assure me, “You don’t want to enter the real world just yet,” the truth is, I do. I do want to enter the real world and I do want a job that allows me to put everything I’ve learned during my four years of schooling to use. But let me specify. I dream of a full-time job in New York City writing for a food website or magazine publication, and, if possible, assisting a food stylist during photo shoots. When people ask me what I see myself doing after college (and lately, that’s a question I hear more and more often) that is what I tell them. Sometimes I worry I’m being too specific with my career goals, but other times I feel fortunate for knowing exactly where I want to be.

I recently came across this article written in first person by Winnie Ma, food photographer. She explains her love for food and food photography by telling her readers that, “shooting food is in my blood.” I love everything about this article. Not only does it show that Winnie is an extremely talented photographer, but has a knack for writing as well.

Truth is, I absolutely love to bake (and cook on occasion). In my mind, baking is therapeutic and the end result, gratifying. I grew up in a household where baked goods were made weekly and my sister, brother, and I would hover around the kitchen island fighting for who gets to lick the bowl clean of cookie dough, batter, or frosting. I guess that’s where my love for baking sprouted from, and now, it is a true passion of mine.

I guess I should say food in general is my passion. I love everything about it, from the way it’s prepared to the way it tastes, right down to the very way it is plated and presented. Food really can be beautiful. Pick up any food magazine and flip through it. I can almost guarantee you won’t find any photo of food that looks unappetizing. Then turn to the text about the photo. I’ll bet just by reading what it is will make you want to put a fork to the page. As I mentioned, food is my passion, but so is writing and photography because words and pictures bring feelings, tastes, emotions, and facts to life.

So here I am, a senior in college, graduating in May, with a passion for food, love for words, and [developing an] eye for photography. I can only hope and pray that someday I will be able to fulfill my dream of working for a food publication, with the overall goal of inspiring and entertaining my readers.

For now though, I need to tell you how amazing these mini peanut butter cheesecakes are. I know I know, I just bored you with my life story, so I guess I owe this to you guys. These peanut butter cheesecakes are heavenly. So heavenly I made them twice in two weeks. As a food blogger, I rarely make the same dessert twice (I think I’ve mentioned this before) because I like to experience new recipes, but these, these I just had to make again. The cheesecake base is mixed with a cup of peanut butter and combined with chopped pieces of Reese’s cups, giving these individual desserts a rich, smooth finish. They’re baked on top of chocolate graham cracker crust and topped with more chopped Reese’s. If you couldn’t tell, I happen to like peanut butter and chocolate desserts. If you’re as much of a chocolate-peanut butter fan as I am, make these. I’ve been told they’re the best thing I’ve ever made.

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes Recipe
[yields between 20-24 cheesecakes]

Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cup cracker
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 ts cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Grease muffin tins (24 muffins) and preheat oven to 325 degrees (don’t turn off when done). Grind the graham crackers in a food processor or by hand. In a large bowl, mix the ground up crackers and other ingredients until all crackers are moist. Place one tablespoon of cracker mixture into each muffin cup and press down until compact. Bake crusts for 10-12 minutes. When done, let cool on wire racks until filling is ready.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake
adapted from The Adventures of the Ireland Family

• 2 bricks (8 oz each) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 19-20 mini Reese’s cups, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven 325 and grease muffin pan with non-stick spray (or line with muffin cups).

Beat first 5 ingredients in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth. On low speed, beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Fold in the chopped Reese’s cups. Fill muffin pans a little more than 3/4 full. The cheesecake rises a bit when being cooked so you don’t want to fill them all the way. If you want to yield more cheesecakes, fill the pans less than 3/4 full.

Bake 20 minutes, or until puffed. (Some may crack on top; that’s OK). Cool completely in pans on a wire rack.

Chocolate Pouring Glaze
adapted from Baker’s Royale

• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 4-5 tablespoons water, warm

Directions:
Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool. Drizzle with spoon over cheesecakes, top with chopped up Reese’s pieces, and devour!

Lately, I’ve been on some kind of chocolate peanut butter kick and dreamed (literally… I dream in chocolate and frosting) of making a rich chocolate cupcake with a creamy peanut butter frosting. I searched high and low (aka I Googled a ton of recipes) to find a cake and a frosting recipe, and was completely satisfied with the results of both. The peanut butter frosting was very rich and very much a crowd pleaser, but I’m thinking next time I might add about 4 ounces of cream cheese to the mix. I made a few special ones with mini Reese’s cups baked inside the cupcake and the feedback was that they tasted like Funny Bones. Remember those?!

I have a little confession to make. Until this past weekend, frosting cupcakes was my worst baking nightmare. I envied bakers who were able to master the technique of using a pastry bag and decorating tip to frost cupcakes. I’ve searched site after site trying to find the correct way to frost a cupcake with little to no luck of actually creating a beautiful one myself. I had received a 15 piece Ateco decorating tip set for Christmas last year and insisted on using it every time I made cupcakes. My only problem though, was that I just wasn’t achieving that perfect ribbon-like swirl.

Then it hit me. I was using cake decorating tips! To me, a decorating tip was a decorating tip, and every time I watched a tutorial online, the closed star tip they used (the one that makes the pretty ribbon swirl) looked exactly like the one I had! But, to my surprise, it wasn’t. At all. I want to inform everyone out there reading this that you too can become a master cupcake froster. All you need is a 2D large closed star decorating tip, a large coupler, and a pastry bag – oh yeah, and some frosting!

(I’ll post a picture of the two tips tomorrow to show the size differences!)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

Chocolate Cupcakes
From Annie’s Eats

Ingredient:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. If using, place a mini peanut butter cup in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Enough to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

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.

Originally I had a post ready to go for today. It was long winded about how I haven’t blogged in almost two months and how I’ve been crazy busy lately. Maybe you’ll hear about my day-to-day schedule some other time, but for now, I have to tell you about these brownies. This is a food blog after all, not my personal diary, right? Right? Because sometimes I get confused.

I’ve been dying to make s’more cupcakes for a while now. Cupcakes with graham cracker crust, a cake base, frosted with whipped marshmallow, and then toasted until just golden on top. Sound pretty heavenly if you ask me. They also seem like a ton of work if you ask me. So, I did what any baker would do (I think?) – I made them into brownies.

Although they did take a bit more time than regular brownies because you have to bake the crust first, then the brownie part, and then toast the marshmallows, they were SO worth it. Plus, I didn’t have to take out my electric mixer, so naturally it was a good recipe. S’mores are such a delicious and classic treat, but trust me on this one, they’re even better as a brownie. Getting all the flavors of graham crackers and chocolatey brownie and soft, gooey marshmallows in one makes ever bite worth every calorie. If you’re willing to go the extra mile and you enjoy making your life just a touch more difficult than it should be, you have to make these.

S’more Brownies
from RecipeGirl

Crust:
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (8 or 9 whole graham crackers)
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Brownie:
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips
3 to 4 cups mini marshmallows
about 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs (1 whole cracker, crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 8×8-inch pan with foil so it hangs over the edges a bit. Spray with nonstick spray. (You can use 9×9-inch pan, but baking time might need slight decrease and your end result will be a thinner brownie).

2. Prepare crust: In a medium bowl, mix butter with crumbs, sugar and salt. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Prepare the brownie: Place butter and chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Melt for 1 minute; stir. Melt another minute; stir. Keep microwaving at 1 minute intervals until mixture is completely melted. (Alternately, you can melt this mixture in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water on the stove). Add sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate and mix together. Add eggs and beat vigorously until you see a thick and glossy batter. Stir in flour and mix just until incorporated. Pour batter over the baked crust. Bake until top is set and toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, 35 to 40 minutes (you don’t want to overbake the brownie- a little gooey inside is good).

4. Remove pan from oven. Turn up heat on the oven to broil. Sprinkle chocolate chunks over the baked brownie. Add a nice, thick layer of marshmallows next. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top.

5. Place your pan of brownies back into the oven (they should be 6 to 8 inches away from the heating element). Toast under the broiler until golden- KEEP AN EYE ON IT- it can go from golden to burned in a matter of seconds. 1 to 2 minutes under the broiler should be plenty.

6. Cool for a few minutes, then use foil to remove brownies from the pan and set on a cutting board. Carefully pull the sides of the foil away from the marshmallows and brownies. Cut brownies into 12 squares. Helpful tip: Use a large, WET & SHARP KNIFE to cut the brownies. Slice through the brownie, then clean the knife and slice through again with a clean, wet knife. Keep cleaning off the knife after each cut for the cleanest cuts.

As we all know, hurricane Irene paid the east coast a little visit this past weekend. She pretty much ruined all the plans everyone had, has made getting anywhere in north Jersey a 2+ hour drive, and has flooded out homes, towns, and places of employment. My heart goes out to all those who now have severe water damage to their homes and are still without electricity. If I could, I would pack a little basket of cookies and sail them to you!

Fully knowing I was going to be rained in this weekend – well, mainly just Sunday – I stocked up on all the essentials: flour, sugar, brown sugar, marshmallows (I’ll be putting those to use shortly!), butter, eggs, milk, and chocolate chips. Phew! My hobby is getting expensive. So Sunday was a lazy day filled with baking, reading, eating, and sleeping. My kinda day!

Before I get into these delicious peanut butter chocolate chip oat cookies – they’re worth the wait, trust me! – I have to express my addiction to Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. If you haven’t yet heard of his books – starting with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – I highly suggest you look into them. Before I began reading his first novel I had no idea what I was in for. By the end, main character Lisbeth Salander had me absolutely hooked. I’m now on the second book nearing the end and literally cannot put it down. Every page brings a new twist or turn to the already captivating plot. Larsson combines mystery, journalism at it’s finest, scandals, murders, the Swedish sex trade, and family saga together to form novels that will literally have you on the edge of your seat.

Hurricane Irene basically gave me an excuse to seclude myself from the world and submerge myself in this book, which, I didn’t hate. But the fact that my place of employment is fully submerged in water makes me wish Irene minded her own darn business this past weekend…

Nonetheless, I was left with free time and decided to whip out my favorite cookbook: Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours. I actually made these cookies last week for my coworkers and since they were such a hit, I decided to make another batch over the weekend. Dorie really knows her desserts and this variation from the traditional chocolate chip cookie is just what I was looking for. I’ve always been a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate so these were right up my ally, but then they also have rolled oats and cinnamon to give them that chewy, spicy, oatmeal raisin cookie feeling. I’m not quite sure whether I ate more of the dough or the actually cookies… I get the feeling that’s become a far too common dilemma of mine. Oh well!

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipster
Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks (I used chocolate chips)

Getting Ready: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (I only baked one batch at a time on the center rack. In fact I baked one dozen and then froze the dough and did not reuse it for another week. I then let the dough thaw and baked the rest one batch at a time)

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips.

If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.) If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula – they’ll firm as they cool.

Every now and again when I come home from college I find a cookbook or, bakebook I should say, on my bed. Usually, there’s a post-it note that says “To Sam, Love Mom.” I love getting these little gifts here and there. It’s a cute reminder that she loves me… and my baking!

I came across a recipe for chocolate & coffee whole wheat cookies in one of the books. Someone, please, tell me why I wouldn’t make these? What resulted was a crispy, thin, and light oat based cookie full of chocolate and hazelnut chunks. Needless to say, I’ve eaten like 8 of them in a two day span (I like to think I’ve ran them off in the past two days as well.)

I like to think these are good for you. They do have bran, rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and hazelnuts in them. Okay, they also have butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips. But who’s counting?

I think next time, I’ll add more bran, more coffee, and less chocolate chips. I might even substitute finely chopped walnuts for the hazelnuts.

Chocolate & Coffee Whole Wheat Cookies
adapted from Chocolate: The Food and the Music

Makes 24

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• scant 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp bran
• 1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp strong coffee (I suggest more. I like coffee.)
• 2/3 cup hazelnuts (or nut of your choice), toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 large cookies sheets. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add the egg and beat well, using an electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, then add in the whole wheat flour and bran. Mix in the egg mixture, then stir in the chocolate chips, oats, coffee, and nuts. Mix well, with a handheld electric mixer if you prefer.

Put 24 rounded tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving room for the cookies to spread during cooking. Transfer the cookie sheets to preheated oven and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.

Remove from the oven, the transfer to a cooling rack and let cool before serving.

This recipe comes from Joanne at Fifteen Spatulas, (yet again!). When I saw these on her blog, I knew I had to make them. So I did. And they were fabulous! So easy, so chocolatey, and moist. I topped mine right out of the oven with whipped cream straight from the can! I wonder how these would be filled with cream cheese… Mmmmm. Stay tuned! In the mean time, make these. Your loved ones will be glad you did!

It’s this easy: Wet ingredients into dry ingredients… we know the routine. Make sure you keep your batter nice and lumpy though!

Pour into prepared pan

Bake, and voilà! Decorate as desired

Chocolate Chunk Muffins
from Fifteen Spatulas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 extra large eggs
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cup chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Toss the chocolate chunks into the dry ingredients (coating the chocolate chunks with flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin while baking).

Whisk together the sugar, butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla until well blended and consistent.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry. Before you go too far, it is VERY important that you leave lumps in there. If you stir it until it’s smooth and consistent and you don’t see any more flour, you have stirred too much. Overmixing will yield a drier muffin.

Use a disher to drop scoops of batter into the muffin tin, filling the cups completely.

Put the muffins in the oven and bump the temperature up to 400 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes, until the interior of the muffin is 205 degrees on an instant read thermometer (or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

Enjoy while hot so the chocolate is gooey. Yields 12 muffins.

Sunday is a holy day to some and a relaxing day to most. To me, Sunday is not only holy and relaxing, but also the best day to bake! Yesterday, I sat pondering what yummy goodness I would make that day. I’ve really been tempted to make cinnamon buns, but figured those could wait for a morning that I didn’t wake up at noon. I then found a recipe for a chocolate cake with peanut butter moose and chocolate drizzle. While this sounds heavenly and I will most likely make it in the near future, I voted against it when I found the recipe for spiced vanilla cupcakes. Spiced vanilla cake? Sounded too interesting to pass up. So, ladies and gentlepeople, this is what I have for you today: spiced vanilla cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

To be completely honest, I’m not a fan of cupcakes, and I’m surely not particularly a fan of vanilla cupcakes. I nearly loathe buttercream frosting (even though these aren’t buttercream), but will make it, strictly to have fun piping it. I guess the good news in me not liking cupcakes is that there are more to give away, because, between me and you, I would have housed that chocolate and peanut butter cake I mentioned before. Then I would have gotten nasty looks from my roommates for not sharing. (Love yous!)

I used my lovely decorating tips I got for Christmas and finally got to use the pretty neon cupcake cups I got the other day. The cake part of these cupcakes, as you can read, are spiced with cinnamon, giving them just a little kick you wouldn’t expect. The cream cheese frosting is not too sweet, but goes nicely with the cinnamon vanilla cake.

Spiced Vanilla Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcake Rehab

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Cream the butter in a stand mixer until smooth and light. Add sugar and continue to mix until fully incorporated and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.

Combine milk and vanilla. Add portions of the flour mixture and milk mixture to the electric mixer, alternating, starting and ending with flour. Pour evenly into cupcake pans lined with paper liners, about ½ – ¾ full. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Cupcake Project

• 8 ozs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 C sifted powdered sugar (You can decrease this amount if you don’t care about it being as stiff for piping)
• 1/2 C cocoa powder

Directions:
Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix in cocoa powder.

Perhaps it’s because I am a blonde that makes me unintentionally bias toward this dessert, or perhaps it’s the chocolate chip cookie-like dough that has me hooked to making these (we all know that all dessert dough is to die for, but these blondies and these make my ultimate favorite doughs). Or it could be the warm, gooey goodness that comes out of the oven that literally melts in your mouth as all the flavors come together.

I made these blondies the night I made the fesenjan. I had been browsing through Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook (because that’s what I do when I need inspiration) and came across chewy, chunky blondies. Surprisingly, I had everything I needed in my cabinet, so I whipped these bad boys up. At first, I thought maybe the addition of heath crunches, coconut, walnuts, and, chocolate chips might be a tad bit too much, but it wasn’t. At all. It was heavenly.

I strong suggest making these. They’re super easy, quick, and you can omit any of the chips, nuts, of chunks you want. Don’t tell brownie, I think I like blondie better.

Chewy Chunky Blondies
Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips or Heath Toffee Bits
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.