chocolate | Kitchenbelle

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Silver Peanut Butter Frosting

Posted on November 1, 2009 by kitchenbelle

October

The recipe in the previous post makes enough batter for three round cake pans yet I only have two. Rather than wash, cool, and reuse one of the cake pans to make a sky high cake, I decided to use the remaining batter to make mini cupcakes! (Luckily, I also had quite a bit of leftover peanut butter frosting.)

What’s funny is my intention was to make the frosting purple. Into the frosting I whipped several drops of Wilton red and blue gel coloring. However, because the frosting was taupe to start (the color of the peanut butter) rather than achieve the royal purple I had intended I ended up with this silvery gray color–and I love it! I topped each cupcake with silver sprinkles and it totally works on this aluminum serving piece. There is both eeriness and elegance to them. If you want to make these cupcakes follow the recipe for the cake and frosting here.

October

Filed under: chocolate, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert, frosting, icing, Peanut Butter | 10 Comments »

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Posted on October 31, 2009 by kitchenbelle

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!

Halloween is truly one of my favorite holidays. I have so many great childhood memories associated with Halloween. Every year my grandmother, who was the type of woman who always looked for a reason for a celebration, would have an over-the-top Halloween party in her basement. I remember going to her house days prior to decorate and prepare. We would tie strings from the ceiling pipes in preparation of the doughnut eating contest. We’d tape black cat and witch cardboard cutout decorations to the walls and the mirror behind the bar. We’d fill a bucket of water so that we could bob for apples. (Those were the days when bobbing for apples was fun and not fearful–no one seemed to worry about transmitting viruses like they would today!) We’d even create a haunted house in the unfinished portion of the cellar! After my grandmother died my mom continued the tradition by having Halloween parties and always keeping the holiday fun and festive. What’s funny is we don’t really have any traditional family foods or recipes associated with Halloween. It’s more about using it as a good reason to have some fun.

I always look for a reason to bake sweet treats and there is certainly not a shortage of Halloween-centric desserts! From the moment I saw this cake on Smitten Kitchen I couldn’t let it go. The chocolate ganache seemed like the perfect canvas for a spider web and the chocolate peanut butter combo speaks for itself. I would say this is the perfect dinner party dessert. It has that wow factor and the richness means a small slice goes a long way. You will not be sorry you made this cake!

Notes:

I only have two round cake pans so I made a double rather than a triple layer. (I used the leftover batter and frosting for cupcakes!)
Deb stresses the fact that these cakes are really soft and somewhat difficult to work with. I highly suggest you follow her advice and wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and freeze prior to frosting with a crumb coat. Return the assembled and crumb-coated cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before frosting with your final layer of frosting. Refrigerate again before topping with the warm ganache.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely.

To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used the Scharffen Berger Chocolate I received in the swag bag from BlogHer Food)
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen.

Filed under: cake, chocolate, cream cheese, Dessert, Fall, frosting, icing, Peanut Butter | 4 Comments »

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Posted on October 6, 2009 by kitchenbelle

oct

Did you know Reese’s now makes dark chocolate peanut butter cups? I know! So exciting!!! When I first spotted the bags of orange and black foiled cups in my grocery store, I assumed it was just a Halloween gimmick (which actually would have been okay with me–I love holiday-colored candies). However, when I looked closer I discovered it wasn’t a gimmick. The orange are milk chocolate and the black are dark chocolate–how thrilling! I decided to buy a bag and immediately make the cookies I had noticed in October’s issue of Real Simple magazine.

The result? DELICIOUS. Deadly delicious.

Isn’t there just something so satisfying about a big thick chewy cookie chock full of melty peanut butter, milk and dark chocolate chunks? Add a tall cold glass of milk for dunking and you have yourself a little piece of heaven. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temp
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce package small peanut butter cups, roughly chopped (Obviously I used a mix of milk and dark chocolate peanut butter cups!)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. (About 5 minutes.)

Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until just incorporated. (Do not over beat.)

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the peanut butter cups.

Pinch a tablespoon and a half of batter and quickly roll into a ball using your palms to make each cookie. Place on parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.

Bake until light brown, about 12-16 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

This recipe made about 16-18 large cookies. (I can’t remember exactly!)

oct oct

Look at the beautiful peanut butter cups! Yum, yum, yum…

oct

Recipe adapted from October issue of Real Simple magazine.

Filed under: candy, chocolate, cookies, Dessert, eggs, Fall, Peanut Butter | 9 Comments »

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Pink Frosting and Sprinkles (over Times Square!)

Posted on August 24, 2009 by kitchenbelle

For my friend’s NYC bachelorette party I made some festive cookie favors! I was running late for the bus so I didn’t realize until we arrived and checked into the hotel that I hadn’t snagged any photos yet. As I was positioning the cookies near the window in order to capture some natural light I noticed a cool view of Times Square below. How fun!

The cookies were light and cakey, not chewy, and the frosting paired perfectly! Something to note: I chose to roll the cookie dough into little balls rather then roll it flat with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters. They hardly spread at all so they ended up much smaller than I anticipated. They were dainty little two-bite cookies–very light and delicious, I must say. The ladies seemed to really enjoy them!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Pink Frosting and Sprinkles:

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Blend butter and sugar on medium speed with an electric hand mixer or with the paddle in a standing mixer. Add egg and vanilla and blend. Mix dry ingredients and gradually mix in. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour. Remove from refrigerator and either roll out on a floured surface and use cookie cutters to cut shapes OR pinch about one tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball and bake on a parchment paper-lined baking tray in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes.

Pink Frosting

4 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 cup water
6-7 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Crisco
a few drops of gel food coloring (I used the smallest drops of Wilton Creamy Peach)

Whip the meringue powder and water on high speed for several minutes until it’s fluffy and peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ingredients until desired consistency is reached. Add more water if frosting is too thick and more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin. Add food coloring and continue to beat until color is evenly distributed.

Assemble

When cookies are completely cool, use a small offset spatula to spread a thin layer of frosting on top if each cookie. Frosting side down, dip cookie into a bowl of sprinkles. (Or “jimmies” as we like to call them in Boston!) Allow frosting to set before packaging.

Adapted from The Decorated Cookie.

Filed under: chocolate, cookies, Dessert, frosting, icing, vanilla | 3 Comments »

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Posted on August 17, 2009 by kitchenbelle

On Saturday I attended the Healthy Living Summit for Bloggers. As part of the event, the planners organized a Team in Training bake sale silent auction where all proceeds benefitted the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As my contribution to the bake sale I made Kitchen Sink Cookies. (I also made a second batch for my sister-in-law’s 30th birthday!)

They are called Kitchen Sink Cookies because in them is “everything but the kitchen sink.” I used Martha Stewart’s recipe and found it to be nice and adaptable so go ahead and swap cookie condiments you like with those you don’t. (Or just use whatever you have on hand!)

I decided to use oatmeal, semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips, milk chocolate chunks, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, mini-M&Ms, and currants. Martha called for coconut and walnuts, which I omitted. If you are going to make these cookies on the smaller side of the cookie spectrum you may want to use mini-sized cookie condiments like mini-chocolate chips, mini-M&Ms and currants instead of raisins. However if you are going to make monster cookies the full-size cookie condiments work well. The idea is that each bite contains a little bit of each ingredient. If you make small cookies using full size M&Ms, the entire cookie could end up with two big M&Ms and nothing else!

I really enjoy foods that have lots of texture and “chunks” so these cookies were right up my alley! (I may or may not have eaten more than one of these cookies before wrapping them…cookies go down so easily!) I wrapped these in the same way I wrapped the Better than Brownie Cookie Peanut Butter Sandwiches.

Kitchen Sink Cookies:

1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini M&Ms
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup currants

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.

In a large bowl with a wooden spoon (or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Remove bowl from mixer and add oats, chips, M&Ms, and currants. Stir until well blended.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto silpat about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.