Cupcake Liners

It doesn't seem like there is much to know about cupcake liners, huh?

Well, actually there is...sort of.



Beyond Pots and Pans

Have you ever had your cupcake liners separate from your cupcake?

Ever bought some cute cupcake liners just to bake your cupcakes

and find that they look gross after actually cooking in them?!

It can be pretty frustrating.

A key quality you might want to look for, especially for patterned liners,

is to make sure it is "grease proof". It usually says right on the package front. 

This keeps the grease in the cupcake from saturating the liner and discoloring it.

This simple thing will make your liners come out looking like they did when they went in.

Now, when your cupcake liner starts separating from your cupcake, this is a result of too much moisture. Either your cake is too moist (Is this really a problem?!) or your liners are a thin lower quality that absorbs a lot of moisture.

You can try to help this by making sure your cake is not undercooked as well as purchasing decent quality paper liners. {Stay away from the super cheap kind}
Grease proof liners will also help with this.

Another thing I personally like to consider regarding cupcake liners is the size of the liners.

Not all "mini" cupcake liners are the same size. You will want to figure out which size you like best and just stick with those. You can look on the package and it will always say the size.

I prefer regular cupcakes with a 2 inch diameter bottom and mini's that are 1 1/4" diameter bottom.

Now if you really, really love a certain patterned or colored cupcake liner and it is not grease proof, it's ok. you can still use them. You can bake the cupcakes in a plain white liner and then set them inside the nice pretty liner. This works well too. Just make sure that the liners you bake the cupcakes in are the same size or smaller than your decorative liner....
 I learned to think about that one the hard way. ;)

Now, go have fun trying out the different types of cupcake liners out there.

There are a ton!

As Featured On....

One of the exciting things I love about blogging my treats is getting featured on other people's blogs! It's nice to know that other people think your stuff is just as cool as you do! ;D

Just recently my cake pops were featured on 2 blogs.

It's a Bride's Life follows a group of brides in their experiences and preparations until they say "I do"

 

Rock Star Party Place posts ideas for a wide variety of different kinds of rock star parties.

Pretty cool! Go check them out!

To all of you who love to bake and have great creative ideas.... you should start blogging too! Share your ideas with the world. Help others make their parties awesome!
Baking isn't as much fun if you keep it all to yourself.
The joy comes when you share it with others and see their reaction.
So go Share and Enjoy.

This for That {Buttermilk}

Ever go to make your favorite cake recipe and make it half way through

just to realize that you have no buttermilk!?

Well, there is a really easy remedy for that.

All you need is some milk or heavy cream and either vinegar or lemon juice.

You will add about 1 Tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to every cup of milk or cream. Let it sit for a few minutes and now you have a buttermilk equivalent!

Some tips:

1} Heavy cream will give you a final product that is more like buttermilk due to the thickness.

2} Use a white or even apple cider vinegar for your buttermilk. Refrain from using red wine vinegar or other distinct tasting vinegars.

Other options:

You can also use yogurt as a buttermilk equivalent replacing it 1 to 1 or some people use 3/4 cup yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup milk for a thickness closer to buttermilk.

Or instead of using vinegar in your milk you could use 1 3/4 tsps cream of tartar.

Speaking of buttermilk... "What is Buttermilk?"

Well, if you take some heavy cream in a jar and shake it like a poloroid picture you will end up with a solid (butter!) and a liquid (buttermilk!).

Ohhhhhhhh!

"So, why does buttermilk have a tangy taste?"

Buttermilk is tangy due to the acid in it. Lactic acid to be specific.

Nowadays, most buttermilk is "cultured" in a factory meaning we take milk and add lactic acid to it. These acids cause the milk proteins to curdle, which makes buttermilk thicker

(and a bit more sour) than regular milk.

In the old days they used to just let it sit out for a few days and ferment....that works too. :)

"Can't we just use milk?"

Good question. We could. But when it comes to baking it makes some real nice fluffy cakes.

It is the same idea of adding vinegar to baking soda in chemistry class...when we add the acid (vinegar or buttermilk) to baking soda in our cake, a chemical reaction occurs and carbon dioxide (a gas) is released. The gas is inside the cake so it gets trapped as little tiny bubbles and expands with the heat. This expansion makes your cake rise and create fluffiness!

For cakes (or other desserts) made with baking soda there needs to be an acid to cause this reaction.

....and now you know! 

Christmas Tree Mint Truffles

You will have to forgive me.

Not because it is another Christmas post (tee hee)...

...but because I put a thousand pictures in this post.

I couldn't decide. They were all so cute!

But who doesn't love pictures, right?!

So, these are the famous (or infamous...) mint truffles.
These are an absolute favorite of everyone who tries them. 

The best part is that they are super duper easy. With only 3 ingredients. I'm still not quite sure why I don't tell everyone I slaved over them all day long or it took 3 days to make...

I actually brought the supplies to work and we made some there!
(Not those pictured)
I did a little mint truffle tutorial for all my coworkers and it was a ton of fun. We all had to work Christmas day so I thought I would at least make it fun!

I have actually posted this recipe before.
You may remember this post for St. Patty's day....
.....which happens to be coming up. ahem.

You just take a pack of mint oreos. Yep. Oreos.
Throw them in your food processor until crumby.
Mix in about 4-6 oz cream cheese with your hands
until smooth and creamy.
Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop to portion out. Roll into smooth balls.
Throw into the fridge for 15 minutes or so.
Melt your guittard vanilla wafers and dip. done.

If you want to get all fancy, you can drizzle a little bit of melted mint chips in the shape of a christmas tree!

These were made for a Christmas night dessert.

So go ahead and make some... right now.

Share and Enjoy.

Eggnog French Toast

I know...I know...

Christmas is over.

I'm sorry, but I never got to post some of my desserts

and decided not to wait until next year to do it. :)

{And for the record.... Christmas should never be over}

My family unexpectedly decided to adopt a new tradition on Christmas morning.

Eggnog French Toast.

Doesn't it just sound cozy?

I came across the idea while perusing the internet for deliciousness and thought that it would be fun for Christmas. So we did it. And it was a huge success!

So, now it will be a tradition. It was very tasty and had the perfect balance of eggnog
to traditional french toast flavor. I'm a fan.

I pretty much completely changed the recipe from the original so I am just going to tell you what I did rather than all my changes. You should try this next year. Your family will be glad you did and,
hey, it might even become a tradition for you too!

{..and by-the-by, I know this is a breakfast food but I also think it can be

categorized as dessert because who wouldn't want this for dessert?}

Sorry I don't have a picture of the actual french toast....but here's one of me making a cheesey face! ;)

{Note: We tried using thicker slices of french bread as well and it was good but it left the middle very soft and that's not really what I like the most. So if you like it that way then give it a try!}

Eggnog French Toast

Yields: 1 bread loaf

Ingredients

1 loaf of thick white bread (I like to use Grandma Sycamore white bread)

8 eggs

3 cups eggnog

2 teaspoons nutmeg (or more if you like!)

2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more if you like!)

Yep....that's it. Now cook like you would any other french toast. Heat your skillet to about 300 degrees. Once hot, spray with non-stick spray. Beat together your ingredients with a whisk. Dip a piece of bread into the eggnog mixture for a few seconds and flip over coating both sides well. Place the french toast on the skillet. Repeat for as many as can fit on the skillet. After a few minutes, using a spatula, check the underside of the bread to see if it is browning. If it is turning golden then go ahead and flip it over to cook the other side the same way. If your bread is getting too dark too fast then turn down the temperature to about 275. Likewise, if it is taking forever to cook then turn up the heat by 25 degrees. Every skillet will be different.

Your eggnog french toast will be ready when both sides are a beautiful golden brown and the center of the bread feels set up and slightly firm. You don't want to overcook french toast. Yuck.

Remove from the skillet and plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup, fresh fruit or any other condiment you like. You could also do as Ben does (the hubster) and use your butter and powdered sugar to make a frosting for your toast. Haha. Enjoy.

Mmmm.....now I'm craving me some eggnog french toast...

The Best Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

When it comes to mint ice cream, I'm pretty picky.

I'm not a fan of the vanilla ice creams with mint chocolate pieces or the neon green ice cream that barely has a handful of chocolate chips in the whole container.

I actually don't prefer the mint ice creams that have "chocolate chips" or chunks at all.

The best mint ice cream is Farr... by far (hehe, I had to do it).

Please meet Farr.

Doesn't this look amazing?

See how the chocolate is actually shaved? That's how you do it.

Not to mention, it is the perfect texture and makes amazing ice cream cones that build high!!

Yes, it is slightly more expensive, BUT this is the best out there and

it really isn't that much more considering how much better it is.

Don't waste money on mediocre mint ice cream when you can have 

amazing ice cream for a dollar more. Try it.

I Scream. You Scream. We all Scream for Ice Cream!

Addendum:
I forgot to mention the coolest part about ice cream for me right now....
I got an awesome ice cream scoop for Christmas and I am hooked (Thanks Peggy!).
I will never be going back to the traditional scoop again.

Exhibit A:

WILTON ICE CREAM SCOOP

See the weirdo looking scoop on it. Well, my friends, it is geniusly designed to smoothly glide through your ice cream as if it had been sitting in steaming water for hours!

The contour just works. Someone got smart with this one. ;D

Go get one. You won't be dissappointed.

Chocolate Penuche {Theobroma}

I have 2 words for you..... Chocolate Penuche

Pronounced "Puh-new-chee"....it's italian. =)

Also known as Brown Sugar Fudge Dipped in Chocolate.

a.k.a. Theobroma (Food for the Gods)

Ever had those Bordeaux Bars from See's Candies?

Yes, this is the same idea.

I really can't even start to describe or try to convince you of how wonderful this candy is.

You just need to try it for yourself.

Chocolate Penuche

Ingredients

3 cups golden brown sugar (do not use dark)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides. Set aside.

In a 2 or 3 quart sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, evaporated milk and corn syrup.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir as needed to dissolve the sugar and keep the mixture from scorching. Using a candy thermometer, cook the candy until it reaches soft ball stage {See this post to determine the soft ball stage for your elevation} or about 235-240 degrees.

Let's just say that your dog ate your candy thermometer (ouch!). You have to make candy now!

What ever will you do without a candy thermometer?!

Well you can use the old-fashioned method. Get a cup of cold water and have it ready to go. When you get to the point where your candy is bubbling up like fluffy marshmallow and just barely starting to condense, that is a good time to test it. Scoop a small spoon (a tsp) of candy into the cup. While in the water, try to form the candy into a ball. If it cannot form a ball then keep cooking and get some fresh cold water to test again. If it does form a ball, lift it out of the water. The ball should keep its form but flatten a bit. If it goes liquidy then it is not done. This is "Soft Ball" stage when it flattens a bit but stays in ball form. 

Remove the candy from heat and add the vanilla and butter. Do not stir yet. Let the mixture stand for about 1 hr or until it reaches around 110 degrees. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture very quickly until it comes together and begins to thicken. The mixture should still be fairly thin so don't stir it so much that it really starts to get thick. Once it just starts to thicken, pour it into the prepared pan. Shake it to level it out and allow to sit at room temperature until firm, preferably overnight.

Once firm, cut into squares about 1 square inch wide. Melt Guittard milk or dark chocolate melting wafers. {Both are amazingly delicious. I personally prefer milk chocolate for this recipe but I used dark chocolate this time.} Be careful. Don't scorch it. The candies won't look pretty. Melt very slowly. Gently dip your candy pieces into the chocolate placing on parchment paper to dry. Before the chocolate dries, sprinkle with colored nonpereils or chocolate jimmies. Yum.

I made this batch of candy for Christmas gifts this year but never got a chance to post the recipe and pictures. This is definitely an all-year-round type of recipe though. So yummy! I absolutely love it! Mmmm....