Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Whipped Cream PB Cream Cheese frosting

I have had this recipe bookmarked for quite a while now and drool over them everytime I look at it. But for some reason I just have not made them, until today. My brother and his family were coming to town so this was the perfect opportunity to bake them!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
For the filling and cupcakes:
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cool whip

Directions:
Prepare Filling: In bowl, with mixer on medium speed, mix confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla until blended. Shape mixture into 24 balls using heaping measuring teaspoons. (Balls will be sticky and don’t need to be perfectly shaped.) Place balls on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin-pan cups with fluted paper liners.

Prepare Cupcakes: On waxed paper, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In 2-cup liquid measuring cup, mix sour cream, milk, and remaining vanilla; set aside. In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat granulated sugar and remaining 8 tablespoons butter just until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 1 to 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until ingredients are combined, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

Spoon 1 heaping measuring tablespoon batter into each muffin-pan cup. Drop 1 peanut butter ball in center of each cup and top with another heaping tablespoon batter. Bake cupcakes 25 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cupcake comes out clean. (I baked mine for 23 minutes and they were over-done, so watch them carefully!) Immediately remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

When cupcakes are cool, prepare frosting: In large bowl, with mixer on medium-low speed, beat butter, cream cheese, and peanut butter until smooth and blended. Add powdered sugar slowly, incorporating fully after each addition. Add cool whip and beat until smooth and creamy. Frosts cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Brownies

For my brother’s visit I wanted an easy and fun dessert that the adults and kids would both enjoy. So I thought of brownies! Who doesnt like a rich, chewy brownie??? I found this recipe and was very impressed with it!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
6 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
1 Stick Unsalted Butter
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs
8 oz Cream Cheese, At Room Temperature
1 Egg Yolk

Directions:
Adjust the oven shelf to a low-middle position and preheat the oven to 325F. Take an 8 x 8 inch baking pan and spray the bottom with cooking spray.  Add a piece of foil that will overhang on 2 sides, and spray the top of the foil with cooking spray.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
Melt the chocolate and butter in either a double boiler (a bowl in a pan will work) or just in the microwave.  Make sure you stir so that the chocolate doesn’t burn.  Add 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the chocolate mixture in a bowl (if you used a double boiler just use the bowl you used).  Then whisk in the eggs one at a time and then add the flour mixture and whisk until incorporated.
In another bowl, mix the cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and the egg yolk.
Pour half of the chocolate mixture into the baking pan, then add half of the cream cheese mixture in spoonfuls over the top (spread them out).  Add the rest of the chocolate mixture on top and then the rest of the cream cheese mixture in spoonfuls.  Use a blade of a knife to swirl the mixture to give it a marbled look.
 Bake for 50-60 minutes.  They are done when a toothpick comes out with only a few, moist crumbs on it.
Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then use the aluminum sling to remove them from the pan.  Cool them to room temperature, and then put them in the fridge.  Once they are cooled you can cut them into pieces.  Keep them refrigerated, and they can keep up to 5 days.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

MMMMMM I love cranberry at the holidays. So when H came home and said there would be a bake sale at his work funding their holiday party, I knew I wanted to make something holiday-ish! I had a new bag of cranberries in the cupboard and whipped these up pretty quickly! I found this recipe on the back of the craisins bag!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

My brother and his family were visiting and spending the week at Disney. While staying at a hotel is fun, eating out all the time can get old quick. So I thought I would make them some treats. Annie’s Eats always has great muffin ideas, so I knew going to straight to her site would give me a great muffin recipe for my family! These were OUTSTANDING just as she said!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
½ cup peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
¾ cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.  Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk until smooth.  Add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins, filling each to the top.
Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

For my weekly baking I was looking for something new that wasnt a cookie, cake, tart, etc. So after doing some searching I found this recipe on Joelen’s Blog found thru Libby! I did have some issue with the fudge not setting, so I used the unset fudge to use as a truffle filling. I added a bit more melted white chocolate and marshmallow cream  to thicken similar to truffle filling and dipped them in dark chocolate! I sent this with H to the garage where he works on his car. I love trying out new treats on them as they are so very appreciative! Here is the original fudge recipe below. Hope it works out for you!! It did still taste AMAZING!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) canned evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil. COMBINE sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter and spice in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234° to 240º F (soft-ball stage). QUICKLY STIR in morsels, marshmallow crème, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until morsels are melted. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Let stand on wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate tightly covered. To cut, lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Makes about 3 pounds.

Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars

Still baking for H bake sale, I wanted something decadent but easy to portion out. I found this recipe and had it on my list to bake soon, so this was the perfect time to bake them. They are decadent, yet easy to make and went over very very very well!! This recipe is from Elizabeth’s Edibles from Martha Stewart!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
4 1/2 ounces (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for parchment
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt

For the Chocolate Caramel:
10 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 water
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides, butter parchment, excluding over-hang. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and table salt, and beat until just combined
Press dough evenly into pan, and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
Make the chocolate caramel: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat (stirring only once to mix the two ingredients and letting it do the work on its own after the initial stir), washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming,until amber, 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add butter, cream and table salt (be very careful during this step as the caramel will bubble when you add these ingredients).
Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes.
Stir to combine, and let stand until cool, about 10 minutes. Pour mixture over crust.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. Run a knife around edges; lift parchment to remove whole bar from pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Trim edges and cut into 16 bars using a sharp knife that has been sitting in a glass of hot water. Be sure to clean the knife in the hot water and remove the crust from the blade between cuts to ensure a smooth outer edge on the bars. Bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie Candy

What a great but super easy candy recipe. I found this on BeanTown Baker’s site and made them almost immediately. They were super good and definitely ones I will make again!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
1 (15oz) can pure pumpkin
2 cups white sugar - since my coconut was sweetened, I cut the sugar down to 1 1/2 cups
2 cups unsweetened coconut - I couldn’t find unsweetened, so I used sweetened coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. On medium heat, cook and mix together and allow sugar to dissolve. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture forms into a ball, about 15-20 minutes. Have patience, it will eventually turn into a ball once the liquid evaporates.
Remove mixture from heat and add in vanilla. Transfer to a heat safe bowl and cover mixture with plastic wrap so a skin does not form. Chill in refrigerator until cool.
Using a cookie scoop that is about a TBSP size, scoop up balls and roll in the palm of your hands. Roll balls in the chopped pecan, coating all sides. Put back in fridge to let set.

Grilled cheese and avocado sandwich

I had an over abundance of avocados, my favorite, and wanted to try a new sandwich, but I was craving grilled cheese. So I threw on some avocado, tomato and spinach and the best grilled cheese was born!

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
2 slices ww bread
1-2 slices favorite cheese-I like sharp cheddar
half avocado sliced
spinach leaves
2-3 tomato slices
butter for bread

Directions:
Butter one slice of bread and grilled or fry in pan. Once warm, add cheese and keep cooking until desired brownness/toastedness (are these even words?? LOL). Once cheese is melted and bread is ready, take off heat and add 2nd piece of buttered bread and grill. While second pieces is cooking, top 1st slice with tomatoes, spinach, and avocado. Once 2nd slice is ready, top sandwich and serve immediately.

Broiled Grapefruit

With delicious grapefruits coming into season, I grabbed up a few for my breakfast. My favorite way to have a grapefruit, is to broil it! This makes it tasty and warm perfect to get your day started right.

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
1 half of a grapefruit
cinnamon
sugar-I used splenda

Directions:
Cut grapefruit in half and cut around the pith to separate the wedges. Sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar. Broil for about 5-15 mins depending on how brown you would like it. My oven does 5 mins, my toasted oven does 15 mins. I like it very brown and warm inside to help the cinnamon and sugar meld together. Slightly sizzling. Watch it to broil it to your liking.

Lighter Double Chocolate Biscotti

I have been craving lots of chocolate lately…lately? Like everyday, so when I searched for some chocolate recipes that werent too bad for me, I found this recipe on Cooking Light and thought it would satisfy my chocolate cravings quite well. This, as all biscotti is, was easy to make. Just remember never over mix biscotti, because even though biscotti is hard, it can get even harder and lose taste if over-mixed.

*Add peppermint pieces or drizzle white chocolate on it to make it holiday festive too!*

ENJOY!

Ingredients:
6.75  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1  cup  sugar
1/2  cup  unsweetened cocoa
1/2  cup  semisweet chocolate minichips
1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
2  large eggs
1  large egg white
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine vanilla, eggs, and egg white in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir until well blended. Divide dough in half. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With floured hands, shape each dough half into a 12-inch-long roll; pat to 1/2-inch thickness.
Bake at 350° for 22 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 18 (1/2-inch) slices. Carefully stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake biscotti an additional 15 minutes or until almost firm (biscotti will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove biscotti from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information: Per 2 pieces:
Calories: 117 (17% from fat)
Fat: 2.2g (sat 1g,mono 0.7g,poly 0.1g)
Protein: 2.5g
Carbohydrate: 22.5g
Fiber: 1g
Cholesterol: 24mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 125mg
Calcium: 12mg