Chocolate Bourbon Cupcakes

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It has been a while since I blogged, 2 weeks, oops! So stay tuned this week, hopefully I can catch up now that the Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver double race weekend is done.

I made these a few weeks ago with a friend and they turned out great. We did a variation on a recipe I found on Pinterest. The original recipe has a pecan pie filling center, which we skipped and they were still delicious! In fact, I might have found them too sweet and rich otherwise.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 cup bourbon
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Butter Pecan Frosting:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup + 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup finely chopped raw pecans + 18 whole pecans

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together the bourbon, vegetable oil and cocoa powder until smooth and creamy.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream with an electric mixer. Slowly add bourbon and cocoa mixture. Combine on medium speed until silky and smooth. Beat in the sugar.

Slowly add flour, salt and baking soda, combining on low speed until just incorporated.

Fill baking cups three-fourths full. Bake for about 18-22 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling, at least 2 hours or covered overnight.

To make the frosting. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or a silicone baking mat.

In a medium sauce pan, melt together 1/4 cup butter, cream, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl in the freezer (or fridge for longer) for 15-20 minutes or until cool.

In a bowl whisk together the bourbon, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add pecans and stir to coat evenly. Transfer nuts to prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until toasted. Remove and toss the pecans with 1 tablespoon butter. Allow to cool 10 minutes, set aside.

Now grab the cooled butter mixture and add the remaining 1/2 cup room temperature butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar to the bowl and beat together until well combined. Mix in about 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans. If the frosting is not stiff enough to frost the cupcakes place it in the fridge for 30 20-30 minutes or the freezer for 5-15 minutes. Then remove and whip it for a few seconds to get everything smooth again.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

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I made these last weekend for a girl's night/party I had at my house. They were pretty simple and turned out SO good, I ate all the leftovers myself...

Make sure not to skimp and use Fleur de Sel, with this recipe it makes a difference!

INGREDIENTS
For the Crust: 
9 tablespoons (in other words 1 stick + 1 tbsp)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 Filling: 
2 cups of milk chocolate, chopped 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
1/4 cup water 
6 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1 cup heavy cream 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
1 tablespoon fleur de sel

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides; butter parchment, excluding overhang. 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.

Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, cream, and table salt. 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. If you're going to save some, refrigerate and sprinkle with salt only when ready to serve.
 

Fudgy Brownies

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Did you know that December 8th is "Brownie Day"? No joke, you can read about it here. If you want to celebrate this delightful chocolaty and fudgy holiday, it's not too late!

This is my absolute favorite brownie recipe. They're the best hot out of the oven with ice cream or cold out of the fridge with a cup of cocoa!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of walnuts (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. Set aside. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Add walnuts (if desired). Gently fold in flour and salt.

 

Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto the rack. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into 2-inch squares.

Chocolate & Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

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I made these last Halloween and they were a huge hit, especially for the chocolate-lovers in the family! The original recipe is from Martha Stewart, though mine did not turn out "mini" at all.

For the cookies:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

For the filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

 

Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

 

Drop about 2 teaspoons dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

 

Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.

 

 

 

Note:

You may be wondering the difference between dutch process cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder. When I first made this I didn't know and had to look it up, so here's the deal:

 

Dutch-process cocoa powder is made from cocoa (cacao) beans that have been washed with a potassium solution, to neutralize their acidity. Natural cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that are simply roasted, then pulverized into a fine powder. Aside from neutralizing the acidity, "Dutching" cocoa powder makes it darker and can help mellow the flavor of the beans.

 

Because natural cocoa powder hasn’t had its acidity tempered, it’s generally paired with baking soda (which is alkali) in recipes. Dutch-process cocoa is frequently used in recipes with baking powder, as it doesn’t react to baking soda like natural cocoa does.