Nutella Cupcakes

OK, so have you ever tasted Nutella? My mother is a 87 year old chocoholic and she spreads this stuff on everything! You'll find it in the aisle with Peanut Butter. It's made by the Italian candy maker Ferrero, who make those delicious Ferrero Rocher chocolate hazelnut candies in the gold foil you see around Christmas. Nutella has a rich creamy chocolate and hazelnut flavor- spread it on your toast and it's like eating candy for breakfast..... YUM!

Last weekend, I decided to make some cupcakes using Nutella as the secret ingredient in the filling, as well as in the frosting. (note- once you open the just and sample it, you'll be digging your spoon in, so make sure you save enough for the frosting ! )

I started with the basic Cooks Baking Illustrated Yellow Cupcake recipe, because it uses sour cream which always gives a nice tangy flavor to cakes, (and helps keep them from drying out, like milk can). This recipe uses one whole egg and two egg yolks, which also helps to keep the cuppies moist (can you tell I really hate dry baked goods?). Did you know that too many egg whites are what often makes baked products, especially cakes and cookies taste dry ? Egg whites are important because they are the glue to help keep the finished product from falling apart, but it is important to only use large eggs when you bake, - extra large and jumbo will add too much egg white to your batter, making your cake dry. If you have a recipe with at least three eggs, you can usually replace one whole egg with just the egg yolk to keep the batter moister.

I also like this basic cupcake recipe because there's not a lot of prep work- you throw everything into one bowl and mix it up. The hardest part is remembering to take the butter and eggs out out early so they warm to room temperature.

Once I made the cupcakes and let them thoroughly cool ( 9 holes of golf), I used a small knife and cut into the top of the cupcakes and cut out small cones of dough, dropped a small amount of Nutella in the hole, put the cone back on, frosted them and voila ! Nutella cream filled cupcakes !

One other note with Nutella-the frosting is a basic sour cream /confectioners sugar recipe- but because Nutella is soft, I mixed in a 1/2 of teaspoon of unflavored gelatin to give the frosting a stiffer consistency.

As usual, cupcakes always taste best the day they are made. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

Cupcakes

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 Cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz unsalted butter, softened

1/2 Cup sour cream

1 Large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

1/2 Cup Nutella (for filling)

Frosting

1/4 Cup Nutella

2 TBSP butter

1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin (optional)

1/4 Cup sour cream

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line muffin pan with liners

1-Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add butter, sour cream, egg, yolks, vanilla, and beat until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and make sure everything is well mixed and smooth.

2- Divide the batter evenly among the cups using an ice cream scoop, or your 1/4 cup measuring cup. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold, and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-24 minutes. Use a paring knife to lift cupcakes from tin and cool on wire rack until room temperature, about 45 minutes.

To make frosting- Melt the Nutella and butter in microwave bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add sour cream, salt, gelatin, and extract. When smooth, add in 1/2 of the confectioners sugar and mix. Keep adding confectioners sugar until spreadable consistency is achieved.

3- Using a paring knife, cut little cones out of the top of the cupcakes. Add a dollup of Nutella from the jar ( i used a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon to scoop it out). Replace the cone top. Frost and put in the refrigerator for about an hour to get the gelatin to solidify the frosting.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes

Jim's building me a new deck so I need to bribe him with sweets to keep him going. Just made these chocolate cupcakes that are SO moist. The secret ingredient is sour cream which helps keep them moist and gives them a little bit of a tang. I finished off half of them with Jimmies ( not because that's his name) but because I grew up in New England and know that just about anything tastes better with Jimmies on top.

I know that cupcakes are the rage right now, but I'm finding most of the designer cupcakes are a bit dry and look better than they taste. Trust me, these are full of flavor and very very moist.

Cupcakes
2 Cups flour
1 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup coffee, room temperature


Preheat oven to 350, and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners

In a large bowl, sift together flour and cocoa powder. Mix in sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, and coffee. Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined and no streaks of flour remain visible. divide into prepared pans.

Bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on wire racks completely before frosting.

Frosting
6 oz ( 1/2 bag) chocolate chips
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 Cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Cups confectioners sugar

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler, or in microwave . Allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in sour cream, salt, and vanilla extract. When smooth, blend in ( with electric mixer) the confectioners sugar and mix until spreadable consistency is reached.

Dulce de leche Brownies with Hazelnuts Recipe

I served these at my Masters party yesterday ( go Phil ! ) and they were a hit. These are incredibly moist and fudge-y, my favorite kind of brownie. This recipe is from David Lebovitz - I modified slightly by adding nuts and chocolate chips. The secret ingredient to this recipe is definitely Dulce De Leche, which is a Mexican caramel dessert topping you can find in specialty stores ( check out Whole Foods) . I've read about making it on your own ( it is basically sweetened condensed milk that is cooked to a caramel texture), but I bought a jar for my first attempt of this recipe.

These brownies are very rich, so I cut them into very small pieces ( 1 1/2 inch squares). That way you can have two and not feel guilty :)


8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips plus a 1/4 cup additional
1/4 Cup of cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 Cup of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cup flour
1 Cup of hazelnuts, chopped ( or your favorite type of baking nut)
1 Cup of Dulce De Leche

preheat oven to 350

1-Line an 8 inch square pan with tin foil ( make sure tin foil covers bottom and all four sides- these brownies rise and stick) . Spray tin foil with non -stick spray.
2-Melt butter in medium sauce pan (you will be mixing everything in this pan, so do not go too small ). Add the 6 oz of chocolate chips and stir constantly over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.
3- Mix in cocoa, stir until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and mix, add sugar and mix, vanilla and flour and mix until smooth. Add extra chips and nuts and stir.
4- Pour half of batter into pan. Drop 1/3 of the Dulce De Leche evenly spaced over the batter. Use a knife and drag through the caramel to make swirls. make sure that you swirl to the edges . Spread the remaining brownie batter over this, then drop the remaining Dulce De Leche in spoonfuls on top and swirl slightly. Again, make sure you swirl to the edges.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. These brownies are fudge-y, make sure you don't over bake them. Center feels slightly firm. Edges will get dry if you over bake.
I had a hard time at first cutting these (because they are gooey) so......- cool on a wire rack completely. Then take them out of the pan ( lift out with tin foil) and put in the refrigerator for about an hour before you cut them. They will be much easier to cut.

Store in refrigerator for up to two days ( although I promise, they won't last that long )

Bourbon Brownies

I was in search of a moist fudge-like brownie recipe and found this last week from Cooking Light. Jim loves Bourbon ( we always have the big boy bottle of Maker's Mark Bourbon around) so I knew I wouldn't have to go out and buy some expensive liquor to make these.

These brownies are GREAT ! You really don't taste (although you smell) the bourbon as much as it brings out the flavor of the chocolate. They are very fudgy and rich, so much so that I did cut them into bite sizes ( 1 inch squares) vs traditional bigger brownies.

Make sure you use Large, not extra large eggs so the brownies don't get too dry. And DON'T over bake !

1/4 cup of Bourbon

1/4 cup of Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Pam baking spray

Preheat oven to 350

1-Bring Bourbon to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth.

2-Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Mix well ( I used an electric mixer, which I always use vs sifting, but I did make a mess with the cocoa. I would recommend using a whisk. )

3- In mixer, blend sugar and butter for about two minutes until well combined and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. Add flour mixture and Bourbon mixture. Mix on low speed until combined. DO NOT OVER BEAT or brownies will get tough.

4- spray 9 inch square baking pan with Pam, and spread batter and smooth with spatula.

5- bake in middle of oven for 25 minutes, checking early to make sure they don't over bake. Wooden toothpick should come out clean.

6-Cool on wire rack, cut into 1 inch squares.

7- store in airtight tin for up to 3 days. The best part by the way is opening the tin- it smells great !

Cocoa Wedding Cookies Recipe

This is a recipe from Good Housekeeping. I LOVE Mexican wedding cookies, and I have to say, these are by far the best ones I have tried so far. The secret ingredient is the Cocoa and mini chocolate chips. It turns them into delicious melt in your mouth chocolate confections that you won't be able to stop eating. Far superior to the vanilla traditional cookies.

1 Cup Pecans ( or almonds if desired)
1 3/4 Cups confectioner's sugar
1 Cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut up ( no substitutions)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 Cups flour
1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 Cup chocolate semi-sweet mini chips

Preheat oven to 325.

1- In a food processor, pulse grind pecans with half cup of the confectioners sugar until finely ground. Add butter and vanilla and process until smooth, occasionally stopping processor to scrape side with rubber spatula. Add flour and cocoa and pulse until evenly mixed. Add chocolate chips and pulse until just combined.

2- With floured hands, shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on large ungreased cookie sheet.

3- Bake 16-18 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. If using two cookie sheets, switch racks halfway through.

Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool a couple of minutes.

Roll in remaining confectioners sugar to coat.

Return to rack and cool completely.

Once cool, roll in sugar one more time ( you can never have enough sugar)

Store in airtight tin. These last about a week, if they're not immediately gobbled up.