Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes

i'm not use to baking "simple things"

when i bake, i like it to be an experiment.

however, when my good friend asked me make him plain vanilla cupcakes for his birthday, i knew exactly which recipe i would use.

it's from none other then Magnolia's Bakery

recipe here

You Need:

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Icing

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 12 capacity muffin tins with liners

2) In a bowl, combine flours

3)  In an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft.  Add the sugar slowly, and beat.  Add the eggs one at a time, and combine.

4)  Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating between the milk and the vanilla.  Feel free to add a little extra vanilla.

5)  Beat until combined.  Using a spatula, spoon batter into tins 3/4 of the way full.

6) Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7) For the icing, in an electric mixer add the butter, 4 cups of the sugar, milk and the vanilla.  Beat until combined, about 3-5 minutes.

8)  Gradually add the remaining sugar, one cup at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.

9)  Decorate and enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies

i know it's been awhile since my last foodie post

i've been so busy in the kitchen (and out of it)

good news is i'm here now

and i have a ton of recipes to share over the next week!

this morning's is a favorite- pumpkin chocolate brownies

actually, it's more like pumpkin chocolate fudge it's so thick

and oh so good

Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl "Brownies" 

recipes via Smitten Kitchen and Janet is Hungry

{i used the pumpkin recipe from the second one and the brownie part from the first}

You'll Need:

Brownie:

1 stick chopped butter

6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

Pumpkin Swirl:

1 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

2 tbsp flour

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a large, deep pan.

For Brownie

1) Melt butter and chocolate in a double broiler.  Stir until smooth.

2)  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

3)  Put sugar, egg, and vanilla in an electric mixer.  Beat until fluffy.  Add flour mixture.

4)  Pour the chocolate mixer into the mixer in the electric bowl.

5) Pour this into your pan.

For the Pumpkin:

1)  In an electric mixer, blend sugar and cream cheese

2)  Add pumpkin and beat well.

3)  Add flour, vanilla, egg, and cinnamon.  Combine.

4) Pour the pumpkin mixture over the brownie mixture.  Swirl pumpkin as you do this.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

enjoy!

coming up this week:

vanilla cupcakes

black and white cookies

home-ade twix bars

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

My swim coach, knowing I love to bake, gave me some apples she had left over from apple picking so I could find something yummy to bring to practice.

These muffins are unbelievable.

If you've ever dreamed of eating apple pie for breakfast, look no further.

These are like an apple pie.  Except they're called a muffin to make you feel better.

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

 from The Comfort of Cooking

You'll Need:

+

+

Muffin:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups chopped apples (about 2 medium apples)

** Added: 2 tablespoons vanilla

Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons cold butter

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In one bowl, combine dry muffin ingredients.

In a second, beat eggs, sour cream, and butter. 

Stir in dry ingredients.  Add apples.  Combine

Place muffin cups into tin and fill to the top.

For topping, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  

Cut in butter until it resembled course crumbs.  Add a generous amount on top of each muffin.  

Bake around 22 minutes.

Package up and give them out to friends.

Or eat multiple muffins throughout the day for a week.

This yields 18, so the choice is really yours.

{and i promise you won't be judged}

S'mores Brownies

i had a sudden craving for s'mores and brownies.

so what is more perfect then s'mores brownies?

nothing i might say!

these are absolutely delightful

S'mores Brownies

adapted from 

Joy the Baker

*the pictures show a doubled recipe.  the ingredients do not

You'll Need

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

5 large eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups graham crackers, roughly crushes

Big marshmallows, slicked in half

1)  Set over to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan

2) Combine first three ingredients in a bowl

3) In a pan over boiling water, melt the butter and chocolate.  I like to melt the butter half way first.... and while you're waiting

4) Combine the eggs, sugars, and vanilla.  

6)  Once you add the chocolate to the butter, you'll get this

7) Stir in warm chocolate mixture

8) Then dry flour mixture

9) Fold in graham crackers

10) Pour into a pan.  Bake for around 36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

You'll end up with something glorious like this!

P.S The winner of the giveaway is.... number 2!  Victoria, congrats!

email me at 

purplemonkey732 {@} aol {dot} com

Homeade Oreos

I've been meaning to post this since Sunday when I made them, but a cold and a huge amount of work has kept me from that.

I'm hosting a bake sale at my school every tuesday during October to raise money to send holiday gifts to 

disabled children.

this past weekend, i made some homeade oreos to sell.

i tripled the recipe so I would have extra to send to my best friend in college.

let's just say they were a huge hit and taste so much better then the brand kind.

Homeade oreos

adapted from smitten kitchen 

{don't get turned off by the 6 sticks of butter.  i tripled the recipe!}

you'll need:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup Dutch processed unsweetened chocolate powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 sticks softened butter

1 egg

6 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 stick softened butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups confectioners sugar 

for the cookies:

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

in an electric mixer, combine flour, chocolate powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt.  while on low speed, add 1 1/4 sticks butter and egg.

continue mixing until it is thick and together.

*I added 3 teaspoons of vanilla now.  

place in balls on parchment paper.  flatten with your hand.

bake in the oven for 9-10 minutes (11-2 if you want them hard.  i like mine softer)

let cool

for the icing:

combine 1/2 stick butter and shortening in a mixing bowl.  gradually beat in sugar and remaining 3 teaspoons vanilla.

once cookies have cooled, spread icing or pipe icing onto bottom cookie.  stick a second cookie to the icing.

makes 25-30 cookies, or about 15 sandwiches 

 ** i'm extending the giveaway until the weekend.  enter for a cupcake lover's necklace!  xoxo

FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!

i'm so excited to announce the first ever Foodie Monologues giveaway!

Sarita's Jewelry Box is giving away one lucky reader this cupcake lover's necklace!

how perfect!

to enter:

1)  become a follower!

and

2) tell me what your favorite food is! (it can be completely random!

for extra entries:

3) blog it

4) tweet it

good luck!  the giveaway will close in a week!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

i had a sudden craving yesterday for anything chocolate or peanut butter.

so i found this recipe and whipped up a batch of peanut butter chocolate cupcakes.

and they were incredible.

i don't know if it was the ganache filling or the light cream cheese icing or the sour cream in the cakes that made these cupcakes amazing, but whatever it was they were just that - amazing.

i brought them to swim practice tonight for my team and everyone ate them within 5 minutes flat.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

with ganache filling

from Squirrel Bakes

You'll Need:

Cupcakes

1 cup flour

1 and 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup and 2 tsp dutch cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar 

1/2 tsp vanilla ***I used 1 tsp instead

1 egg

Ganache

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp light corn syrup

1/4 cup whole milk

Icing

5 ounces softened cream cheese

4 tbsp softened unsalted butter

2 and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

What to do:

For Cupcakes

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.

2) In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3)  Add in oil and sour cream and combine.

4)  Gradually add water.  Combine in vinegar and vanilla.

5)  Add egg.  Combine until blended.

6)  Spoon into cupcake liners.  It will be very soupy.  Don't worry!

7)  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  **I baked for 30 minutes.  It probably could have even baked for 32 minutes.

8)  Let cool

For Icing

1)  In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, combine cream cheese and butter until whipped.  

2)  Slowly add confectioner's sugar until whipped.

3)  Beat on medium for 4 minutes.

4)  Add peanut butter and combine

For Ganache

1)  Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.

2)  Add peanut butter and corn syrup, mixing until melted and combined.

3) Remove from heat.  Add milk and whisk until combined.

To Assemble:

This is the first time i've ever filled a cupcake.  I liked the way I did it thought.

Taking a sharp knife, pierce the cake about halfway between the center of the cupcake and the edge. 

Pointing the knife inward, cut a circle so you get a dome shaped piece of the cupcake loose.

Fill the hole with ganache.

Cut the tip off of your dome and place the flat piece of cupcake on top of whole.

Ice cupcake

Now guys, I don't normally like cream cheese icing.  But oh my are these amazing!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

all previous recipes i have made can be found over at my other blog.

see the right hand column for the link.

i don't want to just re-post the posts here.

so i am slowly remaking all the good recipes for you!

today i made my favorite cookies ever.

ever since i made them last year i have not been able to stop thinking about them.

and, since it's finally fall(ish) out, i thought it'd be the perfect time to make them!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

the recipe is adapted from here

 To Set the Mood, light a Pumpkin Candle

 You'll Need

+

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons cinnamon (you can add less if you don't like cinnamon very much)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon milk

2 tablespoons vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

 Combine pumpkin, sugars, oil, egg, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a mixer

Mix

In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the milk

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture.  Combine

Add vanilla.  Combine

Add chocolate chips.  Combine

Place spoon sized amounts onto a lined baking sheet

Bake at 350 degrees for about 13 minutes, or until top is firm and golden brown

these cookies come out light and fluffy so that they taste like a muffin top.

makes about 22 cookies.

enjoy!