Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Christmas lasts a solid week in our family. We usually have multiple Christmases with different parts of the family. Which gives me an excuse to do some post-holiday baking. Inspired by Starbucks and my sister-in-law's baking, I decided to make peppermint mocha cupcakes for Christmas #2 over the weekend.

What You'll Need:
Cupcakes
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
16 fluid ounces chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 cup flour

Filling
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

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What to Do:
To make the cupcakes, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, syrup, extract and coffee. Fold in flour until just mixed. Bake at 325 until just set, about 25-30 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan. Pour heated heavy cream over chocolate and coffee. Mix until glossy. Core cupcakes and pour ganache into middles. 

Once the ganache is set, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Whip cream cheese, sugar and peppermint until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Frost cupcakes and add cute garnish. I found these adorable toppers from Meri Meri on sale after Christmas.

These are super rich. Even without the frosting. A perfect way to finish off your over-stuffed holiday! Happy New Year! 

Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

It's cookie baking season. Yay! I love a good excuse to eat  make cookies for friends and family. Most people have probably made peanut butter cookies with candy in the middle for Christmas and our family is no exception. This is my favorite recipe because it only calls for 3 ingredients. For real.

My cousin taught me this recipe when I was little. In fact, it's just about the only recipe I can actually remember off-hand. We used to bake these in our grandmother's kitchen. I thought she was so cool because she could bake. 



















So onto the cookies. 

What You'll Need:
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer the natural kind- less of a sugar coma that way)
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Note: This recipe make about 15 cookies so I usually double it :)

What to Do:
Combine all 3 ingredients in a bowl. Measuring peanut butter is super messy so you can eye-ball it. Roll the dough into balls (about 1-1.5 inches in diameter). Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Your balls will expand, but not by much.

I like to place a mini Reece's peanut butter cup in the middle of each one. Kisses work well too. You'll notice the cookies crack a bit when you place the candy in the middle. Be gentle or you'll break them in half. And then you might have to eat them because they are "broken." You'll also want to be sure to cool the cookies for 5-10 minutes before you insert said candy. Otherwise they melt. Ok, so maybe that's not a bad thing either... Eat up! 

Chocolate Espresso Shortbread

Southerners love butter. It's just a fact. We pretend to be healthy but every southern cook knows, if you want something to taste good, you have to use the real thing. Some people swear they can't taste the difference between butter and so-called substitutes. Then again, some people can't tell Coke from Pepsi ;)

Shortbread requires real butter. And lots of it! It's my go-to cookie because it's so versatile. You can add just about any flavor or topping to this buttery, no-too-sweet dessert.

 

My go-to basic shortbread recipe is similar to Ina Garten's.  

What You'll Need:
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
Pinch of salt
Dash of almond extract (Vanilla works too)

What to Do:
Use a stand mixer to form the dough, creaming the butter and sugar before adding the extract and flour. You can roll the dough out and cut it into fun shapes or you can spread it in a 8x8 pan. If you're cutting out shapes, you'll want to chill the dough first. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

The best part, though, is the topping. I melted dark chocolate and spread it over my cooled shortbread. I dusted the chocolate-coating with cinnamon and espresso powder and cut the shortbread into rectangles for easy snacking. You could also top them with chopped, toasted pecans or hazelnuts.

Be warned. These are highly addictive. You might need to double the recipe.

  

Holiday Baking: Quick and Easy

This is totally cheating. I'm talking semi-homemade, from a box, didn't have to think about the recipe kind of cheating.  It's almost embarrassing to put this on a food blog. But these little babies are so good I had to share. 

 





















Here's the secret: Trader Joe's Deep, Dark Gingerbread Cake and Baking Mix. Make according to the box directions and add mini dark chocolate chips. Bake in a mini muffin tin and you have 24 adorable holiday treats in less than 30 minutes. 

Of course, you could always use your favorite gingerbread cake recipe but if you need a quick gingerbread fix, I highly recommend cheating.