Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting

I made these a while back, when looking for a peanut-butter brownie recipe.
People say nothing goes together better than peanut butter and jelly, but I'm going to have to disagree. The union of peanut butter and chocolate is a gift from the gods.

Now, some of my friends, (namely, Ben), are horrified when I tell them that I'm not crazy about chocolate, but when chocolate is paired with peanut butter, I am definitely a fan.

This was my first blondie, and I was very pleased. It was delicious, moist, dense and packed with sweet peanut-butter flavor. Topped with a decent layer of creamy, chocolate frosting, they were absolutely perfect.

Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting

From Joy the Baker

(Makes one dozen big brownies in a 9×13-inch pan)

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup smooth and natural peanut butter

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan.

Blondies

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sugar together until the butter is just melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir until incorporated. Allow to cool for 5 minutes more, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. You want the sugar, butter and peanut butter mixture to be cool enough that the eggs won’t begin to cook when they’re added in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together salt, flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients. Stir until just incorporated. Pour the thick batter into the prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the blondies comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Milk Chocolate Frosting

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tablespoons milk

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cocoa powder and salt. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar followed by 1 tablespoon milk. Beat well. Add another cup of powdered sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons of milk. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Add melted and slightly cooked chocolate to the sugar mixture and beat to incorporate. Add the final 1/2 cup of powdered sugar if you need a bit more thickness. Spread evenly over peanut butter blondies.

Spiced Caramel Apple Pie

It's definitely fall. In case you didn't notice.

Just to be sure, I went up to Oak Glen with Sam and Ben. Mid-October and Apple season was already well underway. We took advantage of the weather, there was hazy fog, and rain west of the orchards which I think kept people home. There were still plenty of Apple enthusiasts out there, tasting the different varieties.

We stopped at a couple of Orchards and picked 5 different kinds of apples. Tasted some hyped-up apple cider donuts, and took home some cider. It was a great Sunday afternoon.

After doing some research, I found out that the Winesaps and Romes I had picked are good baking apples, so I got to work.


Spiced Caramel Apple Pie
As seen on Beantown Baker. Originally from Rebecca Rather’s “The Pastry Queen"

Make your favorite pie crust and place in a pie plate. Topping
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup AP flour
1/3 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make the Topping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Arrange the walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer, and toast them in the oven for about 7 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Coarsely chop the nuts.

In a food processor, process sugars, cinnamon, salt, and flour for about 1 minute. Add chilled butter; pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the pecans. Refrigerate the topping, covered until ready to use.

Filling
5 to 6 medium-size apples, such as Winesap
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Bourbon, (I used Maker's Mark)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the Filling
Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees (F). Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

When the butter starts to foam, add the apples and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle it on the apples, and reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low. Simmer the apples for about 1 minute.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples from the skillet to a large baking sheet, and arrange them in a single layer. (The single layer will keep the apples from becoming soggy)

Pour the Bourbon into the butter-sugar mixture in the skillet. Simmer the mixture over medium heat at least 5 minutes, until the alcohol burns off. Add the heavy cream, and continue cooking about 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is a thick pourable caramel. Return the apples to the skillet.

Pour the apple filling into the unbaked pie crust, and sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, (with a baking sheet directly underneath the pie plate to catch any boil over), until the filling is bubbling and the topping is brown.

Garnishes (optional)
Vanilla or cinnamon ice cream
Whipped cream
Caramel sauce

Serve the pie warm or at room temperature with ice cream, whipped cream or caramel sauce.

Chicken Enchiladas

So, my friend asks for some pointers on Enchiladas, and I respond with an overly detailed recipe. Whoops!

What to do? Publish it on the web, of course.

Have some Chicken Enchiladas, tonight! I'm going to. The recipe feeds about 5, but Ben and I will enjoy this for at least 3 meals.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• about 15 corn tortillas (may be more or less depending on the size of your pan)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf (optional, I've cooked without and didn't notice the difference)
  
• 1 large onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Monterrey Jack cheese, or cheese of choice.
• 28 oz can of Enchilada sauce of choice (mine is Medium Salsa de Chiles Verdes by Las Palmas)
• An additional 10 oz can of same sauce (optional*, see note below)
  
• Oil that can sustain high heats, (Canola, Grapeseed, etc)
  

Instructions

1. Halve the onion, (save the remaining half for filling, later) place it in the pot with 4 crushed cloves of garlic, and the bay leaf.
   
2. Season chicken breasts (both sides) with salt and pepper and place in pot with onion and others.
   
3. Fill pot with water, enough to cover the ingredients.
4. Bring water to boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Turn over chicken breasts and simmer for another 15 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat, and if chicken looks ready, (it's ok to cut in to check), remove from pot. Otherwise, let it finish cooking in the residual heat.
7. Cool chicken until it is easy to handle
8. Shred chicken to no larger than bite sized pieces
   

While the chicken is cooking, you can prepare your remaining ingredients:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Shred your cheese, if it isn't already.
2. Chop remaining onion, somewhat finely
   
3. Pour warmed sauce into a shallow bowl, (I have put mine, bowl and all, in the microwave for over a minute) it should be warm, but not too hot to handle with your hands
4. In a small shallow pan, pour to 2" high (I hope that's clear)
5. Prepare pan, (like a 9x13 pyrex), (I can't even remember if I grease mine, but I don't think it would hurt...)
6. Heat oil to medium-high (Consider asking a 2nd person to help...but I think you said you mastered this on your own, so rock on)
   
7. Heat tortillas over the stove (a cast iron skillet is good for this)
8. One by one, as tortillas are heated, place in hot oil so to lightly fry them. (Stiff enough so they don't fall apart in sauce, but still soft enough to bend easily)
9. After fried, tortillas go into warm sauce
10. Once covered in sauce, fill tortilla with chicken, cheese and chopped onions, (ratios aren't specific, but base it on your preferences), and roll together
11. Rolled enchilada goes straight into pan, using the edges and bottom to keep it shut. Remaining enchiladas will press up against one another to hold each other's shape.
12. Repeat steps 7-11, (hehehe), until pan is filled to capacity
    
13. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, (*sometimes I've felt that the 28oz can is enough, but the leftovers have been drier that I would like. If you like saucy enchiladas, consider the extra 10oz can), sprinkle with cheese.
14. Heat, uncovered, in oven until cheese is melted and sauce bubbles.
    

Sweet! Enchiladas are ready.
Invite friends, serve with rice, guac, a corona, whatevs.
Eat and be happy.

Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce

So a two-week hiatus is not a great way to start a blog.

There are countless reasons why I haven't posted, but the most important being that my photographer has started a new job which means he has less time to help me take pictures.

Since I had a moment, (and since I'm recovering from cupcake overload), I thought I'd share a nice dinner recipe that I really enjoy.

We've had the recipe twice within a one month period, and for me, it's all about the dijon sauce. The first time I made it, I had to finish up all the sauce as a salad dressing, I couldn't get enough of it.

Recipe adapted from Life's Ambrosia

Serves 2

You will need:

• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• juice of 1/2 lemon (we used 1 1/2 tablespoons Real Lemon)
  
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for salmon
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 salmon fillets, pin bones removed
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
2. In a bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, dill and garlic.
3. Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil (about 1 teaspoon per fillet). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, tent with foil for another 10 minutes, (I just bunched up the foil on the baking sheet to keep the warmth in). The salmon will continue cooking during this time.
4. Transfer salmon to a serving platter. Spoon sauce over the top.

I served the dish over a bed of lettuce, which was delicious with the sauce if you don't mind warm lettuce. We also enjoyed the salmon with brown rice and some veggies on the side. It's a quick, easy weeknight meal that I hope to have again, soon.

Cupcake Camp: Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

I went to lunch today with two high school friends that I hadn't seen in 5 years. That's over a fifth of my life span!
They asked what I would be up to for the next few days and I told them about how I'd be spending my Sunday at Cupcake Camp.

After they laughed at me, they were really curious about what that involved.

One of Cupcake Camp's Baking competition categories is "Most Childhood-Inspired" which made me immediately think of breakfast cereals...and then I thought about Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Since there will be over 5,000 cupcakes at Cupcake Camp this year, I decided mini-cupcakes would be best so that people can maximize their cupcake consumption.


I first heard about Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes from Anne Byrn, in her book Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor. She recommends topping Cinnamon Toast cupcakes with a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, but in addition to not using her recipe for the cupcakes, I also decided against the Cream Cheese Frosting.

I was working on a Vanilla Bean Buttercream...and then my whisk broke. So of course I had to stop and take a picture.

No broken whisk can stop me when I'm on a mission. Especially if it's a delicious mission.

Basic Golden Cake
(adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)
Makes 55 mini cupcakes

3 1/4 cups (325 g) sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks/8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar 3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (250 ml) fat free milk
1/3 cup prepared vanilla pudding

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare pans, as necessary.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat at high speed until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the milk (and pudding) in additions and mixing just until the flour is incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly, and smooth the tops.

Bake the mini cupcakes for 20 minutes, (about 23 minutes for regular cupcakes), until lightly browned around the edges. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Invert the layers onto the racks and cool completely.

Store at room temperature, covered in foil, for up to 5 days.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
Very slightly adapted from Cupcake Project

1 1/2 C powdered sugar (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
1/2 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (I used the vanilla beans scraped from ½ a pod and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon milk (similarly to the powdered sugar, adjust amount as necessary)

Blend sugar and butter until creamy. Add vanilla bean paste [or pulp plus pure extract], salt, and milk and continue to beat for another minute. If desired, add more powdered sugar to make it stiffer, or milk to make it less so.

When cupcakes are cool, frost with Buttercream Frosting and top with Cinnamon Sugar or crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch breakfast cereal.

Since I had so many cupcakes to frost, I ended up adding about another 3/4 cup of sugar and another
1 1/2 tablespoons of milk to get my desired amount/consistency; (without having to add more butter or vanilla beans). The frosting is delicious, and reminds me a lot of vanilla ice-cream. They were great on the cupcakes, and even better on a regular-sized cupcake!