Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
These cupcakes are so deeelish you won’t even notice they’re Vegan! Think – peanut butter cup in a cupcake form. Mmm…
Vegan chocolate cupcakes ingredients:
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup coffee
1/2 cup water
chocolate peanut butter frosting ingredients:
6 ounces chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep cupcake pans with liners (24 total).
In a bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer stir together the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and apple cider vinegar.
Alternate the flour mixture with the coffee and water until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepped cupcake liners and bake for 14-17 mins depending on your oven. Don’t over bake! Let cool on a wire rack.
While the cupcakes are cooling, start the frosting. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.
In the bowl of an electric mixer stir together the melted chocolate chips and the peanut butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar alternating with the water. You might need 1 or 2 Tablespoons more of water to get the frosting to the right consistency.
Frost the cooled cupcakes and you have a deliciously Vegan chocolate peanut butter treat!
Domo chocolates
The day after Halloween I stare into the candy bowl and inspiration comes. It usually comes in the shape of Domo but when doesn’t it? Domo has been my muse for cookies, cupcakes, MEATLOAF and now chocolate.
Just a little piping and your ordinary chocolate snack is transformed into a the cutest monster treat ever!
ingredients:
snack sized chocolate bars
black frosting with a #3 tip
white frosting with a #3 tip
red frosting with a #5 tip
chocolate pearls or mini chocolate chips
Open the chocolates and place the flat side up. Pipe a small amount of black frosting to hold the eyes in place, then place a chocolate pearl of mini chocolate chip for the two eyes.
One third of the way down pipe a rectangle using the red frosting. This will be the mouth.
Over the red rectangle, use the white frosting to pipe Domo’s signature ‘teeth.’
That’s it! A simple and fun way to repurpose Halloween candy!
Mustache cupcakes for Chrissy’s bday
My friends Christine and Grant both had October birthdays and they had an epic joint-bday party! For Grant’s birthday I made custom Geoff the Robot cupcakes and for Chrissy – well, it called for a good ol’ hipster mustache. A chocolate one.
I am addicted to molds lately. I buy a ton of them, and I’m always trying to think of new ways to incorporate them into my baking. In this case I knew that chocolate mustaches on a stick would be a hit at a party.
I tempered the chocolate over a mock double boiler until it was just the right consistency.
Then I carefully filled the molds, making sure I got all the crevices of the form. I added a stick and then covered that up with more chocolate. I tapped the mold on the counter to make sure all the air bubbles were out.
After I let it set, they popped right out! Man, I love molds! I made up some white chocolate ‘staches as well and placed them in some red velvet cupcakes.
They were so much fun and quite the photo opp at the costume party!
(Yes, she is purple. But not all the time.)
Mocha Matcha Cupcakes
My friend Deb is a cartoonist – her strip “Bento Box” is currently running in the Honolulu Star Advertiser. I am lucky to have friends that love comics and food as much as me and when they come bearing gifts, I always know it’s going to be good!
Back in July at SDCC Deb stopped by my table and gave me a can of Matcha cocoa. Very cool stuff! The minute she put it in my hand I knew exactly what I was going to do with it…
ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Valrhona cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons Matcha cocoa
2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coffee
chocolate frosting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a cupcake pan with liners.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, matcha cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Then the vanilla.
Alternating the flour mixture and the buttermilk until combined. Add in the coffee.
Pour the batter into the prepped liners. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on a wire rack.
Frost with chocolate frosting and serve!
Chocolate Milk Pancakes
A sweet breakfast treat? Definitely.
ingredients:
1-1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate milk
1 egg
In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the chocolate milk and egg and mix til just combined.
In a pan over medium-high heat, melt some butter and then ladle out your batter. When bubbles appear and pop, flip over. (how to make perfect pancakes, here)
An easy twist to your everyday pancakes!
Hulk ice cream sandwiches (Green Tea Spice Cookie + Milk Chocolate ice cream)
When the I got the Marvel cookie cutters the first obvious cookie recipe that came to mind, with Hulk being green and all, was of course my matcha (green tea) sugar cookie recipe. If it was good enough for Yoda it was good enough for Hulk. But Hulk has a slight temper and I thought spicing them up would be a good bet.
Then I filled the cookies with a smooth homemade Milk Chocolate ice cream. Such a delicious combo it might even keep Bruce Banner calm as can be.
ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon matcha (green tea powder)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg
Milk Chocolate Ice Cream (recipe here)
Matcha is a fine, concetrated green tea powder. You can find it in asian markets, the asian section of your grocery store, or online.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and matcha. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add the egg and the lemon juice.
Slowly add in the flour until it is incorporated. The dough will form quickly, and when it starts to pull away from the bowl, it’s done!
Split the dough into two and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill until you are ready to use.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prep baking sheets with silpats.
Start rolling out the dough. I use powdered sugar instead of flour so it doesn’t get that dough-y taste and the sugar adds a slight sweetness. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. The best things about these cutters is they don’t stick!
Use your cutter to cut out the shapes and transfer onto the silpat lined baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on a wire rack.
When the cookies are cooled, scoop the Milk Chocolate Ice Cream on one side (face down) of the cookie. Then press the other cookie on top to make a sandwich. Keep in the freezer until you are ready to serve!
Frosted Buttermilk Brownies
Sometimes cake brownies are the best. Topped off with a rich chocolate frosting and you can’t decide – are you eating a brownie…or is it cake? The buttermilk adds a nice softness and tang that makes this the perfect dessert.
When I try out my recipes I often go around town to drop off the treats with friends. These were a HUGE hit with everyone who received them!
ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa powder
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 pound powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9×13 pan with buttered parchment. This will help you pull out the brownies when they are done.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, coffee , baking soda and salt.
Add the boiling water and melted butter until combined.
Add the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.
Pour into the prepped pan. Bake for 30 minutes depending on your oven, until done.
While the brownies are baking, start the frosting. In a saucepan heat he butter, cocoa and buttermilk until boiling. Add the powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Pour over the hot brownies and let cool or….eat it right away. You know – depending on your willpower.
*Um. There’s no nice plated picture because I ate most of them and gave them away.
Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
What makes these cupcakes special is the use of FRESH strawberries. Mix in a few mini chocolate chips, top with cream cheese frosting and you have a perfect dessert.
You’ll be surprised at how not overly sweet these are. You might even fool yourself into eating two….or three.
ingredients:
1 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups cake flour
3 Tablespoons Valrhona Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped small
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
cream cheese frosting (recipe here)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep a cupcake pan with liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs, then the vanilla until. combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternate the whisked dry ingredients with the milk into the butter mixture until combined.
Fold in the strawberries and the mini chocolate chips, then spoon batter into prepped liners.
Bake for 17 – 20+ mins. With fresh fruit it sometimes takes longer to thoroughly bake. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Let cool on a wire rack.
When cooled frost with cream cheese frosting.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with See’s chips
Can you believe today is ‘National Chocolate Chip Day?’
Man, they have a holiday for everything.
If we had a family crest, there’d probably be a picture of See’s Candies on it. We eat A LOT of it. It’s a Southern California fave and boy, does our family do our part to keep them in business. Meaning – every week you will find a box of See’s at O.G.’s house, so that when our family visits, it’s a tradition to dig through and pick our faves.
What a surprise to find out that See’s has chocolate chips! The chips are massively big, which makes these cookies about 90% chocolate, that’s the way I like it. When I made these O.G. complained that she likes more cookie, less chocolate – which is ironic considering I once watched her polish off a half pound of chocolate in one sitting. Since she’s 90 years old, I guess chocolate is the fountain of youth, my friends.
ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
See’s chocolate chips (yes, use the entire bag!!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with silpats.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Add the vanilla and the eggs until combined.
Spoon in the flour until the dough comes together.
Fold in the large chocolate chips by hand, so that the chips are incorporated throughout the mixture.
Form the dough into small balls, a little over a Tablepoon, and place them on the prepped sheets 2 inches apart. You will get about 4 dozen cookies depending on the size you make them.
Bake for 10 minutes until browned – depending on your oven, and let cool on a wire rack.
I like my cookies more on the crisp side, so I cook them just a touch more which makes them cripsy, almost hard when they cool – but they melt in your mouth as soon as you bite into them!
Batman Lollipop Cupcakes
What’s better than a cupcake? A BATMAN lollipop cupcake, of course.
ingredients:
yellow candy melts
lollipop sticks
1/2 cup chocolate chips
cupcakes
frosting
Back when I made the Phoenix-Jean Grey cupcakes I became obsessed with making these choco-candy lollipops. They were too easy and the colors were so bright, they really lent themselves to superhero icons.
I used the same plastic lollipop molds and melted down some yellow candy melts.
I poured the melted chocolate into each mold and gave it a little tap to release the air bubbles, then inserted the stick. Place the molds into the freezer for about ten minutes, they pop out beautifully. Keep them in an airtight container in the freezer.
For the symbol I printed out Batman logos, fairly small since the lollipop is only 2″ in diameter. I taped a piece of parchment on top so that the symbol showed through and to make the chocolate easy to release. I melted the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and used a drizzle bottle and my ‘drawing with chocolate‘ technique to outline and fill in the symbol. This was tricky because these symbols were WAY tiny and detailed.
Place the logos in the freezer for ten minutes. When they harden up they will slip right off the parchment. Using more of the melted chocolate as ‘glue,’ stick them to the front of the already prepared yellow chocolate lollipops. Keep the finished pops in the freezer until you are ready to use.
I made up some deeelish PB&J cupcakes (recipe, here) and placed the Batman lollipop right in the center. Batman kinda looks like he’s planting his flag on the moon. It’s definitely a cupcake worth conquering!
