Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

I came across cookie dough cupcakes a few months ago but was finally motivated to make them after the recent gift of a cupcake corer. I had previously seen some recipes online that had a vanilla cupcake stuffed with the cookie dough and with a cookie dough frosting but being a chocoholic, I decided to switch it up and use a Devil's food cupcake instead.

And again, being that I was sharing these with my vegan friends I made these vegan by using a Devil's Food Duncan Hine's mix for the cupcake and margarine instead of butter and soy milk instead of milk. And of course, gotta love the Trader Joe's chocolate chips!

All the steps are easy but it is a long process putting it all together so give yourself time!

Here we go....

Devil's Food Cupcakes

Buy a box of your favorite brand of Devil's food mix (or make your own if you have the extra time) and follow the directions.

Let the cupcakes cool before coring. I used my new Williams-Sonoma corer.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

See our previous blog on the best eggless cookie dough around (I used half the recipe for the cookie dough center but feel free to make the whole batch so you can nibble away while baking!)

Make sure the dough has been chilled for a least an hour in the freezer before making teaspoon-sized cylinders for the dough centers.

Place the cylinders in the cupcake core and make sure the top of the cupcake is even.

Cookie Dough Frosting


Ingredients:

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 c. confectioners sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. milk
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) in a mixer or with a hand blender until smooth. Put frosting into a piping bag with your favorite tip. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcake and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar and egg. Add the flour mix to the sugar mix and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and mix evenly.

Place tablespoons of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool and place in the middle of the icing.

You can keep the cookie dough center a secret and give your guests an extra surprise when they bite in!

Good luck eating just one!

Holy Guacamole: Loving our new Molcajete!

Christmas is around the corner and Aric and I got a present early this year: a molcajete! 

A traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle, it is traditionally carved out of a single block of basalt (which ours is). The rough surface of the basalt stone provides an excellent grinding surface, perfect for making guacamole.

We were anxious to give it a whirl so off to the grocery store we went and got all the ingredients we needed for a nacho feast!

Do you think it is possible for our guacamole to taste even better just because it is happier in its pretty molcajete home?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 ripe tomato , diced
• 3 ripe avocados , peeled and dices
• Lime juice (2 limes)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• 5 or 6 fresh cilantro sprigs
• Tortilla chips for serving

Directions:

Prepare all the ingredients and combine in the molecajete. Smash to desired chunkiness and serve with chips for dipping.

Serves 4 to 6.

A Taste of Hong Kong: Egg Waffles

Last Valentine's Day, Aric decided to buy me an Egg Waffle pan after I oohed and ahhed over it during a Christmas stroll through one of our favorite stores: Williams-Sonoma. I'll admit, I was pretty excited about this pan, based on the following two reasons: (1) I have both an ebelskiver pan and a mini-waffle pan, also from Williams-Sonoma, that I adore and figured this would be a perfect addition to my pan collection and (2) the picture of the egg waffle on the packaging looked delicious. Note that I had never seen nor even ever heard of an egg waffle before this chance encounter so I had no idea if I would actually like it but what can I say, I am apparently a sucker for breakfast food pans!

My first attempt was somewhat of a disaster. I used the egg waffle mix, also found at Williams-Sonoma, and battled between burning the suckers and under cooking them. I think this mainly had to do with learning what stove top setting worked best with the pan, as my most recent attempt went off without a hitch.  (Note, I had similar (and somewhat frustrating) trial and error experiences with the other two pans on my first attempts but once you get that sorted out, you are good to go. Don't be discouraged!) 

I also switched it up slightly this time around and followed the recipe on Williams-Sonoma.com, which I preferred as it had nutmeg in it and was a slightly sweeter flavor.

Since I knew nothing about these waffles, I did a quick Google search after I got the pan to learn a bit about them. Sold as a street snack by sidewalk vendors in Hong Kong (and ranked No.3 in the 50 most popular HK "street snacks" to boot), gai daan tsai, or egg waffles are a puffy, doughy treat and are enjoyed for breakfast and snacks, eaten either plain or with fruit. Historians agree that the egg waffle originated in the 1950's but the story of where it came from are debatable.

Well, wherever it came from, it is a yummy twist on your traditional weekend waffle breakfast!

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 6 egg whites, beaten to medium peaks
• Vegetable oil for cooking

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, butter and sugar until combined. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined and no lumps remain. Add one-third of the beaten egg whites to the batter and stir until lightened. Gently fold in the remaining whites in 2 additions.

Set a wire rack on a baking sheet. Preheat both sides of an egg waffle pan on separate burners over medium heat until hot. Lightly brush each side of the pan with vegetable oil and pour 3/4 cup batter into the center of one side. Immediately place the other side of the pan on top, flip the pan over and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Flip the pan over and cook until the waffle is golden brown on the other side, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more.

Open the pan, invert the waffle onto the rack-lined baking sheet and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes 5 egg waffles.

A New French Onion Soup is in Town

It has turned cold here and I crave nothing more than hot drinks and meals. Apparently it is only going to get colder (or so they keep telling me) so there is bound to be a plethora of "warm you from the inside out" meals here for the next few months.

One of my most recent favorites is Gwyneth Paltrow's White Bean Soup, from her cookbook  “My Father’s Daughter”. This recipe was inspired from a soup she used to have at a restaurant that she and her father would go to in Los Angeles. She actually offers this recipe with two versions: French Onion and With Kale. They both are amazing soups which is why I prefer to combine them into one steaming bowl of perfection.

The end result looks like a yummy French Onion Soup on top, with slices of bread and melted cheese. Once you dig in, you have the reinvented amber brown onion broth that contains the white beans and kale. This is a soup that not only tastes amazing but you get great health benefits from as well. Kale is considered one of the healthiest vegetables around  and white beans are full of protein and fiber.

Who would of thought, a soup that tastes this delicious can be so good for you?

Here is my adapted recipe.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, stems and fronds removed, sliced thinly
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
Coarse salt
1 bunch of kale, stems disgarded and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
8 thin slices baguette
1 cup of Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium-heat. Add the fennel and onion and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the 15 minute mark add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. The onions and fennel will be slightly carmelized.

Add the chile flakes, oregano and pepper and cook for a minute. Add the beans and stock, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and add salt to taste, and let cook on low heat for 1 hour.

Stir in the kale leaves and let it cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until slightly cooked. Lade into four to six ovenproof bowls. Float two toasts on each bowl and evenly distribute the cheese. Put the bowls under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly, less than a few minutes. 

Serves 4-6.

(Note: I didn't use the fennel, as I am not a fan of the taste, and I don't find that I have to substitute it with anything)

Molasses Chicken Sandwich with Sweet Potato Mash

The other night I was thinking about our Cuban dinner and was craving those flavors but wanted something quick and simple. So, I did what I normally do in a situation like this... I turned to Williams-Sonoma to hunt down a recipe.


I ended up finding a molasses chicken, which was reminiscent of both the molasses beans and the chicken from our Cuban meal. I decided that it would be fun as a sandwich so Aric grilled the molasses chicken (Gardein chicken for me) then we smothered it between fresh spinach leaves, ranch dressing, red onions, asiago cheese and two toasted pieces of focaccia bread. It not only looked divine, it tasted divine too.


We paired that with the oh so delicious sweet potato mash from Thanksgiving for a twist on the traditional  potato side dish.


A quick and simple dinner that is tasty and looks great - you can't ask for much more than that.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 chicken, about 4 lb., cut into 8 pieces
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Make the bourbon-molasses sauce

Prepare a hot fire in a grill.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the ketchup, molasses, vinegar and bourbon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Grill the chicken

Season the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill rack. Place the chicken pieces, skin side down, on the rack over the drip pan, positioning the legs, thighs and wings closest to the heat. Cover the grill and cook, turning the pieces occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh or breast (not touching bone) reads 170°F, about 50 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of grilling, brush the pieces generously with the sauce. Remove from the grill and serve. 

Serves 4. 

Reader's Choice Reveal Part II; Rack of Lamb with Mint Pesto & Warm Gorgonzola Potato Salad

Thanks to everyone who voted for the rack of lamb, I was secretly pulling for this recipe. Earlier this year my cousin gave me a cookbook from a restaurant they had eaten at while on vacation in Hawaii. The cookbook is The Hali’imaile General Store Cookbook. The reviews of the restaurant from my cousin were top notch, so needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to trying something from the cookbook. I could pick 3 potential recipes from just about every one of my cookbooks, but I wanted to be sure to spread the love around several different cookbooks for this reader’s choice blog.

Apparently the restaurant is famous for its Hunan lamb recipe, to the point where they refuse to share the recipe with anyone. This recipe is their attempt at a viable second option. There are several parts to this recipe, so let’s just get to it.

Mint Pesto:

2 cups packed fresh mint leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds)

1 Tbsp. good quality red wine vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

To prepare the pesto, in a food processor, combine the mint leaves, garlic, and pepitas and pulse several times. With the motor running, add the vinegar and drizzle in the oil through the feed tube and process until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and add the salt and pepper. (For the record, I did not like the peptitas. I would stick with a more traditional pine nuts)

Warm Gorgonzola Potato Salad:

20 small new potatoes (about 2 lbs)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

1 red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped chives

½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

To prepare the salad, in a saucepan combine the potatoes with water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until tender. Drain, quarter the potatoes, and keep warm in a large bowl.

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes, until just cooked. If the pan dries out, add 1 Tbsp. of water so the mushrooms won’t scorch. Add to the potatoes along with the onion and chives and toss together. Add the gorgonzola and toss again. Keep warm. (For the record Tim, we did not include the mushrooms in our version)

Rack of Lamb:

Heat a large non-stick ovenproof sauté pan over high heat until hot. No oil is needed. Using tongs, sear the lamb racks for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the loin side. Until caramelized. Remove the racks from the sauté pan and spread one-half of the pesto over the top of each rack. Return the racks to the pan, place in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes for medium rare, or to desired doneness. (I let my lamb marinate for about 20 hours in a little olive oil, with fresh garlic and rosemary) (Vegetarian Substitute: We used Morningstar Farms Hickory BQQ Riblets)

Cut each rack into 4 double chops and transfer 2 to each warmed individual plate. Serve with the warm potato salad.

Spinich Salad:

Spinich
Strawberries
Feta Cheese
Pecans

We went to an old standby for this salad. It's one i've been making for years. Fresh baby spinish with sliced fresh strawberries, crumbled feta cheese, and pecans. Generally I use a poppyseed dressing, but as this was last minute we used what we had on-hand, spicy ranch.

Reader's Choice Reveal Part One: Boston Cream Pie Cake

Well, the weekend is drawing to a close and we can finally reveal what the final selections were from our Reader’s Choice post: Aric made his lamb dish and I made the Boston Crème Pie Cake. And since Aric is still eating his good portioned slice of cake, I decided to blog first.

First off, I have to talk about the cookbook from which the recipe came from: Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito. Aric bought it for me last Christmas because he knew how much I loved baking and so far, every recipe I have tried from this cookbook has been nothing short of amazing. With that bit of confidence in my back pocket, I felt good about making this cake. And of course, I was not disappointed. This 4-layer concoction was an excellent balance between the thick, creamy custard, the decadent chocolate glaze and the lightness of the sponge.

Just make sure to give yourself some time to prepare this. It isn’t an overly difficult cake to make, it just takes time. I decided to made the custard the night before and let it chill in the fridge overnight so that I could just focus on the cake and the assembly on the day of.

Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Boston Cream Pie Cake

For the milk sponge cake

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the pastry cream filling

• 7 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 3 cups whole milk
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp light rum
• 6 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), finely chopped

For the chocolate glaze

• 5 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60-72%), coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Make the milk sponge cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms iwth parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the parchment with flour and knock out the excess flour.

In a large bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together the butter and milk until butter is just melted. Do not overheat. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until the mixture is pale and has tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the standing mixer and sprinkle a third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture. Gently fold the two together, using a rubber spatula. Add the rest of the flour mixture and fold again.

Add the warm milk mixture (if it has cooled completely, reheat it slightly) to the batter and gently fold until just incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake might appear wobbly if you shake the pan, but if pressed gently in the middle, it should spring back.


Transfer the cake pans to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack and let them cool completely. Remove the parchment.

Make the pastry cream filling

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar, the salt, and cornstarch until the mixture is pale, thick and smooth.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk and the remaining half of the sugar. Continue stirring until the mixture boils. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour about a third of the liquid into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the tempered egg mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture and, whisking constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and strain thought a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and rum until combined.

Scoop a third of the pastry cream into a different bowl and set it aside. Add the chocolate to the warm pastry cream remaining in the pan and stir until melted and smooth. Scoop the chocolate cream into a bowl. Once both pastry creams have cooled for about 15 minutes, wrap both bowls in plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours of overnight.

Make the chocolate glaze

Place the chocolate and cocoa powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth.

In another small saucepan, combine the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and salt with 1/4 cup water. Place the pan over low heat and warm, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter. Whisk to release excess heat, then add the reserved chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Set the sauce aside; it will thicken while you assemble the cake.

Assemble the Boston Cream Pie Cake

Using a serrated knife, cut the cake layers in half horizontally. Place the first cake layer on a platter and scoop half of the chocolate pastry cream on top. Spread the cream evenly to the cake’s edges using an offset spatula. Add a second cake layer and cover that with all the vanilla cream. Add a third cake layer and cover it with the remaining chocolate cream. Place the last layer on the top and press gently with your palms to help the cake layers adhere to the pastry cream.

Very slowly, pour the thickened chocolate glaze onto the center of the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread it out to the edges so that it drips down the sides of the cake. Let the sauce thicken for about 20 minutes before serving.

The cake tastes best when eaten within 24 hours. If you have leftovers, tent the entire cake in foil and refrigerate. Serve it chilled or at room temperature.

Yield: one 8-inch, 4-layer round cake