Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Fruity Almond Buttercream Frosting

Due to my leaving my workplace as a consequence of moving, I wanted the last cupcakes that I would make to be perfect and delicious. They were not perfect but I think I succeeded in the delicious part. I wanted to try something I had never done, so I made double chocolate cupcakes with a raspberry filling and a fruity almond buttercream. I obtained the recipe for the cupcakes and filling from Annie's Eats, one of my favorite food blogs. As for the tasty-looking frosting, it started originally as an almond buttercream frosting, but I found it to lack the almond taste I desired and as such I improvised to make it taste better. I oh so happened to have a freshly made blueberry/blackberry/banana smoothie in the refrigerator, which I spontaneously decided to add to my almond buttercream. After some adjustments, it came out surprisingly good and fruity, but not too sweet. Don't ask me to replicate it, though!      

Ingredients for cupcakes:

1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate*, coarsely chopped

1 cup hot brewed coffee

2 cups sugar

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk*

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for filling:

12 oz. (340 g) fresh raspberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Ingredients for frosting:

370 g unsalted butter, RT

4 1/2 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup almond powder*

1/2 cup blueberry/blackberry/banana smoothie

fresh blackberries, for decoration

* You can easily improvise your own buttermilk by adding one tablespoon of white vinegar in 1 cup of milk and letting sit 10 minutes prior to use. 

* If you are in the same situation as I was and do not have semi-sweet chocolate at hand, you can use unsweetened chocolate and add 1 tablespoon of sugar for every once of chocolate used (e.g. If the recipe calls for 2 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate instead). 

* If you don't have almond powder, you can simply use sliced almonds and grind them in the food processor. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place muffin liners in the cupcake pans.  
2. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and add the hot coffee. Let stand a minute or two and then whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. 

3. Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs until slighty thickened and a pale yellow.
5. Add in the oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture to the eggs, mixing until well blended.
6. Add the dry ingredients and beat until well combined. 
7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcakes liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes for large cupcakes and 11-12 for mini cupcakes.

8. To make the raspberry filling, puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan to remove the seeds. Whisk in the sugar and cornstarch and heat, stirring frequently until the mixture boils. Once the mixture has thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Chill before using. 
9. To fill the cupcakes, place the raspberry filling in a large pastry bag. Gently place the tip in the cupcake and squeeze about 2-3 teaspoons of filling into each cupcake. 
10. As mentioned, the frosting is at the base a simple buttercream frosting with almond powder mixed in. To this I added about 1/2 cup of a fruit smoothie. The resulting frosting was surprisingly quite good! 

Yield: a lot of cupcakes!! I obtained 16 large cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes (you could probably get about 22-24 large cupcakes). 

Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Mini Cupcakes

I realized how long it had been since I made cupcakes, so I used as an excuse the fact that I had a lab meeting at work the next day to make some for my colleagues (and myself, obviously). I was feeling for something summery and not too heavy, so I tried out a recipe for these cute strawberry and chocolate cupcakes, from my recipe book Cupcakes (Collection Cuistot) once again. They were quite pretty and tasty! 


*** Note: There's a step that was lacking information in the book, so instead of melting the chocolate chips like I later learned we were supposed to, I simply incorporated them into the mixture. The cupcakes were good nonetheless, but I think they would have been more so had I followed my instinct telling me that I should melt the chocolate chips. Sometimes my tenacity to follow recipes precisely when I try them for the first them gets the best of me! 

Ingredients for cupcakes:

80 g unsalted butter, RT
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup all purpose-flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberries, chopped
1/4 chocolate chips


Ingredients for frosting:

80 g unsalted butter, RT

1 cup icing sugar

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

fresh strawberries, for decoration


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place muffin liners in the mini cupcake pan.  

2. Beat together the butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Add in the egg and mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together ingredients to combine.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter preparation by alternating with the milk. Mix well.

6. Incorporate the fresh strawberries and chocolate chips (melted or not) to the mixture.

7. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 13-15 minutes.

8. For the frosting, beat together the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder until mixture is unctuous. If the frosting is too liquid or too difficult to manage, gradually add some more icing sugar or milk, respectively. Decorate the cupcakes with fresh sliced strawberries on top of the chocolate frosting, if so desired. 

Yield: 24-26 mini cupcakes

Delicious and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Always on the quest to find some new recipes, I nonetheless thoroughly appreciate some old classics too. Surprisingly, one recipe that I did not possess in my recipe book was one for chewy chocolate chip cookies. Last week a coworker of mine brought some to work, and this has made me realize my lack of such a recipe. Hence, I went looking for one, and came across what seemed to be the perfect chocolate chip cookie on the blog Annie's eats. So I tried it out, and  I was NOT disappointed. These are perhaps the best homemade chocolate chip cookies I have ever tried. They are chewy and simply heavenly. Finally, a go-to recipe for this classic cookie! I will never again need to bother finding another one. Why would I? 

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tbs. all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (about 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm 

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

2. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. 

3. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix well. 

4. Beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla extract until well combined. 

5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix at low speed. 

6. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula. 

7. Roll a small amount dough (a bit smaller than the size of a golf ball) into a ball. While holding the dough ball between the fingertips of both hands, gently pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate the halves at a 90° angle so that the jagged surfaces face up, and push both halves of the dough together. Place the formed dough onto the cookie sheet.

8. Repeat until no dough remains, making sure to leave ample room between each ball of dough on the baking sheet. 

9. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges are a light golden brown. Do not overbake! 

10. Leave on baking sheet for 15 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool down. 

Yield: 20-25 large cookies

Healthy Pistachio and Cranberry Dark Chocolate Bars

Since I am always on the quest for new recipes to try, I was lucky enough to come across a wonderful food blog: Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker. While browsing this very pretty blog I encountered the recipe you are now reading about: pistachios, dried cranberries and dark chocolate all combined together in one healthy dessert or snack. As you may or may not know, pistachios and cranberries are good for you because they are very high in antioxidants. Hopefully by now you are also aware of the fact that a small amount of dark chocolate can be very good for you, health-wise. Hence, I had no choice but to make these delicious looking bars, you know.... for my health. They literally take 5 minutes to make and they are very good. They make for a healthy snack comparing to those greasy nachos or double chocolate cake, so go ahead and try them out! 

Ingredients:

6 oz. (170 g) dark chocolate

1/4 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Place the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30 second intervals, stirring between each period of time to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn. Continue until the chocolate has completely melted.

2. Meanwhile, prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by buttering in and lining it with parchment paper. 

3. Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan and shake the pan back and forth to ensure that the chocolate is spread in an even layer in the pan.

4. Sprinkle on the chopped pistachios and dried cranberries to cover the whole pan. 

5. Place in the fridge to harden for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge, peel from the parchment paper and break the chocolate bars into pieces. 

6. Enjoy!

Pistachio Macarons

One exquisite French delicacy that I have always wanted to try to make myself are macarons, these crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside delicious treats. It is well known that making perfect macarons takes practice, and I quickly realized how true that statement was. My first attempt at making macarons was not so successful and took a lot of time. However, on the second try I was happily surprised with the outcome. I made pistachio macarons from a cute little recipe book entitled  Macarons, by Marie-Laure Tombini.

Ingredients for macarons:

2-3 eggs whites (80 g)
60 g sugar
120 g icing sugar
80 g almond powder *
1 pinch salt
green food coloring

Ingredients for pistachio cream filling:

100 ml milk, warm
1 egg yolk
25 g sugar
12 g corn starch
25 g pistachios, finely chopped

* If you cannot find almond powder, you can simply take blanched almonds and grind them finely in a food processor. 

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the almond powder and icing sugar to ensure a homogenous mixture. Sift this mixture in a bowl and discard the larger grains.
2. Beat the egg whites (I use a hand mixer with no problem) to obtain a meringue. At the last moment, add in the salt. This step should take about 5 minutes.


Hint: The first time I tried to make macarons, I took me 30 minutes to beat the egg whites into a meringue! Most likely there was a bit of egg yolk in my egg whites, so make sure to take your time while separating the egg yolks and whites. For optimal results, separate the egg whites from the yolks 24 hours prior to making the macarons and leave them at room temperature until needed for the recipe.


3. Add in the sugar and food coloring while continuously mixing. Whisk until the meringue is shiny.
4. Incorporate the almond mixture to the meringue a small amount at a time. Combine gently by folding in the meringue with a spatula. Do this until all the almond mixture is incorporated, but make sure to not overwork the meringue.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a large round tip. Form small rounds on the baking pan lined with parchment paper by keeping the tip as close to the pan as possible, lifting the tip at the last moment.
6. Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles. Don't hesitate to smack it hard. Let these rest for 30-45 minutes, until dry to the touch.
7. Preheat oven to 300°F and bake for 12-14 minutes. Let the shells cool down completely before forming the macarons.

8. For the pistachio cream filling, mix the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Add the egg yolk and warm milk and whisk vigorously until well combined. Transfer this mixture to a pot and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Add in the chopped pistachios. Transfer the cream to a bowl and cover with a plastic film until cooled down to room temperature.
9. When the macarons have cooled, garnish one shell with the pistachio cream filling using a piping bag with a round tip, and cover with another shell. Assemble all macarons as such, making sure that similar-sized  shells form a macaron. 

Yield: 15-20 small macarons

To make these macarons I also relied heavily on Food Nouveau's blog about making the perfect macarons for tips. It was of great help, because it's not easy to make macarons! It's takes practice.

Coconut Shake and Bake and Pasta Salad with Green Onion Dressing

What I love to do regarding food, apart from cooking and eating it, is to watch the Food Network. I don't have it at home, so when I visit my parents I enjoy watching it. Last Fall I came across two delicious recipes by Roger Mooking for coconut chicken and pasta salad with green onion dressing, and it looked so good that I just had to try it out. It is very different from what I usually make, but since I am determined to be more open-minded vis-à-vis such recipes I tried it. Fortunately I was not disappointed, quite the opposite in fact. This meal is delicious, but at the same time feels light and summery, so enjoy! 

Ingredients for shake and bake:

8-10 chicken drumsticks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup panko (or coarse bread crumbs)
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
salt and pepper 


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. 

2. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the vegetable oil and mix well to ensure the chicken drumsticks are evenly coated. 

3. Season with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Don't hesitate to get dirty and use your (clean) hands!

4. In a large resealable bag, place the panko and coconut. Shake the bag to combine the ingredients. 

5. Place 2-3 chicken drumsticks at a time in the bag, then close it making sure it is sealed, and shake to coat the chicken with the bread crumbs and coconut mixture. 

6. Remove chicken from the bag and place on the baking sheet. 

7. Repeat steps 5-6 until no chicken remains. 

8. Cook for 45-50 minutes, until chicken is golden brown. 

Ingredients for pasta salad:

340 g bow-tie pasta, cooked
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, cut into 1/4 inch thick rings
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

Green onion dressing

chopped parsley (optional)

Ingredients for green onion dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
1 bunch green onion (white bottoms and green tops separated)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. For green onion dressing: Cook the white parts of the green onions in a bit of olive oil. In a food processor, combine both parts of the green onions, olive oil, garlic clove, white wine vinegar and dijon mustard. Mix until mixture is homogenous. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve for pasta salad.
2. While the pasta is cooking, cover the red onion slices with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for about 10 minutes, turning once.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the vegetable oil.
4. Chop the grilled red onions and add these, as well as the peppers, to the pasta.
5. Add the green onion dressing to the pasta salad and combine all ingredients.
6. Garnish with coconut and parsley.
7. Enjoy!


Yield: 4 

White Chocolate and Moka Cupcakes

Although it is apparently not "real" chocolate (my brain still refuses to believe such reports), I do love white chocolate. Consequently, for the upcoming visit of my younger sisters I made some white chocolate and moka cupcakes. The recipe, as one might suspect, is derived from Cupcakes (Collection Cuistot). I dare say these were my favorite cupcakes I have made thus far, and I have made plenty! I found them to be quite delicious. I believe upon tasting them I said it was like Le Cirque du Soleil in my tastebuds!

Ingredients for moka cupcakes:

125 g butter, RT

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

100 g white chocolate, grated

2 teaspoons instant coffee

Ingredients for buttercream frosting:

2 1/4 cups icing sugar

185 g butter, RT

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place muffin liners in cupcake pan.

2. Lightly beat the eggs, and add in the butter and sugar. Mix until mixture is light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and instant coffee. Whisk together ingredients to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients and the white chocolate to the butter preparation. Mix well.

5. Add the milk and combine until an homogeneous mixture is obtained.

6. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 18-21 minutes.

7. For the frosting, beat together the butter and icing sugar until mixture is unctuous. If the frosting is too liquid or too difficult to manage, gradually add some more icing sugar or milk, respectively. Add in gel food coloring at this point, if so desired.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Moka Cupcakes

I was in a mood to make cupcakes again, which is pretty much any time I actually have the time to bake. I made these cute moka cupcakes from my book Cupcakes (Collection Cuistot). I gave a go at new icing techniques and this is what I obtained. I was pretty happy with myself and found them really cute, but my friends and coworkers seemed to think it was a bit too much frosting. Too much frosting! I didn't even know that was possible. In my mind, I don't eat a cupcake to be healthy, so when I do eat one I want to enjoy it. Either way, I liked the way they tasted.

Ingredients for moka cupcakes:

80 g butter, RT

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon instant coffee

Ingredients for buttercream frosting:

2 cups icing sugar

160 g butter, RT

2 teaspoons instant coffee

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place muffin liners in cupcake pan.

2. Lightly beat the egg, and add in the butter and sugar. Mix until mixture is light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and coffee. Whisk together ingredients to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter preparation. Mix well.

5. Add the milk and combine until an homogeneous mixture is obtained.

6. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 20-23 minutes.

7. For the frosting, beat together the butter, icing sugar and instant coffee until mixture is unctuous. If the frosting is too liquid or too difficult to manage, gradually add some more icing sugar or milk, respectively. Add in gel food coloring at this point, if so desired.

Yield: 9 cupcakes

Pistachio Shortbread

This week I wanted to make something new, so I tried a recipe of pistachio shortbread from my new book L'Art de confectioner des biscuits - Variations sur le thème à la douzaine, by Shelly Kaldunski (Christmas gift from my best friend! Ah, she knows me so well.). These were very easy to make and were quite delicious! In fact I adored them, and so did all that tried, it seems. I actually made another batch of these not a week after the first one, so these are sure to be one of my go-to baked goods!

Ingredients:

315 g all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

250 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, RT

125 g icing sugar

1 large egg white

60-75 g pistachios, roughly chopped *

Green food coloring (optional)

* I write 60-75 g because the original recipe calls for 60 g of pistachios, but I prefer when there is a higher pistachio per cookie ratio. I find that 75 g is perfect for such a case.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the icing sugar for 2-3 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt.

3. To the butter mixture, add the egg white and beat at low speed to ensure its proper incorporation.

4. Add the mixture of dry ingredients and beat to barely combine. Do not overbeat.

5. Add the pistachios and a small amount of green food coloring, if desired. Mix well.

6. With hands lightly floured, shape the dough into a cylinder of 15 x 2 inches. Wrap the cylinder into plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the cylinder into slices of 1/4 inch. Place the slices of shortbread on two baking sheets covered in parchment paper and bake for 14-17 minutes.

Yield: approximatively 35 cookies