Cookie-Father's Day

I wanted to make cookies for Father's Day and I'd seen recipes for "Chubby Hubby" cookies that usually included peanut butter, pretzels, and chocolate in some form and I liked the flavor combo.  This is my version for Father's Day, maybe not the best name ever...
  

Flabby Father's Day cookies

Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix
1/4c AP flour
1/4c (1/2 stick) butter, softened
3tbs milk
2 eggs
2c peanut butter chips
1 1/2c crushed pretzels
1c marshmallows

Directions:

1.  Combine brownie mix, flour, eggs, butter, and milk and mix until integrated on slow speed.
2.  Add peanut butter chips, pretezels, and marshmallows
3.  Place dough in 2tbs dollops on cookie sheet and bake @ 350F for 10-12min
Yield 3 1/2 dozen


Notes:
-The batter is kind of sticky but the cookies still turn out well.
-I meant to add peanuts too but I forgot, I do think they'd be better with peanuts added
-I left the marshmallows out for 1/2 the batch because I wasn't sure if they'd work well in a cookie but I liked them much better WITH the marshmallow

The Verdict:
Overall pretty good, but I think I'll try a richer brownie base next time (I like my chocolate).  The cookies do still have a slightly soft brownie texture but in this case that's what I was going for.


Original Recipe from:  Brownie mix cookies

Cupcakes-Simple

It was Nana's birthday and these are what she asked for.  I was afraid they'd be kind of boring but they ended up looking and tasting pretty good!

Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake
1 box Yellow Cake mix
4 eggs
1c buttermilk
1/2 butter, melted

Frosting
1c (2 sticks) butter, softened
1tsp vanilla flavoring
1/2 tsp rum flavoring
3c confectioner's sugar
1-3tsp milk

Optional
sprinkles
mandarin orange slices

Directions:

1. Mix cake mix, butter, eggs, and buttermilk until integrated on low speed, then beat on med-high for 2min
2. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake @ 325F for about 15min, until slightly brown on the top
3. Beat butter and extracts until butter lightens in color, then slowly add confectioner's sugar.
4. Add milk as needed for the right consistency (I like mine fairly soft and I only needed about 2 tsp).
5. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, I topped mine with sprinkles and a mandarin orange slice.
Yield 2 dozen


Notes:
-I heard adding alcohol based extracts to butter before adding other ingredients can enhance the flavor which is why I added the extracts to the butter before mixing. 
-I dried my orange slices in paper towels before topping the cupcakes with them so they didn't melt the buttercream or make the sprinkles run.


The Verdict:
Surprising pretty and delicious.  They'd be a good base cupcake for those people who are kind of picky about their cupcake flavors.  You could substitute the Rum flavoring for pretty much any flavor and top with different kinds of fruit and still not have an overpowering flavor.


Original Recipe from:  No one in particular, just basic cake mix and buttercream recipe this time :)

Cupcakes-PB&J Cupcakes

I had a request for baked goods and they said they liked the PB cup cookies I made for Christmas.  I had just made rolo cupcakes so I wanted something different from PB cup cupcakes so I decided on PB & J.  I looked around Google for a few recipes but didn't find anything I liked so I kind of made this one up on the fly.  I think it turned out pretty well.

Chocolate topped PB & J Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cake
1 box Yellow Cake mix (I like Ducan Hines)
1c peanut butter (I used honey roasted creamy)
4 eggs
1c buttermilk
1/2tsp salt

Icing
1pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2c confectioner's sugar
1c fruit jam (I used strawberry)
1c (1 stick, 8tbs) butter, softened
1tsp vanilla

Chocolate Dip
2c chocolate chips
3tbs vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Mix cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, peanut butter, and salt until integrated, then beat on medium-high for 2min
2. Pour into cupcake liners 2/3 full, bake at 350F for 10min, then turn down to 325F until done.
3. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and butter on med-high for 2min or until lighter in color, then add jam and sugar.  If the frosting is soft you can put it in the freezer for 10min.
4. Once cupcakes are cool, frost and place in the freezer for 30min to chill the cupcakes.
5. Melt chocolate and add oil for topping and dip chilled cupcakes into chocolate topping. 
Yield 2 dozen


Notes:
-I left out nuts b/c I had a request for no nuts but if I made them for me I'd use crunchy pb and add peanuts
-Would be great topped with a strawberry (or jam corresponding fruit) and chopped peanuts
-Icing recipe should work with any jam
-Didn't try jelly b/c I didn't know how it would blend with the rest of the icing but I might give it a try if I redo this recipe at some point


The Verdict:
They did really taste like peanut butter and jelly!  The chocolate topping was good but it made a mess when you tried to bite into them, I need to work on a softer chocolate topping.


Original Recipe from:  Me

Cupcakes-Rolo Cupcakes

 I wanted to make birthday cupcakes for a friend.  She had really liked my rolo cookie recipe from my 25 Days of Christmas cookies, so I decided to try making rolo cupcakes for her.  They tasted great but I had a couple of mishaps with the caramel.

Rolo Cupcakes

(somehow I don't have a picture of these which is ironic because they ended up being really pretty but it looks like my phone ate them)

Ingredients:

Cake
1 box Chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1c buttermilk
4 eggs
1/3c vegetable oil (or however much it says on the box)

Frosting
1pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1c (1stick; 8tbs) butter, softened
1tsp vanilla
1c confectioner's sugar
1c hazelnut spread (Nutella)
~24 rolo candies to top

Caramel
1c sugar
6tbs butter
1/3c heavy cream

Directions:

1.  Combine cake mix, buttermilk, eggs, and oil and mix until integrated on low speed, then beat on med-high for 2min.
2. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake @ 350F for 10min, then turn down to 325F until done (about 7min more).
3. For the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy then add hazelnut spread and sugar.  If the frosting is too soft you can put it in the freezer for 10min.
4. For the caramel, melt butter in a small pot on med-low heat and add the sugar.  Stir continuously as the sugar melts to keep it from burning.
5. Once the mixture thickens and turns dark amber, remove from heat and slowly add the heavy cream while wisking continuously.
6. Once cool, cut a cone piece out of the middle of the cupcakes for the filling.  Do this by cutting a circle out of the top of the cupcake that meets at a point in the middle of the cupcake and then cut the point off, leaving an empty pocket in the middle of the cupcake for filling.
7.  Fill the cupcake with caramel and frost.  Garnish with left over caramel and rolo candies.
Yield 2 dozen


Notes:
-The first time I tried to make the caramel I heated the sugar without the butter like the original recipe says.  It burned.  Which I was afraid it would do because I've always combined the butter and sugar before heating when making caramel.
-My second attempt at the caramel I heated the sugar and butter together and it was going pretty well until it seized up on me.  I couldn't figure out what I did wrong until I tried adding the cream.  I had over heated the caramel and once I add the cream I basically made toffee in caramel soup.  Delicious but made the insides of the cupcakes crunchy
-I was really afraid of burning the cream since the caramel was really hot but adding the caramel to the cream to temper it just hardened it into a ball.  I ended up adding the cream slowly to the caramel while stirring and it did fine.


The Verdict:
Awesome, even with the crunchy caramel.  Definitely worth another try.  Very rich though, couldn't eat more than 1 at a time.


Original Recipe from: Your Cup of Cake

Cupcakes-Thin Mint

My spin on a girl scout favorite :)

Thin Mint Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cake
1 box Chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2c oil (or whatever it says on the box)
1/3c Creme de Menthe
1c buttermilk

Frosting
8oz Whipped topping, softened
4tbs Creme de Menthe

Chocolate Topping
1pkg (2c) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3tbs vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, cake mix, oil, buttermilk, and Creme de Menthe and mix on low speed until integrated, then beat on med-high for 2min.
2. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake @ 350F for 10min then turn the oven down to 325F until done (about 5min).
3. For the frosting, fold Creme de Menthe into the whipped topping.  Store whipped topping in the freezer until cupcakes are cool (you don't want it to harden completely but the thicker it is, the easier it is to frost cupcakes).
4. When the cupcakes are cool, pipe on whipped topping and place in the freezer for at least 30min.
5. Melt chocolate and add oil for topping (I use a microwave but double boilers work as well).  Once frosted cupcakes are cooled and the whipped topping is firm enough to turn upside down, dip cupcakes into chocolate topping and place back in the freezer for 5min.  
Yield 2 dozen


Notes:
-I left out an egg white because the alcohol can make the cake dry and taking out an egg white balances it out.
-Next time try with chocolate (Nutella or maybe chocolate pudding) mint frosting.  The whipped topping tasted good and the texture was great but technically Thin Mints are all chocolate.
-This recipe could be easily altered for Andes mint cupcakes
-I didn't add cookie chunks in the cupcakes because I was being stingy with my cookies, but when I make these again I will definitely add them

The Verdict:
Very good but the chocolate topping harden and made then kind of messy to eat.


Original Recipe from:   Cupcakes and Chocolate Topping