Only 3 1/2 days of school left.  I'm not sure if I should be elated or terrified.  I'm leaning towards terrified.

Yikes!

Let's focus on cupcakes, shall we.
I have a new favorite cupcake!
 


Oh my freakin' WORD!  Where have these babies been all my life?!  My chocolate-only-lovin' boy was impressed with these as well.  =Huge!

I've always liked Snickerdoodle cookies, but I'm not sure I would pick them over a more flashy option.  Hello...Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies or Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies or even Pretzel M&M Cookies.  It's another story with the cupcake version of this cookie.  Good grief.  Delicious!   

Make some soon!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Yield:  28 cupcakes
Printer Friendly Recipe

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk

Frosting
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp cinnamon
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3-5 Tbsp whipping cream

Directions:
1.  Make the cupcakes:  Preheat oven to 350F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

2.  With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated.  Beat in vanilla.  Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

3.  Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about three-quarters full.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes in tins for 10 minutes then remove cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.

4.  Make the frosting:  With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese.  Blend in salt, vanilla and cinnamon.  Add confectioners' sugar and mix well.  Mix in whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time, until mixture is spreadable.  Frost cupcakes.

Source:  Cupcakes-Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Frosting- Brandy's Baking original concoction :)

Today I am grateful.  I'm just grateful.
My children are healthy and they are really great kids...though I may be a little biased.
My husband and I are healthy.  We are happy.
We have a safe and comfy home.
I have nice friends and a loving family.
My children have wonderful teachers.

I'm just taking a moment away from a bout of worry and heartbreak.  Having a child with ADHD has brought many interesting challenges into our lives.  Some of those challenges are fairly easy to overcome, some of them are a little more difficult to walk through with my baby.  This too shall pass.  I believe that.

So, today I am grateful.  I have a smile on my face and happiness in my heart because I have so much to be grateful for. 

I find a certain amount of comfort in baking.  I'm sure I've mentioned that before.  So, this week, I've been baking.  This is a brownie recipe that I LOVE, and have posted about before.  It's easy and it yields a super fudgey brownie with a little milk chocolate and toffee goodness in the middle.  I wanted to bring them back so you could be sure and enjoy them too.


Go ahead, make some.

Symphony Brownies
Source:  My Baking Addiction
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate; coarsely chopped
3/4 cup butter
1 ½ cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 (4.5 ounce) Symphony Chocolate bars; broken into little rectangles

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper or foil, and butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in a large bowl (slowly and at low power-don't burn the chocolate!) for 2-3 minutes (30 seconds at a time) or until butter is melted.
3. Whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in sugar and add in eggs, vanilla and salt.  Whisk until smooth. Gradually add in flour and stir until just combined.
4. Spread ½ the batter into prepared pan. Add an even layer of Symphony bar rectangles and cover with remaining ½ of brownie batter.  Gently spread the batter, making it smooth and even.  Bake for 30 - 32 minutes; do not over bake.
5. Let brownies cool completely on a rack before cutting. 



 This post is linked to:  Sweets for a Saturday

Can you stand one more breakfast-ish post?  These muffins are worth it, I promise.  I'll pull myself out of the breakfast bread lane with the next post, for sure.



Don't be put off by the zucchini in the muffins, they don't taste at all vegetable-y.  Quelle Horreur!  My kids, the proudest picky picksters in town, love these muffins.  I keep them around for after-school snacks, lunch box treats, and most importantly...my breakfast. :)

It took me many years to find a recipe for zucchini bread/muffins that I really like.  Lots of the recipes that I ran across called for crushed pineapple.  That's tasty and all, but in terms of texture...much too funky for my kids.  These little muffins come together so quickly and easily.


Make some today!

Zucchini Muffins
makes about 20-22 muffins

Printer Friendly Recipe 

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease standard size muffin tins.

Press zucchini between two layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sugars, oil, milk, vanilla and eggs; add to flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in zucchini.

Bake in prepared muffin cups for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Source:  slightly adapted from Southern Living

I have a confession.
It involves pecans.
I'm a thief.  A pecan thief.
A pecan pilferer, bandit, burglar, hijacker...whatever.

Dear Mom and Dad-
I've been stealing your pecans.  I've been using them to make cake...mostly, though sometimes I just straight up eat them.
I.
Apologize.

This is where I'm going to insert a distracting picture.
Looooook at the caaaaaaaake.




Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake
Source:  Slightly adapted from Southern Living - Home Cooking Favorites
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a 9" square pan with parchment paper or grease with baking spray.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, coffee granules, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Pulse until blended.  Add in butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly.  Pour 1/2 of mixture into a mixing bowl.  Press the remaining 1/2 of mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan; set aside. 

Combine sour cream and baking soda, stirring well.  Add to crumb mixture in mixing bowl, along with egg.  Stir gently to combine.  Pour mixture over crumb crust in pan.  Sprinkle pecans over the top.

Bake at 350F for 38-42 minutes.  Cool and cut into squares. 

You know what I did this past weekend?  I took a nap.  I did.  This is interesting to you, no?  The reason that I'm mentioning it is because I don't nap.  I do keep the nightly bedtime schedule of a toddler, but I don't nap.  Too many voices.
In my head - Laundry:  "Fold me, woman!"
                     Floors:  "Scrub me, woman!"
                 
Literally -  "Mommmmmm?"   "Mommmmmmm?"  "Mmmmooooommmmm!  We're out of toilet paper...again!  hhhheeelp."
           

You get the idea.

Anywho!  I got a nap on Saturday.  When I woke up, an hour or so later, my house was empty and quiet...no hubby, no kiddos.  Hmmm?  I started searching. 

This is what I saw when I opened my front door.



Yikes!  He's 8.  He's my baby.  WTH??!

Fortunately, little dude had not gone all Lizzy Borden on us.  He was just helping out with some yard work, and very proud of himself, I might add.




Yeeeaahh.  I need my kids to not swing axes.

Shall we talk about Carrot Cake Scones now?  That's what you're here for, right?  Sorry about the axe blabber.





I love math, don't you?
These scones were light, and actually, I didn't feel too guilty for eating them for breakfast.  They contain carrots and raisins, after all.  Fruits and veggies!  Veggies and Fruits!  I do think I'll leave the raisins out next time, but that's the only change I'll make.

So here they are!  Make some soon!



Carrot Cake Scones

Prep Time:  15 minutes
Bake Time:  15-20 minutes
Yield:  12 - 3" Round Scones

Ingredients:

For the Scones:
3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp orange (or lemon) zest
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins

For the Glaze:
1/2 cup or 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 - 2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
Make the scones:  Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, orange (or lemon) zest, and walnuts; pulse until blended. Add butter and pulse until mixture is coarse and grainy. Turn out mixture into a large bowl. Make a well in the center and stir in buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Stir gently with a fork to make a soft batter; then fold in carrots and raisins. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes.

Lightly flour a work surface and pat or press dough to a 3/4" thickness. Use a 3" round biscuit/ cookie cutter to cut 12 scones. Place scones on prepared baking sheet. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the glaze:  Combine all the glaze ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to make a smooth glaze.  Spread generously over cooled scones.

Source:  Marcy Goldman - A Passion for Baking


This post is linked to: Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday
Southern Sundays

I've been MIA again!  So sorry. :)  I'm working on a few updates to the blog and I've sort of been waiting to post until everything is squared away.  I've accepted that the completion date is going to be pushed out a little longer, which is fine.  I mostly just need to move to an isolated island (with Internet access, of course) and MAKE myself finish the updates.  No problem, right?!  Anyway, I have recipes to share until I get my island on. :)

But wait!  I have something non-recipe related to share...just because! :)  I mentioned a while back that I was training to run a 5K.  Well, I did it!  I did it!  I did it this past weekend.


So!  Yea me and all, and now, back to our regularly scheduled programming!  :)

Hot Fudge Whopper Cupcakes!

This little cupcake knocked some socks off.
Really.
Socks were flying!

I wanted to do something dramatic, drizzled with chocolate ganache and ready for serious savoring!  I sort of cobbled together elements from some of my favorite recipes, and the result...Ahhhh.Mazing!  (If I do say so myself!  I've really got a problem with patting myself on the back today...sorry!)




I've made a Hot Fudge Whopper Cake before, for my son's birthday.  (Hello, Mom of the Year folks.  Are you there?  Take note.)  I was inspired by this awesome cake at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.  You need to check this girl, check her today, if you aren't already hooked. :)

I started with a doubled batch of my favorite chocolate cupcakes, topped them with chocolate coffee buttercream and a drizzle of ganache, and then put a Whopper on all that goodness!

Here we go!




This post is linked to:  Southern Sundays

I'm throwing in a little seasonal variety today.  Seasonal variety.  That makes sense, right?  We've had such a mild winter here in Texas, so mild that I'm truly frightened about what sort of scorching temperatures summer might bring. 


I'm trying not to worry about it by completely skipping over summer in my mind...and thinking about fall.  Ah FALL, cool breezes, pretty leaves and apples!

Still following my mental distraction from thoughts of Hades Texas summertime?  You'll like where it's going. 


So yes, as soon as I remembered that I had pinned this lovely apple cake from Lick the Bowl Good, my mind stopped worrying and wandering and snapped to attention. 

This little cake was super easy to make and turned out so moist and delicious.  The brown sugar glaze put it way over the top.  Make it soon...no need to wait until fall arrives.





This post is linked to:  Trick or Treat Tuesday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday