Week 10: Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

** Disclaimer: Something weird happened with the font on this post. I worked on it for awhile, then got frustrated and decided to just leave things as they are b/c Sailor Boy would be frustrated with me if I threw the computer across the room out of frustration. Lots of frustration. :) **

What do you do when your friend is having a birthday and she doesn't like chocolate? You make vanilla cupcakes, of course! Having never made cupcakes from scratch (did I just hear a collective gasp from all of you?), I thought I'd give it a shot for Angelina's birthday.

And... my sincerest apologies for the shortage of photos this time around. I was in a hurry to get the cupcakes done in time for the party, and believe it or not... taking pictures is time consuming. Please enjoy the ONE photograph in this post. :)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 24

Recipe from Obsessed With Baking

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time-- making sure each is well incorporated, then beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk. Do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among 2 muffin pans (24 cupcakes).

Bake for 16-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Cool in pans on wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Oh yeah, there's more...

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter @ room temperature

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese @ room temperature

1 1/3 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. raspberry jam

Beat butter on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy.

Add cream cheese and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, 30 seconds - 1 minute. (Notice a pattern here? Who wants lumpy frosting anyway?)

Sift powdered sugar into creamed mixture and beat on medium-low speed until the sugar is all incorporated.

Add jam and continue beating.

Make sure you don't overbeat or the frosting will become soupy. Ew. Soupy frosting. Grody.

I sampled one of the cupcakes before the frosting went on them. It was so good. Seriously, why have I been making cupcakes from a box all this time? Very vanilla-y (yes, that's a word now) and it had the perfect crumb and consistency.

The girls at the birthday party all raved over the cupcakes and the frosting. I had to take their word for it on the frosting because personally, I can't stand cream cheese. Blech. I'm glad they enjoyed it though, because it would be pretty rude to take gross cupcakes to a birthday party.

Happy 29th birthday Angelina!

And because I like you all so much, I'll show you the picture again.

Week 9: S'more Cookie Bars

Sooo... it has been brought to my attention that I'm behind on blogging. Really? This is brand new information! Raise your hand if you're not busy during the summer. Huh... I don't see any hands. My point exactly.

I'm busy.

The baking gets done.

The blogging will eventually be done.

Take that.

Okay, enough sass from me. How about something yummy? All the goodness of a campfire s'more without the campfire. And super easy to make. Enjoy! :)

S'more Cookie Bars

Makes 8x8 pan

Recipe from Baked Perfection

1/2 c. butter @ room temperature

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs (approx. 7 full graham crackers)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 super-sized (5 oz. each) dark chocolate bars (I used Ghirardelli)

1 1/2 c. marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until well combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. (The recipe I used says that two 5 oz. bars should fit "perfectly" side-by-side, but I had to break them up to fit. And I had to eat one little piece. Quality control, ya know.)

Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer. I sprayed my spatula with non-stick cooking spray prior to spreading the marshmallow fluff, but it's still a sticky job. Good luck with that. :)

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there, peel the bag up and spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in refrigerator to keep the marshmallow fluff from oozing everywhere.

Week 8: Chocolate Chip Brownies

Yes, yes, it's the start of another week and once again I find myself falling behind. I promise you, the baking gets done on time... it's finding time to blog about it that's hard. But once again, here I am, bringing you a recipe that my 12 year old nephew claims is "the best thing ever". He's even requested it for his birthday present next year. Must really be good, huh? See for yourself...

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Makes 1 9x13 pan

Recipe from Now You're Cooking!

1/2 c. butter

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (first amount)

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/4 c. hot water

4 eggs

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (second amount)

1 c. white chocolate chips

Melt butter and 2 c. chocolate chips together. In a small bowl mix flour and baking soda together. Put melted chocolate mixture in a large bowl. Add sugar and beat for about 5 minutes until smooth. With mixer on add vanilla, and gradually add water. Add eggs one at a time and beat after every addition.

With mixer on low, add flour mixture until blended.

Fold in remaining 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. (Personally, I don't like white chocolate. Chocolate should be brown, in my humble opinion. I had peanut butter chips on hand, so that's what I used.) Coat the chips with 1 1/2 tsp. flour before adding to the batter, to keep them from sinking to the bottom of your brownies while baking. Trust me, it works.

Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 minutes. It took 51 minutes in my oven, so keep a close eye on these babies. Cool. Cut into squares and store in refrigerator.

I'm not sure why, but as my brownies were cooling, they sunk down in the center. I was a little concerned that this meant they would be less cooked in the middle, but no worries. They are FAN. TAS. TIC.

Week 7: Pita Bread

Now before you start thinking that I've forgotten about the "one baking project per week" plan... let me say this: the baking was done last week Wednesday. I work on Thursdays and Fridays. We went camping Saturday and Sunday. Today is Monday. Today is when I have time to post last week's baking project. Back off, okay? The baking got done. :)

When I committed to baking one new recipe per week for a year, I didn't fool myself into believing that every week would produce delicious, "oh my goodness this is the best thing I've ever made" results. Week 7 is the reason I am glad that I wasn't lulled into a false sense of baking nirvana.

Ordinarily, I love pita bread. I'd rather have a sandwich where the fixin's are stuffed into a tasty little pocket than smushed between two slices of mushy bread. This pita bread is not what I have become accustomed to. They're "okay". That's all. Nothing spectacular. But I promised to bring it all to you, good and bad, so here ya go!

Pita Bread

Makes 12

Recipe from: Better Recipes

3 1/2 - 4 c. flour

1 pkg. dry yeast

1 1/4 c. warm water (115-120 degrees)

2 Tsbp. oil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. sugar

In mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 c. flour and yeast. Combine warm water, oil, salt and sugar. Add to yeast; mix for 30 seconds. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. By hand, stir in enough flour to make a moderately-stiff dough. knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Cover and let rise 45 minutes. Punch down and divide into 12 pieces. Shape into balls; cover. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll into 5-inch rounds. Roll out from center, not back and forth (I used my hand to flatten the dough-- why use the rolling pin for something so small?). Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes.

Put 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

That's about it. The pitas do puff up a bit when they bake, so if you cut them in half it would be possible to put sandwich stuff into them, but the flavor just isn't there for me. I'm sure if you added honey and used whole wheat flour it may improve the flavor, but to be honest, I'm not that interested. Sorry this is kind of a downer of a post, but I have to be honest. And honestly, if I were you, I wouldn't bother with this one.

Guess they can't all be winners. Better luck next time.

Week 6: Iced Molasses Cookies

So... I know that typically one would make yummy desserts containing cinnamon, cloves, and ginger sometime in the fall or winter months. I am aware that today is July 7. I just really, really REALLY love molasses cookies. I thought about making some kind of cupcake for this week's project, but was concerned about dealing with a mess of sticky melty frosting, being that the temperature hit 90 degrees today.

Plus I love molasses cookies. Did I already mention that? Well, it's true.

Iced Molasses Cookies

Recipe from www.cookiemadness.net

Makes 40-50 cookies

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 c. vegetable shortening

1/4 c. (4 Tbsp.) softened butter

1/4 molasses (light or dark)

1 large egg

Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Cream the sugar with the butter and shortening. Beat in the molasses, then add egg and beat well until thoroughly mixed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and stir to make a dough.

Chill dough for 90 minutes, or until ready to bake.

Shape dough into little balls (the recipe I was reading says it will make 50, but I only got 40, so I must roll bigger dough balls than most people). Arrange 2 1/2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets, press down slightly (I used my fingers).

Bake in the center of a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-14 minutes (took exactly 10 minutes in my oven). Let cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Icing:

2 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. melted butter

2 1/2 Tbsp. milk or light cream, plus more as needed (I used soy milk)

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the sugar and butter together the best you can. Slowly stir in the milk and beat until smooth. Add vanilla, then add more milk little by little until you get a nice drizzling consistency. Using a teaspoon, drizzle over cooled cookies. The icing hardens pretty quickly, so you'll be able to stack them for storage.

The plan is to bring these lovely "better than store bought" cookies to work tomorrow, but I had to sample one to make sure they were good enough to share. They're chewy, molasses-y, and delicious. They'd be great without the icing, but it really adds a nice sweet note to balance out the "spice" from the cloves and ginger.

So good. You have to try them.

Week 5: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Let me just start by saying that this could possibly be the best thing I've ever baked. Not just in the last 5 weeks, but EVER. Seriously, it's that good.

Now that I've got your attention...

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Recipe from Taste of Home

Makes 2 loaves

2 pkg. (1/4 oz. each) active dry yeast

2 c. warm water (approx. 110 degrees)

1/4 c. canola oil (I used vegetable oil)

1 c. sugar

3 tsp. salt

6 - 6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 c. raisins

3 tsp. cinnamon

additional oil

Combine the yeast and warm water in a large bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it looks foamy. Add the oil, 1/2 c. sugar, salt and eggs; mix until smooth. Add 4 cups of flour and mix until you get a soft dough.

(Don't you love this mixer? We call it "Big Red".)

Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. (Remember to remove your rings and put them in a safe place while you knead the dough, or it'll get into every nook & cranny-- mine always go in an ice cube tray that lives on the counter.)

Place dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Knead 1/2 c. of raisins into each section of dough. Roll each section into a 15x9 inch rectangle.

Combine the remaining 1/2 c. of sugar with cinnamon. Brush the rectangles with oil, then sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch margin all the way around.

Starting at the short end, roll the dough up, jelly-roll style. Pinch the seams to seal, then place in 2 loaf pans, seam side down. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Brush the tops with a little more oil, then bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from loaf pans and cool on wire racks.

A few notes:

1) I used half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour, just to see what would happen. Good things happened.

2) I used the paddle attachment for mixing the dough with the 4 c. flour, then I used the dough hook for adding the remaining flour.

3) This bread is amazing. I toasted it and added butter. So. Good. Tastes better than store-bought, and I know exactly what went into it, and can pronounce all the ingredients.

No preservatives + no high-frutcose corn syrup = good for your family.

Please try this bread. Add a slice of cheese for even more yumminess. You know you want to. :)

Week 4: Dipped Lemon Spritz

Hmmm... being that it's 11:00 on a Saturday night and I'm finally posting this week's recipe, you're probably thinking that I'm starting to wimp out on the one year commitment. Not a chance. Once again, the baking was done on Wednesday, but I couldn't motivate myself to post it until now. Here ya go!

Dipped Lemon Spritz

Recipe from Taste of Home

Makes 6 dozen cookies

2/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

dash salt

1 pkg. (12 oz.) dark chocolate chips

(Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients this time.)

In a small food processor (doesn't really matter if it's small or not-- I used a big one), combine sugar and lemon peel; cover and process until blended.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 2/3 c. lemon-sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, lemon juice and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Using a cookie press fitted with a 1 1/2 inch bar disk, form dough into long strips on ungreased baking sheets. (I always use parchment paper or a silpat on the baking sheets, but neither is necessary for these cookies.) Cut each strip into squares-- there is no need to separate the pieces.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until set (don't brown the cookies). Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The part where it says to cool completely? Yeah... make sure they're completely cooled before proceeding to the next step. This is important. Learn from my mistakes. I didn't wait until they were cooled, and I lost a few in the bowl of chocolate. They are super delicate while they are warm. Just a word to the wise.

In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip cookies diagonally in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper (or back on the wire cooling rack); sprinkle chocolate with remaining lemon sugar. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Now it's time for honesty: I don't really care for these cookies. I've been told by my always willing taste testers (a.k.a. my family) that they're really good, and my niece wants me to share the recipe with her mom (my sister). In my humble opinion, there isn't enough citrus flavor to these cookies. If I were to make them again (and let's face it, that's not likely), I'd probably add more lemon zest to the sugar and a little more lemon juice to the dough. I like in-your-face lemon flavor, not just a subtle "do I detect a hint of lemon?" flavor. I'm just sayin'. Now I'm thinking about changing things up and going with an orange variation. I love a good orange and chocolate combo.

What are your favorite flavor combinations?