Earl Grey Cupcakes

With all the studying that happened this week, I was looking for any excuse to take a bake-break. We decided to turn a group study session into a study 'party' by bringing cupcakes. They even got dressed up for the occasion...

These have a very subtle early grey flavor, and the recipe makes a moist, not-too-sweet cake. The batter rises much more than expected, though, so don't fill the cups too generously. I used a vanilla frosting this time, but I think citrus or chocolate might better complement the tea flavoring.

Earl Grey Cupcakes
-2/3 c. whole milk
-2 tea bags (Earl Grey)
-1 1/2 c. flour
-2 t. baking powder
-1 t. salt
-1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 c. sugar
-2 eggs

1. Heat the milk with the tea in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then remove it from heat and allow the tea to steep for about 30 minutes until milk is cool.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs.
4. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk.
5. Spoon batter into cups.
6. Bake at 350* for 22-25 minutes.

(Don't fill them this much!)

All dressed up...

...and ready to go!

Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Back again with a handful of posts! The semester is nearing its end, and finals are in full force. I'm taking a bit of a break from paper-writing now to offer a few more recipes....

I saw the recipe for these in a magazine while at home for Thanksgiving, and they looked too good to pass up. The recipe calls for a full pound of chocolate, so needless to say, they're rich. Next time I make them, I think I'll add in some more cranberries--their tartness contrasted with the sweetness very nicely.

Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
-16 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used chocolate chips; they worked well too)
-1 c. flour
-3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 t. baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
-3/4 c. sugar
-1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 t. vanilla
-1/2 c. dried cranberries

1. Melt 10 oz. of the chocolate over simmering water, or in the microwave on low power. Let it cool slightly.
2. Mix together dry ingredients, set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate--make sure it isn't too warm.
4. Add in the flour mixture. Stir in remaining 6 oz. of chocolate and the cranberries.
5. Drop heaping tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350* for 15-17 minutes.

(Low-Sugar) Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm back with more chocolate chips! This is a recipe that mom discovered a few years ago, and it turned out to be a big hit with Gib, so we had these with some regularity. Ordinarily I make the full-sugar variety, but I had a craving for these a few weeks ago--they're a little bit lighter, and the recipe is fantastically simple.

[I'll add in the recipe in a few days; I don't have it handy at the moment.]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings from Vermont! I'm home for the holiday weekend, and the time off has been greatly appreciated. And it has given me some time to address my posting back-log...

For Thanksgiving this year, I decided to give turkey cookies a try. Even though gingerbread is my go-to recipe for the colder seasons, I decided to give a brown sugar & spice cookie recipe a try (in addition). Sugar cookies would rarely be my first choice, but the brown sugar used in these adds a bit of complexity, and the spices make them especially seasonal. I decorated both these and the gingerbread with some royal icing once again--pretty pleased with the results!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

During the summer, my mom brought one of these cookies home from work. They're delicious and filling, and with the oats and the cranberries they almost feel healthy! After a few bites, I was determined to find a recipe that would help me recreate them. This is what I ended up with.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
-1 1/2 c. flour
-1 t. baking soda
-1/2 t. salt
-1 t. cinnamon
-1 c. softened butter
-3/4 c. sugar
-3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 t. vanilla extract
-3 c. oats
-1 1/2 c. dried cranberries
-1 1/4 c. chocolate chips

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
2. Beat butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl.
3. Add in flour mixture. Stir in oats, cranberries, and chocolate chips.
4. Drop onto ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes.

Confetti Cupcakes

With both Renee and Kara in town for the weekend, confetti cake was a must. We threw together a quick batch, and added a bit of cream cheese frosting for good measure--perfect!

Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies

Here's another post that's a week late in coming--but midterms are over! Perhaps I'll bake something to celebrate?

My project for last weekend featured pumpkin again--somehow it seemed fitting for Halloween week. Here I used the same base as I did for the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (minus the chips). Instead of dropping, I piped the dough into two-inch circles and baked them for 7 minutes. These have a very cakey consistency, which seemed like it might pair quite nicely with cream cheese frosting...

It did. These went over very well with the taste-testers, and I must say, these might be the best thing I've put together in a while--worth a try!

Pausing here to comment on how fantastic the Silpats were with this particular recipe. (No, they aren't paying me to advertise--they're just that amazing!)