"S'Mores" Cupcakes

I have hesitated for a long time to make cupcakes. The few times in the past that I have tried, they haven't turned out well at all. But then I made some peanut butter ones a few weeks back that everyone seemed to enjoy, and thought, "Okay, maybe I can do this." The peanut butter ones were a little too dense for cupcakes, but their overall taste was good. Right now, in all honesty, I have no idea what makes a cake dense or fluffy. But as I start down this road of cupcake making- I aim to find out.


Anyways, I have been on Pinterest A LOT lately. And I do mean A LOT. Not just to browse, but with a purpose. I had several desserts I wanted/needed to make this weekend and I decided Pinterest was the place to look. There, I found this recipe-http://www.marthastewart.com/285211/toasted-marshmallow-cupcakes. It was almost like it screamed my name (well, maybe not quite:), but it certainly grabbed my attention and I pressed the link that sealed my fate. I decided right then and there that I HAD to make these things. Simply had to, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.


This recipe simply broiled a marshmallow on top of the cupcake. After "daydreaming" (as my sister insists I was doing)(maybe I was:-) about these things, I decided to improve on them slightly- layer graham cracker, chocolate bar, and then marshmallow before broiling. Come on, what's a s'mores without a graham cracker, right? RRiigghhtt?:)


So, after all of that, here's the recipe:

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 tsp vanilla

Marshmallows
Graham Crackers (approx. 2 crackers)
Chocolate bar


Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin/cupcake tins with liners or grease them.

Mix cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in eggs, warm water, milk, sour cream, butter, and vanilla mixing until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about 1/2 full, give or take a little. Bake until a toothpick, or other similar tool, comes out clean. Approx. 15-18 minutes.

Put oven on broil.

Break the graham crackers into small pieces and then place a piece on top of each cupcake. Then break the chocolate bar into pieces and place them on top of each graham cracker. And finally, place one marshmallow on top of each chocolate piece. NOTE: the recipe said to place the marshmallows on the cupcakes vertically, I found it easier to flatten them and stick it on- minimizing the chance of them falling off.

Do NOT leave the cupcakes alone under the broiler. You just want to brown the marshmallows which will happen very quickly. We are talking seconds. Once the marshmallows have browned, take out the pan and smash the marshmallows down.


These were really yummy. I would make them again and they weren't that hard either. Definitely a keeper. Enjoy!!

Truffles.... mmmm.... sigh:)

So, I have always wanted to make truffles, just never taken the time to or found a recipe I just HAD to try. Until now. While going through some holiday cookbooks to find some new Christmas cookie recipes to try, I found this one that just looked too easy to pass up. Hence, I made them and boy, was it worth it:). (And yes, I did just say that I was looking through cookbooks, the bane of my existence. Well, not quite that bad, but I do prefer Google:).

Here is the recipe:

1 10 oz package of mint chocolate chips

1/3 cup of whipping cream

1/4 cup butter or margarine (I used marg.)

sprinkles

Line baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.

Melt chips with whipping cream and butter in heavy, medium saucepan over low heat (the highest I put it was 2), stirring occasionally (since it's on low, there's not a HUGE chance of it burning). Pour into pie pan. Refrigerate until mixture is fudgy, but soft, about 2 hours (I put it in the fridge for almost exactly 2 hours and it was a little harder than I wanted it to be but it worked).

Shape about 1 tablespoonful of mixture into 1 1/4-inch ball. To shape, roll mixture between your palms. Repeat procedure with remaing mixture. Place balls on waxed paper.

Place sprinkles in shallow bowl; roll balls in sprinkles. Place truffles in petit four or candy cups. (If sprinkles won't stick because truffle has set, roll truffle between your palms until outside is soft.) Truffles can be refrigerated 2 to 3 days or frozen several weeks.

Note: I totally forewent (is that a word?) the whole wax paper thing. I just shaped the balls, immediately rolled them in sprinkles, and then stuck them in a mini-muffin cup. The book rolled them in chocolate sprinkles, but I went for a more festive look with colored sprinkles. Although I haven't tried an actual truffle yet, I tasted it from the pan and it was PRETTY YUMMY!!! Enjoy!