Drunken S'more Brownies

Ingredients:
Crust:
6 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crusts
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar

Brownies:
1 1/2 sticks butter
3 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
1 oz semisweet chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup boubon (optional)
1 cup flour

1/2 bag mini marshmallows
1/2 cup choc chips

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350
Combine crust ingredients, and press into baking pan lined with foil and greased
Melt 1 1/2 sticks butter, reduce heat
Melt chocolate then add sugar, salt, vanilla, expresso powder, eggs and optional bourbon
Add flour gradually
Pour over crust
Bake for 25-30 min
Set oven to broil
Take brownies out, top with marshmallos and chocolate chips
Put back in oven until marshmallos toast, 2 min or less
Let cool

A Tale of Two Cookies

I own and love the baking book from Rosies, a local bakery that makes (among other things) the best brownies in existence. I originally had a craving for a Peanut Butter cookie with chocolate chips. I started with her basic recipe

Ingredients
1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup + 1tsp white sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tsp brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups + 2tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Instructions
combine dry ingredients
Cream butter and sugar
Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter
Gradually add dry ingredients
Chill dough for a few hrs
Bake at 350 for 8-10 min

Alterations
For the peanut butter cookies, I only did a half cup of each sugar, and added a tablespoon of honey (peanut butter and honey sandwiches are a favorite treat of mine). I also added peanut butter anc chocolate chips and an extra 1/4 tsp salt to balance the honey.  Also, to chill the cookies I rolled them into tubes, wrapped them in cling wrap and threw them in the freezer for an hour. Then when you want cookies, preheat the oven, slice and bake

These cookies led to another idea: nutella cookies. I replaced the peanutbutter with nutella, only added 1/2 cup of each sugar, and upped the salt ( I did a whole teaspoon, next time I would do 3/4). I also added an additional 1/2 tsp of hazlenut extract because we had it on hand, a half cup chopped hazlenuts and a cup of white chocolate chips. I am pleased with the result.

http://www.rosiesbakery.com/rosies-bakery-cookbook/

Butterbeer Cupcakes

My friends and I have a kids book book club, and we are watching all of the Harry Potter movies in order to prepare for a trip to see the latest one in theaters. Yesterday we watched The Prisoner of Azkaban, and so I thought I would make Butterbeer Cupcakes.

So, how do you make Butterbeer cupcakes? Well, I looked at a bunch of Butterbeer recipes, and they all seemed to call for either beer or cream soda and butterscotch schnapps. Some of the more involved recipes called for additional spices to add warmth.

I decided on making a chocolate beer cupcake with some added spice, and a cream cheese frosting with butterscotch schnapps.

I based the cupcake recipe on Chef Chloe's recipe. I used a vanilla porter instead of chocolate stout, and substituted butterscotch schnapps for vanilla. I also added a teaspoon of garam masala spice to add some heat (it is a combo of cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper and other spices). I used my standard cream cheese frosting recipe.

Ingredients

Chocolate Beer Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour plus ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup stout beer (I use Trader Joe's oatmeal stout)
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure butterscotch schnapps
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together liquid ingredients. Mix just until everything is moist and bake at 350 for 16-20 min.

Frosting

8oz cream cheese

6 tbsp butter softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp butterscotch schnaaps

pinch salt

cream butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar to desired consistency. Add salt and schnapps for flavor.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Every once in a while I get bit by the bug to make something specific. In this case it was peanut butter cookies with chocolate. I was gonna make peanut butter blossoms (where you put a Hershey's Kiss in the middle), but I got lazy and decided to just use chocolate chips. Then I decided to add some peanut butter chips for good measure. I've also been hooked on adding oatmeal to cookies for the texture. I found this recipe on Baking Bites

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt (I buy unsalted peanut butter so I added 1/2 tsp)

1 cup quick cook oats

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup all purpose and 1/2 cup whole wheat)

optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350

cream butter and sugars together

add vanilla and egg

add peanut butter

add flour,oats, baking soda, and salt in batches just until combined

quickly stir in chips

roll dough into 1 inch balls and bake for 11-14 min

made 3 dozen (probably makes 4 doz, I tend to be generous in my rolling)

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Originally uploaded by kel h

So, today I am flying home to Buffalo for vacation, and last night I decided to cook some of the things I was concerned wouldn't keep from my CSA, including the zucchini. I've made chocolate zucchini cupcakes before, but I figured muffins would be better. The trick is not to overmix to keep them nice and soft.

This is adapted from an AllRecipes Recipe

Chocolate zucchini muffins

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and chocolate chips. Mix until just moist.
Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

Port Wine Truffle

port wine truffle
Originally uploaded by kel h

So, it's my roommate's birthday this weekend, and he is a fan of port. I decided to make the port and salted caramel cupcakes I've made in the past, but with a liquid center. The best way I could figure was to make truffles and sink them in the batter. They didn't quite turn into lava cakes, but they were goey and tasty in the middle, and the truffle ganache also made for a tasty frosting.

Today I decided to make more truffles just for fun

Port Wine Truffle

Ingredients:
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup port

melt butter and add cream
heat until simmering
add chocolate, reduce heat and stir until smooth
pour into a container and chill

once it gets clay like, scoop into balls
melt more chocolate
chill the balls of ganache and then roll around in melted chocolate and let cool
you may also want to roll it in powdered cocoa or chopped nuts once you coat in melted chocolate

Vanilla Shortbread with Cocoa Nibs

I've had this in my mind for a while. Vanilla shortbread cookies studded with cocoa nibs. Mostly inspired by Taza Chocolate, which is a local chocolate factory here in Somerville, MA that makes a variety of flavors of chocolate in a traditional mexican style using organic and ethically sourced ingredients. You can order from them online, and they also have a factory store that does tours (but no ooompa loompas).

Also, I'm sort of obsessed with vanilla beans now.

So I went to The Joy of Baking site and adapted their shortbread cookie recipe by adding half a cup of chocolate covered cocoa nibs and using the seeds from 1 vanilla bean instead of a teaspoon of vanilla.

Shortbread Cookies:

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar

seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Instructions

Shortbreads: In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

to decorate them, I melted some semisweet chocolate and put it in a ziploc baggie. Then I snipped the corner and used it to pipe some shapes.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Taza Chocolate and Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Taza Chocolate and Cream Cheese Frosting
Originally uploaded by kel h

I keep getting zucchini in my CSA farmshare, and I keep trying to find different uses for it. One of the cooking blogs I read is called Chocolate and Zucchini, and the author recently posted a recipe for chocolate zucchini cake that I decided to turn into cupcakes. I used a package of Taza chili chocolate, which brought some heat, but next time i think i might do one and a half to two packages (Taza is this great local company here in somerville that makes stone ground mexican chocolate in lots of interesting flavors. They recently suffered a lot of damage in the last round of flooding, and can use some support so go buy some chocolate. It's OK, I'll wait...)

The frosting is a basic cream cheese with a package of cream cheese, a stick of butter, and powdered sugar to the proper consistency with some vanilla drizzled in for fun. It's also good if you add a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger.

Much like the parsnip muffins, the great thing about adding zucchini to the cupcakes is that they make the cake incredibly moist without adding fat. You really can't tell the zucchini is in there.

Chocolate & Zucchini Cake

- 240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 180 grams (1 scant cup) light brown sugar (I use unrefined cane sugar)
- 115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, or 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or 2 tablespoons strong cooled coffee -- this is just to deepen the chocolate flavor, you won't taste it in the finished product
- 3 large eggs
- 350 grams (2 cups) unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1 1/2 medium zucchini
- 160 grams (1 cup) good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
- Confectioner's sugar (optional)

Serves 12.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 25-cm (10-inch) round springform pan or a 22-cm (8 1/2-inch) square pan. For cupcakes you want two muffin tins as it makes around 15 cupcakes

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand in a large mixing bowl), beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla, coffee, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, chocolate chips, and about a third of the flour mixture, making sure the zucchini strands are well coated and not clumping too much.

Add the rest of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick.

Fold the zucchini mixture into the batter, and blend with a spatula without overmixing. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and level the surface.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes (20 to 25 for cupcakes), until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or a chocolate glaze if desired.

Chocolate Orange Pudding

Chocolate Orange Pudding
Originally uploaded by kel h

I've been cooking up a storm lately. And I ran out of chocolate pudding so I decided it would be fun to learn to make it from scratch. It's stupid easy, and whats great about it is that you get to control the quality of the ingredients, and do wacky things like add orange zest and cinnamon

Homemade Chocolate Orange Pudding

Ingredients
6 tablespoons sugar (I use splenda)
4 tablespoons cornstarch (slightly heaping)
2 tablespoons cocoa (heaping)
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
zest of 1/4 orange (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk (I use 1%)
Directions
1-Combine all dry ingredients until all lumps are gone and blended well.
2-Add milk and place on burner turned to high -- stir constantly until desired thickness. It will seem like nothing is happening for a while, then BAM, pudding!
3-Remove from heat and add vanilla, stir well and serve.enjoy.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with craisins and pecans

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with craisins and pecans
Originally uploaded by kel h

so, when I'm stressed...I bake. And it's been a rough couple of weeks (minus the awesome birthday party that was awesome). Today I had chocolate chip craisin cookies at a training, and decided i wanted to take them up a notch.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
zest of 1/2 orange
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 c quick oats uncooked
1 c chocolate chips
1/2 c craisins
1/2 c chopped pecans

Directions
preheat oven to 350
Cream butter and sugar together
stir in eggs and vanilla
add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and orange zest. Mix well
stir in oats, craisins and chocolate chips
drop rounded tbsp on to cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 min (til golden brown)

Black Bottom Cupcake on the "cupcake server"

Black Bottom Cupcake on the "cupcake server"
Originally uploaded by kel h

taken from The Cupcake Project

For cake:

2 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 C butter, room temperature
1 1/3 C sugar
2 eggs
2/3 C plain yogurt
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 C milk
5 oz baking chocolate, melted
For goat cheese topping:
8 oz goat cheese (I used Ile de France goat cheese, but any non-flavored goat cheese would work)
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and milk until blended.
Alternately fold in flour mixture and melted chocolate, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the goat cheese topping.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the topping onto the center of each cupcake.
Bake at 350 F for thirty minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Hamburger Cupcakes

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by kel h

Take 1 vanilla cupcake, cut in half horizontally
make a circle of red frosting on the bottom
place a disk of brownie on top of the red frosting ring (either a brownie bite cut in half or make a bunch of small brownies or chocolate cakes by filling the bottom of a cupcake pan)
spread some yellow frosting on top of the brownie "patty" and some on the bottom of the top "bun"
Dye some coconut green (put in a sandwich bag and add some drops of green food coloring and smush around)
sprinkle the "lettuce" on top of the patty, then put the bun on top
I spread a thin layer of honey on the top of the cupcake to help stick the sesame seeds to the top

Cherry Cordial Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream frosting

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by kel h

I made these for a housewarming party tonight. Makes 1 dozen

Preheat oven to 350

Mix 1 1/3 c flour, 1 c sugar, 1/3c cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp salt. Add 1 egg, 3/4c water, 6tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract.

In another bowl mix 1 8oz pkg creme cheese, 1/4 c sugar, 1 egg, 1/3c cherry pie filling, 2 tbsp coffee liqueur, 2 tbsp rum (the book calls for 1/2 c chocolate chips, but I omitted). Chill for 15 min

Fill your liners 1/4 with chocolate batter. Then add a tbsp creme cheese mix, and a tbsp cherry pie filling. Then cover with another dollop of chocolate batter. You should be a bout 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 min. Cool in the pan.





Frosting

Melt1 1/2c white chocolate chips, 1/2 stick butter with 3tbsp milk. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract. When combined, put in mixer and gradually add approximately 4 to 4 1/2c powdered sugar. Add sugar and milk to desired consistency (I also tossed in a shot of rum, because I'm like that)

Banana Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Muffins

Adapted from the Great Lake Effects Cookbook

Ingredients

3/4 c quick cook oats
1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour (or do 1 cup all purpose)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2-3 mashed bananas (1 cup)
1/4 c melted butter
1 egg

optional
1 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c peanut butter chips
1/2 c chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425
mix oatmeal and buttermilk
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well
mix banana, egg, and butter in a bowl, and add oat mixture
Add dry ingredients gradually and mix til smooth
Fold in nuts and chips

Pour into greased muffin tin and bake for approx 15 min

Braaaains! AKA Red Velvet Cupcakes for Zombies, or folks who just got a PhD in neuropsychology

Braaaains! AKA Red Velvet Cupcakes for Zombies, or folks who just got a PhD in neuropsychology
Originally uploaded by kel h

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/Cream Cheese frosting made to look line BRAAAAINS

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen from the Food Newtork website

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
* 2 large eggs, room temperature
* 2 tablespoons red food coloring
* 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

* 1 pound cream cheese, softened
* 2 sticks butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

You make them look brainy by using a larger opening circle tip and making wavy lines, starting with a parallel set in the middle.

wedding cupcakes

wedding cupcakes
Originally uploaded by kel h

My sister got married earlier this month, and we made cupcakes for the reception...a LOT of cupcakes. Seriously. Like 120 of em. We did half Guiness Chocolate with Bailey's frosting for the groom, and half Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting for the bride. She got these cool laser cut wrappers to dress em up.

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325 and add liners to pan (this recipe makes a TON of cupcakes, like two dozen)

Mix together 3/4 veggie oil, 4 tsp white vinegar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract (wierd, i know).

In another bowl combine 3 c flour, 2 c granulated sugar, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 c cocoa powder.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the oil mixture into the center. Then pour 1 12oz bottle of guinness (or other beer) into the well as well as 1 1/2 c water. Beat with a mixer til blended.

Fill liner's 3/4 full and bake for 20 min.

Irish Cream Frosting
Mix 1 lbs confectioner's sugar, 5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp, 1/4 c milk, 1/4 tsp salt and 3 tbsp Irish Cream until fluffy.

Low Fat Carrot Cake Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 and put liners into pans (this recipe i think made 18 cupcakes)

combine 1 1/2 c flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger in a bowl, mix well.

In separate bowl combine 1 large egg, 2 tbsp veggie oil, 1/4 c raisins, 1/4 c chopped nuts, 1/2 c low fat milk, 1 8oz can crushed pineapple, 1 1/2 c grated carrots, 1/4 c brown sugar.

Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir to blend.

Fill liners 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 min.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a bowl mix 1 8oz pkg of Cream Cheese and 6 tbsp of unsalted butter, both at room temp

add 3 c confectioners sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and mix til lumps are gone.

The beer cupcakes were the favorites. They came out nice and moist and were tasty, especially with the frosting. I'm also psyched about how many come out per batch since I'm making so many. The frosting was also very tasty. Tasty enough to eat straight from the bowl.

I think dates instead of raisins would be interesting for the carrot cake, and I am always wanting to add more ginger. Maybe use the ginger variation of the cream cheese frosting where you add 1/2 tsp ground ginger.

Me and the cupcakes.

Our Dad, my sister the bride, my freshly minted brother in law, and me.

mount saint birthday

mount saint birthday
Originally uploaded by kel h

its a volcano birthday cake I made with carrot frond palm trees, berry jam lava, inhabited by teddy grams, and a blue berry vodka jello ocean filled with peach shnapps soaked swedish fish.

chocolate peanutbutter cupcakes

I am going to a cookout today at a friend's house, and I decided to bring chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. I used the Rich Chocolate Cupcake and Peanut butter Frosting recipes from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella

Preheat the oven to 325 and put your liners in the pan
chop up 3 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate and a stick of butter and put in a mixing bowl
pour 1/2 cup boiling water over butter and chocolate and let it all melt, then mix it
Add 1/2 c sour cream (or do what I do and use a half cup vanilla yogurt and then omit the vanilla in the recipe)
then mix in 2 c flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1tsp baking soda, (and if you're like me, 1/2 tsp salt)
in a separate bowl beat 2 egg whites (don't use pasteurized ones from a box because they don't stiffen) until stiff. Fold the whites into the cupcake batter.

Fill cupcake liners a little over halfway. I then sunk an unwrapped mini reeses peanut butter cup until it was slightly countersunk to the top of the batter (when it bakes it will mostly cover it, and then you frost the top. Bake for 20 min or so.

For the frosting heat 1/2 sticks butter, 4tbsp water and 2c brown sugar to a boil (I microwaved it for about 3 minutes, but my microwave is powered by small hamsters with arthritis and is kinda crappy). Stir in 1 1/3 c peanut butter and 2 tbsp vanilla. I also added approx 1 c powdered sugar and maybe 1/2 c shortning. The book says to use it warm, but what i did is let it cool and then whipped it in my mixer (i <3 href="http://pics.livejournal.com/joyfulkel/pic/00041q7e/">

Chocolate port cupcake w/ganache & salted caramel

Chocolate port cupcake w/ganache & salted caramel
Originally uploaded by kel h

Chocolate port cupcake w/ganache & salted caramel
Red Wine Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze and Salted Caramel Dollops
Yield: 30 shallow cakes

taken from:http://dulcedoblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/maiden-voyage.html

Cupcakes
Adapted from Cooking With Wine by Anne Willan, via Bon Appétit October 2001
2 cups flour
1 scant cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups red wine*

Chocolate Glaze
2 cups (6 ounces) semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped**
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Dollops
1 cup cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup water
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon butter
Fleur de sel (sea salt) for garnish

To make the cakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the red wine and beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until thoroughly incorporated (because you don't want any white, buttery chunks in your dark batter).

Bake in your cupcake containers of choice for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes or so, and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

To make the glaze:
Heat the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a small saucepan over very low heat until shiny and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Spoon over cupcakes.

To make the caramel:
Warm the cream in the microwave or a small saucepan until heated through, but not boiling.

In a separate pot with very high sides (this is important!), heat the sugar and water over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. When the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to a boil. When it reaches a medium brown shade, remove it from the burner. (The mixture will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat, so if you wait to see the dark amber color while it is still on the stove, you will run the risk of burning it.) Wearing oven mitts for protection, CAREFULLY and SLOWLY pour in the cream, whisking constantly. The cream will cause the mixture to seize and bubble up violently, so don't just dump it all in at once! Return the pot to the burner, add in the butter and salt, and continue to whisk over low heat until smooth.

Allow the caramel to cool and then refrigerate or freeze until it is thick enough to drop by dollops onto the glazed cupcakes. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. (Any remaining caramel will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks. It's delicious over ice cream...or straight from the bowl with a spoon.)

I didn't cook the caramel long enough, so it was creamy and a bit grainier than it should have been. also, with port i think i will try half the coco next time, but they're chocolatey and tasty, and the ganache is fantastic!