Saturday, July 30, 2016

Salted Caramel Cupcakes! Yes Please!

My love of caramel runs deep and long! 

Do you ever crave something sweet, then you eat something sweet and then crave something salty, then you eat something salty then you crave something sweet??!! See the little vicious cycle beginning there?:) 

Well these cupcakes give you something sweet with the salty included and you can be done with the down spiral of endless calories.........Well that is unless you take a spoon to the frosting and go to town and believe me that is very easy to do!

These may be a little involved but they are yummy and I will give some short cuts if you don't want to make everything from scratch.





















Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Makes 24 Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs salted caramel syrup (optional) I used Torani
1 cup buttermilk *
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2  tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs beating after each one. Add the vanilla and syrup if using. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Then alternate adding the flour and buttermilk, beating until completely combined. Fill lined cups halfway with the batter and bake for about 20-25 minutes until cakes spring back or toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*you can add one tablespoon of vinegar to 1cup milk for butter milk


Salted Caramel Sauce:
You can half this recipe if you don't want to use some of it as filling to the cupcakes. Or you can make the whole recipe and just keep the left overs in the fridge and use it on ice cream, dip apples in it, spoon it into your mouth you choose! If you want to simplify just buy pre-made caramel sauce.

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 

Melt the sugar with water over medium high heat in a saucepan. Whisk while the sugar melts then stop whisking, once the sugar turns to amber, add the butter and stir until melted. Then add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time. Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt let cool and let cool to thicken.

I put cooled sauce in a pasty bag with a #8 tip on it and inject filling into cupcake or you can take the cupcakes and cut a round circle out of the top. Fill with 1 teaspoon of the salted caramel. Reserve the rest for the frosting.

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting:
1 1/2 cup butter
3/4 tsp salt
3-4 cups powdered sugar may need more is not stiff enough icing.
Salted caramel sauce (the remainder from the above recipe if you filled cupcakes if not use 1/4 cup of sauce)

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fully combined. Add the vanilla. Beat in the powdered sugar. Add the caramel sauce and beat until completely mixed. You can refrigerate the frosting if it is not thick enough. Frost the cupcakes!




print recipe

Salted Caramel Cupcakes
If you love salted caramel these are the cupcakes for you!
Ingredients
  • CUPCAKES
  • 1 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs salted caramel syrup (optional)
  • 1 cup buttermilk *
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs beating after each one. Add the vanilla and syrup if using. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Then alternate adding the flour and buttermilk, beating until completely combined. 
Fill lined cups halfway with the batter and bake for about 20-25 minutes until cakes spring back or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • CARAMEL SAUCE FILLING
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/8 tsp fine sea salt or salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla
 You can half this recipe if you don't want to use some of it as filling to the cupcakes. Or you can make the whole recipe and just keep the left overs in the fridge and use it on ice cream, dip apples in it, spoon it into your mouth you choose!

Melt the sugar with water over medium high heat in a saucepan. Whisk while the sugar melts then stop whisking, once the sugar turns to amber, add the butter and stir until melted. 
Then add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time. 
Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt let cool and let cool to thicken. 
I put cooled sauce in a pasty bag with a #8 tip on it and inject filling into cupcake or you can take the cupcakes and cut a round circle out of the top. Fill with 1 teaspoon of the salted caramel. 
Reserve the rest for the frosting.
  • SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup or to taste caramel sauce (or store bought caramel)
Salted caramel sauce (the remainder from the above recipe if you filled cupcakes if not use 1/4 cup of sauce) Beat the butter and sugar until light and fully combined. Beat in the powdered sugar. Add the caramel sauce and beat until completely mixed. You can refrigerate the frosting if it is not thick enough. Frost the cupcakes!

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Malted Milk Ball aka Whopper Cookies

Malted Milk Ball aka Whopper Cookies

I love whoppers and Robin eggs and the other day I picked up a box of whoppers and I had forgotten about my love of malt. The purchase of that box of whoppers sent me on a downward spiral and for a week I bought way to many boxes of whoppers and then also decided to make Whopper cookies out of them.

If you love whoppers then you should try out this cookie.


























Malted Milk Ball aka Whopper Cookies

yield: 30 COOKIES
 prep time: 10 MINUTES
cook time: 10 MINUTES


INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup  brown sugar ( or 1 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons molasses)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Ovaltine powder or malted milk powder*
 2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional, makes for a more chewy cookie)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ( or just double your about of whoppers, delish!)
1 cup chopped Whoppers candies (or any malted milk balls)


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, Ovaltine or malted milk powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips and malted milk balls. Form cookie dough into tablespoon balls and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.


*you can find malted milk powder at most grocery stores by the chocolate milk and instant breakfast powders.

Printable recipe below.


print recipe

Whopper Cookies aka Malted Milk Ball cookies
If you love malt you have go to try this chewy cookie!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Ovaltine or malted milk powder
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup brow sugar (or 1 cup sugar with 2 tsp molasses)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (or just double the amount of whoppers, delish!)
  • 1 cup chopped whoppers (or any malted milk balls)
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, Ovaltine or malted milk powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips and malted milk balls. Form cookie dough into tablespoon balls and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. 
5. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

*you can find malted milk powder at most grocery stores by the chocolate milk and instant breakfast powders.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 30