Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

I can’t believe it has been over three months since I last posted.  I chalk this up to general busyness, distractions and denial.  I’ve had such a jam-packed three months what with travel to Florida for my work’s Annual Meeting, traveling one last time sans-child to North Carolina and Virginia for baby showers, and general anticipation as we are less than one month away from Baby Girl Samuel’s due date.  That last part is what I’m in denial about.  I am so excited to meet her yet still in awe/anxious that this little girl, who doesn’t have very far to go to come into this world, seems to be worlds away from our life now.  Yet I know she will fit into it as if she’s always been here.  The familiar mystery of her fascinates me every second of my day.

And as these weeks have passed and I’ve hit the halfway mark of my pregnancy, or finally entered the third trimester, and now move into this last month, I feel like I’m getting to know her more and more.   I’m learning that she loves it when I eat, or I anticipate eating.  A plate of food could be put in front of me and I feel the kicks of excitement immediately, before even a bite is taken.  There must be something that happens mentally in my body that transmits to her.  I hope she keeps that love of food once she is in this world.

She is also camera shy.  At doctor’s appointments, she has repeatedly turned away from the sonogram wand or the Doppler and made it difficult to read her heartbeat or get a good glimpse of her preciousness.  At the end of one sonogram session when we were trying to get all the relevant anatomy measurements (which ended up requiring a second follow-up visit the next week), we were giving up when she gave us a coy little smile that seemed to imply she knew she was being difficult.  And that she was enjoying it.  Let’s hope she doesn’t keep that tendency once she is in this world! 

So even with my absence in posting recipes, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking.  It just means my mind is running in many directions and it’s hard to lasso them into a cohesive post.  So I’ll share with you these Chocolate Malt Cupcakes.  These boast a classic flavor combination for a summer potluck or picnic. 

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed light-brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 ¼ cup malted milk powder

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 recipe Vanilla Frosting

24-28 Whoppers

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together the first six dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, both sugars, baking soda, and salt).  Combine the milk and milk powder in another bowl until dissolved.  With a mixer on medium-high speed, beat flour mixture, milk mixture and oil until combined.  Add sour cream and vanilla.  Beat until combined.  Divide batter among the cups evenly (about halfway to the top).  Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.  About half way through the twenty minutes, rotate the pans.   Frost with Vanilla Frosting and top with Whoppers.

For the Vanilla Frosting

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed about 2 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the confections’ sugar a half a cup at a time, beating on medium speed until incorporated.  After every two additions of sugar, raise the speed to high and beat for ten seconds to fluff the frosting.  Once all sugar has been added, add vanilla and beat until smooth.   If not frosting immediately, store in refrigerator up to 10 days in an airtight container.  Bring frosting to room temperature before frosting.

Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies

For the second year in a row, I participated in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and for the second year in a row, it was well worth the anticipation, excitement and thrill to receive (and send) three dozen cookies.  This year did not disappoint.  I received some beautiful Sand Tarts from Spinach Tiger, some delicious peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips (a solid combination if I may say so) from Munching in the Mitten, and a batch of Maple Oatmeal cookies from Kristie at Kristie's Creative Touch -- these were practically breakfast for me for two days.   And the best part was that the Cookie Swap raised over $13,000 for Cookies for Kids' Cancer.  

When looking for a recipe for this year's swap, I knew it had to include chocolate (because I would be sampling the cookie and cookies with chocolate are my favorite) but also easy enough to make in a small oven, with a batter hearty enough to last through several batches and a recipe that would require minimal math.  I stumbled upon this recipe from Real Simple and, although mine look nothing like theirs (where did my marshmallows go??), they were still quite tasty and chewy (probably thanks to the disappearing marshmallows).  The melted marshmallows created an almost caramelized texture around the edges that, when removed (because they weren't the prettiest) were a delicious reward.

I sent these cookies to Quyen, Karla and Mary Ellen who, I hope, received them prior to leaving for their Thanksgiving travels (poor planning on my part) and was able to enjoy them amidst all the holiday madness of a shorter-than-normal-length-of-time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Real Simple

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Heat oven to 350° F. Line several (or as many as you have) baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and half the chocolate. Microwave on high in 20-30 second increments until melted, stirring between until smooth; let cool slightly. Whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the marshmallows and the remaining chocolate chips.  Let cool for 15 minutes. Drop tablespoon-sized mounds 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets, keeping in mind they will spread. Bake 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through.  Cookies should be firm around the edges.  IMPORTANT - Let cool nearly completely on the baking sheets before moving them or they will fall apart.  They can cool completely on wire racks.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I awoke, early on Sunday morning, to the click-click-clicking of our heat turning on and the sssshhhhhhhhh of the steam going through the pipes.  I immediately snuggled a little more under the covers and let out a contented sigh only to realize that I had dislodged Newt from his spot on the bed.  He would subsequently meow in our faces for the next 45 minutes until he finally went back to sleep.  He's lucky he's so handsome.

Thus starts the season of coziness.  I immediately want to cook and bake anything that requires me to turn on my oven and wear my adorable oven mitts.  These mitts usually hang dormant in the warmer months because my little oven that can just barely hold a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish is actually a larger-than-normal space heater.  And you don't want to run that on days that are even slightly humid and over 72-degrees unless you plan on running your air conditioner as well (hello, energy costs).  

Cooking, and general day-to-day living, in NYC is all about balancing wants and needs, it seems. You get the apartment on the fifth floor of a walk up because you want the more-desired location.  You take the longer, local train to work but at least you can sit down and finish that book you've been lugging around for three weeks.  You have that third cookie because you just went down to the basement to change a load of clothes only to realize you left the detergent which means you have to go back up the stairs an extra, unanticipated time and therefore deserve it.  Just like Newt, this city is lucky it's so handsome. 

Another New York-city centered blogger that I enjoy following is Sydney from Crepes of Wrath.  Not only does Sydney seem to appreciate good food and restaurants as we do (and recaps her adventures with each post), but I adore her literature inspired blog name (being the English major that I am). Now that is how you name a blog.  (Not 'Bless your Tart' - which was my initial idea and now seems to be a good example of what not to do.)  Sydney, according to Anderson Cooper, has the best chocolate chip cookie recipe around.  Naturally, I had to make them.  

And the silver fox was right -- these are delicious and perfect with your first cup of coffee in the morning or your warm cup of tea at night or your Big Gulp of Diet Coke in the middle of the day.  I've had them in all instances and can't say I have a favorite setting -- just make these as soon as it is cool enough to turn on your oven.  Or, don't wait and find the balance of oven heat and counter-effective air conditioning.  The checks and balance system applies just as easily to ConEdison bills as it does to other life moments.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted (barely) from Crepes of Wrath

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate, roughly chopped (I used a mix of semi-sweet chips (unchopped) and a dark chocolate bar chopped up.  The use of chopped bar chocolate creates all the chocolate flecks you see in the finished product as well as the larger-than-chips bites you get throughout.)

Optional - sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahreinheit.  In a mixing bowl, beat your butter and both sugars.  Add in the whole egg and mix until combined.  Add the egg yolk and mix until combined.  Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.  In a separate bowl, mix your flour, baking soda and salt.  In equal parts, add it to the sugar mixture until just combined.  Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.  Fold in your chocolate.  Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons worth of dough into balls and place on your sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt if using.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes until just lightly golden and set.  Cool on the sheets for a few minutes before removing.  

According to Sydney, these keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.  Be sure to thaw them before you eat them!

Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake

I turned 30 on Thursday.  When people found out it was my birthday and asked “Is it a big one?” I did the polite thing and said “Yes! 30!” even though, in my opinion, every birthday of mine is a big one.   After all, it is a celebration of the moment when I graced the earth but I did not want to sound more self-conceited than I already looked with my tiara and birthday sash on.   

In all seriousness though, 30 is a bit of a mind-bender for me.  Here I am, no longer living an age that begins with a 2 which, when I entered that period (now a full decade ago), I was in college and felt like I didn’t have much to worry about until post-education.  Now, having lived those 20-something years, I’m not in the middle of anything really except . . . living.  There isn’t any graduation or other indicator to tell me that this is the moment I should have my act together.  Apparently, I already should have that.

If you had asked my 20-year-old self what I expected my 30-year-old self to have accomplished by the time she enters a new decade, I shudder at the things she would have said because, in all likelihood, I have not done/bought/born any of them.   

But this is no time for regrets.  Because I can guarantee that my 20-year-old homebody-self would never have seen her 30-year-old self successfully living in a city that she has found intimidating-ly awesome since she first visited at the age of 11.  Or that she would have found a relatively normal existence in such an abnormal living arrangement that all folks living in New York seem to understand.  Or that she would have managed to keep a diabetic cat alive for 8 years (Just barely though, we did have to go to the vet on my birthday – he is his mother’s child, always trying to steal the spotlight). 

So, I must say, my 20-year-old self might be surprised but I’m confident she would be proud.   And probably a little in awe of her 30-something-self.  And I can’t blame her, I’m often in awe of these things too.  We all should feel this way because, in all honesty, what do our 20-something-selves really know?  Not nearly as much as I do now and I can’t wait to see what my 40-year-old self knows (just kidding, I can wait for that). 

Even so, I imagine all these women representing these stages in my life will have the same fundamental Mary Jordan-ness.  We’ll have the same self-deprecating humor, an extreme sense of protectiveness to those whom she loves, a dedication to all things Duke, the tendency to over-analyze things (see previous six paragraphs) and an utter adoration for anything with sugar in it. 

Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Note: The original recipe linked above is for a two-layer cake, but I halved everything and just made a one-layer cake.  I am anticipating my metabolism slowing down now that I'm 30.

For the Cake

1 stick butter

2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup boiling water

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ cup buttermilk

1 egg

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup Nutella (or more, depending upon if you want a good smearing or a thin layer on top)

For the Strawberries

1 pint of strawberries

1/8 cup of sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

Slice and hull your strawberries.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line one round baking pan with some parchment paper and spray with baking spray.  Melt the butter in the microwave.  Add the cocoa, stirring until smooth.  Add the boiling water and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.  Mix buttermilk, baking soda, eggs and vanilla together in a bowl.  Set this aside as well.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, flour and salt.  Add the hot chocolate mixture, stirring very gently until it is halfway combined.  Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir very gently until the batter is completely combined.  Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake for 17-20 minutes until just set.  Let the cake cool completely in the pan before doing anything with it  (I was impatient and that’s why my cake has a ‘rustic-edged’ look to it). 

Prepare the strawberries by stirring them with the sugar and the vanilla, letting them sit for 15 minutes.

Using a mixer, whip the cream with the powdered sugar. 

Assemble the cake by turning out your cake from its pan once it has cooled.  Spread the Nutella on top of the cake’s surface.  Spread the whipped cream on top of the Nutella and garnish with your strawberries.  (The juice left over from the macerated strawberries is delicious.  I recommend just drinking it straight from the bowl with a straw.)  Keep chilled until serving.  My cake lasted a few hours before we served it and it held up quite nicely. 

Fat Witch Brownies

I have found that New Yorkers are really social.  People who live in the city offer to host dinner parties/get-togethers/general hanging out in their homes all the time.  Especially in the winter when the local bar or restaurant is too far to travel because your ears my fall off from frostbite.  It turns out ear muffs were not just something that looked cute on me when I was six-years-old. They actually serve a purpose.

The willingness to host guests for an evening of fun in one’s apartment is fascinating to me because everyone who lives here (correction, everyone with whom I associate) has either A) an incredibly small apartment or B) random nooks and crannies that would deem a dinner party impossible to accommodate in one room leaving someone sitting by themselves in the bathroom because that is the only seat available.  Or both.  These two are not mutually exclusive.

Nevertheless, people are still willing to open their hearts and homes on a snowy Friday night to hang out and that is where we found ourselves last night.  Two of my neighbors and I thought we should host a progressive dinner party in an effort to hang out with our fellow 33 West 89ers.  The plan was to start on the second floor for appetizers, head to the fourth floor for empanadas and hit up the fifth floor for dessert (this was my contribution, naturally).  Once I got over the fear of letting ten people into our miniscule living room (complete with floor maps of what the most efficient seating arrangement would look like), I was ready.  As we all gathered on the second floor and mingled with our neighbors, we realized we should just bring the food there instead of moving herds of folks up three extra flights of stairs after gorging on wine and cheese.  And that is what we did.  We brought the progression to them.  And it was lovely. 

 

My contribution included cupcakes (to be revealed on a later post) and these brownies from the popular Fat Witch Bakery in Chelsea Market.  Chelsea Market has long been one of my favorite spots in NYC.  When I would visit Robbie here (pre-Robbie-in-London, pre-law-school, pre-marriage), we made it a point to stop in and peruse the shops.  In the five years since, it has become much more of a tourist attraction (can’t say I blame them) with a random Anthropologie thrown in the mix of local bakeries and vendors.  They were a hit last night, even with some unintentional extra chocolatey-ness. (I added 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate instead of ½ cup.  Oops.) 

These are best eaten the same night (or soon after) unless you can find a way to keep them as airtight as possible. There’s a reason Fat Witch Bakery individually wraps their brownies with tight cellophane.  I will say, though, that they are still their crumbly, chocolate deliciousness on a Saturday morning with one’s cup of coffee.  Just saying. 

Fat Witch Brownies

Adapted from Fat Witch Brownies – The Cookbook

14 Tablespoons Butter

1 cup bittersweet chocolate (The original recipe calls for ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips but I used a bar of bittersweet chocolate and chopped it up until I had a cup.  So I broke the rules twice.)

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour

Pinch of Salt

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring often.  Set aside to cool once they have melded into each other.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.  Cream the sugar, eggs and vanilla together.  This can be done by hand, no need to break out the mixer.  With a whisk, mix with some hearty elbow grease until it is a light yellow color and well-incorporated.  Add the chocolate mixture and mix until blended.  Add the flour and salt and mix until combined and you see no more dry ingredients in the batter.  Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 33 minutes.  (I left mine for 36 minutes. This is what happens when my timer breaks and I convince myself I can just remember that I have brownies in the oven and should check back in 33 minutes.)  Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour.  They are much easier to cut if you wait this hour although I know it will be tempting to dive right in.  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Robbie sent me an email this week with only the words "interesting article on nagging" in the subject line and then a link to this article from the Wall Street Journal. I then spent the next two hours trying to remember when I last nagged him, wondering if this was some passive aggressive way to tell me how I was getting on his case to much. Then I remembered that Robbie is not a girl and only girls would do something like that. So I read the article and had to admit it was interesting. And he assured me that he sent the link only because he knows how much I worry about nagging him too much (sure . . .) and that I am not nearly as bad as the individuals used in the article as examples.

But it got me thinking. It got me thinking at how Robbie and I seem to be doing ok for two people who had very independent lives (read - long-distance for the vast majority of our relationship) until August when we crammed a few of our possessions into a teeny apartment and tried this whole 'married-people-live-together' concept. It also made me realize how incredibly stereotypical coed living is. Yes, Robbie can't find anything in a cabinet/refrigerator/closet even if he is looking right at it. Yes, on trash night, I get super-annoyed when we take the trash out and then Robbie throws away a piece of paper when we Just. Took. The. Trash. Out. I even forced him to not throw a magazine away for an entire night so that we could have a clean trash can for at least 12 hours. But that's not nagging. Crazy, yes. Nagging, no.

Here's another pretty typical moment in the Samuel household. Let me set the scene for you. I am standing about 8 feet from our trash can in the apartment breaking down some boxes (a NYC rule - or maybe a building rule - who knows?). Robbie is standing between me and the trash can reading. (Robbie stands up to do almost everything. I am constantly ducking around him while he is standing up to eat, drink, read, write, etc. It's something I never noticed until I lived in a place with only five square feet of empty space which, when someone stands in it, takes up two square feet of said space leaving three for me and a 20+ pound cat around which to maneuver.) I finish breaking down one box, throw it at his feet and say "Can you throw that away please?" I may or may not have added the please but I find that fact a moo point (Friends fans, you've got that reference*). Robbie doesn't move. In the meantime, I finish breaking down the other box and he still has not picked up the first box and walked the four feet to throw it away. So I storm over with the second box, I'm sure making some combination of a human sigh and a horse's snort, pick up the first box, and throw them both away as if I just had the biggest I-am-a-martyr moment since Joan of Arc. Robbie just looks at me and says "You should've left it. I was going to get it." Which launches me into a discussion on, not his ability to throw the box away, but the fact that he could have done it ten times over again and just done what I asked him to. He claims I have no argument since it didn't inconvenience me that much as I clearly was going to throw the other box away anyway. Oy. Lawyers.

Now, what does this have to do with Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars you say? Nothing. Except, if I keep making these peanut butter and chocolate goodies, Robbie will always be at my mercy. Because I can get my way anytime I'm holding something chocolaty and peanut buttery. MJ - 1, Wall Street Journal - 0.

*The Moo Point - A Friends scene where Joey claims a point someone has made is a "Moo Point" because "It's like a cow's opinion -- doesn't matter."

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I couldn't remember where I first saw this recipe but I found basically the same recipe here.

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 16-oz package powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups Nilla wafers, crushed (about 45 cookies)

1 regular bag of semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of whipping cream

Beat the softened butter and peanut butter together until well blended. Add the powdered sugar and Nilla wafers until blended. I recommend using an electric mixer here as your arm will get tired otherwise. Press the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch dish lined with wax paper. In a medium saucepan, combine semisweet chips and whipping cream. Heat over low heat until melted. Pour the liquid over the mixture in the pan and smooth it out. Put in refrigerator to chill for at least one hour and then cut into squares.

Rolo Cupcakes

It's that time of year when everywhere you turn there are pumpkin pies, apple desserts, turkey dinners and other fall staples. Williams-Sonoma has added autumn touches to all of their merchandise (this was under the category baking essentials -- explain to me how this is essential?), grocery stores are running 'specials' on canned pumpkin even though we are probably paying double what they charge in April (can you even get canned pumpkin in April? Note to self, make something pumpkiny this spring to find out.), and in my neighborhood, everyone is pumped about a little parade that is held on Thanksgiving where they blow up the balloons just a few blocks south of us.

Now that I have you all harvest-focused, I am going to break the reverie for a moment to present these cupcakes that are so sweet and so chocolaty and so delicious (and so beautiful!) that you won't miss the warm colors or the smell of cinnamon. Instead, think more along the lines of so-much-sugar-you-feel-your-heartbeat-increase and the-fun-doesn't-stop-on-the-outside since each of these has a surprise center that gets you every time. Hello Rolo Cupcakes, where have you been all my life?

I made these a few weeks ago to share with a few of our friends as well as to try to woo Robbie's coworkers into offering him a full-time position instead of the freelancing position he held. He is now a full-benefit employee as of last month and I have established my baking cred amongst our group of friends here in the city. I attribute both of these accomplishments to these cupcakes.

Rolo Cupcakes

Adapted from My Baking Addiction

For the Cakes

1 18.25 ounce package Devil's Food Cake mix

1 5.9 ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp vanilla

24 frozen Rolos (I let mine freeze overnight)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Using the paddle attachment of a mixer, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, water and vanilla until smooth. Evenly divide the batter amongst the tins. Push a frozen Rolo in the center of the batter, being sure to smooth the batter over the candy. Bake for 18-22 minutes until top is springy to the touch. Cool the cupcakes thoroughly on the wire rack.

For the Frosting

4 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup caramel syrup

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar

Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add more caramel syrup if you want more of a caramel taste. I ended up adding another 1/3 of a cup.

For the Ganache

4 ounces bitter sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla (I have a confession, I accidently left the vanilla out of the ganache. To my knowledge, no one noticed.)

24 Rolos for garnish

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot but not boiling. Place the chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl (I used a Pyrex measuring cup). Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. I used this time to begin frosting the cupcakes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroghly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup and vanilla (if you can remember the vanilla). Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. I used this time to finish frosting the cupcakes. You do not want it to harden so that you can't spoon it over the frosting so you may want to check back on it. Once cakes are frosted with the caramel buttercream, spoon the glaze over the tops of the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a Rolo and stand back for the stampede.

Giant Chocolate Chips Scones

I have now been up since 3:55 in the morning and I am still watching coverage of the Royal Wedding. And I continue to try and figure out how to incorporate the words 'betwixt' and 'troth' in my daily vocabulary.

It took me about three days after Prince William and Catherine announced their engagement to decide to take off work on the day of their wedding. It took about two more days to confirm that I would spend the morning watching TV and enjoying a real British breakfast. It took about two seconds - after Googling "English Breakfast" - that I decided I should rethink this plan since baked beans and toast are not as refined as I was hoping.

Then, it was announced that the wedding would begin at 11 am. London time. I admit, after doing the math, I thought that this fun-filled plan might not be the best idea. But no, as a real-life-princess (Just ask my father. And Robbie. They will confirm my status.), I had to stay committed to the future Princess Catherine. So, I roped my parents into going to the beach for a long weekend for our own celebration (Robbie, meanwhile, is studying copyrights, securities regulations and other fun topics). We had English muffins, tea, strawberries and cream* and of course, scones. As I understand it, British scones tend to be dainty and petite and include something healthy like dried fruit and lemon zest. In light of this, I Americanized them by tripling their size and filling them with chocolate.

*A note on strawberries and cream. If you have never had strawberries and cream, you must go to the store immediately, pick up some heavy cream, slice some strawberries and have a bowl. Now I understand what all the fuss is about at Wimbledon. The sweet strawberries combined with the rich cream create this thick, delicious bowl of richness. It makes anyone feel like royalty. And will make you wonder why anyone would have 2% milk when you can have 36%.

Giant Dark Chocolate Chip Scones
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

3¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups (about 12-oz) package dark chocolate chips
2 cups chilled heavy cream (may need an additional splash of cream)
melted butter for brushing on top
Additional sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Stir together flour, ½ a cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl (make sure it’s a fairly large bowl and, ideally, a little shallower than normal so you can do all of the kneading, flattening and cutting in one place). Pour cream into flour mixture, stirring just until ingredients are moistened. Add a bit more if needed to completely incorporate the flour. At this point, you can turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead gently. I did this in the same bowl, kneading for about two minutes with flour-dusted hands until a soft dough forms. Flatten the ball into a circle and cut into 8 triangles. Transfer triangles to prepared baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake about 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I think winter got mad at me when I called it a tease in the last post because I woke up to three inches of snow on the ground but luckily, it got me a snow day. What makes a snow day better? Cupcakes. And not just any cupcakes. Black Bottom Cupcakes that, if you use your imagination, kind of look like little mini adorable snow-topped mountains (to continue the theme). But oh are they delicious. The recipe makes just twelve so it is the perfect amount to enjoy with your friends and not worry about having the leftovers sit around the kitchen to ruin the rest of the week’s diet (because, like me, you probably give yourself just one or two (or three) days to eat what you like each week).

I found this recipe in David Lebovitz’s The Great Book of Chocolate which I purchased last year from Amazon when they got me with one of those “Get this book & another one for 25% off if bought together!” I’m such a sucker for a semi-good deal. But boy am I glad I snagged it along with his other baking cookbook Ready for Dessert (which explains my state about 95% of the time). Ironically, my first recipe to test out comes from the add-on book. David is hysterical and I highly recommend his books and blog. He lives in Paris (hence how I discovered him when we were doing Paris Honeymoon research) and apparently bakes all day. At least that’s what I like to think he does.

So, enjoy a cup of warm milk along with these little delights. They may not be Starbucks’ version of the black bottom cupcake (do they even make those anymore?) but they are easier to get your hands on when the roads are ice rinks and people are driving their Mustangs and Camaros like it is the Indy 500. Enjoy!

Black Bottom Cupcakes
From David Lebovitz’s The Great Book of Chocolate

For the Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used semi-sweet morsels.)

For the Cupcakes:
1½ c all-purpose flour
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tbsp naturally unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 c water
1/3 c unflavored vegetable oil
1 tbsp white or cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Make the Filling:
Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

Make the Cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring just until smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.
5. Bake for 25 minutes (Did you read that? 25 minutes! Such a short amount of time to enjoy such greatness!), or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.*

*Since you can’t eat all twelve right out of the oven (this is not a challenge), I found the leftovers even better nuked in the microwave for about 12 seconds.