chocolate caramels with sea salt

We’re going to keep this short, and well, sweet. After all, it is hump day for my 5 Days of Sweets.

I have a friend celebrating a birthday this week. I asked what she’d like me to make for her. Her response, “something chocolate.” Well, I can do that.  How can you go wrong with making a basic caramel base, stirring in cocoa powder, then topping the candies with a generous sprinkling of sea salt?

Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt – adapted from Food Network Magazine, December 2011

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment  paper or foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Melt butter in a large sauce pan, then add sugar, light corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reaches 248 degrees, about 15 minutes. Pour into prepared pan, sprinkle with sea salt while still warm. Cool completely, cut into 1-inch square pieces. Wrap in waxed paper squares.

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pumpkin spice latte cupcakes

It seems like cupcake stores are popping up on every corner these days. And don’t get me wrong, that’s not the worst thing in the world to happen.  I’d much rather pass twenty cupcakeries than twenty drug stores or cash-advance establishments. My issue is that the cupcakes are rarely stupendous. Yes, there are inventive flavors and fun toppings. However, the taste, the texture, the essence of the cupcake is rarely great.

When I came across this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes over on Annie’s Eats, I knew that I’d found something special.  First, I love anything pumpkin-flavored. And it doesn’t matter to me that the major pumpkin holidays are over. Also, I just knew that the addition of the instant espresso powder would take these little cakes to new heights. It most certainly did.

I altered the recipe slightly for the more coffee-averse among us. Annie brushes strong coffee over the cooled cupcakes. I found that the three tablespoons of instant espresso powder in the batter was just enough of a flavor kick. I also swapped her whipped cream frosting for a cinnamon-butter cream frosting of my own.

This recipe makes a full two dozen cupcakes.  Don’t even think about splitting the recipe in half. I’ve never baked anything that has been more universally adored. Bake them all and give them to people you love. Heck, give them to people you just barely like. They’ll love you for it. (Author’s note: I love everyone that has received one or more of these cupcakes from me.)

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes - adapted from Annie’s Eats
Yield: about 2 dozen cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. espresso powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup sugar
• 
1 cup brown sugar
• 
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs

For the frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the garnish:

• store-bought caramel topping

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  With the mixture on low-speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.

Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full.  Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.  Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans.  Let cool completely.

In the bowl of a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat butter and confectioners sugar until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add cream and cinnamon and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Pipe or slather on cupcakes. Drizzle with caramel topping.

Coming to tomorrow for day 3 of 5 Days of Sweets, Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt. Little chewy bites of sweet and salty deliciousness.

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butterscotch blondie bars

Today begins 5 Days of Sweets here at made by mike. I had a lot of fun doing this last year, and hope you’ll enjoy what I have to feature this year. To kick off the series, may I introduce you to the Butterscotch Blondie Bar?  They were featured in the December 2011 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. I made the recipe as instructed, but I wasn’t happy with bottom blondie layer. It tasted great, but the sides rose higher than the middle, and got a little too crunchy. Instead, for the recipe featured here, I went back to the classic blondie recipe that I’ve used reliably in the past. This time, though, I incorporated the browned butter aspect from the original magazine recipe. The combination of recipes worked very well.

So here’s what you get with the final product, a rich dense blondie foundation with a topping of peanuts and pretzels coated in homemade chewy caramel deliciousness.

Butterscotch Blondie Bars – inspired by Bon Appetit, December 2011.

For the blondie layer:

• 1 cup (2 sticks)  unsalted butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

For the peanut-pretzel topping:

• 4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups thin twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed

To make the blondie: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9x2″ metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1″ overhang on the long sides of the pan. Stir 1 cup butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at the bottom of the pan, 7-8 minutes.

Transfer melted butter to a mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add eggs to mixture one at a time, then add vanilla and salt. Beat until well combined. Set mixer to low and add flour, beating until just combined.

Spread mixture evenly in baking pan, bake 20-25 minutes, until center is set.  Do not over bake.  Let cool in pan on a rack.

To make the peanut-pretzel topping: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread peanuts in an even layer in pan. Bake, stirring frequently ], until golden brown, 5-7 minutes, set aside.

Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber in color, 12 – 15 minutes. Add honey; return to boil, stirring often, 1 minute longer. Add butter; stir until blended. Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously, stand back); whisk until smooth. Stir in peanuts and pretzels. Pour over cooled blondie. Chill in refrigerator until cool, 30 minutes.

Coming tomorrow, for day 2 of 5 Days of Sweets, Pumpkin Spice Latte´ Cupcakes. These little cakes have been a huge hit.

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is your sweet tooth ready?

For a second year in a row, I’m happy to share with you 5 Days of Sweets. The fun begins Monday. Until then, get your sweet tooth primed by visiting last year’s 5 Days of Sweets.

peanut butter and cinnamon cookies

Truth be told, and why shouldn’t it be, I’m not such a fan of peanut butter. Maybe it’s a texture thing, I don’t know. It’s crazy, because I love peanuts. I could polish off one of those huge jars of Planter’s Roasted Peanuts during a single episode of Raising Hope.  And that’s giving me plenty of time to chuckle my way though the show. An aside, anyone else think that Cloris Leachman isn’t acting?

The person I love most in life, occasionally eats peanut butter by the spoonful. My lovely sister sits down to a daily lunch centered around a classic pb&j sandwich. Not me. And don’t even get me started on my dislike of the famed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

All that said, I was intrigued by this recipe for Peanut Butter and Cinnamon Cookies. And I’m very glad that I gave it a try.  The combination of peanut butter and cinnamon may sound strange, but the cinnamon really took the edge off the peanut butter for me. The two contrasting flavors make for a very subtle peanut butter cookie. I really couldn’t be more pleased. I think that even the peanut butter fanatics among us will approve.  Give them a try. They would be great for a holiday cookie exchange.

Peanut Butter & Cinnamon Cookies – adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies App.

•  1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix flour, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

With a mixer, beat butter, 1/2 cup sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla on medium speed until well blended. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients on low-speed until well mixed. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Using a 1.5″ ice cream scoop, shape dough into balls. Roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Place about 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten each ball with a fork, pressing a crisscross pattern on the tops of the cookies.

Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

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pumpkin and chocolate chip squares

I’ve been going through cans of pure pumpkin puree like it’s water. I’ve made these cupcakes more times than I care to count. They are amazing, you should make them. Your friends and family will be very happy campers. Even if they don’t particularly care for camping. I can relate.

Today, I cracked open another can and made these terrific Pumpkin & Chocolate-Chip Squares. They are a breeze to make. Everything was mixed and spread in the baking pan in less than 15 minutes.  The longest chunk of time was the baking process, 35-40 minutes.  That gave me plenty of time to clean up the kitchen.  A few weeks ago I really “Cammed the kitchen” (Modern Family reference). I’ve pledged to never let that happen again. We’re still finding mounds of flying frosting scattered around the kitchen.

These fall-flavored squares are very moist. They may have needed a few more moments in the oven, but they were still a great treat. I shared them at a meeting and they were received quite well. You can find the recipe over here at Martha’s place. It’s also available on the Martha Stewart Cookies app. A great place for finding amazing cookie recipes. Enjoy.

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