Banana cupcakes with chocolate frosting

Bananas and chocolate go together like bacon and eggs - although I'm not sure how well a bacon and eggs cupcake would fair. With that mental note made, let's get to work. Those borderline rotten bananas aren't going to cook themselves. P.S. This recipe is as simple as it is delicious.

Banana cupcakes

2 cups unbleached pastry flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 large ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium size bowl, mash the bananas into a lumpy paste (YUM!). Whisk in melted butter, eggs (one at a time), and vanilla in that order. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, sift all dry ingredients together.

3. Combine wet and dry ingredients in the large bowl. Mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

5. Let cool completely before icing.

Chocolate frosting

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

1. Combine melted butter and cocoa powder to make a dark brown paste (again., YUM!). Add milk and vanilla and mix well.

2. Add powdered sugar 1/2 at a time until you reach your desired level of sweetness.

3. Let sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, and then slather lovingly atop your cupcakes.

ENJOY!

Belgian Barista Cupcakes

These cupcakes all the sweetness of a mini Starbucks all packed into one handful of deliciousness. A moist chocolate cake, riddled with savoury pistachios, and topped with a Belgian dark chocolate and espresso butter cream icing. They're rich and decadent, and they're a perfect midday pick-me-up. Try your best not to fall in love with these cupcakes. Your hips will thank you.

Cake recipe

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup boiling hot water
1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup raw pistachios
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, whisk cocoa powder and boiling water together. Let set in refrigerator until it reaches room temperature.

2. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Stir in pistachios.

3. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at time, incorporating completely before adding the next one. Then add the vanilla.

4. Combine the flour mixture and the butter/sugar mixture, and then add the cocoa/water mixture. Beat until completely incorporated.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line 16 muffin cups with paper liners. Fill each liner about two-thirds of the way full. Bake for 16-22 minutes (depending on your oven). Let cool completely before icing.

Belgian dark chocolate butter cream frosting with espresso

6 oz Belgian dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup whipping cream (35%)
2 tsp instant espresso powder, heaping
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Using indirect heat - place a glass bowl over a small pot of bowling water. Whisk espresso powder and cream together in the bowl while it warms up. Add chocolate and continue stirring with a spatula until it's completely melted and combined. Remove bowl from heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

2. Once chocolate mixture has cooled, beat together with butter until smooth.

3. Sift powdered sugar and use a spatula to fold it into the chocolate/butter combination (to avoid sugar flying everywhere). Beat on high until fluffy.

To frost the cupcakes, you can either be lazy and use a spatula/knife to slather it on, or you can use a piping bag and make it look a little fancier. Extra icing will keep in the fridge for about a week.

ENJOY!

blueberry & peach crisp

As we prepare to bid farewell to the Summertime, we need not cry tears of sadness. It's not all bad. Even though we're just leaving peach season, and nearing the end of blueberry season, now is the perfect time for this dessert. It's a quick and easy pick-me-up, so no excuses.

Fruit
6 peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Topping
1/4 cup (seperate) all-purpose flour
1 cup golden yellow sugar
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ground sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Arrange peaches and blueberries in a greased baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss with four (1 tbsp).

3. In a large bowl, combine flour (1/4 cup), sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oats. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.

4. Sprinkle oat mixture over peaches and blueberries.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Best served with real vanilla ice cream. Feeds about 6. NOM

tomato basil parmigiano focaccia

A fun twist on pizza. And guess what? You're making the focaccia from scratch.


For the focaccia dough:
1 tsp white sugar
1 (0.25oz or 8g) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup and 5ish tbsp warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. In a small bowl, combine sugar, yeast and 1/3 cup warm water. Mix with a fork or small whisk until ingredients are dissolved. Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes, until it's creamy and stinky.

2. In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture and flour and stir well. Mix in the additional water, 1 tbsp at a time until all flour has been incorporated.

3. Once the dough has come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for < 1 minute.

4. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Roll dough around bowl to coat in oil completely. Cover with dampened tea towel. Let rest in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

5. Deflate and knead briefly. Roll or press dough onto a large, lightly greased cookie sheet to look like a pizza crust (not so thin, though. Also, if you're using a rolling pin, be sure not to roll over the edges. This makes it easier for it to bake evenly. It gives it a rustic look, too. Yay.)

For the topping:
2 medium-large tomatoes, sliced
fresh, whole basil leaves
parmigiano-reggiano
1 clove garlic
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Mince the garlic, and then combine with olive oil and let it sit for a couple of hours (or a whole day -- the longer, the better, really). After the oil has sat for however long you want it to, you can either strain the garlic out or just dump it all on top of the bread dough.

Spread oil evenly atop the dough. Season with black pepper and sea salt. Arrange basil leaves (as many or as little as you want). Place tomato slices on top of basil. Next, shave as much or as little parmigiano on top as you prefer. Note: try not to die from delicious fragrance wafting from your creation.

At this point, you can let it sit on the counter for another hour or so. It's not necessary, but I'd recommend it. Give those ingredients some time alone to get to know each other and make delicious flavours together.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on your desired level of crispiness.

Cut like a pizza, and omnomnomnom away.

Buon appetito!

chocolate butter toffee cookies

Who doesn't love chocolate cookies? Or, for that matter, toffee? Makes perfect sense to throw them together, doesn't it? Yes. Yes, it does.

So, this is actually two recipes in one. Yeah, you're getting a deal. And by deal I mean twice the amount of work. AND double the awesome.

Butter toffee

You'll need a candy thermometer.

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup water
*scant1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine butter, sugar, water and salt in a large, heavy sauce pan or pot.

2. Cook over medium-high to high heat, stirring often, until candy thermometer reads 305 degrees.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

4. Immediately pour onto a cookie sheet covered with lightly greased tin foil. Spread the toffee out evenly.  Let it cool completely.


Chocolate cookies

You're gonna need a big ass bowl for this one, son. And one medium sized bowl, too.

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. In the larger bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes).

2. Add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure to beat each egg in completely.

3. Add vanilla and beat until combined.

4. In the smaller bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Make sure they're well mixed together.

5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Make sure that you mix everything together completely. Use a spatula or a giant spoon. And for god's sake, don't use your hands. This shit is sticky as hell. I learned that the hard way.

6. Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a cylinder that's about 6-7 inches long and 1.5-2 inches in diameter. Wrap each half in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about two hours (Or, do what I do, and refrigerate it over night. The longer the dough has to sit and think about what it's done, the better the cookie will be. Remember that.)

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray it with Pam or something. We're not all hippies, I realize.)

7. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, cut 1/4 inch thick slices. Space the cookies out on the sheet approximately 1 inch apart.

8. Now for the fun part. Bust the toffee up into tiny, deliciously crumbly pieces and sprinkle them atop each cookie. Also, sprinkle a little freshly ground sea salt on top, too. Just for a little extra kick of somethin-somethin. Totally optional.

9. Bake cookies for about 10  - 12 minutes (depending on size) or until they are firm around the edges.

10. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before you transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

YAY!

raspberry lemonade

When I hear people complain about the heat, I want to punch them in the kidneys. But that would be rude. So, I make lemonade instead. Nothing cures a case of summer-heat-woes better than an ice cold glass of homemade raspberry lemonade. It's refreshing and core-cooling. And there's really just something therapeutic about juicing lemons the old fashioned way, isn't there?

10 lemons, juice and zest of

7 cups water

3(ish) cups ice cubes

2 cups raspberries (Fresh or frozen. I prefer fresh. Also, 2 cups is only a suggestion. Go nuts.)

simple syrup (1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar)

fresh mint leaves for garnishing (optional)

1. Zest those lemons. All of 'em. That's where all of that awesome lemon flavour is hiding.

2. Now juice them! Tip: roll those bitches around on the counter (somewhat agressively) before you half and juice them. It just makes it a little easier to get as much juice as possible out of them.

3. Add the zest to the juice, and let it stand for an hour or so.

4. Meanwhile, prepare simple syrup. (Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to boil, and then remove from heat. Pour into glass container and let it cool in the fridge before using.)

5. Strain lemon juice into a large juice pitcher with ice.

6. Add simple syrup, water, and raspberries. Stir. 

7. Garnish with mint leaves. (optional)

Makes a great mixed drink with vodka, rum, or gin -- all tried and tested by your's truly, I don't mind saying.

So, stop complaining about this beautiful, hot summer weather. It's not too hot. You just need some lemonade.

vegan chocolate buttercream icing

If you like chocolate icing, you will looooooove this recipe. It. Is. Decadent.


You'll need an electric beater for this recipe (also what she said.)
Yields enough icing for 12 cupcakes. Double or triple for whole cakes.

1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (Earth Balance or vegan Becel)
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/8 heaping cup cocoa powder, sifted
1  teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup chocolate soy milk


1. With a fork, cream shortening and margarine together with a fork.

2. Add cocoa and beat on low-medium speed until completely mixed.

3. Add soy milk, and beat on low speed until completely mixed. Beat on medium-high speed until entire amount of sugar is used. (You might adjust the amount of sugar according to your desired sweetness. Just stick your finger in and taste it. Don't be afraid.)

5. Add vanilla and mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes.

Enjoy!