Whoopie Pies!!

I had to laugh when I titled this post "Making Whoopie Pies."  I almost titled it "Making Whoopie", and then thought that probably sounded a little dirty... and totally inappropriate from a mom who blogs mostly about her girls....

It seems like Whoopie Pies are everywhere these days.  I see them advertised at my gas station of all places, they're featured in magazines!  Featured on blogs!  So, I decided they must be really really awesome, and when I saw the recipe in my February Family Fun magazine, I knew I had to get my little baker and get to baking.

So we did!  And we learned a lot!  First lesson to learn?  READ ALL THE DIRECTIONS THOROUGHLY!  Remember in 5th grade where you get a paper that has all these questions on it, and you answer away and think "wow, I'm SO going to ace this quiz!"  Then when you get to the bottom, the last question said "do not answer any of these questions, and turn into the teacher now."  gulp  Oops.  FAILED big time!

Now, I am trying to teach Maddie how to read a recipe, and when I realized that we were doing it incorrectly, it was a great teaching experience.  Now I hung my head in shame....  and happily, they still turned out wonderfully! 

I was practicing my photography with my camera on manual -- so I used this opportunity to snap pictures of Maddie in action.

we did an "oops" here.....

I love all the flour on her face!

You can get the recipe complete with pictures on the Family Fun website, but I transferred it over for you as well.

 Cake

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg

FILLING

• ½ cup softened butter
• 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup marshmallow crème
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Red food coloring (optional)

1)  Heat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2)  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

3)  In a large bowl with a hand mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until evenly blended, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, increase the speed to high, and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute more.

4)   Pour half the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, and beat at medium speed until combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and continue beating until just blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat again.

5)  Use a cookie scoop or spoon to place a heaping tablespoon of batter on a prepared cookie sheet. Add more mounds of batter, evenly spacing them, until there are nine on each sheet. Slightly flatten each mound with a spoon.

 6)  Bake the cakes one sheet at a time for 10 minutes (they should be moist and spongy). Let them cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Reline the sheets and scoop, shape, and bake the remaining batter.

7)  Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat all the filling ingredients except the coloring in a medium bowl until evenly blended, about 2 minutes. If you want to give the filling a Valentine hue, fold in drops of red food coloring until the desired tint is reached.
 
8)  To make each pie, spoon and spread a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of a cake, then gently press another cake on top.

Death by chocolate cupcakes.... literally!

A few weeks ago I found this amazing recipe on Amanda & Kevin's blog and I knew I had to try it out.

Chocolate cupcake.

Chocolate Mousse inside chocolate cupcake.

Chocolate frosting on top of chocolate cupcake with chocolate mousse inside.

Chocolate candy on top of chocolate cupcake with chocolate mousse inside with chocolate frosting on top.

I mean... what's there not to love about this cupcake?  It's a recipe that was created JUST FOR ME!!

So, I made these for Katie's birthday.  Let me say... it was divine!!  and time consuming.....

Here is the recipe: 

List of Ingredients:

1 box Devils Food Cake Mix

1 small box Jello Chocolate Fudge instant pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

Chocolate Mousse Filling

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 stick softened butter

2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup of boiling water

1 bag mini Snickers (I used Reese's Peanut Butter cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners. To prepare the cupcakes, place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, milk and sour cream into stand mixer. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Scoop the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes are cooked through and a toothpick comes clean from center. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let cool.

2. To prepare the mousse, melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream with a stand or electric mixer until it looks like whipped cream and stiff peaks form. Fold melted chocolate chips into whipped cream until well combined, then transfer batches into a piping bag. When cupcakes have cooled, press the tip of the piping bag into the center of the cupcake, about 1 inch deep. Squeeze the mousse into the cupcake while pulling the tip out. It doesn’t take much, just one firm squeeze is perfect. Continue filling all the cupcakes.

3. To prepare the frosting, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla & hot water until well combined and a nice frosting consistency. Spread over cupcakes then top with chopped Snickers (or other candy).

Makes 24 cupcakes.  (actually, for me, it made 33)

While I loved Amanda's directions and beautiful pictures on her blog that went well with the recipe, I found that I had a few more steps that I needed to do. 

• First of all, chill the chocolate mousse!!  After you get done making it, put it in the fridge for a bit to harden up. 
• Let your cupcakes TOTALLY cool (like, for several hours!) before you pipe it inside the cupcake. 
• If you do the Reese's PB Cups, buy like 3-4 of the packages of candy (I'm talking about the individual sized that has 8 in a package?... like for $1 each?  I bought only 1 package, and it only covered 8 cupcakes).
• and finally, Amanda didn't have anything liquid for her frosting, and I used this recipe that came out of my Better Homes & Garden cookbook (it's the no-cook Fudge frosting), but it calls for boiling water... butter, vanilla, cocoa powder & confectioners sugar is NOT going to make frosting, something liquid needs to be added, so start w/ 1/4 cup of boiling water and go from there).

This recipe is MOST definitely a keeper for our family!  I think I'm going to try a French Vanilla cake mix next to see how that would taste w/ chocolate mousse!!



::drooling::

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

One final picture??

Good for You Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

I found this recipe years ago in a magazine, of which I can't even remember. However, it is SO delicious, and slightly a little healthier than a regular version of a chocolate chip recipe!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c dk brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 stick margarine
1/2 c applesauce, unsweetened
2 egg whites
2 1/2 c oats
12 oz chocolate chips

Combine flour, soda, cinnamon & salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar, sugar, margarine & applesauce in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg whites & vanilla; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, chips & if you prefer.... nuts. Drop onto greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 9-10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 12-13 minutes for crispy.

Amy's Notes: I'm such a dork sometimes. I didn't read the directions all the way through, and tossed everything in a bowl starting with the flour. Guess what?! IT WAS FINE!!! I also didn't have margarine, just butter. I also didn't have unsweetened applesauce, so I used applesauce with cinnamon. I also didn't have dark brown sugar... just light brown. All in all, they tasted AMAZINGLY awesome! Oh, and I used parchment paper to bake the cookies on.... for 10 minutes for chewy! Take them out before they get brown!!

Texas Caviar (or in other words: Black Beans & Corn Salsa)

This is NOT what the recipe makes! This is due to my three friends eating almost the whole bowl before I remembered to take a picture
... it's almost gone!

I seriously love this recipe. Some people call it Texas Caviar, some call it "Black Beans & Corn Salsa" I don't care what you call it... just make it!

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 c diced red onion

Dressing:
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt & pepper each
4-6 Tbsp lime juice
**can add 1/4 c cilantro
**can add pickled jalapeno slices

Combine all ingredients and let mingle... overnight, if possible! If not possible, then at least 4 hours before you plan to serve or eat. You can also add green pepper, tomatoes, chopped parsley, garlic, etc. Just keep the proportions the same!

Amy's Notes: I have none! Just eat with tortilla chips or even add to salads! Top a grilled chicken with this!

pepper jelly + canning!!

I had an opportunity a few weeks ago to host a Ball Canning party by House Party. They gave me EVERYTHING I needed to start canning... everything but the food. So while my mom was here in town, I made her teach me how to can. And can we did!!

First we started out washing our cans, lids & bands. Some people put it on the sanitize cycle on their dishwasher, but I don't have that cycle on mine. So we placed the jars inside a simmering hot pan of water (first time we submerged, the second time I did not submerge the jars). Set the lids in their own little pan and we started making the jelly!!

Ingredients:

4 1/2 c finely chopped green bell pepper (about 4 large)
1/2 c finely chopped jalapeno pepper (about 4 small)
1 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 pkg (1.75 oz) Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin
2 c sugar
1 c honey
12 Ball (4 0z) jelly jars w/ lids & bands

1) Prepare canner & jars as directed.

2) Combine green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, & vinegar in a large saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat, stirring constantly.

3) Add sugar & honey. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.


4) Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 headspace. Wipe rim and center lid on jar. Screw band on until fingertip-tight.

5) Process filled jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Leave sitting on counter for 12-24 hours.


Amy's Notes: OK.... get a chopper if you've got one. I have a Pampered Chef chopper, and that literally saved my life! My hands too! For the jalapeno peppers, I wanted it a little hot, but not so hot that kids can't eat it, so I left two of them w/ the veins & seeds, and seeded/deveined the other two peppers. Another note to myself: start the pan w/ hot water quite a while before it's needed. The first time I canned, it took FOREVER and a day to get it boiling (always put the lid on it, which I didn't). The second time I canned, I added the lid and started the heat about half an hour before I needed to start.

If you have any leftover or run out of jars to place into, put the rest in a sealable container and eat over cream cheese with crackers!!

This is a perfectly little gift to take someone... like a hostess gift!
Or a little Christmas present for that someone!!
Make a whole bunch NOW so you're ready for whenever!
Seriously, the easiest recipe ever!

Many thanks to the Ball company for supplying this recipe! It's a winner!

lemon bars

I was a lemon bar virgin. Never made them before... never *gasp* had them before! I really had NO clue what they were supposed to look like! I went searching for the perfect recipe, and found that almost all of the recipes were the exact same, only some had more flour, or less flour... some had less lemon, or more lemon... some called for lemon juice in a bottle, others said you HAVE to use fresh lemons. So, I used Paula Deen's recipe.

Ingredients
Crust:
2 c all purpose flour
1 c confectioner's sugar + more for dusting
pinch salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature, + more for greasing

Filling:
4 eggs
2 c granulated sugar
6 tbsp all purpose flour
6 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Make the crust by combining the flour, sugar & salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. You may need to dip your fingers in a little flour or confectioner's sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour & lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired, when the bars are done.

Amy's Notes: I used Pam, not butter to grease my pan. I baked everything according to the directions, and it all turned out very yummy! On the actual website, you can see all the "well.. I would have done this... or that" type of tips, but I didn't use any of those. When I pulled it out of the oven, I was sure I did it wrong. Nothing looked like jelly for the lemon filling. But, it was there. I made it Friday night, and cut it up on Saturday morning!

Guenther House Quiche Muffins

I had this recipe at a baby shower held at my friend Katie's house a few weeks ago. I kept going back for seconds... and thirds... and I finally stopped at fourths. They were SO delicious!!! These really are perfect for brunches, or breakfast/brunch baby showers!

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/3 c butter @ room temp
1 1/2 c Bisquik
1 c cooked & crumbled sausage
1 c shredded zucchini
1/3 c chopped green onion
1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 c mozzarella or provolone cheese

Heat oven to 350. Grease muffin tins. Combine milk, butter, eggs, and Bisquik. Stir in sausage, zucchini, onion & cheeses. {at this point the mixture can be refrigerated overnight.} For regular muffins, bake about 20 minutes. For mini muffins, bake 15-18 minutes.

Amy's Notes: I doubled this recipe b/c I didn't want to let the sausage go to waste. I made SO many muffins! I baked 1 large tin of muffins, and two tins of mini muffins. I'm freezing the mini muffins now.... and so we can just pull them out and reheat when we want them!