Archives for category: Chocolate

Cookies & Creme Cupcakes

May 22, 2013 //

For the past two years, my master’s program has delayed some of my BWF posts but just this past weekend I graduated! This starts a new transitional time for myself but also for BWF as I can bake and post a bit more and incorporate Vines into some of my posts. We made these delicious cupcakes this past weekend to celebrate and covered them with “graduation caps.” If your loved ones haven’t graduated yet, these are a quick and easy way to celebrate them in a very sweet way. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 egg whites
1 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies (about 10 cookies) plus additional for garnish
1 container (16 ounces) vanilla frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 24 standard (2-1/2-inch) muffin pan cups or line with paper baking cups.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in large bowl. Stir in sugar. Add milk, butter and vanilla; beat with electric mixer at low speed 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Add egg whites; beat 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup crushed cookies.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes to racks; cool completely.

Frost cupcakes; garnish with additional crushed cookies.

Check these out:

https://vine.co/v/bEYUQPzKtxV

https://vine.co/v/bEYHDIHFUlP

Tags Chocolate, Cupcakes

Categories Chocolate, Cupcakes, Holidays

Black & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

March 31, 2013 //

So, I had incomplete amounts of chocolate chips for a recipe I wanted to make and could not find a recipe for that amount. Then I realized I also had the same awkward amount of white chocolate chips in my pantry. I found this recipe and incorporated both kinds of chocolate chips to make a perfectly harmonious cookie! Enjoy!

Directions:

1 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, cream the shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar together with a wooden spoon. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture.

Finally stir in the semi sweet chips and the white chips, if the batter is too stiff, you may need to use your hands.

Drop cookies by heaping spoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to cool on wire racks.

Categories Chocolate, Cookies, Quick

Pretzel Hugs

March 31, 2013 //

This recipe is my mom’s go-to recipe when she wants to bring a little treat to share! It’s very simple and surprisingly delicious! This time we did them spring-themed but you can do any combination. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Square pretzels
Hersey’s Hugs (Kisses don’t work well for some reason)
M&M’s (color of choice)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Arrange all pretzels on a cookie sheet.

Then, place Hugs in the center above the pretzels.

Place cookie sheet in the oven for 4-5 minutes. As soon as the time is up, pull out cookie sheet and place M&M’s into the center of the Hugs. Remove from cookie sheet and place on wax paper for easy removal later on, since the cookie sheet will still be hot and melting the chocolate.

Categories Chocolate, Quick

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

March 31, 2013 //

I had a group of my very special Venezuelan family over to have a super Baking with Friends session and this was what we made! This recipe is quite simple: the classic red velvet cupcake with an additional ingredient, chocolate chips! Here are the pictures of our entertaining night and our creative fondant creations that we placed on top of the cupcakes. Baking with Friends at its finest!

Great with milk!

Here was the fun process:

Now for the fondant toppings!

Categories Chocolate, Cupcakes, Frosting

Red Velvet Peppermint Swirl Brownies

December 9, 2012 //

I promise this recipe will make up for lost time! This dessert is essentially a very soft peppermint bark and it is a delicious holiday recipe, especially with a big glass of milk! Steven and I baked this treat this Sunday afternoon, reminiscing of the beginning of the BWF blog! One year ago, almost exactly, this blog began at Steven’s house with friends in preparation for the holiday season. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Ingredients

1 (4-oz.) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
3/4 cup butter
2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
4 large eggs
1 (1-oz.) bottle red liquid food coloring
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 13×9 inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2-3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil. Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2-2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in 2 cups sugar.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Add food coloring, peppermint extract, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/8 tsp. salt. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffly. Add egg whites and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla and beat until blended. Stir in 2 Tbsp. flour until smooth.

Drop cream cheese mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls over batter in pan; gently swirl with a knife. (Be sure to spread out the tablespoonfuls so that they don’t all merge together like ours did!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles.

Gently remove foil; cut brownies into squares.

Mmmmm….

Categories Brownies, Chocolate, Holidays

Cookies & Creme Ice Cream Cake

September 5, 2012 //

After an entire weekend of salsa dancing at the NY International Salsa Congress, JeanCarlos and I decided to make an ice cream cake from scratch! Now, I must admit I’m no expert in the kitchen nor am I an amateur, but I considered this to actually be a challenge. But, I must say, this recipe was much easier than I expected! It does take a bit of time so do not expect to enjoy this delicious treat soon after you start to make this BUT, it is definitely worth the wait! ENJOY!

Two quick warnings:

1. There is a lot of cake maneuvering, which is actually quite fun, but just be prepared!

2. There is a typo on the recipe in case you look directly at the link instead of what I’ve written below: Remove the carton and, using a piece of string or dental floss, cut the cake* in half lengthwise (long side to long side) and place the two layers side by side on a piece of waxed paper.

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix (we used Devil’s food cake)
1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream, softened in the refrigerator (we used Cookies & Creme)

Directions

Prepare cake according to package directions; bake in a 9×13 inch baking dish and cool completely. Be sure to grease your pan very well before placing the batter in so that the cake does not crumble and break.

P.S. check out these baking iPhone action shots!

Using a piece of string or dental floss, cut the cake in half lengthwise (long side to long side) and place the two layers side by side on a piece of wax paper. Make sure that the cake is cold before doing this.

Place the ice cream in between both halves of the cooled cake.

Trim the cake and ice cream so that the edges match. Place a board or serving platter over the cake, hold onto the wax paper and board, and flip the ice cream cake over. Remove the wax paper and smooth out the seam between the ice cream slabs. Cover with wax paper and freeze until very firm. Decorate as desired. We used Hershey’s chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips.

SO DELICIOUS!!!!

Categories Cakes, Chocolate

Chocolate Cake

September 4, 2012 //

Laura and I were craving chocolate and decided to just make a plain old chocolate cake! Even though it was plain, it was very soft and moist. It would taste great with any kind of icing and even without icing as a not-too-guilty dessert! The original recipe even has some not-too-guilty substitutes for fattening ingredients!

Ingredients

3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot strong black coffee
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with a circle of wax paper. Whisk flour, granulated sugar (or Splenda), cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, brown sugar (or Splenda), egg, oil and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add hot coffee and beat to blend. (The batter will be quite thin.)

(Be careful with the brown sugar because it can ball up and get trapped in the whisk! Which is probably why the recipe says to use an electric mixer…)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan, peel off the wax paper and let cool completely. Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar before slicing.

SO GOOD with a cold glass of milk 🙂

Categories Cakes, Chocolate

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes and Chocolate Frosting (Cupcake Extravaganza)

May 13, 2012 //

I’m back! I just finished my first year of grad school so my finals took over most of my time in the last month but I am going to make up for it by posting up a couple of new recipes!

First off is a new cupcake recipe that my sister and I improvised a bit! We made these cupcakes and icing in addition to three other kinds of cupcakes and icings: Lemon, Red Velvet, and Carrot. It was our mom’s birthday yesterday so we made this for her birthday party and they were a big success! Enjoy!

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup of warm water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder or instant coffee granules)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 Tbsp (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp) olive oil
1/2 cup of chocolate chips of your choice
1/2 cup of peanut butter chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps (cocoa tends to clump up). In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee (or water plus coffee granules), vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until they just come together. The mixture should be thin and rather lumpy. Now add the chocolate and peanut butter chips (you can add as much as you like!). Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full.

Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

Frosting

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

While the cupcakes are cooking, make the frosting. Melt butter in a small saucepan and remove from heat. Stir in the cocoa until smooth. Sprinkle in about a third of the powdered sugar, stir, then sprinkle in about a half of the milk. Keep alternating with the powdered sugar and either milk or vanilla, stirring after each addition, until the frosting is the consistency you want, and smooth. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar. If too stiff, add a little more milk or vanilla extract. To pipe in a decorative pattern, scoop the frosting into the corner of a ziplock freezer bag. Use scissors to cut away 1/4-inch or so from the tip of the corner. Then just squeeze the frosting out of the bag onto the cupcakes in any design you like.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Even though there are a few step-by-step pictures this time, here was our final product:

Recipe from Simply Recipes

CUPCAKE EXTRAVAGANZA

Here are a few pictures of all of the cupcakes we made! We made over 60 cupcakes and they were gone pretty quick!

Lemon

Red Velvet

Carrot

All together now!

Best birthday cake ever!

Categories Chocolate, Cupcakes, Frosting, Uncategorized

Chocolate Cookie Sprinkle Sandwiches

April 2, 2012 //

This week, Michelle and I baked some delicious cookie sandwiches! Even though it was late at night and we were half falling asleep we coupled the baking with some white wine and it was a great night! These sandwich cookies are delicious and the sprinkles make them look festive! It’s a great combination if you want something chocolate-y but not TOO chocolate-y! It’s also not too sweet so it’s a great snack for any time of the day. Enjoy!

Ingredients

10 1/2 Tablespoons (2/3 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup rainbow sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy.

Add granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well until combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the all purpose flour. Dough should not be sticky.

Fill a small bowl with the rainbow sprinkles.Measure out dough by the level tablespoons. Roll into a ball between your palms and roll dough ball in sprinkles until completely coated.

When all of dough has been rolled into balls and sprinkle-coated, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Filling

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer on low speed. When almost incorporated, add vanilla and beat on high speed until light and fluffy.

Transfer to a piping bag and fill cookies, or fill by spreading frosting on cookies with a small spatula.

Note: Sandwich them with frosting or don’t – they are good either way.

Thanks to Michelle for finding this week’s recipe!

Categories Chocolate, Cookies, Frosting

Caramel Turtle Brownies

February 20, 2012 //

This week’s baking session with my mom was a bit of a disaster to be perfectly honest. I burnt my right middle finger so I had to do the entire recipe with my left hand which is not easy since I am right-handed!

(I was trying to take a picture of the caramel and milk in the saucepan, but instead this was the picture that came out since it was right at the moment when I burnt myself!)

Then, as the timer beeped, my mom went to pull the brownies out of the oven and the cake pan fell face up and some of the cake fell off with the impact (but don’t worry, none of the cake that remained in the pan touched the floor!)

Even with these mishaps, we had a lot of fun!

This recipe is actually FOR a friend of mine who is getting married this year! We hosted her bridal shower at our house and this was one of the desserts! This is why we made it in the heart-shaped pan, Congrats!

Ingredients

1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix (I used a fudge cake mix but I don’t recommend it because it was too gooey and it took extra time to bake)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 pound chopped pecans