Lemon Bar Cupcakes

Source: a_fresh entry  in bakebakebake

Shortbread Base

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13×9x2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.

Lemon Bars (Topping)

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Hot Shortbread Base
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until combined well and stir in lemon juice and flour. Pour lemon mixture over hot shortbread. Reduce oven temperature to 300F and bake confection in middle of oven until set, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan and cut into 24 bars. Bar cookies keep, covered and chilled, 3 days. Sift confectioners’ sugar over bars before serving.

Basic Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
3. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat for 30 seconds between each.
5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
6. Measure out milk and vanilla together in another bowl.
7. Add about a fourth of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
8. Add about oen third of the milk/vanilla mixture and beat to combine.
9. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk mixtures, ending with the flour.
10. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes).
11. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

…

“Now obviously I made some changes. I pressed a heaping tablespoon of the Shortbread Base into paper liners in the cupcake pan (and next time I would use foil, haha, the paper stuck to the shortbread a bit) and baked them for 10 minutes. Then I poured about 1+ tablespoons (about 1/4″) of the Lemon Topping on top and baked them for another 15 minutes. For the cake batter, I added about 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the mix. I spooned enough of that on top of the lemon “bars” so that the cups were 3/4 of the way full, and baked that for about 12-15 minutes, until the toothpick came out clean. The frosting was about half cream cheese, half butter, with a bit of lemon juice, yellow food coloring, and lots of powdered sugar. I don’t like too much cheese taste.

And, also, I was able to make a small pan of regular lemon bars with the base and topping leftovers. The cupcakes don’t use too much.”

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Source: Clean Home Journal

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter

• 1 box (18.25-ounce size) white cake mix (not angel food or yellow cake)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups water, room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (canola, safflower or corn)
• 3 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 Tablespoon red food coloring

Frosting

• 1/2 package (4 ounces) regular or reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine (1/2 stick), or vegetable shortening, softened
• 2 Tablespoons regular, low-fat or skim milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 drops red food coloring
• Red decorating sugar, sprinkles or small red cinnamon candies

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with baking rack placed in the middle of the oven. Place cupcake liners in 2 standard size muffin pans (12 muffins each). To make the cupcake batter, use a large bowl to blend the cake mix and cocoa with a fork or whisk. In a medium bowl, blend water, vegetable oil, eggs and food coloring with a fork or whisk.
2. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture. With an electric beater, blend at low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula until the dry mixture is completely moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes, continuously scraping down the sides of the bowl. Do not overbeat.
3. Spoon batter evenly into all 24 cupcake liners, no more than 1/4 cup of mix each. Place in the oven immediately and bake for 22 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. While the cupcakes are baking, combine the softened cream cheese and butter, margarine or shortening in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is completely smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of bowl.
5. Add the milk and the powdered sugar and beat on low speed about 30 seconds, until sugar is combined with cream cheese and butter. Beat on high speed 2 more minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula until mixture is smooth and creamy. Cover surface of frosting with Saran™ Premium Wrap and refrigerate until ready to frost cupcakes.
6. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the muffin pans and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled, about 15 minutes.
7. Using a butter knife, ice each cupcake with 2 Tablespoons of frosting and sprinkle lightly with a pinch of red decorating sugar, sprinkles or small candies. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

***Chef’s notes*** 

Because this frosting contains milk and cream cheese, it must be refrigerated. If refrigeration isn’t possible, use one can of premade cream cheese frosting. Just stir in three drops of red food coloring until well blended.

To soften cream cheese and butter, leave them on your kitchen counter for about an hour. They’re soft enough for mixing when they yield easily to touch.

Cupcakes can be made up to two days ahead and stored in Ziploc® Brand Containers with Snap ‘n Seal Lids.

Frosting can be made up to two days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.

Aunt Mary Dillon’s Praline Cookies

Source: Martha Stewart

Ingredients: Makes 3 dozen

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if necessary
• 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup pecan halves, toasted and broken into large pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups light-brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until fully combined. Add dry ingredients, and beat on low speed until combined.
3. Drop batter in rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until firm and barely golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies from pan to wire rack.
4. In a small saucepan, combine remaining 1 cup light-brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add confectioners’ sugar, and whisk until smooth. (If frosting thickens, thin with cream.) Add pecan pieces. Place cookies on a cooling rack over a lined baking pan. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon praline mixture onto each cookie.

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

Source: By Angel Villanueva on Recipezaar.com

(photo taken by: Livejournal user: flavorpacket )

Makes: 36 cookies approx.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk, vanilla and egg in large bowl.
2. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well-blended.
3. Combine flour, salt and baking soda.
4. Add to creamed mixture at low speed.
5. Mix just until blended.
6. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with lines of fork.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown.
8. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

 

Molten Chocolate Babycakes

Source: Nigella.com, How To Be A Domestic Goddess

Ingredients:

• Half stick soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 12oz bittersweet chocolate
• three quarters cup sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• third of a cup flour
• 6 individual pudding moulds, buttered
• baking paper

Directions:

Unless you are making these up in advance, preheat the oven to 400F, putting in a baking sheet at the same time. Lay 3 of the moulds on a sheet of doubled baking paper. Draw round them, remove, and then cut out the discs as marked. Press them all into the base of the tins.

Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly. Cream together the butter and sugar, and gradually beat in the eggs and salt, then the vanilla. Now add the flour, and when all is smoothly combined scrape in the cooled chocolate, blending it to a smooth batter.

Divide the batter between the 6 moulds, quickly whip the baking sheet out of the oven, arrange the little tins on it and replace in the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes (the extra 2 minutes will be needed if the puddings are fridge-cold when you start) and as soon as you take them out of the oven, tip out these luscious babycakes onto small plates or shallow bowls; hot, chocolate goo will ooze out of them as you break them with a greedy spoon. Serve these with cream, crème fraiche, or ice cream as you so desire.

Serves 6.

 

 

Triple Vanilla Cupcakes

Source: gwendomama

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soft butter
  
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla sugar*
  
• 2 1/4 c. cake flour (sift before measuring)
  
• 3 tsp. baking powder, sifted
  
• 1 c. milk combined with 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 4 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
  

Directions:

Cream shortening and sugar. Then add milk alternately with flour. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Fill lined cupcake pans 2/3-3/4 full. makes 18-24 cupcakes
Bake in lined cupcake pans at 325 for 18-20 minutes, when top is just solidified.
Do NOT overbake.

Best if matched with: Vanilla bean butter cream Frosting

Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Frosting

Source: gwendomama

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter (unsalted is preferable)
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• seeds from 1/2 large (or one whole small) vanilla bean
• (after splitting lengthwise, scrape seeds out with tip of butterknife onto a plate. save empty vanilla pod for vanilla sugar*)
  
• 4-6 cups powdered sugar
  
• 1/2 c (maybe a bit more) of heavy cream

Directions:

(Best results with a heavy duty stand mixer)
Cream butter for just a minute with the vanilla and then add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and cream together for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to get fluffy. Smear the vanilla bean evenly across the frosting, mix that in, then add 2 more cups sugar, mix that in slowly, add most of the heavy cream, and mix on high for another 5 to 7 minutes, until it is whipped up and shiny. Scrape sides in between mixing.
You can achieve your own favorite consistency by adding more sugar and/or cream and whipping up again. Use the frosting immediately so it doesn’t get crusty.
*put vanilla bean pod/husk and all others in the future in a large jar and cover with granulated sugar. voila! vanilla sugar!

Frosted Butter Cookies

Source: Farmer’s Almanac

Ingredients:
Cookie

• 1/2 cup butter shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting

• 1/2 stick butter shortening sticks
• 1 pound powdered sugar, about 4 cups
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°F. Grease baking sheets.

Combine 1⁄2 cup shortening, sugar and milk; beat at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Mix into shortening mixture. Drop level measuring tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Frosting

Combine shortening, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract; beat at low speed for 15 seconds. Scrape bowl.

Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Frost cookies.

Hurry-Up Butter Cookies

Source: Farmer’s Almanac

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter
• 1-cup sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• Juice and rind of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar well, add egg yolk and continue beating, then add lemon and flour mix thoroughly until well blended. Place dough on top of two ungreased shallow cake pans. Pat or roll about 1/4 inch thick, not quite to edge of pan. Brush with slightly beaten egg white, sprinkle with nuts. Bake in slow oven, 300 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes. Cut while hot into 11/2-inch strips.