The Play-offs Lament (and Great Blondies!)

Normally, I love the NFL playoffs, and here's why (take note, BCS oversight committee!): in the NFL, every game is important, but losing a single game or even having a losing season (I'm looking at you, Seattle) doesn't automatically eliminate a legitimate team from contending for the whole shebang down the line. In other words, if your team loses the first game of the season, there's still reason to keep watching, because, lo and behold, said team may still hoist the Lombardi trophy in the air come February.

Also, the NFL playoffs provide me with 3 consecutive weekends of great t.v. (and that's not even counting the Super Bowl!), ample reasons to order Papa John's (ohhh, yeah!), and temptation away from a highly addicting video game known as "Kinectimals". Oh, and studying. The play-offs offer a respite from studying. I forgot about that. ;-)

The NFL play-offs are also an excellent reason (read: excuse) to experiment with all things sugary! Once the big games start, it's time to start thinking about delicious treats that also work well for entertaining purposes. The sweets should be scrumptious, of course, but they also should be easy to eat (i.e., no need for a fork and all that jazz) and relatively mess-free. The possibilities are endless. But...

After what happened on Saturday, I feel pretty bummed about the play-offs in general. If you haven't guessed it, or don't follow pro football, my team, the Atlanta Falcons, kind of got creamed by the Green Bay Packers. Of course, I'd argue that the score is deceptive, especially since the Dirty Birds turned it over in the end zone a few times. But nonetheless, total bummer. I was planning a Super Bowl menu that revolved around red, black, and white. And I have a lot of experience with this:

I baked this cake for my father-in-law, Chip's, birthday. Yum!

This one is actually the groom's cake for Josh and my wedding. He's a lifelong fan!

But after Saturday, I must (sadly) revise my baking plans. Perhaps this is part of the reason why, when we talk play-offs, I kind of feel like this:

 

Despite my heavy heart, I have a tried-and-true recipe here from Allrecipes.com that will be perfect for entertaining and also for consoling if your team doesn't go all the way either. This recipe had about a bazillion five-star ratings, so I gave it a chance. It was worth it!!! The recipe asks for semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I used Ghiradelli white chocolate chips to make them taste more like authentic blondies:

 

The Recipe:

Peanut Butter Blondies

You need:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbs peanut butter

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13'' baking dish. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time. Then stir in the vanilla and peanut butter. Blend in the sifted ingredients and stir in the chocolate chips. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

The brownies taste super good without the frosting as well, but my motto is usually: the sweeter, the better! With that being said, this recipe makes a ton of icing! I halved it and there was more than enough to create a thin layer on top. It's a personal preference thing; if you like really thick frosting, go for it! 

You need:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup milk

Instructions:

1. Mix the butter and 1 cup peanut butter together in a medium bowl until creamy. 

2. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth.

3. Gradually stir in the milk until you get a spreadable consistency. You might not need all of the milk.

The resulting blondies are moist and cake-like. I really enjoyed them with the white chocolate, but I'm sure the semisweet chocolate tastes good (I mean, you really can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate! I love it!) I should have some more play-off recipes coming in the next few weeks, so check this blog out. Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know!

And, no matter what happens with them, I'll always cheer for Matt Ryan & co. Go Falcons!!!

 

Devil's Food Cupcakes

This blog is starting out with a devil's food cupcake recipe because I loooove cupcakes! They are so fun and versatile (and they make for an easy clean-up)!

Some times, Josh's friends come over to play video games, especially "Call of Duty: Black Ops." The game is kind of interesting and I like to watch, particularly when they play the "Zombies" mode. In one game, zombies overtake the White House, and it is up to JFK, McNamara, Nixon, and Castro to save the day.

And here are the fab four in action! www.thecodguide.com

The rowdy politicians spout off quote-worthy gems such as, "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names!" and "This gun doesn't suit my disposition," while simultaneously blasting some serious zombie cronies. I like to cheer Josh on, but usually, I just scream a lot. :)

But anyway, I'll serve these when Josh and friends want to indulge their inner zombie hunters. I tried to include any helpful tips I could think of. Let me know if you have any questions!

The Recipe:
 I got the recipe from the December 2002 issue of Martha Stewart magazine. The recipe is actually for making a devil's food CAKE, but I adapted parts of it to better suit cupcakes.

It's really important to read through the whole recipe prior to starting with the baking (I learned this the hard way). Usually, I like to just use box mixes (I especially love the Betty Crocker fudge varieties) and then just sub butter for oil and add chocolate pudding mix for extra moisture. Needless to say, it's much more time-consuming to make from scratch, but then, who doesn't love a homemade cupcake?

The resulting cupcakes are dense and chewy. I subbed regular cocoa powder for a darker cocoa powder (it really works  well against the sweetness of the frosting I chose). Here's how you do it:

Devil's Food Cupcakes


You need:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature*
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising, all-purpose is fine)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
frosting (below)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners on muffin pan.

2. Place cocoa in a bowl; stir in the boiling water until a smooth paste forms (I had to use more water than the recipe recommended, so you might want to eyeball it!). Let cool. When paste has cooled down, gradually whisk milk into reserved cocoa paste.

3. In the bowl with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides twice. Beat in the vanilla. Slowly drizzle in eggs (beat after each addition until batter is no longer slick and scrape down sides of bowl often). Meanwhile, in another large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. With mixer on low, gradually add small batches of flour and cocoa mixtures, starting and ending with flour and beating until incorporated after each addition. Fill cupcake liners about 1/2 to 2/3 to the top.

5. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until your toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean.

Note: If you want to make this a cake instead, butter three 8-by-2 inch cake pans, lining the bottom with buttered parchment paper. Also, dust the sides with flour and tap out excess flour. Evenly divide the cake into the pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

* To get butter to room temperature, you can just take butter from the refrigerator and leave it out for about an hour. If you're feeling time-constrained, put the butter in microwave and heat for 15 seconds. The butter is at room temperature if you can press your finger into it, and it leaves an indention. If your butter isn't there yet, keep heating for about 5 additional seconds.

Easy Buttery Frosting

It's pretty tricky explaining how I make this, because I usually soften my butter first, and then just add powdered sugar until it creates the consistency I want. I really don't think you can add too much powdered sugar; if the icing feels too thick, you can usually keep mixing until it thins out (and if it's too thin, add more sugar or put it in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes).

You need:
2 sticks of butter
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:
1. Soften butter in the microwave, and then cream it with vanilla.
2. Mix in powdered sugar until icing is thick but still pliable.

Decorating Tips:
Spoon your frosting into a large freezer bag and snip off a corner of the bag. Pipe the frosting over cooled cupcakes. Then, sprinkle some pretty colored sugars or sprinkles on top. You can try out different color combinations with the sprinkles (I think chocolate sprinkles or even chocolate chips would be pretty!). Also, you can add a drop of food coloring to the frosting for another fun look.

I also like the idea of using unusual cupcake liners (mine are plain, but decorative ones can really add to the look). I like the liners on etsy.com (it's kind of like an eBay for homemade arts and crafts!) and on kitchenkrafts.com.

Hi there!

This is my first time writing a blog, and I'm a little nervous (and a little excited) about it!

To me, baking is a fun and delicious hobby that I also happen to be very passionate about. I'm hoping that I can use this blog to give tips for baking and decorating amazing desserts. I'm going to post my own recipes (and experiments, good or bad!) with pics and tips, as well as recipes and tips I love from other sites/blogs/magazines,etc.

And, if you have any neat recipes or ideas for recipes, please post 'em! Let me know if you have any suggestions for topics I should post on. I can't wait to hear what you have to say! And now, onward to the sugary goodness!