Awesome Oreo Cupcakes

Ok so I'm still working on the budgeting entry #2 and trying to figure out the best way to organize all the budgeting tips I've learned. But in the meantime, here's what I think are the best cupcakes I've made so far! I call them the Awesome Oreo Cupcakes.

I started off with the ever dependable Hershey's Chocolate Cake Recipe found here. But before pouring the batter into the baking cups, I carefully twisted some Oreos in half and placed a cookie with frosting in each baking cup. 

For the frosting, I used a tweaked version of the Cupcake Project's Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting found here. But instead of adding cocoa powder, I added the crushed other half of the Oreos (the ones with no creamy center) and added them to the mix. (We don't have a rolling pin so I had to make do by placing the Oreos in a zip bag and running them over with a bottle of wine.)

I still have to learn the fine art of piping frosting but luckily I was able to convince my husband to frost them for me. He used to be a pastry chef after all!

After the first taste, we both agreed that the cupcakes tasted very reminiscent of cookies and cream. The Oreo in the cupcake became a sort of fudgy crust and the frosting had chunks of cookies which added a nice crunch. Success!

Now if only we had cookies and cream ice cream to top them off with instead of frosting, then we could call them the Ultimate Oreo Cupcakes! Mmmmmm...

And now, back to regular programming.

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes! Yes, seriously!

After weeks of toying with the idea, I finally got around to making... Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes! 

When I tell people about Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes, most of them give me mixed reactions like "it sounds like a good idea in theory but I don't know...". Prompted by the fact that I've been super curious about them and that we had a lot of leftover buttercream frosting, I finally got around to trying my own version.

I started off with Hershey's Chocolate Cake Recipe (the same one you get off the box of Hershey's Cocoa Powder) because it's the chocolate cake recipe my chef husband swears by. But of course, our cocoa powder is Barry Callebaut, not Hershey's.

Here's the part that may make you raise some an eyebrow. After frying some 6 strips of bacon, I saved the drippings and substituted it for half of the vegetable oil required in the chocolate cake recipe. Then I chopped up the bacon and mixed it in the batter before baking. I ended up with over two dozen cupcakes (I knew I should have cut the recipe in half.) I don't know how Gerard and I are going to finish two dozen cupcakes!

After frosting the cupcakes with the leftover buttercream frosting, I added some caramelized bacon chips and a sprinkling of salt. Voila! Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes!

Cake-wise, I honestly think this may have been the best chocolate "cake" that I have ever made. It was soft, and moist, and it tasted so good, I could have eaten it without frosting! But the whole point of the bacon is to give you a "sweet and salty" experience all at once and I can say that this cupcake attained that goal. The cake and the frosting weren't overly sweet and the salt and bacon had just the right touch of saltiness. All in all, I'd say my experiment was a success. 

Now to find people to share it with because we're too tempted to finish all two dozen cupcakes by ourselves...

Easy Peasy Chocolate Nut Clusters

I love chocolate covered nuts. I love chocolate covered many things.

Today, I had a craving for nut clusters, something akin to my mom's favorite See's almonds in chocolate so I decided to make a few pieces. I mostly try to make things in small batches so they won't go to waste or so we won't tire of them too easily.

Ever since my husband taught me how to microwave melt chocolate (stop every thirty seconds and stir after) it's been super easy to make chocolate covered things.

For my nut clusters, I started with:

1/3 Cup Chopped Chocolate (I use Callebaut, of course. This time it was a dark chocolate.)

1/4 Cup Chopped Pistachios

And that's it!

I microwave melted the chocolate and it only took 2 30-second intervals to fully melt it so a minute total. For large quantities of chocolate I'd definitely go with the double boiler method but for this, the microwave worked perfectly.

I mixed in the chopped pistachios and spooned the mix onto my trusty Silpat atop a baking tray for three perfectly sized Chocolate Pistachio Clusters. (I told you I liked things in small quantities.) 

Then I put the tray in the fridge for a few minutes just to let the chocolate harden again.

There you go, super simple! For larger quantities, just double or triple the recipe, and you don't even need to be exact with the chocolate/nut ratio. You can even change up the nuts for variety, try peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts whatever! Next time, I even want to make an almond nut cluster with dried cranberries.

I wish we had some of those individual candy liners to spoon the mixture on to but I'm definitely thinking to get some for when we make these as Christmas gifts. I'm determined to give home made chocolate gift boxes this year. 

So that was my chocolate craving. For now. I'll probably have another Chocolate Marshamallow Tart after dinner. 

Puff Pastry Possibilities

I've recently discovered puff pastry, so easy yet so versatile!

I wanted to do something different with leftovers aside from reheating and serving so this is where puff pastry first came into mind. I had some leftover pork belly, mushrooms, and gravy so I sauteed them all together to use as filling for these babies.

Since the pastries were already pre-made, all I had to do was throw these little flat discs of dough into the oven and watch them rise and turn a perfect shade of yummy, flaky, golden brown. I cut out the top and inside as instructed and filled the pastries with my pork filling, which did make for a very yummy lunch.

While putting away the box (I'd only baked half of the pastries) I came across their website, www.puffpastry.com, which lead me to a myriad of interesting and easy recipes. Since I was craving dessert (when am I NOT craving dessert) I checked out their dessert section and came across even more ingenious, easy, CHOCOLATE recipes. 

I really really wanted to make the chocolate ravioli, but I didn't have the right type of puff pastry or the heavy cream on hand. So I chose to make Chocolate Marshmallow Tarts instead as I already had everything in our pantry.

It was super easy, just spoon some chocolate pudding into the puff pastry, and top with marshmallows or marshmallow creme. The recipe calls for broiling to brown/melt the marshmallows but lucky for me, my husband has a creme brulee blow torch. Oh what fun!

There you have it. Super easy dessert in under five minutes (aside from baking the puff pastry.) And it was so filling, I only ate half of it. I don't know how often that happens, probably cause I was still full from lunch in the first place. Puff pastry is actually very filling!

I'll definitely have to try the Chocolate Ravioli recipe next time. Ooh the puff pastry possibilities...

Food Tripping

I realize this is fast becoming a food blog and I don't mind! I have a lot of free time on my hands and I really enjoy spending time in the kitchen now. It's becoming a new outlet for my creativity and I'm really enjoying it. (Yes, I admit, I used to only bake sporadically and rarely cook.) 

Here are some highlights of some really great meals we've had at home:

I was really craving something made with tomato and basil so Gerard (the professional chef) whipped this up in the kitchen. Garlic Bread (well, I made that), Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Meatballs, and my favorite Pizza Margarita! (Did we overload on the starch? A bit. But it was totally worth it!)

So I reciprocated the next day with this for breakfast:

Poached Egg on top of Garlic Bread (again!) and Applewood Smoked Bacon 

(I wanted to make a Hollandaise sauce to go with it but I haven't learned how to yet.
Maybe Gerard will teach me.)

And this was my piece de resistance for the week:

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips!!!

Royce Chocolate Potato Chips, eat your heart out! 

I'd been seeing recipes for chocolate potato chips a while now and I'd been wanting to make them for a while. I took the super easy route.

I melted different kinds of chocolate chips in a paper cup in the microwave (stirring  them after each 30 second interval until they were all melted) and used a plastic spoon to coat one side of the chips with the chocolate. Usually only takes me about a minute total in the microwave before the chocolate is ready. I used Ruffles Potato chips with less salt cause the ridges make the chocolate stick better.

Then I placed the chips on a foil covered pan and stuck the pan in the fridge to let the chocolate set, before moving the chips to a Ziploc bag.

My Chocolate Potato Chips were a hit! A few people gave me a skeptical look when I said they were chocolate covered potato chips but after biting into the perfect salty sweet combination, they were hooked! Hmmm I love chocolate. Don't you?

My next project: baking cupcakes for a nephews birthday party. And I've got a shiny new cupcake carrier to bring them in!

P.S. I've found the best time to eat Chocolate Potato Chips. While watching a movie!!!