This Friday my sister is going to leave for college, very sad. But, instead of getting all sappy and sad about it, I decided to celebrate with cupcakes instead! Plus my sister really wanted something sweet to snack on. So, I made honey cupcakes with honey cream cheese frosting. Then, to decorate them, I died the frosting light blue, dark blue, and white (by not adding any food coloring) to get the colors of her future college, University of Maine! I also decorated some of them with things I thought represented either her going away or University of Maine. So there is a Maine cupcake, a black bear, a suitcase, some phrases, and the other one you may not recognize is supposed to be the symbol on the UMaine sign, as shown in this picture. So, although I am very sad that my sister is leaving me for half a year, as shown by my cupcake "We'll Miss You", at least now I have some cupcakes specifically dedicated to her that I can remember her by. So good luck at UMaine Sarah, we'll miss you lots!
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I made these cookies to bring down with me to Cape Cod for my grandparents to enjoy. All of my family members are made well known to the fact that I love to bake, so my grandpa wanted a little sample of my baking for himself, which I am always glad to do. I've been wanting to make these cookies ever since I saw one of my favorite bloggers, Cookies and Cups, raving about them. And let me tell you, they were absolutely delicious! But I'm serious when I say that if you're not a HUGE fan of sugar and sweetness, don't make these. The praline topping is SO SWEET! Like honestly it feels like you're eating a cookie with candy on top, which is I guess what it's supposed to taste like you're eating. I loved it, since I obviously have no problem with that, but if you're not a huge fan, then you won't like them. So, enjoy at your own risk!
My mom recently got surgery, so although I will still make all the sugary, chocolatey sweets I love to make, I thought I'd also make something a little more up her alley, so I went with bread. Plus, it gave me enough time to make cupcakes while it was rising! This bread recipe was very good, and much more like a white bread than my Vermont Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread. Recently, I've been watching tons of episodes of this show on the Food Network called "Cupcake Wars", which just gave me this buildup of desire to make really pretty and decadent cupcakes. So, I did. And they were very pretty, and very decadent.
I've been using this chocolate cupcakes recipe for years ever since my mom and I found it in Cook's Illustrated a while back, and I love it. The buttercream frosting recipe was new, however, and it was so delicious! I loved the Nutella flavor. It wasn't overpowering, but it was just enough so that you taste it and still know it is a hazelnut buttercream. Then, since I was feeling so adventurous, I made some rolled fondant (homemade) to decorate the tops. I had a blast! I don't really suggest the recipe I used, but you can make some at home or buy it in stores, or not use it at all and decorate with buttercream. Today I felt like baking, especially since it is nearing the weekend, plus all my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles are gone, so why not, right? I had two cookie recipes I was choosing between, this one and one other. But, this one had tons of chocolate in it, so I couldn't resist.
This recipe is truly amazing. I've never actually had Texas Sheet Cake, but I know that it is a one bowl chocolate cake that has a spreadable frosting on top that hardens to become almost a glaze. Sounds delicious. Nevertheless, I'm sure these cookies do it justice, because they are simply amazing! Plus they are super easy and quick! They are a chocolate cake-like cookie with a chocolate glaze icing on top, to make almost like a mini-mini cupcake! They are sooo good! Plus, you will have tons of leftover glaze that droops off your cookie, and I must say is pretty delicious to eat in itself, which is always a plus when it comes to baking. Lastly, what I really liked about this recipe is that there was plenty of glaze to completely cover all the cookies, and very generously if I may say so myself. Just an overall wonderful recipe, believe me! Today I finished my first thesis book for the summer. My topic is Jane Austen, so I'm reading 4 of her books for my thesis, and I started with Sense and Sensibility. Although it was very long and could get a little boring at times, once you get about half way through it picks up very quickly and in the end, I absolutely loved it! I'm one for happy endings, which Jane Austen never fails to include. Plus, her style of writing is really beautiful, and I swear it improves your vocabulary within the hour.
Anyways, to celebrate my finishing of my first thesis book, I told myself I would get to bake (I know it sounds stupid, but it's good motivation!). So, I had a choice between 4 different cookies/candies to bake, but decided on this once I asked the opinion of both of my siblings. I would tell you what the other four options are, but I'm sure you'll see those soon, as I'm starting my second thesis book tomorrow. So here is the recipe I found for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles. They are insanely good, and a little more difficult than your average cookie recipe, as are most candies, but really not that hard if you take it in steps. I was a little skeptical of making chocolate chip cookie dough without using any eggs and still having it taste as good, but believe me, this tastes just like the real thing, and no raw egg! So, enjoy! |
AuthorMy name is Katherine and I love, love, love to bake! You can find all my baking adventures on this blog, plus you can follow me on Social Media by clicking below! Archives
January 2016
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