What happens when you take a chocolate cupcake and give it a little kick in the pants? (That is, if a cupcake actually had pants.) A Mexican chocolate cupcakes happens, that's what. Infused with a bit of chili powder and cayenne, these cupcakes offer just a hint of heat. (Depending on your definition so "hint.") I think you will agree, these Mexican chocolate cupcakes are unusually delicious. Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa 1/3 cup freshly brewed coffee 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne 1/3 cup sour cream 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bake 22 minutes at 350. Frost with a batch of chocolate buttercream infused with a hint of cinnamon and cayenne. These may look like ordinary chocolate cupcakes but trust me once you take a bite, your mouth will be warmed with a slow burn that is only soothed by the cool and creamy buttercream. These cupakes are not for people who cant take the heat but I love them.
Ciao!
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I'm always looking for new and beautiful ways to decorate my desserts. I try and stay away from decorating with fondant - since most people are opposed to eating it. The goal is to find decorations that are beautiful AND delicious. HELLO - Sugared Cranberries!!! These tangy little treats are the perfect way to decorate a Christmas cupcake, a festive cake, a cheesecake or even a holiday drink. These sugared cranberries make any dessert look elegant and fancy but the truth is ... they're SUPER easy to make. (Like 2 ingredients easy!) Sugared Cranberries 2 cups sugar 1 cup water 12 ounce package cranberries
Stir in cranberries and coat with syrup. Put a rack on a foil lined baking sheet. Spread cranberries on rack to dry. Allow to dry 30 minutes. Fill a dish with 1 cup sugar. Working in batches, roll cranberries in sugar to coat. Now add to your favorite desserts. (Or store in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to a week.) I love decorating my Christmas treats with these sugared cranberries. I put a couple on top of a batch of white chocolate cranberry cupcakes last week (Sorry forgot to get a picture of those) and I used them on my cheesecake squares too. Just in case you're looking for that cheesecake recipe - you can check in out here.
Ciao! Why in the world is she making so much biscotti? (I heard you asking.) We headed home to Ohio to visit my family for Thanksgiving so I made a bunch of biscotti as my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner of course. Just kidding - I don't really think of biscotti as a Thanksgiving food - it's more of an any day, anytime kind of food. I've made lots of biscotti recipes but I wanted to try some new butter-free recipes. It took a couple of tries to perfect this recipe but no complaints here - even the mistakes were delicious. If you like your biscotti loaded with fruit and nuts - this is the recipe for you. Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 eggs 2/3 cups sugar pinch of salt 1 cup pistachios 1/2 cup cranberries 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
Stir in pistachios and cranberries. Shape dough into 2 small logs. Place on silpat lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes at 350. Slice into 1/2 inch slices and place back on silpat mat. Bake 5 minutes. Turn. Bake another 5 minutes. Maybe it is the bright red of the cranberries dotted in with the subtle green pistachios but this biscotti just screams Christmas to me. Are you signed up to get my blog updates on your email? The link to sign up is on the top right side of the blog page of the website. It's a great way to make sure that you don't miss out on any great recipes. Ciao!
I learned the hard way that not everyone shares my appreciation for the delicate intricacies of a crispy biscotti. I don't want to go so far as to say that those people are wrong BUT I do question their sanity. (Just kidding) Perhaps biscotti is an acquired taste like that of a fine wine or complex coffee. I'm not here to debate the issue but I really do not understand what it is about biscotti that people don't seem to like. They're crunchy, they're crispy, they're sweet, they're delightful. They go great with a morning cup of coffee, they make a perfect afternoon snack and a wonderful little dessert. I can think of no other food that is quite as versatile. Chocolate Biscotti 2 cups (280g) flour 3/4 cups (75g) cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon table salt 4 large eggs 1 cup (200g) sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Add wet ingredients to mixing bowl and beat until combined. Shape dough into 2 logs and place on silpat (or parchment paper) lined baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes at 350. Let cool slightly. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Turning once. Chocolate biscotti. How in the world could people NOT like this stuff? I'm not going to give up my mission to try and convert biscotti haters into biscotti lovers. I packaged some of my biscotti into Christmas gift worthy packages. Ciao!
Thanksgiving is over and we've officially entered into the Christmas season. I love the flavors and smells that fill my kitchen when I start my Christmas baking. The cinnamon, the nutmeg, the allspice, the cloves - I love it all. When I combine all of those delicious flavors into one gingery baked treat, there's an intoxicating aroma that fills the house for hours. I bake hundreds of gingerbread cookies every year and at least a half dozen gingerbread houses but I had never made gingerbread biscotti. This was a first for me and let me just say - gingerbread biscotti is delicious. Gingerbread Biscotti 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup canola oil 1 tablespoon baking powder 3 eggs For gingerbread spices: 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Add wet ingredients to dry and beat until combined. Shape dough into 2 logs and place on silpat (or parchment paper) lined baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes at 375. Let cool slightly then slice into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices on a baking sheet and bake 5 minutes. Turn. Bake another 5 minutes. Enjoy. I thought about drizzling these little treats with a little dark chocolate but finally decided against it. I guess I decided that a purist approach to the gingerbread biscotti would be best. I still think that a little dark chocolate might take these to a whole new dessert category though and I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them did end up with chocolate on them before Christmas is over. I just added another sweet smelling treat to add to my Christmas baking list every year. AND these gingerbread biscotti, taste just as good as they smell.
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