 I know what you're thinking. Why should I read a blog about baked sweet potatoes? Seriously, everyone knows how to bake a sweet potato. But do you REALLY know how to bake a sweet potato with a creamy consistency and complex flavor? Who knew that the method used to bake a sweet potato could really change the flavor?  Baked Sweet Potatoes 4 small sweet potatoes, pricked with fork in 3 places salt and pepper Place potatoes on a plate and microwave 6-9 minutes. Flipping every 3 minutes. Potatoes should yield to gentle pressure.  Set wire rack on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Transfer potatoes to rack and bake 1 hour at 425.  Slit each potato lengthwise. Holds end and squeeze to push flesh up and out.  I like to serve my sweet potatoes with a dab of butter, a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of brown sugar.  Fluff with a fork and voila - super easy (and delicious) baked sweet potatoes.  What better way to celebrate Halloween than with these deep orange hued potatoes. They are a great way to kick off an evening of sweet indulgence.
Ciao!
0 Comments
 Halloween is right around the corner. My kids have moved past the stage where they plan their Halloween costume months in advance. My daughter used to get so excited about Halloween that she would literally tell me what she wanted to be for the next Halloween on November 1st. (I learned the hard way that she would change her mind several dozen times before Halloween night - sometimes even as late as the morning of Halloween.) Since I was the person who was in charge of making their first costumes, maybe it was her way of preparing me for the task ahead. This was Courtney's very first Halloween - well before she had any say in what I dressed her in for Halloween. Ryan was the world's cutest bunny rabbit and Courtney was a sweet little tulip.  Looking at this picture reminds me of two things: the endless hours that I spent sewing elaborate Halloween costumes AND the fact that my kids are growing up way to fast. Even though my kids don't get excited about Halloween costumes right now, they still love to get Halloween treats. My candy corn cupcakes are the perfect treats for this family.  Candy Corn Cupcakes 2 cups flour 1 Tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup milk 5 egg whites
 Bake 30 minutes at 350.
These cupcakes just scream Halloween. I frosted mine with swiss meringue buttercream. I tinted a portion orange, another yellow and left a little white. It made for a very festive little cupcake.
I took a lot of pictures but these were soooo good. I especially loved the white cupcake papers that I normally don't like to use. In this case, they almost became transparent and they let the beautiful cupcake colors shine through. I hope that you will whip of a batch of these yummy candy corn cupcakes for a special treat this Halloween.
Ciao!
Just in case you were looking for another reason to love Fall ...  Pumpkin spice lattes, s'mores, apple cider and now .... brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes. My Fall is complete  These cupcakes from Sally'sBakingAddiction.com are unbelievable. Moist brown sugar cake, dripping with rich, homemade butterscotch and topped with creamy buttercream - these cupcakes are the essence of Fall.
Brown Sugar Butterscotch Cupcakes Butterscotch Sauce 1/4 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup light brown sugar 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt Brown Sugar Cupcakes 1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg, at room temperature 1/4 cup yogurt 3/4 cup milk 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract To make the butterscotch: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the brown sugar, then whisk in cream then let mixture bubble and thicken for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and salt. Allow to cool. 
Batter will be thick. Divide batter between 12 cupcake liners.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Cut a hole in the center of each cupcake and squeeze some of the butterscotch sauce into the center of each cupcake.
Top with vanilla buttercream
 Drizzle with butterscotch sauce. (Let's face i t- you can't have too much butterscotch.)
 Ahhh Fall. How I love you.
Ciao!  I don't know what I like better: a browned butter, pumpkin or fluffy cream cheese frosting. Combine them all into one delicious dessert and you have cupcake perfection. Seriously ... this is a Cupcake Wars worthy cupcake.  Browned Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes Ingredients 3/4 cup butter 1 2/3 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cloves 1 cup canned pumpkin 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs
Bake 20 minutes at 325.  Frost with cream cheese frosting and decorate with fall sprinkles and a mini pumpkin sugar cookie.
If you're a cupcake connoisseur, you need to taste this cupcake. I think you'll agree that it's truly spectacular. Ciao!  I just found out that I can calculate the number of calories in any recipe using the my fitness pal app. I know that I'm probably the last person in America to figure this out but this was truly a mind blowing kind of moment. You have no idea how excited I am about this. Now I can simply enter my ingredients into the app and voila - nutritional information! I love coming up with new and unique recipes but I've always wondered where my culinary creations fall in terms of calories, fat and protein. Now I don't have to wonder anymore. I'm free to experiment in my kitchen with all sorts of baked treats - like these Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies.
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies 1 cup instant oats ¾ cup whole wheat flour 1 ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 2 tablespoons coconut oil-melted and cooled 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup honey 1 cup grated carrots
Scoop batter onto silpat lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly. Bake 15 minutes at 350.
I used my new found app to get the nutritional informational information on my newest cookie creation.
1 cookie contains: 175 calories 5.8 grams of fat 29 carbohydrates 4.2 grams of protein I'm pretty good at convincing myself that most of my recipes are healthy and I have to admit that I was a little nervous that this app is going to dispel my myths. These delicious cookies for example that I thought were super "healthy" turned out to be not nearly as good for me as I had hoped. At least they tasted great. I guess it's back to the drawing board to find a cookie that tastes good AND is good for me. Ciao! |
