Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

These cupcakes were for my friend Erin's birthday. She's a big fan of peanut butter, so it seemed to make sense. It might have made a little too much sense though...her roommate made her a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting for her birthday... Oh well, both were delicious, and we sort of had a theme going.

I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, which also happens to be the only chocolate cupcake recipe I've ever used. They turned out great. This is what I used for the frosting, though I had to use more milk and less sugar to get a nice consistency.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

This one definitely warranted a fist pump. A PBJ themed muffin/cupcake seemed like a really cute idea, and this recipe (all my own) worked well. The muffins are delicious, though I should have used less or no nutmeg. I'm also giving myself bonus points for adding fiber and antioxidants...

I'm not a big fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but there is something nice about the flavor combo in muffin form, at least to me. It's also going to be a healthy and filling breakfast, thanks to the whole wheat flour, berries and small amount of peanut butter.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1/4 cup berry jam ( I used a very sweet Mixed Berry Jam, but you can pick your own damn berry)
1/4 cup brandy (optional)
1 cup frozen mixed berries (blue and black berries, strawberries and raspberries)
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk (I mixed skim milk and heavy cream, but whatever you've got is fine)
1/3 cup butter, softened
Peanut butter (for spreading when the muffins are done)

Defrost your frozen berries in the brandy. The brandy is by no means necessary for this recipe, but I like cooking with alcohol and I think it added something. Make sure they defrost all the way, because it helps if they are at room temperature when you mix them with the butter later.

Thoroughly mix all of your dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl, mix all of your wet ingredient, including the berries and jam but not the peanut butter, obviously. Because of the berries and jam, you don't really need food coloring for that nice berry-colored muffin. I added a little blue and red just in case.

Wet Ingredients

Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Add this batter to a cupcake pan, into paper or metallic baking cups. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. To make sure they're done, use the trustworthy toothpick trick. Let them cool for about 15 minutes, and serve with peanut butter on top like frosing, or smeared on the side.

Coconut Curry

I'll be honest. This isn't the most authentic tasting curry I've ever made. Still, it's pretty damn good. Basically, this was intended to be Coconut Green Curry, but ended up being a semi-Americanized curry of sorts. I blame the lack of authentic ingredients on Minnesota winter. Thai basil is nowhere to be found, and lemongrass is a long drive away. Whatever, I supplemented with actual lemon and some Indian curry leaves.

The good: This recipe was very tasty and completely vegan. The red potatoes were also perfect, because they were small and tender and cooked fast. The bad: A little too much starch. Potato plus rice equals a lot of starch and no protein...

Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of coconut milk
5-6 green chillies
8-10 curry leaves
1/2 large white onion, chopped
10-15 baby carrots, sliced
1/2 bag frozen peas (standard sized bag...)
1 small red bell pepper, sliced thin
7 small red potatoes, quartered
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon Thai curry paste, green or red, store bought or homemade.
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar (if desired)

Saute your onions until translucent. Add chillies, curry leaves and coriander seeds. Saute for another two minutes and reduce heat. Add ginger-garlic paste, curry paste and coconut milk. Mix well. Add carrots, peas, potatoes and red bell pepper. Simmer at a low heat.


Add turmeric, chili powder, peanut butter and lemon juice. Taste and add salt and/or sugar to taste. Once the vegetables are done (15-20 minutes), add the cilantro and cook until it's just a little soft. Remove from heat and serve with long grain rice (such as basmati).

Poorly Planned Peanut Butter Cookies

I had a craving for peanut butter cookies today. Seeing as I had peanut butter and other baking essentials, I assumed I would be fine. In the end they turned out well, but there were a few small hangups along the way.

For one, I did not have the peanut butter chips that the recipe called for. This was fine because those are gross. I used a mix of milk and dark chocolate chips instead. Also, I only had about 1/2 cup peanut butter. So I used tahini for the other half cup. Finally, I did not have vanilla extract, so I used cinnamon for a little extra flavor.



To top it all of, they expanded more than I thought they would in the oven. I also left them in there just a little to long. They are not burnt, but the bottoms are browner than I would like. Whatever. I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles!

*This is yet another recipe adapted from the Smitten Kitchen, so go there for ingredients and preparation methods.