Irish Coffee Brownie Cupcakes

Recipe and image from:
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/irish_coffee_brownie_cupcakes/

 

 

Servings: 16 cupcakes
           

Ingredients

Brownie Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whole roasted coffee beans
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup whiskey
Brownie batter from above

Frosting Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons whiskey

Directions

Brownie Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Mix in eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

Mix in cocoa powder, flour, and salt until just combined.
Set aside.

Cupcake Directions:
In a small saucepan on medium-high, heat milk and coffee beans until just boiling.

Remove from heat, cover, and steep for fifteen minutes.

Using a sieve, remove the beans from the milk and set the milk aside. You will only need ¾ cup of the milk, so it’s fine if some sticks to the beans during this process.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.

In a small bowl, mix together whiskey and ¾ cup of the coffee-infused milk.

Alternately mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients into the butter/sugar bowl, mixing until just combined.

Fill cupcake liners ¾ full with cupcake batter.

Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of brownie batter into the center of each cupcake.

Bake for 25 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.

Frosting Directions:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.

Mix in powdered sugar a little bit at a time until fully combined.

Mix in cocoa powder and whiskey.

Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Use Wilton tip 106 for the piping style shown in the photos.

Eggnog Crumb Cake with Spiced Rum Glaze

(image and recipe from Homeade by Holman, link in sidebar)

Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup Greek yogurt (I used vanilla because it's what I had but you could also use plain)
1 1/3 cups eggnog
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:
2 T eggnog
2 T spiced rum
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 - 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

For the cake, preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray 2 regular loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans with baking spray or butter and flour.

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated and then mix in yogurt. In a measuring cup, combine eggnog and vanilla extract. In another bowl, combine nutmeg, cinnamon, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk or sift to mix. Alternate additions of 1/3 of the flour mixture with 1/2 of the eggnog mixture, mixing until each addition is just incorporated, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide batter evenly among pans and set aside while you prepare the crumb topping.

For the topping, combine sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cake flour in a mixing bowl. Pour in melted butter and stir with a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands until the mixture forms a crumbly topping. Evenly spread over prepared cake batter.

Baking will take 30-35 minutes for 4 mini loaves and about 40-45 minutes for 2 regular loaves, the cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. If necessary cover with foil if the topping starts to brown before the cake is set.

Once cakes are removed from the oven, allow to cool fully before topping with the glaze. To make the glaze, whisk together eggnog, rum, and butter in a bowl. Slowly add powdered sugar, whisking until smooth. The glaze should be about the consistency of maple syrup when you pour it over the cakes.

Crockpot Honey Apple Pork Loin

Recipe and photo from:
http://mycrossfitpaleojourney.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/crockpot-honey-apple-pork-loin/

Ingredients:
Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced
Honey, approx 4 T
Cinnamon, 2 T
Process:
Lay the apple slices (from two of the apples) in the bottom of the crockpot.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″).
Drizzle some honey into the slits.
Then place apple slices into the slits.

Place the pork loin into the crockpot.
Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey.
Place the rest of the apples on top.

Then sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon.

Cook on low for 7 hours.
For more flavor, you may poke holes in the pork. Then place the pork loin in a bag with honey and cinnamon and marinate it overnight.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tried this one 2/25/13.  Delish!

This entire recipe is from the website shown above

What you will need:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 3 very ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Beat sugars with butter, cream until smooth and creamy, add in mashed bananas and egg in a large bowl. Sift together the dry ingredients, I just add it all to a bowl and stir it with a whisk.Pour into butter mixture, mix till combined and add in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfulls onto un-greased parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 10 mins or until light brown at 400 degrees. Remove cool on wire rack, and enjoy!:)