Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
3/4 cup unsweetend cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 water
3/4 milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 cup mini marshmallows
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners.  It should make 16 cupcakes.   I used leopard print ones!

In a large bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Place marshmallows and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds.  Stir until combined.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and water.  Beat with an electric mixer until frosting comes together and is spreadable.

Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in pan.  Remove and cool completely.

Once cooled frost with frosting and serve!

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Pear, Walnut, and Bleu Cheese Salad on Endive

Ingredients:
2 heads of endive
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 pears
1 cup bleu cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
In a small bowl whisk together the strawberry jam, oil, and vinegar until it forms a vinaigrette.  Peel the pears and dice into small cubes.  Toss in the vinaigrette with the cranberries and store in the refrigerator for a half hour.

Peel the endive leaves away carefully from the core and rinse.  Arrange on a platter.

Take the pear mixture out of the refrigerator and stir in the walnuts.  Spoon a tablespoonful on the end of each endive leave.  Top with bleu cheese and serve!

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Red Velvet Brownies

Ingredients:
Brownies:
4 oz bittersweet chocolate bar
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1oz bottle red food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.

Microwave the chocolate and butter together for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted.  Stir every 30 seconds to prevent burning.  Whisk in the sugar and allow to cool for 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and whisk completely until blended after each addition.  Gently stir in the flour.  Add the baking powder, vanilla, and salt.  Finally stir in the food coloring.  Be careful to not get it on clothes!

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.  Cool completely.

In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla together until it forms a frosting consistency.  Once brownies are cooled remove from the pan and cut into squares.  Frost each one with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.  Enjoy!

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Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1/2 cup mini milk chocolate morsels
• 1 9 inch deep dish unbaked pie shell

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave for a 60-90 seconds.  . While butter is melting, add beaten eggs to a medium sized bowl. Stir in brown sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and corn syrup until combined. Add butter when just melted.

Mix in the pecans and chocolate morsels. Mix all together. Pour mixture into pie shell.

Place on a sheet tray and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Last weekend was my birthday and my mom asked me what cake I wanted HER to make me!  Being the baker that I am I decided baking my own birthday cake would be the best option! I decided on a chocolate cake with caramel frosting and decorated it cheetah print! It is not as difficult as you might think, I promise!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as necessary
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 16-ounce box confectioner’s sugar

Decoration:
milk chocolate frosting
black gel icing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add brown sugar and cream.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl.

Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.  If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until consistency is right.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Once cake is completely frosted, chill in the freezer for a half hour.  Take a butter knife and smear dots (spots) onto your cake with the chocolate frosting sporadically.  Once you have done this to the entire cake, freeze for another half hour.  Then outline half  or 3/4 of each spot with the black gel icing.  Refrigerator until service.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay pumpkin seeds in a flat layer in a baking pan.  Drizzle with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon.  Toss around until everything is completely coated and lay in a flat layer.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Serve and enjoy!

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Artichoke Bread

Ingredients:
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts
2 garlic cloves
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 loaf italian bread

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the artichokes from the can and chop into bite sized pieces.  Mix this with the chopped garlic cloves, cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Make sure everything is evenly combined and distributed.

Cut open the loaf of bread lengthwise.  Slather both sides of bread with the artichoke mixture coating every piece of bread.  Sprinkle with a little bit more mozzarella if you would like.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.  Slice and enjoy!

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