red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

the goods:

cake:

2 and 1/2 cups cake flour

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 and 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

frosting:

16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combing the cake flour sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt; whisk to combine. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. With mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

Let cool in pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. While cupcakes cool, combine cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until totally incorporated, increase speed, then beat until smooth.

Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. I used a star-tipped piping tip to pipe frosting, but spreading it works fine too. Top with your favorite sprinkle, candy, or decoration!

strawberry heart-shaped oreos

the goods:

cookie:

1 package strawberry cake mix

2 eggs

3/4 cup shortening

filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, and shortening. Roll dough into balls.

Place two balls next to each other and pinch the bottom to create a heart. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

My hearts came out a little round, so immediately after pulling them out of the oven, I used a spatula to push the sides flat a bit more. Immediately transfer to a rack to cool.

With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla. Slowly add sugar, one cup at a time, until creamy.

When cookies are cool, with an offset spatula, spread frosting onto back of one cookie side, and sandwich with a matching heart.

blueberry-orange cornmeal muffins

the goods:

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup fine yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup low-fat plain yogurt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest, plus 2 teaspoons orange juice

1 and 1/4 cup blueberries (7 ounces)

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, butter, vanilla, and orange zest. Add to flour mixture, stirring until combined (do not overmix).

In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour to coat, then fold into batter. Divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake until puffed and set, about 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let muffins cool in pan on wire rack.

Stir together orange juice and confectioners' sugar. Drizzle over muffins and let glaze set, about 10 minutes, before serving.

vanilla surprise cupcakes with fruit glaze

The surprise? Cannellini beans replace some of the butter in this recipe cutting the fat from 9g to only 3g per cupcake!

the goods:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg whites

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 cup fruit puree (from 9 ounces fruit, thawed and drained if using frozen, then puree in blender until smooth and pass through a fine-mesh sieve.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a food processor, combine beans, butter, and granulated sugar; process until smooth. With machine running, add eggs and egg whites and process until incorporated. Stir into flour mixture until well combined. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until puffed and set, about 17 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks and let cool completely.

Whisk together confectioners' sugar and fruit puree until smooth. Dip top of each cupcake into glaze, letting excess drip off. Let glaze set 15 minutes before serving.

triple-chocolate surprise brownies

The surprise? Pureed black beans replace some of the butter, cutting the fat from 11g to only 7g!

the goods:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

1/4 cup black beans, rinsed, drained, and pureed until completely smooth

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (1/3 cup)

1 and 1/3 cups sugar

2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white

1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, bean puree, and chocolates and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, eggs and egg white, and vanilla until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir into chocolate mixture until just combined. Pour batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until top is cracked and toothpick inserted in center has moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes (center will seem undercooked but will set further as it cools). Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Using parchment, lift brownie from pan and cut into 16 squares.

chocolate-peppermint thumbprint cookies

the goods:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/4 cups (2 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

5 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (3/4 cup)

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Hershey Kisses or Hugs (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup each butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine.

Place 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Place balls, 1 inch apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes. Remove sheet from oven; with the small end of a melon baller or the bottom of a small round measuring spoon, make an indentation in center of each cookie.

Bake until cookies are just set but still look moist, 4 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool on sheet on wire rack.

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips and 1/4 cup butter in 10-second increments until melted; stir in peppermint extract. Let cool until thick enough to pipe, 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a medium Ziploc bag; snip 1/4-inch hole in one corner. Pipe chocolate into cookie indentations. Add Hugs or Kisses if desired (I did half with and half without).

peanut butter and jelly bars

I was a little distracted with an alternative project in the kitchen (Aj's graduation cake disaster), and didn't snap a picture of my finished bars...oops!

the goods:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 jar (12 ounces) grape jelly

3/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter, and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. With a pastry cutter or your hands, work in butter, until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Add egg and vanilla; stir until dough just comes together. Set aside 1 cup dough and firmly press remaining dough into pan in an even layer. Using a small offset spatula, spread jelly over top.

Combine reserved dough, peanuts, and peanut butter chips; crumble over jam layer. Bake until topping is deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on wire rack. Run a sharp knife around edges, then, using parchment, lift cake from pan and cut into 12 squares.