Gold Medal Sochi Mule

If you've been around this blog for a while, you'll know I'm obsessed with the Olympics.

As in, 2 years ago, I created a life size red phone booth and giant double decker bus.
I had a theme party, complete with a mandatory dress code. It was fabulous.

Before I knew it, winter of 2014 had arrived, and Sochi was around the corner.
This year, I'm toning down things, there will be no giant buses or phone booths, but I am going to have one of these, the Sochi Mule.

I've been dreaming up a spin on the other famous Russian bev, the Moscow Mule, but adapted it to my taste buds (ginger beer ain't my thang).

Root Beer (diet or full sug)
Vanilla Vodka (1 shot)
Grenadine (1 tablespoon)
& a Maraschino Cherry Garnish.

Served in a traditional copper mug.

So mark your calendars, and your shopping lists - the Opening Ceremonies are Friday night at 7:30pm.  

Pour yourself a Sochi Mule, wear your red, white and blue, and have your own Party in the USA.

Peppermint Puppy Chow {Pintertest Kitchen}

The Pintertest Kitchen for December is here.
So far I've tested three recipes.
Gingerbread Man Garland.
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies.
And, Peppermint Puppy Chow.

The garland was a disaster. I had a crime scene of mangled gingerbread men all over my kitchen.
The whoopie pies had promise, but I made the cakes too thick, and the cake to frosting ratio was off.

But the dog days were over with the Puppy Chow.
I modified this recipe a bit.

1 Box (approximately 10 cups) Rice Chex
12 candy canes - smashed
16 oz vanilla candy melts
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch


Stir candy melts over low heat until melted.

Smash candy canes. (It's therapeutic)

When candy melts are completely melted and smooth, in a large bowl immediately pour over Rice Chex.

Coat completely and fold in candy canes.

Pour Chex mixture into a brown paper bag along with powdered sugar, close, and shake. (Also therapeutic).

When completely coated, toss in half of the Andes mints.

Pour Puppy Chow into serving bowls and top with Andes Mints and additional candy canes.

I suggest pairing with a hot cup of cocoa topped with a mound of whipped cream garnished with leftover candy cane and Andes crumbles.

Linking up this candy cane goodness with Jessica's Pintertest Kitchen!

Pintertest Kitchen:Glazed {Maple} Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cookies

Let's talk.
What are your favorite flavors?
I pretty much am the quintessential white girl who will eat any and all things pumpkin.
Well, except the PSL at Starbucks. I used to love it when it first came out, I feel like the recipe has changed.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

What is here are these ingredients:

Whoa, how did that glass of wine get in there...

Alright much better.
Combined, these ingredients make some divine pumpkin cookies.

And let me tell you, I'm pretty picky about pumpkin cookies. I find that most of the time they have a weird cake like texture. With a sticky filmy coating.  Dislike.

These cookies have that same cake like texture, however no filmy business, and instead, are topped with a brown sugar glaze, which make the sticky factor irrelevant.

Speaking of brown sugar, do you have a favorite sugar? Granulated? Confectioners? Sanding?
Mine is brown. Hands down.

And this recipe calls for it in the cookie as well as the glaze.  I knew this would be good.

I also love any excuse to use my cookie scoop.
I consider her my magic wand in the kitchen.

The cookies came out of the oven beautifully, and cooled nicely while the next batch baked.

By the time the last batch was in the oven, I had the glaze simmering.
And here is where the best part comes in - add 1/2-1 tsp of maple extract to the glaze.
TRUST.

I also recommend subbing the vanilla extract in the cookie dough for maple extract.

Pour yourself a tall glass of milk, pile up some of these babies, light your favorite fall candle and enjoy.


Original Recipe by Sarah from Clover Lane:

1 cup butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla maple extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze:

3 TBS butter

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2-2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2-1 tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and the sugar together still fluffy.

Blend in pumpkin, egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt.

Mix flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.

Drop tablespoonfulls 3 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake the cookie for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges.

Remove warm cookies and transfer to racks.

Let cool completely for at least one half hour, then frost with glaze.

For glaze:

In a medium sauce pan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly.

Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute or until slightly thickened.

Beat in the milk.

Blend in confectioner's sugar until the glaze is smooth and spreadable.

Keep the sauce pan over the stove on the lowest possible heat to keep from hardening.

I give this recipe 5 gold stars (one for each cookie I ate) and am linking up with Jessica's Pintertest Kitchen!

It's an exciting month to link up, she's got a giveaway going on - check it out! TRUST.

PinterTest Kitchen: 5 Minute Mug Cookie Pizookie

Hello fellow pinterest lovers.
This month I slacked at bit on my pintertesting.
I've been lazy. But I wasn't going to allow my laziness to compromise my perfect attendance.
So here it is. Better late than never!

And, this one is really good!

I decided to go with something super simple.
Even more simple than last month's microwave mug cake.
The Microwave Mug Cookie Pizookie.

That mug is not falsely advertising, this recipe truly is Tres Bien!

Here's what you'll need:
a mug
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp/pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp flour
1-2 tbsp chocolate chips

Microwave the butter in the mug for about a minute to melt.
Stir in the sugars.
Stir in the egg yolk.
Stir in the vanilla and salt.
Stir in the flour.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Microwave it all for 40-50 seconds.

And now you have a delicious Mug Cookie.
It's so good.

But don't stop there.
You MUST, I repeat MUST top this with vanilla ice cream.
Sprinkle on a few extra chocolate chips, or if you're feeling crazy, use sprinkles.

And grab a spoon.
But only one.
There is no sharing of the Mug Pizookie.

Grand Marnier Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Let's talk about cupcakes for a sec, shall we?
Well, that didn't take much convincing, did it?

Last weekend, for Jessica's shower, I pulled an old recipe out of my {GMail} archives. One of my favorite cupcake recipes.

Growing up, my mom's guilty pleasure was Pepperidge Farm Orange Milano Cookies.
Around the holidays she always had those chocolate oranges that you have to pound against the counter to break apart the slices.
Both of these treats weren't a favorite of my kid taste buds.

But after awhile, the flavors grew on me. I think chocolate orange is an acquired taste. And a good one at that. My grown up taste buds approve.

I have made this recipe a few times, and every single time it surprises me how much I love these cupcakes. It really shouldn't, the recipe calls for booze and real whipping cream after all.

And like most recipes that I choose to use, all of the ingredients are things I already have in my cabinets.
Although, I did have to get a new bottle of Grand Marnier, as I had none left!

These cupcakes call for 2 eggs + 2 yolks - this gives them a super fudgey consistency to die for. 

Ingredients
6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I use chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Orange Zest for Garnish (optional)

Preparation

Line 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers. Combine chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan; stir over medium-low heat until melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and liqueur in large bowl until thick ribbon falls when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. Sift flour over; using rubber spatula, gently fold in flour. Fold in chocolate mixture. Divide batter among muffin papers. Cover and chill until cold and firm, at least 25 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake cupcakes in papers on baking sheet until tops are puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with moist batter attached, about 7 minutes. Serve cupcakes with whipped cream & garnish with orange zest.

Makes 12.
Original Recipe Found Here.

PinterTest Kitchen: Molten Chocolate Cakes

This month I was slacking a bit on my Pintertesting...

Here's one of my problems, if I bake something too delicious I end up eating it all.

So I told Jessica I was bringing my testing over to her kitchen.

Because what is more official than using the official kitchen of the Pintertest kitchen.

Here is my other problem, My Fitness Pal doesn't exactly love a lot of my pins.

So I went hunting for something slightly healthy, but still totally delicious. 

And I think I found something that my Pal would approve of in this recipe.

214 Calories Per Serving, YES PLEASE.

So yesterday afternoon I prepped my ingredients. 

Ziplock bags for the dry, and pyrex with a lid for the wet.

Also, I used sweetened applesauce.

And no cinnamon.

And TWO ounces of chocolate.

I probably would use THREE next time.

Call me a rebel if you must.

Have cooler, will travel.

Later that evening, my sous chef helped me prep dessert.

She also may or may not have coughed into the batter.

And licked it.

Sous chefs do what they want.

Sorry taste testers, what you didn't kill you makes you stronger.

We prepped my ramekins.

Which I was asked "how often do you use those?"

To which I replied "this is the first time."

So mental note: ramekins, suuuuuuper practical.

Also, serve with plenty of vanilla ice cream.

This wasn't enough.

Anyway, I think it was a hit.

Maybe those ramekins will be getting a little more use in the near future.

Linking up with Jessica!

PS Thanks for letting me use your kitchen, I promise I didn't break anything (this time).

PinterTest Kitchen: Sea Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Given the choice, I will typically choose sweet over salty.
And always chocolate over fruity. Always.

Chocolate chip cookies over potato chips.
Milkshakes over margaritas. (Okay, maybe that's pushing it).
Cupcakes over cous cous.

Dessert over dinner.
Baking over cooking.

I'm a baker.
I am an okay cook.
But at the end of the day, I am a baker.

And for me, when I'm baking it is a happy place.
I'm in the zone.
The stress of warming butter in the microwave just so it's room temperature and not melted, I love that.
Because, it's not really stress at all.
Making sure I have unsalted butter in the fridge. And enough of it.
There are a lot of butter issues when it comes to baking.

I like butter issues.

So, when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Sweet, meet salty.

It's not a new thing.
In fact, I made some Salted Double Chocolate Chip Cookies during December's Bake-a-palooza.

But this cookie, Sea Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip.
YES.
A thousand times yes.

Kraft Caramel Bits?
Where have you been all my life?
Really though, where have you been? I never knew you existed.

I have a feeling you will be making appearances quite frequently now that I do know.
(Target baking aisle, FYI)

Also, does anyone else feel like cookie dough should be it's own food group?
You know, like "3-4 servings daily" is part of a well balance diet?
I think yes.

I like being well balanced.

And the best part, well aside from the caramel bits, is the secret ingredient.
Cornstarch.
Keeps the cookie soft, and chewy, and delicious.
Because, as a self appointed cookie connoisseur, I will tell you, the chewiness of a cookie is imperative.
And these, they fit the bill.

Make them. Now.
Love, CuppaCookieConnoisseur

Recipe Here. 

Linking up with Jessica!