Once upon a time there was a marvelous little cupcake store in South Jordan called

One Sweet Slice. 

 

It was my "go-to" place for a treat when I had a bad day, when I had to say 'I'm sorry' to someone, when I wanted to wish a person a Happy Birthday...you know, it was just my place.  Then came the sad and rather abrupt news that they were closing the store.  I rushed to cash in my punch cards (I had 44 punches to redeem - did I mention how much I loved their cupcakes?) 

I was pretty devastated.

Then I got an early Valentine's day present from my husband.  The owner of One Sweet Slice had put out a cookbook of some of her favorite cupcakes:  One Sweet Cupcake. I was pretty excited for this present!

So on Valentine's Day I decided to attempt the recipe of my favorite cupcake from her shop:

Chocolate Fleur de Sel Cupcakes

Cupcakes

Wet Ingredients

1/2 c. dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Pour boiling water over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.  Using the whisk attachment, mix until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add sour cream, applesauce, oil, eggs, and vanilla. 
In a separate bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.  Turn the stand mixer on low and add dry ingredients.  Mix until just incorporated.  Batter should be smooth.
Line four standard muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Fill each cup 2/3 full with batter.  Use an ice cream scoop for perfect measuring.  Bake until the tops spring back at the touch of your finger and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool completely before filling and icing.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

1 c. heavy cream
2 c. finely chopped good-quality bittersweet chocolate

Directions:

Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl.  Bring cream to a simmer on stovetop until just before boiling, then pour mixture over chocolate.  Let stand, without stirring, until the chocolate begins to melt.

Using a whisk, start at the center of the mixture and stir until the chocolate and cream are combined and smooth.  Do not overmix.

Place a layer of plastic directly on the ganache and refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes until the mixture begins to cool and thicken.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (I halved this recipe)

2 lbs. unsalted butter, softened
4 lbs. powdered sugar, divided
1/4 c. milk
3 Tbsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/4 c. dark chocolate ganache

Directions:

In a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, beat butter until light, completely smooth, and fluffy.  Turn the mixer speed to low and add half of the powdered sugar.  Mix until smooth.  Alternately, add remaining powder sugar and milk until smooth and creamy.  Add vanilla and salt.  Add in cocoa powder and ganache and beat until smooth.

Caramel Filling

1/2 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar and cream.  Bring to a boil over medium to high heat for about 5 minutes or until caramel sauce begins to thicken.


Finishing touches:

Core the center of the cupcake and fill with Caramel Filling and salt.  Ice with Chocolate Buttercream, drizzle with caramel and garnish with course salt.

In my test kitchen:

Ok....what to say here.  This is a very labor-intensive dessert.  The cupcake itself is simple as can be.  But the rest of it takes some time.  Which is why it is so delicious.  WHEN I make this again, I would do the following:

Cupcakes can be made right away.  They are simple.  I just used dark chocolate chips rather than finding full bars and chopping it into pieces.  And do not substitute the Dutch-processed cocoa powder for regular baking cocoa.  They have different flavors.  I found mine at Whole Foods.  When I first read to line four standard muffin tins I assumed the recipe would make 48 cupcakes...which I did not need.  So I halved the cupcake recipe and it only made 12 cupcakes.  I'm not sure if a standard muffin tin to her has only 6 tins but mine have 12.  So just know that this recipe above makes about 24 cupcakes.  Also, there is no reference anywhere in her book for an estimated time to cook chocolate cupcakes.  So I cooked mine at 340 degrees (my oven runs hot) and cooked them for about 15-18 minutes.

Make the frosting next.  Then the ganache.  She doesn't clarify in the recipe but I don't think you are meant to wait for the ganache to completely solidify before adding it to the frosting.  Mine was very solid when I added it in because I had left it in the fridge while I made the frosting and while it incorporated well, I don't think the overall color of the frosting was as dark as it should have been.  So just wait until the ganache has cooled and thickened and then remove it from the fridge to stay in a more liquid form???  Also, I halved both of these recipes and had plenty of frosting for 24 cupcakes.

Next, I would wait for the caramel to cool a fair amount before putting it into the cupcakes and drizzling on top.

~Happy Cooking!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I've never been one to crave Chicken Cordon Bleu.  But any time I make risotto, I always end up with leftover white wine.  I hate for it to go to waste so I use my AllRecipes app to find different recipes with white wine in them.  I found this particular Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe and made some alterations of my own. I'd make it again...definitely! 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken breasts

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 slices deli ham

1 c. plain bread crumbs

1 t. paprika

1 t. garlic powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 T. butter

3 T. olive oil

1/2 c. white wine

1 t. chicken bouillon granules

1 T. cornstarch

1 c. heavy whipping cream

Parsley (for garnish)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, paprika, and garlic powder.

 

Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness.  Place cheese and ham slices on each chicken breast.  Fold the edges of the chicken over and secure with toothpicks.  Brush each chicken breast with beaten egg then roll in bread crumb mixture. 

 

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add chicken to skillet and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until chicken is well browned.  Transfer chicken to a greased casserole dish and cook for 10-15 minutes. 

 

Meanwhile add wine and bouillon granules to butter in skillet.  Reduce heat to low.  Blend whipping cream and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Slowly whisk into wine sauce.  Cook, stirring until thickened.

Remove toothpicks from cooked chicken and drizzle sauce over top.  Sprinkle with parsley.

 

In my test kitchen:

 

Don't quote me on the oven cooking time.  It might depend on how thick your chicken is.  Mine were smaller and I pounded them out thin.  I also think it needed more than 1 slice of Swiss cheese.  I could barely taste it.  I also messed up and dumped the cornstarch right into the butter sauce rather than mixing it with the whipping cream first.  So it started out a little lumpy and I had to whisk the crap out of it to smooth it out.  Also, it has been referenced that you can use chicken broth instead of white wine.  I highly recommend trying it with the wine.  If you're concerned about the alcohol content, don't be.  It cooks out.  I have come to love the flavor left behind when cooking with wine.  It's very distinct and elegant. 

 

~Happy Cooking!

 

Berry-filled Doughnuts

Insanely easy to make...for those days when you just want a doughnut.

Berry-filled Doughnuts

Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable oil
1 tube (7.5 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, separated into 10 biscuits
3/4 c. seedless strawberry jam
1 c. confectioner's sugar

Directions:
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees.  Fry biscuits, a few at a time, for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a very small tip.  Fill bag with jam.  Push the tip through the side of each doughnut to fill with jam.  Dust with confectioner's sugar while warm.  Serve immediately.

In my test kitchen:
Hold up!  I misread the recipe when I made these and searched the store forever for seedless raspberry jam.  Finally found some but didn't realize it called for seedless strawberry jam until I typed the recipe out here.  Slightly annoyed since seedless strawberry jam was all I could find at first!  Point is though...you can make this with a variety of fillings and it would be great.  Strawberry or raspberry jam, lemon pie filling, or simply roll them around in some cinnamon/sugar as soon as they come out of the fryer.  I have some leftover lemon pudding that I am going to try this week. 

Be careful not to fill these too full.  It's hard to know how much is getting into the doughnut.  It took me about four doughnuts to get the hang of it. 

~Happy Cooking!

Aloha Smoothie

Refreshing drinks for the warmer weather...that's where I'm at these days.  I occasionally slip in some spinach just so I can not feel guilty that my daughter NEVER eats vegetables and my son only eats carrots.  This smoothie is great for those who hate bananas.  (You either love 'em or hate 'em!)

Aloha Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients:

10 oz. pineapple juice
2 T. plain yogurt
2 scoops frozen strawberries
2 scoops pineapple sherbet
1 scoop crushed ice

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve immediately!

Garnish with a piece of sliced pineapple or strawberry for fun!

In my test kitchen:

I tried this with lime sherbet rather than pineapple and really enjoyed it.  So try either.  Lime sherbet mutes the strong pineapple flavor but works really well.  The plain yogurt is definitely omittable.  So don't buy some just for this recipe.  But I would recommend making sure you use frozen fruit and not fresh fruit.  It changes the texture of the smoothie to use fresh fruit. 

Frozen fruit is kinda pricey.  So I like to buy large quantities and slice it myself and freeze them on  tray.  Then, once frozen, I store the fruit in freezer bags.  It's nice to keep an assortment of fruits on hand to try your own smoothie concoctions.

~Happy Cooking!

Savory Green Beans

What's up with me and green beans?  A year ago I wouldn't have even thought to serve them since Clint has always hated them.  But on a whim I cooked up some fresh ones last summer and now it seems to be the vegetable of choice for dinner at our house.  This was a nice dish served on Easter.  The family loved it.

Savory Green Beans

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
3 oz coarsely chopped pancetta
1 shallot, thinly sliced
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add the green beans and boil 3 - 4 minutes until just tender.  Drain beans and immediately plunge into ice water.  Allow to sit in ice water until cold, then drain well, and set aside.

Cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, then set aside.  Reduce heat to medium, stir shallots in the pancetta fat, and cook gently until the shallots have turned dark golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Place pancetta and green beans in skillet; toss and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

In my test kitchen:

I must admit that I didn't really follow the directions about the ice water.  I recently ate at the Wild Rose and their green beans were amazing.  The insides tasted great and the outside had a slight crunch but not because it was underdone.  I suspect an ice water bath has something to do with that.  So I'll have to try again.  Nevertheless, this is still good if you immediately remove the green beans and run them under cold water.  (Which is what I did because I was in a rush.)  My shallots cooked up much faster than 10 minutes so keep an eye on those little things!  And I used bacon instead of pancetta due to cost.  My only suggestion is to toss the bacon in right at the end.  Otherwise your once crunchy bacon will soften up when warmed with the green beans.

~Happy Cooking!
 

Berry-Topped Puff Pancake

The family thoroughly enjoyed this Sunday breakfast.  You can improvise with the fruit a little bit to your own liking.

Berry-Topped Puff Pancake

Ingredients:
2 T. butter
2 eggs
1/2 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt

Topping:
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. orange juice
2 t. orange liqueur
1 c. sliced strawberries
1 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. raspberries
Confectioner's sugar, optional

Directions:
Place butter in a 9 inch pie plate.  Place in a 425 degree oven for 4-5 minutes or until melted.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk.  In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Whisk into egg mixture until blended.  Pour into prepared pie plate.  Bake for 14-16 minutes or until sides are crisp and golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sugar, and cornstarch.  Gradually stir in orange juice and liqueur.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened.  Remove from heat. 

Spoon berries over pancake and drizzle with sauce.  Dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

In my test kitchen:
So...when making the pancake, I was lazy and didn't want to pull the pan out of the oven.  I just pulled the rack out and poured the batter in from there.  I'm not sure if that was the reason that the pancake came out lopsided?  But the part that rose higher than the rest burned pretty badly so I will attempt to pour the batter in the pan while it's on a more level surface next time.

I didn't have fresh blueberries or raspberries on hand but I had some frozen ones.  Those worked just fine but fresh raspberries would have been preferable;  the raspberries were a little mushy once thawed.  I think I used a different ratio of fruits as well.  It was more like 1 1/2 c. strawberries, and 1/2 c. blueberries and 1/2 c. raspberries.  I think the main point is just to have enough fruit to put in your pancake.  Fresh peaches would have been great too!  I used orange extract in lieu of the liqueur. 

The biggest difference to the dish for me was that I put the blueberries into my sauce to break down a bit.  I'm not a big fan of whole blueberries.  I find their skins to be really tough and I don't enjoy eating them.  So adding them to the sauce helped soften them up and break them down a bit. 

I scooped out the blueberries and added them to the pancake first.  I didn't use all of the sauce prepared. You can use that to your liking.

~Happy Cooking!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 

 I’m ashamed to admit that I ate about 20 of these cookies.  But they were so good!  Another fantastic recipe from AllRecipes!  This was in the December/January 2014 issue.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ c. all-purpose flour

½ t. salt

1 t. baking soda

½ c. butter, softened

½ c. white sugar

½ c. creamy peanut butter

½ c. packed brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 t. vanilla

2 T. milk

40 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Directions:

Prehead oven to 375 degrees.  Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside. 

Cream together butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until fluffy.  Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk.  Add flour mixture; mix well.  Shape into 40 balls and place each ball into an ungreased mini muffin tin. 

Bake for about 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie.  Cool and carefully remove from pan.

In my test kitchen:

Other people suggested that you can use a cookie sheet and don’t need to use a mini-muffin pan if you don’t have one.  I was fortunate to have a 24 cup and 12 cup pan and it was really nice to cook them that way.  These cookies are definitely done at 8 minutes.  They may not look like it, but they are done.  I might even suggest pulling them out at 7 minutes…but then again, that’s because my oven runs rather hot. 

~Happy Cooking!