Pumpkin Muffins

*Makes 2 dozen Pumpkin Muffins
This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour's Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts Recipe. I didn't have donut pans so I made them into muffins.
They don't rise a whole lot, so your cupcakes will be short and fat if you follow my directions.

Check out the original version here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pumpkin-cake-doughnuts-recipe
*This is my version, using more pumpkin and only cinnamon instead of pumpkin spice. Posted here for my convenience and so that I remember exactly what changes I made so that I can make this again.

Ingredients:   
1/2 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin 15 oz can
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1. Add canola oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder to bowl. Mix well.
2. Add flour until well incorporated.
3. Add cupcake liners to cupcake/muffin tins. Fill 3/4 of the way.
4. Add Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips to 1/2 of the batch. It's nice to have variety. :)
5. Bake at 350 F for 23 minutes.
6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days max.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bar Cookies

No Bake Peanut Butter Bar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 14.4 Oz box Honey Maid Honey Graham Crackers (makes a little over 3 cups crumbs)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups peanut butter


Directions

1. Use a food processor to grind up graham crackers into crumbs. Add to medium bowl.
2.  Add powdered sugar to graham cracker crumb bowl.
3.  If your butter is at room temperature, it's ready to use. Otherwise microwave cold butter until soft.
4.  Add peanut butter to butter and stir until well mixed.
5.  Add peanut butter mixture to graham cracker bowl. Mix until it forms a dough.
6. Grab a spoonful of dough and roll it into a ball. Add it to a baking sheet lined with wax paper and squish ball flat.
7. Add chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until chips are melted, stirring between microwave sessions.
8. With a spoon, pour melted chocolate on top of cookies and let sit for 5 minutes.
9. Put in refrigerator to let it set for 15 minutes.
11. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars:

Make this recipe the day before you need it. It tastes a lot better the second or even the third day of it just sitting in the refrigerator because the graham crackers will absorb the flavors.

Ingredients:
1 14.4 Oz box Honey Maid Honey Graham Crackers (makes a little over 3 cups crumbs)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups peanut butter


Directions

1. Use a food processor to grind up graham crackers into crumbs. Add to medium bowl.
2.  Add powdered sugar to graham cracker crumb bowl.
3.  If your butter is at room temperature, it's ready to use. Otherwise microwave cold butter until soft.
4.  Add peanut butter to butter and stir until well mixed.
5.  Add peanut butter mixture to graham cracker bowl. Mix until it forms a dough.
6. Spread the dough into a large pan.
7. Add chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until chips are melted, stirring between microwave sessions.
8. Pour melted chocolate on top of dough in pan and let sit for 5 minutes.
9. Put in refrigerator to let it set for 15 minutes.
10. Cut into bars. If you wait too long to cut, the chocolate will have solidified and your cuts will be jagged.
11. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

My Favorite Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Total cupcakes:  64
Today, I made a double batch of:
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Cupcakes



*A Sebastian's Kitchen Original Recipe

*Makes about 32 cupcakes.
This recipe is my original formula for the classic cream cheese filled cupcakes that you see at bakeries. They are amazing! These are a crowd pleaser!

As always, the better the quality of the ingredients you put in, the better the quality of taste you will get out, so make sure to use the best! I use SACO Premium Cocoa to flavor my cocoa cupcakes. I also use Ghirardelli chocolate baking chips as they have a rich gourmet taste that makes everyone rave! Don't go for the store brand cream cheese either, let's get the good stuff and use Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 bag (5 oz) Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips 60% cacao

Cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup SACO Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1.    Line cupcake tins with cupcake paper cups.
2.    In a microwave safe bowl soften cream cheese slightly for 10-20 seconds in the microwave. (Don’t melt it completely; we still want it to be solid but soft).
3.    Add softened cream cheese, egg, and white sugar to a medium bowl. Beat until creamy.

4.    Add chocolate chips and stir.
5.    Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator while you mix the cupcake batter.
6.    In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients: flour, white sugar, Dutch processed cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

7.    Make a well in the center of the bowl with dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the center of the bowl: water, canola oil, and vanilla extract.

8.    Stir wet and dry ingredients together with a fork just until batter is well incorporated. Do not over stir batter.
9.    Refrigerate batter for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken batter for scooping into cupcake tin cups.
10.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
11.    Fill cupcake tins a little over 2/3 full with cupcake batter.

12.    Add about a half a tablespoons worth of cream cheese filling on top of the batter right in the center of the cupcake.

13.    Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until tester comes out clean from batter. Baking time varies depending on the thickness of the batter in the cupcake tin.
    a.    Test one cupcake to see if it’s done by poking the cupcake with a toothpick or cake tester. If your tool comes out clean then your cupcake is done.
    b.    If you put the tester through the cream cheese filling, it will be sticky, so make sure to test the actual cupcake and not the filling as melted chocolate from the chocolate chips can throw off your results and make the cupcake appear to be underdone because the chocolate is melted and oozy.
 

14.    Let cupcakes cool at room temperature. If you are going to frost the cupcakes, do not do it while they are still warm or your frosting will melt! Once my cupcakes reach room temperature, I put them in the refrigerator to get cold before frosting.

I made a triple batch of:
Buttercream Frosting
I did have some frosting left over, but I did frost my cupcakes lightly.

Sebastian's Kitchen Favorite Buttercream Frosting

(1 batch)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
1/2 cup un-salted butter softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
a pinch of salt to taste
Gel dye for dying colors (optional)

Directions:
1.    Unwrap softened butter from wrappers.
2.    Set butter into large mixing bowl.
3.    On medium high speed, beat butter in mixer for about 5-7 minutes until butter turns white.
    a.    Scrape sides of bowl with spatula often.

4.    Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract.
5.    Beat for 3-5 minutes.
6.    Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.
    a.    Stir with a fork first and then use the mixer to avoid spilling powdered sugar everywhere.

7.    When frosting starts to thicken up, add salt, and add gel food dye (optional).
    a.    Only use a little gel dye or it will make your frosting taste bitter.
    b.    If you are making different colored frosting, separate frosting and then add dye gel to separate bowls.

8.    Continue beating frosting until it is finished.

    a.    Once frosting starts to thicken up, taste test to make sure just the right amount of salt is in the frosting. If it is too salty, add more heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar and continue beating.
    b.    Frosting should have a thick and airy consistency. It will hold the shape of piping tips very well. If your frosting is too runny, refrigerate a little to harden up.
9.    Scoop frosting into piping bag.
10.    Pipe frosting onto each cupcake in whatever design you want.
11.    Set frosted cupcakes in an air-tight container and refrigerate until ready to eat.
12.    If you prefer warmer cupcakes, you can leave them room temperature up to 3 hours before eating. Again make sure they are in an air-tight container.


*I used a #5 star tip from the Kuhn Rikon piping tip collection.

S'sK 2 layer Strawberry Blueberry Whipped Cream Cake

2 layer Strawberry Blueberry Whipped Cream Cake

Ingredients:

1. Funfetti Cake

Funfetti Cake Mix

1 cup water

1/2 cup canola oil

3 whole eggs

2. Fresh Fruit

Strawberries

Blueberries

3. Whipped Cream Frosting

1 Quart Heavy Whipping Cream

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Step 1: Cake, washing fruit, and making whipped cream

1. Make Funfetti whole egg recipe cake following the instructions on the box. I bake 2, 8-inch round cakes with one package of Funfetti. My bake time is about 30 minutes. After baking, set aside to cool.

2. Wash fresh fruit.

3. Cut strawberries into little pieces. Set aside.

4. Make whipped cream.

a. Add heavy whipping cream to large bowl.

b. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the whipping cream.

c. Beat whipping cream until it firms up and becomes a thick whipped cream. It usually takes me about 5-10 minutes of beating the cream on medium with a whisk attachment.

Step 2: Cake Assembly

1. Use a sharp cake knife to flatten the top of each of the 2 cakes.

2. Put first cake on a cake plate.

3. Add a layer of whipped cream frosting to the top of the first cake.

4. Add strawberries and blueberries on top of the whipped cream frosting.

5. Add second cake on top of strawberries and blueberries layer. Make sure to add the flat side down.

6. Add frosting to the top and sides of the cake. I use a squeegee.

7. Decorate top of cake with strawberries and blueberries.

8. Refrigerate cake immediately.

9. Store cake in an air-tight cake container in the refrigerator. Cake will last about 3 days (no preservatives).

S'sK Shortbread Cookies with Drizzled Chocolate

*A Sebastian’s Kitchen Original

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Shortbread Cookies with Drizzled Chocolate

Ingredients:
Cookie dough:
2 cups butter softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

5-10 oz Ghirardelli 60% cacao baking chips (dark chocolate)

Step 1: Cookie

1.    Add butter to a large bowl and beat it with a mixer until white and creamy about 2 minutes.

2.    Add sugar to butter and beat until fluffy. It should look thick like buttercream frosting.
3.    Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and continue to mix with electric mixer until batter is very thick.

4.    Add flour a little at a time and mix with mixer until mixer struggles. Continue incorporating batter by stirring and mashing with a fork until batter is doughy.

5.    Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour or until dough is firm.
6.    Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
7.    Remove dough from the refrigerator.
8.    Add cookie dough to a rolling surface like a counter or a cutting board.
9.    Roll cookie dough flat and as thin as you like.
10.  Use cookie cutter to shape cookies.
    a.    I like using a heart cookie cutter - even after Valentine's Day.
    b.    Gently lift shaped cookie dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.
11.   Add the rest of the shaped cookie dough to baking sheet.    
12.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
13.    Bake for 8-12 minutes until slightly golden brown. Time varies based on how thick you rolled out your cookie dough, the shape, and overall thickness of the cookie. Check the bottom of the cookies if you are unsure.
13.    When cookies are done baking, remove from oven and let sit until cool.
    a.    Let cookies sit until completely cooled to avoid them falling apart.
    b.    I slide the parchment paper full of cookies off of the hot baking sheet and let the cookies cool on the counter (on a dish towel if the counter is heat sensitive). Don’t try to pick up individual cookies as they are fragile and can break apart when warm. Leave the cookies on the parchment paper for decorating.

Step 2: Decorate

1.    Melt Ghirardelli chocolate according to package instructions.
    a.    I microwave mine in 20-30 second intervals stirring between each microwave session until melted.

2.    Add melted chocolate to a piping bag or piping bottle, or drizzle chocolate on cookies with a fork or spoon.

3.    Let decorated cookies sit out for about an hour until the chocolate sets.
4.    Store most of the cookies in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. If you are going to be eating them all soon, you can leave them all in an air-tight container at room temperature. I usually store most of my cookies in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and then get a few cookies out for the day and let those sit at room temperature in an air-tight container.