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.

White Bread

This is a TESTER recipe just uploaded to test and try this recipe out for myself.  I'm still working on some of the details of this recipe, so try it at your own risk. :)

2 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

2 teaspoons salt

4-5 1/4 cups Bread Flour

Prep dough.

Add cold water from the sink into a microwave safe bowl, microwave for about 40 seconds, until warm.

Add sugar, and yeast, stir. Let yeast sit for about 10 minutes to bubble up.

Add salt and bread flour.

Let sit for 1-2 hours. Kneading once during the half-way point.

Separate dough in half.

Add both halves to parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Spray dough with boiling water before putting in oven. (I just poured it on with a spoon).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Let bake for about 30 minutes.

Bold = Needs to be tested

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 Egg Bread Rolls

 

S'sK Egg Bread Rolls

*An original recipe by Sebastian's Kitchen 

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
5 1/2 cups bread flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Bonus items:
Parchment paper

1.    Add cold water into microwave safe bowl. (I use a glass microwave safe Pyrex measuring cup). Microwave water for about 1 minute until warm. Add water to a large bowl. Water should be warmer than lukewarm, but not hot enough to burn you.

2.    Add yeast, sugar, salt, and 2 eggs to water and stir with a fork to dissolve.

3.    Cover yeast bowl with plastic wrap and let yeast bowl sit in a nested bowl or Tupperware container with hot water.
    a.    To make a nested bowl with hot water:
          i.      I use a large Tupperware container and fill it about half way up with hot water.
          ii.      Nest the yeast bowl in the Tupperware container.
          iii.      Water should be hot, but not hot enough to burn you.
          iv.      Remove yeast bowl from nested bath when kneading.

  b.    Let yeast sit in nested bath for 10 minutes. You will notice that your yeast water has become very thick, bubbly, and frothy. This is perfect. Remove bowl from nested bath and remove plastic wrap top.

  c.    If your bowl is not frothy, try again. There are many factors that could affect this. Most likely your yeast died or was not fresh to begin with.

4.    Add bread flour slowly. Mix with fork until difficult to mix. Knead dough with hands for a couple minutes until dough has absorbed all flour.
   a.    The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch, not dried out, or too wet.

5.    Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
6.    Let sit on counter in a nested bowl with hot water (just like before) for 1 hour.

7.    Remove dough bowl from nested bowl.
8.    Empty water bowl.
9.    Remove plastic wrap from bowl.
10.    Start separating dough into 8-10 medium sized balls.
11.    Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
12.    Start preheating oven to 350 degrees F.
13.    Place dough on parchment paper.
14.    Once oven is preheated, set baking sheets in the oven.
15.    Round 1 of baking - bake rolls for 10 minutes.
16.    At the 8 minute mark, add butter to microwave.
    a.    In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter until just barely melted, (do not let it bubble/boil in the microwave).

17.    Once the first round of baking the rolls are up, remove the bread from the oven and brush top and sides of bread with butter.  

    a.    I use a silicon cooking brush to spread the melted butter on. It works really well.

18.    Continue baking for 20 – 30 minutes or until done baking. (Oven times will vary depending on your oven and on how thick you made your rolls).
    a.    Bread will be done when it is firm and slightly golden.
19.    Remove bread from oven and turn off oven when bread is done baking.
20.    Store leftover bread in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.