Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Buttercream

I love cookie dough, and I love chocolate cake, so naturally I had to find a way to combine the two. This idea is nothing like my idea to combine chocolate cake and peanut butter. That was just a disaster. This, this is good!

I did learn a few things doing this. First, I keep forgetting when stuffing cupcakes not to fill the liners as much. When you do this you end up cupcake volcanoes! And second, I love, love, love cookie dough with chocolate cake!! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

To begin go here and pick up the Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe. Fill cupcake liners only 2/3 of the way. Remove from oven once they have been cooking for 15 minutes, in order to stuff with cookie dough (See below). 

While cupcakes are baking make cookie dough.

*Recipe from Crisco 

3/4 Cup Butter Flavor Crisco
1 1/4 Cups Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
1 Egg (Use egg beaters, find equivalent on package)
1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips

*The use of egg beaters allows you to safely consume the cookie dough without cooking it first. 

Combine Butter Flavor Crisco, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture. In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix into creamed mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Remove cupcakes from the oven once they have been cooking for about 15 minutes. Take about a Tablespoon of cookie dough and push in the center of each cupcake. (You will use 2 cups cookie dough to make the buttercream, so make sure you place that aside) Place cupcakes back in the oven and cook until the area around the cookie is firm. Remove from the oven and place on cooling rack.

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Buttercream

1 Cup Butter, at room temperature (2 Sticks)
1 Cup Butter Flavor Crisco
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 Cup Cookie Dough

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream together butter and Butter Flavor Crisco. Add vanilla and blend again. Scrap the side of the bowl and add brown sugar, cream together. Then add powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time until the icing reaches the desired stiffness and sweetness. If you need more, just keep adding powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired sweetness. Remember, that the humidity and heat in your house will directly effect the amount of sugar needed. Then add cookie dough and only mix a little. You don't want to break up the cookie dough. You want people to find chunks of cookie dough in their buttercream. 

Once cupcakes have completely cooled, using a large ziploc bag with a large corner cut off, pipe buttercream on cupcakes and then eat!! 

And don't forget to make cookies with the leftover cookie dough! I got a full dozen cookies out of my leftover dough. 

Due to the egg in the cookie dough make sure you store these in the fridge. 

Basic Chocolate Cupcakes

It seems that I make a lot of chocolate cake and to save myself from having to type out the recipe every time I make a new chocolate cupcake I am going to put the basic recipe here and just link to it every time I use it.

Basic Chocolate Cake

1 Cup Milk chocolate chips

1 Cup Milk + 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice (This will make buttermilk)

1 3/4 Cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1/4 Cup Vegetable oil

3 Eggs
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

Heat oven 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan melt chocolate and milk mixture and heat over medium heat, until the chocolate is completely melted, whisk together, then add cocoa powder. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In small bowl combine eggs, and oil. Once the chocolate is cool add a little to the flour mixture and combine. Then add the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Slowly add chocolate into mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mixture will be a little runny. Fill liners about 3/4 of the way; I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill my liners, bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake springs back in the middle, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

Beef Fajitas

Fajitas. Fajitas are this great little food that just so happens to be an absolute cinch to make! Living here in New Mexico they are pretty common, but I haven't really cared for them until recently. So, for today I give you my recipe for Beef Fajitas and later I will give you my recipe for Shrimp Fajitas.

Beef Fajitas

2 Chuck Steaks

1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 Tbsp. Season Salt

1/2 Tbsp. Fajita Seasoning

1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Pepper

5 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

3 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke

1/2 Large Red Onion, sliced

2 Bell Peppers any color (I used a orange, half a yellow and half a red)

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Pinch of Kosher Salt

Fajita Tortillas

In a large bag place the first seven ingredients, seal the bag, shake and set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Remove from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Remove from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. On a grill cook for about 5 minutes on each side. If you don't want to use a grill you can pan fry them as well, they just taste better on the grill. Once steaks are done cooking place on a platter and allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. 

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Once the pan is heated, add the bell peppers and saute for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and saute until the onions are translucent and peppers are as tender as you desire. I like mine with a little crunch so I only saute them for an additional 3 minutes. 

Once everything is done, place meat on a cutting board and cut against the grain. That means find the way the lines run and cut the meat the opposite way. Imagine it looks like a piece of wood. This helps ensure the meat is tender. Make sure the slices are thin so they are easier to eat. Then place some meat, peppers and onions, tortillas, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and whatever else you like with your fajitas on a plate and eat it up!!! 

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Chinese Soup

You all know I love to experiment with cupcakes and I am sure that most of you know that I also like to just flat out experiment in the kitchen. This recipe is just one of those lovely little experiments. The first time I made this, I didn't know if it would turn out the way I imagined it in my head so I didn't bother to write it down or take pictures, and boy am I kicking myself in the butt for that one! It was amazing! The picture above is attempt number 2, still good, but I think I might have missed something. Lesson learned, never cook without my notebook....NEVER!

So, here it is......

Chinese Soup

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Bunch Chives, roughly chopped (as you can see I didn't in this picture, but in the original recipe I did)

64 oz. Chicken Broth

6 Cups Water

6 Beef Bouillon Cubes

6 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

6 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard

1 tsp. Powdered Ginger

2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Ground Pepper

1 Cup Shredded Carrots

2 Cups Fresh Bean Sprouts

2 8 oz. Pkg. of Chinese Noodles

In a large stock pot, place chicken broth, water, beef bouillon, chives, garlic, Worcestershire Sauce, and soy sauce (first 7 ingredients) and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally and smash the bouillon cubes every once in a while. Bring to a boil, add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the noodles! Cook until the sprouts and carrots are hot. Fill another large stock pot with water and place over high heat, bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add both packages of Chinese noodles and cook for 3 minutes, drain and rinse. To assemble your soup, take a tong full of noodles (however much you want) place in the bottom of the bowl and then ladle broth over the noodles. This will allow you to control the amount of broth and noodles each serving gets. The chicken I made for my potsticker recipe, which can be found here: Potsticker Perfection was also used in the soup. Feel free to put any meat you choose or go meatless!!! 

Another super simple recipe! Enjoy! 

Super Easy Guacamole

Okay, I know it has been a while since I have posted anything on this blog, and for that I am truly sorry. Life was crazy as I was studying for finals and writing papers for what was the last couple of weeks of Graduate School, but I am happy to report that school is now over, so I now have a little free time. This should mean more food blogging....I hope.

For my first day blog on the food blog, I have decided to keep things simple and easy.

Guacamole

3 Avocados, chopped

1/2 Cup Red Onion, diced

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1/2 Cup Sliced Jalapenos

3/4 Cup Diced Tomatoes, seeded

Juice of 2 Limes

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Jalapeno Juice

In a medium bowl combine the above ingredients and mix with a fork. I like my guacamole with chunks of avocado, so I do not mash my guacamole, but if you like your's smooth then feel free to use your fork and mash the mixture as you mix it. Note: as you mix it, a majority of the avocado's will smash anyways. Then all you do is taste it and check for spice. Add more salt, jalapeno or lime juice if needed. Serve it with your favorite chips, or with Fajitas, like I did. To store your guacamole, place the seed of the avocado in the middle of the guacamole, cover and refrigerate, in order to prevent browning. Or cover it with plastic wrap making sure to push the plastic wrap down on top of the guacamole and up the sides of the bowl. The key here is to keep out the air to prevent it from browning. Note: the lime juice will not prevent it from browning.

What do you think? Simple, huh?