Andes Cupcakes

 Another green-ish dessert for St. Patrick's Day!  I'm thinking of starting an official petition to make St. Patrick's Day a "holiday season" like Christmas. This could be huge.

Andes mints make me think of my great-grandfather. He always had them on his coffee table in his living room. I spent countless days munching on Andes, eating corn chowder, and sipping ginger beer on his front porch.

So these cupcakes are dedicated to him.  Love you and miss you Curt :)

In general, I'm not a huge fan of mint in my desserts. It belongs in toothpaste and gum. It does not belong in my desserts messing with my chocolate. I think that's because the mint in candy, like York Patties or Junior Mints, is just way too strong. Andes is the only candy that I think got it right. Also, it's the one that's green rather than white. Green mint desserts are the only ones that are acceptable. Period.

However, I realize that I'm in the minority here. My whole family loves mint flavored desserts. Especially mint chocolate chip ice cream (the green kind... obviously). Because it's such a popular flavor combination, I knew that I needed to be able to make some minty recipes for them. And I wanted to provide something delicious for any mint-lovers who read my blog :)

The mint in this recipe isn't too overpowering because it is in the frosting and ganache but not in the cake.  The cream cheese and butter in the frosting really mutes the mint flavor so it is refreshing but not overpowering.

If you like mint, you'll probably love these. Plus, look how pretty they are! If you want more of a green color, put green food coloring in the frosting. I just really wanted to use a lot of green sprinkles!

Andes Cupcakes (24 cupcakes) adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cupcakes: 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Mint Filling:

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Mint Buttercream:

• 1 cup (2 sticks, 16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 32 ounces powdered sugar (about 7 cups)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 24 Andes mints for garnish

1.       For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Using a handheld electric mixer or an electric stand mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. The batter will be VERY thin (Don't fret, it works out fine somehow). Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack, after removing them from the muffin tin.

2.       For the mint filling: While the cupcakes are baking, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir. Repeat the process until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract and powdered sugar, whisking until smooth. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (but don’t let it get too stiff) and pour it into a piping bag.

3.       When the cupcakes are cool, insert the tip of the piping bag into the center of the cupcake and press gently to fill the middle of the cupcake with the mint ganache.

4.       For the frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the heavy cream and peppermint and vanilla extracts. Beat until light and fluffy.

5.      Frost the cooled, filled cupcakes. Garnish with an unwrapped Andes mint. 

see how thin the batter is? strange...

baked cupcakes

ganache

filling the cupcakes with ganache

me trying to be a piping pro.

frosted!

final product :)

 

Boozy Bailey's Brownies

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

And my gift to you on this lovely Irish day is these Boozy Bailey's Brownies!

how festive and delicious is that?!?!

I made these with my friend Michelle. We had a pre-St. Patrick's Day bake and beverage get-together a couple weekends ago.

going back to my bartending days

white russians --> green irishmen?

Happy Pre-Patty's Day!

The brownies have a hard crusty exterior and a fudgy center.  The frosting is light and creamy.

Chocolatey. Sugary. Boozy.  Need I say more to convince you to make these?

Now I'm off to drink green beverages with my mom and friends all day! I'll also be wearing a tiara and a shirt that says "Kiss me, I'm drunk". God, I love being young and Irish on March 17th!

Boozy Bailey’s Brownies (adapted from How Sweet It Is)

For the brownies

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2-3 squares baking chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
•  2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

For the buttercream

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish cream

1.       Preheat oven to 350.

2.       Melt butter and baking sqaures in a microwave safe bowl. In the mixing bowl, cream melted butter and chocolate mixture. Add in sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs, beating one at a time. Add flour and stir just until combined. Stir in Bailey’s.

3.       Pour into greased 9 x 13 baking dish (I used a 10 x 10 square cake pan).  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until just barely done.

4.       For the frosting: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add the Bailey's one tablespoon at a time. Beat until smooth and creamy. 

5.       Wait until the brownies are fully cooled and frost. These are the kind of brownies that have a hard top and a fudgy middle so don’t worry if the top of your brownies are pretty hard.

I want to drink the Bailey's from the bottle and eat the frosting with a shovel. Not appropriate?

See what I mean about the hard exterior and the fudgy center?

This is basically like three shots.

White Chocolate Bailey's Mousse Pie with Bailey's Whipped Cream

Happy pi(e) day!

Get it? Because it's March 14th. 3.14.

It's also just a really good excuse to make a pie.

And keeping with the St. Patrick's Day theme, I decided to make a pie with Bailey's. I chose this one because I like that it's made with white chocolate. Typically desserts that incorporate Bailey's have a milk or dark chocolate base.

Warning: This pie is very boozy. This is a good thing. It has a generous portion of Bailey's in the mousse and in the whipped cream. I actually felt a little tipsy after eating a piece. Granted it was a gigantic piece with enough whipped cream for a whole pie.  Accompanied by some Bailey's on the rocks. It was glorious.

This pie is light and fluffy and absolutely delicious. It's a little tricky to dish out because it is so soft so, after letting it chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, I would recommend popping it in the freezer for about an hour prior to cutting and serving. You can either refrigerate or freeze the leftovers. In the refrigerator, it will only last a day or two because the mousse and whipped cream will begin to breakdown and the crust will start to get soggy (though not even that would stop me from devouring it). It holds up wonderfully in the freezer. You can either thaw it out for about a half hour in the refrigerator or enjoy it frozen!

Not in the mood for pie?  That's fine! Serve the mousse in cup topped with a huge dollop of the whipped cream. 

God, this is a wonderful and versatile. And sugary and alcoholic. And Irish. I'm in love.

Bailey’s Mousse Pie with Bailey’s Whipped Cream

Bailey’s Mousse Pie (from Saving Room for Dessert)

• Graham cracker pie crust (or you could make your own but I was feeling lazy)
• 1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 eggs)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Bailey’s Whipped Cream (adapted from How Sweet It Is)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
•  1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
• 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1.  Melt chocolate and Bailey's in a metal bowl over hot water.  Make sure no water touches the chocolate or it will seize up.  Use a spatula to blend well and keep from burning.  Remove from heat.

2.  Using a mixer, whip egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks hold their shape.   Set aside.

3.  Whip 1 cup heavy cream until stiff.

4.  Gently fold egg and whipped cream together.

5.  With a large spatula, gently fold white chocolate mixture into egg white mixture.  Do not over mix. However, it will take some time because white chocolate mixture is very thick in comparison to the egg/whipped cream mixture.

6.  Spoon into cooled pie crust and chill in the freezer while preparing the whipped cream topping.

7.  For the whipped cream:  In the bowl, add cream, vanilla and Baileys. Mix with an electric mixer (or in your stand mixer). Then add sugar and mix a little more.

8.  Spread the whipped cream over the mousse and chill for another four hours. I would suggest putting it in the freezer for about an hour before cutting and serving so that it holds its shape.

melting the chocolate and bailey's in my really shady makeshift double boiler

melted white chocolate and bailey's

whipped egg whites and sugar

whipped heavy cream

the mousse pie without whipped cream

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S PI(E) DAY! :)

I didn't let it chill for long enough. I couldn't control myself.

a frozen piece of pie. much prettier.

Light Shepherd's Pie

I know that shepherd's pie is a really traditional Irish dish but I have never eaten it.

Here's why:

Up until very recently, I've had a huge issue with my food touching. I used to use separated plates or only put one item on my plate at a time so nothing would touch. I don't know what my issue was but I could not mix my food.

Then I realized how silly this was. Some of my favorite foods are a big mixture of ingredients. Pasta dishes. Pizza. Burritos. Ice cream sundaes with every topping possible.

Now I mix my food all the time. Problem solved by allowing the logical part of my brain rationalize the situation to the illogical OCD part of my brain.

Yes, the sides of my brain interact. So what?

 Anyway, this shepard's pie is wonderful! It has the taste of comfort food but doesn't feel as heavy or rich. I love that it's jam packed with veggies in the filling and in the cauliflower puree topping, which I substituted for mashed potatoes.

Cauliflower puree is my new "go to" side. It's light and super fluffy. I never thought I'd say that because I am a huge carb lover. But delicious substitutions like spaghetti squash and cauliflower having me singing a different tune. They taste similar to the real deal and I can eat a ton without feeling sick and guilty. What's better than that?

If you're not down with cauliflower a) stop being a baby and just try it, you might love it  OR b) replace the cauliflower with potatoes.

I took this recipe from Skinnytaste, one of my favorite food blogs. Gina does a great job of lightening up recipes and still making them taste great! The changes I made were to substitute pureed cauliflower for mashed potatoes, increase the amount of vegetables, use soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce (I hate that stuff) and add some cheese on top.

You should make this if you're trying channel your Irish roots (or create them if they don't exist) and save calories for drinking copious amounts of Bailey's Irish Cream and Guinness :)

Shepherd’s Pie (6 servings – 291 cals) from skinnytaste
Cauliflower Puree:

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut up into florets
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
• 2-3 tablespoons of milk (until desired consistency)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp light butter 

Filling:

• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, baby lima beans)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz bag of shredded reduced fat cheddar

1.  Steam or boil cauliflower and garlic until soft. Drain, add sour cream, light butter, salt, pepper and purée with a hand blender (or regular blender – if using a regular blender, you may need more milk in order to get the mixture going).
2.  Preheat oven to 400°.
3.  In a large saute pan brown meat. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside on a plate. Discard any fat in the pan, add oil, onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery and sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, chopped meat and mix well. Simmer on low for about 5-10 minutes.
4.  Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Top with cauliflower puree. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

before the oven

baked

And that's how the Irish do savory pie :)

Lofthouse Cookies

These have been circulating around the food blog world for a long time. I might be the only person who hasn't done a post about them.

Not anymore!

These are WAY better than the store bought ones. Don't get me wrong, I will never turn down any kind of Lofthouse cookie. Except for the red velvet ones. Because Lofthouse cookies aren't supposed to be red. Anyway, my issue with the store bought ones is that they don't have enough frosting. So I always have to break off the edges because of the severe lack of frosting. Also it freaks me out that they are soft yet can stay "fresh" for about a century.

It's sort of like fast food burgers. Not enough burger, too much bun. Not enough real food, too much extra gunk that you don't want know about.

I think I procrastinated making this for so long because I was deathly afraid of messing them up. I knew that if they didn't come out white and fluffy, I would throw a mega-tantrum that would involve tossing burnt cookies all over my kitchen and binge eating 4 boxes of Lofthouse cookies from the grocery store.

In baking these, I only had one minor issue. It took me a couple tries to get the size right. The first ones I made were gigantic. Lofthouse cakes. My cookie cutter was too big and I didn't roll the dough thin enough. So I rolled the dough out to about 1/16-inch thick and used a small drinking glass as a cookie cutter. The original recipe said 1/4-inch but that's how I turned my cookies into cakes. The dough rises a ton.

scary big lofthouse cookiecake

Once I figured out the size issue, they came out great! They were white (even on the bottom!!) and fluffy. Then I covered them in the super sweet frosting. And I mean reallyyyyyyyy covered so I wouldn't have to waste any cookie.

Then I covered them in sprinkles. Like a lot. I'm sort of like a 5 year old. Sprinkles make me smile. Especially when they are St. Patrick's Day themed!

This recipe makes about 5 dozen cookies. I froze about 2 dozen without frosting. And used all the frosting that this recipe called for on 3 dozen (yeah, I have a frosting problem. so?). I read that they freeze well but haven't tried to thaw them out yet so I'm not positive. But even if they aren't perfect, I'll just double the frosting and triple the sprinkles and life will be perfect!

So make these to prove that you're not Betty Crocker or the Pillsbury Doughboy, you're BETTER!

Soft Lofthouse Style Frosted Cookies (5-6 dozen cookies) from Two Peas and Their Pod

• ·         For the Cookies:
  6 cups all-purpose flour
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  ½ teaspoon salt
  1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  2 cups granulated sugar
  3 large eggs
  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  1½ cups sour cream
• ·         For the Buttercream Frosting:
  1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  4 cups powdered sugar
  Pinch of salt
  6 tablespoons heavy cream
• ·         Food coloring and sprinkles, optional

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.

3. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a sticky. Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1½ inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

5. Lightly flour the countertop and the top of the dough. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/16-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 minutes, until cookies are slightly golden around the edges. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Cool cookies completely before frosting or the frosting will melt off.

6. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla extract. Slowly beat in powdered sugar and the pinch of salt. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at medium-high speed for a minute or two until light and fluffy. Add food coloring, if desired, and beat until combined.

7. Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles, if desired. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. These will last for at least a week (that's how long it took me to eat them anyway).

that's the cookie cutter that was created the gigantic cookie

look at those beautiful spring greens!

holy cookies! and zebra pants and fuzzy socks...

lofthouse mountains

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Happy March, everyone!

I love St. Patrick's Day. I love four leaf clovers. And dark beer. And Bailey's. And green. And corned beef. And potatoes. And drinking. And eating. A lot.

I just love it.

So I've decided that this month will be completely dedicated to St. Patrick's Day. All of the recipes that I post during March will be St. Patty's Day themed.

GET. EXCITED. Because I'm already there.

I didn't actually make this first recipe. My friend had the idea to make them so I found her the recipe, she made them, and we ate them. But she gave me permission to blog about it.

I love that these sort of taste AND look like an Irish car bomb shot. It doesn't have any whiskey in it but that's fine by me because whiskey is the one alcoholic beverage that I just cannot stomach. The cake has a really dark and rich flavor from the Guinness. The frosting has a strong Bailey's flavor and a lot of sweetness to counteract the slight bitterness of the cake.

And here's a funny Irish car bomb story: On my 21st birthday, I went out with my whole family. I had always wanted to try an Irish car bomb but the bar I worked at didn't have Jameson so I couldn't. So after about 4 hours of drinking a deadly combination of liquor, I decided to order one. I dropped the Bailey's/Jameson shot into the Guinness. It curdled immediately and, as I took the first sip, I decided that my stomach couldn't handle it. My mother sauntered over and casually goes "Oh, stop. These are delicious." She proceeded to chug the 16 ounce glass in about two seconds.

I was put to shame by my mother on my 21st birthday. I guess there's no question as to where I got my love for adult beverages.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (inspired by Sweet Pea's Kitchen)

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 cup Guinness
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine Guinness and butter. Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. In a large mixing bow, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream until combined.
5. Add Guinness mixture and beat to combine. Mix in dry ingredients on low speed until incorporated.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
7. For the frosting: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add the Bailey's one tablespoon at a time. Beat until smooth and creamy. 
8. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe on the frosting. 

perfect portions