Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I feel like a make a lot of chocolate peanut butter treats...

I guess it's because Daniel loves them so much.
So here's another one for you.

I first made these when Daniel and I were dating. Our plan was to make a treat and then go to this fabulous park and enjoy them. He picked these.
What a surprise.
ha.


They are actually really good. I mean, really REALLY good.
Chocolate cupcakes filled with a peanut butter cream and yummy chocolate glaze.
DE-lightful!

STEP 1:
Bake Devil's Food Cake cupcakes according to directions on package.
(Don't overfill cupcake papers!! Only fill about half full otherwise the tops may be too big and will fall off when trying to dip in chocolate!)

STEP 2:
Mix 1 (3.4 oz) package of vanilla instant pudding mix with 1 cup milk using electric beaters (whisks) until it be begins to set up (about 2 mins)
add 1/2 cup peanut butter and mix in.

STEP 3:
Fill cupcakes with pudding mixture:
You can do this several ways. I find it easiest to use a pastry bag or frosting dispenser with a long pointy hole tip.
Poke it into the top of the cupcake and squeeze about 1-2 Tablespoons into the center of it.

OR

Put the mixture in a ziplock bag and cut the tip off the bag so you can squeeze the filling out.
Using a knife, poke a hole into the cupcake and insert the tip of the bag and squeeze filling into the cupcake.

*Do this while the cupcakes are fairly warm. In fact, probably before they have cooled off more than 30 min.

STEP 4:
Put 4 semi-sweet baking chocolate squares into a microwave-safe bowl with 1 1/2 cups thawed cool whip. Stir every 1 minute you cook it.
Mine only took about 2 minutes. After two, just stir it up really well until it's a smooth consistency.
Dip tops of cupcakes into chocolate sauce and twist as us you pull up.

Top with remaining peanut butter filling, peanut butter cups, or whatever your heart desires.

Mexican Inspired Crepes

So I just returned from an amazing vacation in Cancun, Mexico with my husband.

Isn't it beautiful?

2 tickets to paradise! - snorkeling, playing in the waves, drinking Pina Coladas on the beach, waiting for our taxi driver to return from making a drug stop
(Yeah. He totally stopped to buy drugs while he was driving us into town! Not to mention he left us in the running car with his 2 year old. He must have had lots of faith we wouldn't kidnap him. or just loved drugs more than his kid. ha)

Anyway, our resort had a crepe bar and Daniel and I hit that maybe 3 or 4 times! They were SO delicious and SO expensive!
At about $9 each you get a crepe the size of a pizza slice filled with Nutella and drizzled with chocolate.
$9!!!
That's like as much as going to Cafe Rio or getting pizza, breadsticks, and sauce at Little Ceasers!
Oh just thinking about how much money we spent on those just KILLS me!

So upon arriving home, I decided to try it out myself. I could probably make at least 20 crepes with $9 worth of ingredients!

They are a lot smaller than what we had in Mexico, but since I don't have a crepe pan, I had to make them in just my ordinary large skillet.

STEP 1:

Wisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 cup water.

STEP 2:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and let cool until it is cool but still melty. VERY IMPORTANT! Wisk into liquid mixture.

STEP 3:

Wisk in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

STEP 4:

Sift in 1 cup flour little by little wisking between additions.

Heat a skillet or large flat pan and lightly grease.
Pour about 1/4-1/2 cup batter onto pan and tip pan around so the batter gets spread in a thin circle.
After about 1-2 minutes, flip.
They should have creamy tan color when done.

Place on plate and top with fruit, Nutella, cream cheese, sugar butter, or even vegetables.
These things are so versitale.

We made some filled with Nutella, and drizzled with chocolate syrup as well as some filled with a strawberry cream cheese filling.

Experiment and let me know what you love best!

Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

It's been too long --TOO, TOO long. I'm sorry. I hope that never happens again.

To ask your forgiveness, I've made you yummy Chocolate Molten Cakes.
They are so delicious and SO SO easy. You will L-O-V-E them!

If these don't do it for you, just wait for next post! I've got quite the surprise!

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

6 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Preheat oven to 425 and butter about 6 cupcake cups.
If you have them, use little souffle dishes or custard cups.
Or you can even use cupcake papers.

Steps:
1. MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large bowl for 1 min. or until butter is melted.
2. Stir with wire whisk to be sure chocolate is entirely melted.
3. Stir in powdered sugar until well blended.
4. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk.
5. Stir in flour.
6. Pour batter evenly into cupcake cups.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Sides will be firm while the centers are soft. Let stand for 1 minute before using a knife around the edges to loosen.

Invert cakes and serve IMMEDIATELY! Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and garnish with berries or maybe even chocolate syrup.

You can reheat the cakes for later, but they are not quite as delicious. The molten insides won't be molten anymore, but they still are just as difficult to resist!



Do you forgive me?

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

These cookies are simply the most delicious and easiest cookies ever!

They really are so easy, they're no excuse not to make them!

For a quick sugar fix:

Combine 1 box of cake mix (any flavor)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
almost half a bag of chocolate chips
(preferable milk chocolate chips)

-Mix all the ingredients together and drop spoonfuls onto pan-
-Cook for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees-
*If you use a chocolate cake mix, you may need to add a little bit of water. Just add a tablespoon or two until it's proper cookie consistency.