Santa Barbara adventures

Heading to Santa Barbara for the day was one of the best ideas ever for this past weekend. Perfect weather and perfect people, what more could you ask for? After roaming through the city crowds, we finally settled at a quaint little spot on the coast, that fit our energy at the moment, entirely. For the next few hours here is where we admired our beautiful coast and how blessed we are to be so near to it, snapped photos, shared stories and laughs, and just enjoyed each other's company before we all headed back to our different city-living homes. 

I couldn't have asked for a better day, better weather, or a better group of people to spend my time with. This one will go down in the books as one of my happiest days yet.

****Happy birthday Justin!

Ps. You can also check out my recipe from Friday on THIS website today!  

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French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Cupcakes. They are genius and not only that, they are adorable table decor. Aren't they so perfect? 

Like, French Toast cupcakes with Maple frosting perfect.

This cupcake was like eating a delicious gourmet breakfast in every bite. Sprinkled with brown sugar for what was originally decorative purposes, this extra "umph" was the "cherry" on top. Light, and far from too rich, I could almost replace my french toast breakfast's with this single cupcake. Cupcake for breakfast? Why not?

If you are growing bored of the regular chocolate, vanilla, fun-fetti, etc. cupcakes, then don't be afraid to spruce it up. And when you do, go big. go hard. go, French Toast?

French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Cupcakes:

3/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature

1 cup organic VEGAN raw sugar

1 1/2 cups whole grain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup almond milk

1 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup (or vanilla)

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 large eggs, separated (or, 2 1/2- 3 mashed bananas)

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.

In a large bowl, beat oil and sugar on high until light and fluffy; Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; Set aside. Now, in a small bowl, whisk together milk and maple syrup; Set aside. (You should have 3 bowls set aside.) 

Add the egg yolks (saving the egg whites in another small bowl or cup) to the creamed butter/sugar mix one egg yolk at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next yolk. Then, alternately, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and milk in 2 additions, again, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before proceeding with the next. Mix until a smooth batter is formed. Set this bowl aside.

With an electric mixer (yes, in another bowl), whip the 3 eggs whites you have saved until stiff and peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold the egg whites into the batter, just until incorporated. 

Divide batter evenly amongst the pre-lined muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick tester results clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Maple Frosting:

2/3 cup refined coconut oil

2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 rice or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla until combined. Slowly add in the almond or rice milk, on low speed. Then on high speed, beat until it becomes light and fluffy, holding a peak like egg whites would.

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goat cheese stuffed cucumbers

There is something about goat cheese that wins my heart more than any other cheese. The taste is bliss, and you can dress it up with any type of herb or dressing, and pair it with vegetables, crackers, fruit, pancakes, desserts…. you get where I am going.

Knowing that it would be quite a warm day the day of our BBQ, I wanted to be sure to have 'cool bites'. Cucumbers are cool and hydrating, which come in very handy when there are alcoholic beverages around.

Refreshing. Cool. Addicting. These cucumber stuffed bites were not only the easiest treat to whip up, but the easiest to grab more than a few of. They were simple reminders of why I adore this vegetable the most; They go well with anything.

They can also be stuffed with hummus!

Lemony Garlic Goat Cheese spread

1 package goat cheese (If you are not a fan of goat, you can replace with bleu cheese or a cream cheese)

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons lemon

thyme

salt and pepper to taste

mince herbs and mix all ingredients together. Ideally this should chill overnight, but not necessary. Scoop into cucumber pieces (with pre-cut crevasses) and garnish with salt and pepper.

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Garlic and Thyme Cheesy Bread Straws

What's a BBQ without some cheese bread straws? Well, without these bread straws our appetizer table wouldn't have been as popular, that is for sure.

A big thank you to Trader Joe's for supplying, what I use on pretty much a weekly basis, the $1.29 garlic pizza dough, that is to die. And, to my sister for recommending the paper towel holder as a replacement for my rolling pin that suddenly went missing. 

Garlic dough. Cheese. Thyme. And, an egg wash. It's as simple as that, and the taste is better than you can imagine.

Dip this beauty in some marinara and you have quite the darling little snack.

Garlic and Thyme Bread Cheese Straws

2 sheets of Garlic Pizza Dough from Trader Joe's

Flour, for dusting

1 extra -large egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375F.

Roll out each garlic pizza dough on a lightly floured board, kneading until it is 10-by 12-inches. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the surface of dough with this mixture. Sprinkle each dough sheet evenly with 1 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon of thyme, 1/2 tablespoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. With a rolling pin, lightly press the cheese and flavorings into the dough. Cut each sheet crosswise with a pizza wheel into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Twist each strip and lay on pre-lined parchment baking sheets.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or a lightly brown. At about 9 minutes, flip each straw and continue baking the time allotted. Cool and serve. Goes wonderfully with Marinara.

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peanut butter fudge layered brownies with sea salt

6:30am. 

Yes, 6:30am is what time I voluntarily got myself out of bed on Friday morning. Why? I was too excited about the full day of baking I had ahead of me, I couldn't sleep. Although I had all day long to do this, and I had help from my sister, for some reason I felt that 6:30a was the right time to begin.  (I can be considered somewhat of an anxious person.)

In light of taking on a task of preparing food for 30 people, there was a slight bit of pressure to do well, and hopefully please lots of taste buds. Being that I am more prone to baking than cooking, I couldn't help but hope that what I was about to prepare turned out. I do recall my sister reminding me to "chill out" or "they are going to taste awesome" numerous times that day. I made her taste test EVERYTHING. Isn't she a doll?

I wish I could say that my favorite dish wasn't a dessert, since that is an area I am most comfortable in, but these brownies won my heart. Although these brownies can be considered to be in my 'safe zone', my chocolate and peanut butter safe zone, they really weren't safe at all. With 3 different desserts in mind, my decision to put it all into one was risky, however this was… this was like a present on Christmas morning; surprising and absolutely lovely.

With a dark chocolate fudge-y brownie bottom, and a homemade peanut butter fudge layer topped with sea salt, these brownies will be my new favorite food. Yes, food. Not the healthiest of the bit, I suggest cutting them into bite size so the guilt isn't too heavy on your shoulders when you have 5+. I'm kidding. Not kidding about the 5+, but kidding about the guilt. These are too good to feel guilty about. :)

Peanut Butter Fudge-Layered Brownies with Sea Salt

1 1/4 stick butter (10 tablespoons)

1 cup organic sugar

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Double-Dutch dark cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cold large eggs

1/2 cup almond flour

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 13 by 9-in baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Spray the parchment with just a small amount of pan spray.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a double broiler (using the glass bowl over pan of simmering water method). *Be sure the bottom of bowl does not touch the water.

Stirring occasionally, when butter is just about melted, remove from sauce pan and let residual heat continue to melt the butter. Stir until smooth. Touch to check for temperature. It should feel warm, if HOT, wait until warm to add the eggs. Then, proceed to add eggs one at a time. Make sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once mixed and looks shiny, stir in the flour. Stir until flour is incorporated, but do not over stir.

Spread the batter evenly in prepared baking dish. The key is to bake this for only 20-25 minutes, allowing there to be few moist crumbs on the toothpick after a toothpick test. You want your brownies to be fudge-y. Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack, removing by gripping parchment edges. (let it sit on parchment on top of wire rack)

Once cool you can layer the peanut butter.

Peanut Butter fudge layer

6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup confectioners sugar

pinch of salt

Sea Salt for sprinkling

Cream butter and peanut butter until combined. Slowly stir/fold in the confectioner's sugar until incorporated. The fudge should be thick, and will get a little arm work out mixing in the sugar. This is GOOD! It should be of a fudge consistency. Spread the peanut butter fudge layer evenly over the COOL brownies with your hands. Sprinkle with sea salt.

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weekend.

This weekend was perfect. Being surrounded by friends and family is the best feeling in the world and I couldn't ask for something more beautiful. The BBQ was a complete success and the food turned out wonderful! I couldn't have done it without my beautiful little sister, who I wouldn't trade for anyone or anything in the whole entire world.

This weekend was just a sweet reminder of how lucky I truly am.

**all recipes and photos of bbq to come this week on the blog.
** there are NO leftovers.
** thank you zack and michelle for the lovely photos.
**Michelle, thank YOU also for helping me prep. You are wonderful!

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bbq and a happy friday

This weekend my roommates, sister and I are throwing my boyfriend a huge birthday BBQ bash! Being the obsessive foodie that I am, I have happily taken on the responsibility of providing delicious savories and desserts for 40+ people. :)

Garlic herb cheese straws;  homemade soft pretzels;  lemon, thyme and goat cheese spread with baguettes;  pesto goat cheese spread with rosemary crackers;  hummus stuffed cucumber bites;  Jeff's mother's famous taco dip;  my homemade peanut butter dip with fruit, celery and chocolate sticks;  black bean pasta salad;  chocolate covered pretzels;  caramel sea salt brownies;  acai champagne sparklers;  and a spiced carrot cake.  (All on the blog next week! ee!)  While the boys on the other hand are to man the grill and all of the food that comes along with it.

Today, I prep with my sister and a lovely bottle of Prosecco, of course. Happy Friday!

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banana cookies or whoopies, whichever you prefer!

Here I go with my banana's again. Oh but, I can't help it! I buy them in bulks and on occasion don't get to finishing them before they are too ripe, so I have to use them in a recipe (like that is a bad thing?). Plus, baby Eleanor loves banana anything, so I do a lot of this for her. :)

Soft. Simple. Healthy. Perfect. These banana cookies go wonderfully with a glass of almond milk, or smooched together with some homemade peanut butter in the middle of them. Like I said, Peanut butter and banana; My two favorite savories in the world. Oh, and dark chocolate.

If you want to spice it up a bit, and go all out on this indulgence, you can try a cream cheese frosting or some Nutella for the filling, as well! Make them your own!

Banana Cookies or Whoopie Pies

2 1/4 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 Earth Balance (or butter)

1/4 vegetable oil

1 teaspoon maple syrup (or vanilla)

1 large egg or 2 large egg whites

3/4 cup mashed bananas (2 medium bananas)

Filling:

homemade peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment or Silpat. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, cream Earth balance and sugar until light. Beat in the egg and vegetable oil, followed by the maple syrup and mashed bananas. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, and stir until just incorporated.

Drop 2 tablespoon size balls onto the pre-lined baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until cookies come out golden brown along the edges. Set to cool before preparing the whoopie pies. Then simply spread your homemade peanut butter, or filling of your choice, on one bottom of cookie and press together with another. And, viola

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maple nut, oat & flaxseed granola

This weekend I went out to lunch. Going out to lunch is a bit different for me since I am more of a breakfast and dinner person. Our stop: Bristol Farms. I love this grocery store. It has everything healthy you could possibly imagine, and more. It's like it is made for me. Too bad they are over-the-top expensive. Blah. 

To avoid over-spending, we made straight for the cafe and strayed far, far away from the store. Especially the whole row they have of Prosecco. (yikes!) Although the meal prices were a little like their store prices, the quality was phenomenal. But, I guess that is how the whole store is. 

To say I actually had "lunch" is a bit of a fib, considering I had a bowl of granola, yogurt and berries, so I guess it was more of a brunch. Whatever you want to call it, "it" was beyond my expectations. The granola was freshly made, not overly sugary, and had the exact ingredients that I would include if I were to make a granola. 

Being the baker that I am, I immediately jotted these notes in my head, and mimicked as much as I could in a batch of my own. Maple, Peanuts, Dried Fruit, NO butter, and some spices to top it off; this granola is key. And, I am curious to see how long it lasts in my extra large mason jar. …I give it 2 days.

Maple Nut, Oat & Flax Granola

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup peanuts (I would usually use almonds, but I didn't have any at the time.)

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup walnut oil

3 tablespoons homemade peanut butter (or just regular)

1/4 maple syrup 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat.

In large bowl, whisk oats, peanuts, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

In medium sauce pan, melt earth balance, oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar until sugar dissolves and a boil begins. Whisk until fully mixed, then add in the vanilla. Pour the mixture while still warm over the oat and peanut mixture; toss together to be sure oat mixture as a whole is moistened by oil mixture. 

Spread granola onto parchment baking sheet and bake for 27-30 minutes. While baking, be sure to remove 2 times to toss oats around, then replace in oven.  Once finished cooking, remove from oven and allow to cool, and toss raisins into the mix, then store in airtight container. 

Pair with greek yogurt, almond milk to make cereal, ice cream, oatmeal and berries!

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homemade cinnamon-maple almond (or peanut) butter

Clearly I am a peanut butter fanatic. Too many of my recipes contain the word "Peanut Butter" in them. I cannot help it! It is just too good. However there is just one thing about this spread that I could do without.. the calories. There are just so many calories in an itty, bitty tablespoon. Yes, I know that most of those calories come from the fat content from the peanut, which is good fat! But, if you are like me and cannot stop after just one, two tablespoons, followed by a huge heap on my plate, then the calories can be evil. 

I needed a way to avoid these calories without having to cut back on my consumption, because in reality, I don't have the self-discipline to. So, after brainstorming, I just decided to make my own peanut butter (in this case, almond) dip. 

With a hint of maple and cinnamon, I am quite confident I found my new "peanut butter". No, I am undeniably sure I did and I plan to indulge in this dip and fruit for the rest of the day. Well, not all day, but until my pear and my apple are gone. Which could come too soon.

Cinnamon Maple Peanut Butter

3/4 cup almond butter (you can also use peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, apple butter with this almond milk, whichever suits your fancy. I just had almond butter at the time.)

3/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon cinnamon

In a bowl, whisk the almond butter and almond milk together until smooth. Then add your maple syrup and tablespoon of cinnamon. Mix your dip until well combined, and viola! Store in a mason jar, as I did, and set in the refrigerator. 

Try on toast, muffins, crackers, fruit, with celery, in smoothies, in oatmeal, on ice cream! Pair away!

mm.

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blackerry and apple pie/tart

Blackberries and Apples. Brown sugar and cinnamon. Pie. 

The best way to eat this pie-tart is warm, with a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Or, for lactose's, coconut or rice milk ice cream, which by the way are phenomenal tasting. I have a hard time with some dairy products and those have been saviors to me when an ice cream craving comes along; minus frozen yogurt, because that settles blissfully. :) Anyway... warm, with ice cream of any form of milk and a book. Well, that was how I did it anyway. 

With a brown sugar-cinnamon-vanilla filler or glaze, this pie/tart is wonderful. Yep, just plain and simple wonderful. It's simple, but not plain. This pair of succulent fruits is almost imperative, they work so perfectly together. If you like pie and you like fruit, this could possibly be a winner in your books.  

I cannot wait to try this tart with fillings of different sorts! I've already tried two. How many have you?

Tart:

1 cup oraginc sugar

1 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or maple syrup)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 1/2 cup blackberries

Topping:

3 tablespoons organic sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons Earth Balance

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°. Pre-grease cake pan. In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Pulse to mix. Add the butter, and pulse until no large lumps remain. Add the vanilla and the beaten egg, and blend until it resembles cornmeal.

Remove batter into a baking pan, and with fingers press down lightly to distribute the batter evenly on pan. Be sure not to press too hard, for we are only wanting to compact it a slight bit. At the edges, let it curve up slightly like a low rimmed crust is being formed.

Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and mix together in a bowl with the blackberries. Place fruit on top of batter in pan, leaving 1/2 inch room for crust to expand. Bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can now prepare your topping. Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk to blend well. After the 45 minutes are up, remove it from the oven, and spoon the topping evenly over it. Then, place the tart back into the oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until the tart looks set.

For cooling, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

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flaky cinnamon-brown sugar poptarts

Quick note: I can be found here as well today! :)

Poptarts. Cinnamon-Brown Sugar. Cherry. Strawberry. Fudge. Any kind of poptart and you have won me over. Unfortunately, I have not had a poptart in almost 3 years. It has been hard. Everyday before school in high school I would eat a poptart. And, everyday after school I would eat a poptart. And! Anytime I was offered or had a chance to eat a poptart I would eat a poptart.  So, as you can see, they have held a very important position in my life. 

Well, today I did it. I ate a poptart. Why I waited 3 years? Well, for a few reasons; 1) The boxed poptarts are delicious, but so so bad for you. 2) If I start, I cannot stop. As I did 3 years ago, starting with one for breakfast every morning and it got out of control and I gained 3 pounds. Probably from poptarts alone. And 3) I'm scared of them. (refer back to 2) 

What made me give in? This wasn't any normal poptart. It was mine. I made it. I was in charge of the ingredients. I made this thing look and hopefully taste better than the boxed poptarts (probably barely healthier, though. I could have made a better effort.). I had to try. That's where I broke my 3 year streak. I ate the whole thing, and one more. I was in love. I am in love.

With that, all of this should be enough proof that they are worth trying. Seriously... I know I have said this several times about several other things, but these... these you need to try. 

Assembling of tarts

1) Line baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.

2) Lightly dust surface with flour and roll 1 of the portions of dough into a 12-by-10 inch rectangle. Be sure to rotate the dough and re-flour the surface/rolling pin to avoid sticking.

3) Using a knife, trim the dough of rugged edges. 

4) Cut the rectangle into 6 equal small rectangles. 

5) Using spatula, transfer rectangle to the baking sheet; leave about 1 1/2 - 2 inches apart. Place this baking pan back into the fridge.

6) Whisk egg and water in a small bowl until evenly combined; set aside.

Assembly ingredients

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

7) Roll out second portion of dough to the same dimensions as the first. Trim, and cut into 6 rectangles. Using a fork, prick the 6 rectangles all over.

8) Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and brush a thin coating of egg wash over each dough rectangle.

9) Divide the cinnamon-brown sugar filling among the rectangles; Spread evenly, leaving about 1/2 border.

Cinnamon-Brown Sugar filling

5 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar

5 teaspoons organic sugar

1 tablespoon almond flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl, and whisk until evenly combined.

10) Place the pricked rectangle on top of the cinnamon-brown sugar covered rectangles.

11) Press on the edges of the dough to adhere, and gently flatten the filling area of tart. Using a fork dipped in flour so it does not stick, crimp the edges of the tarts.

12) Bake until golden brown, around 24-27 minutes. Start checking at around 23 minutes. Transfer to cooling racking before you glaze.

13) Once cooled, you can then spoon the glaze and drizzle over each poptart. Or, if you would prefer a lower calorie poptart, simply brush a small amount on top of the tart, as I did. :)

Let tarts sit for ten minutes, allowing the glaze to set. Then, enjoy. Tip: Nuke poptart in microwave for 20 seconds if you would like a warm dessert. Another tip: Make the poptarts smaller than a regular size poptart. This way you will not feel as guilty when you want to eat one more. Or, two more. Or, three.

Poptart dough

2 cups almond flour

1 tablespoon organic sugar

1 teapsoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup milk (do not used non-fat)

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt until combined. Add in the butter, tossing with your fingers until well coated in flour mixture. Using a blender, fingers, or knife, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until they resemble the size of pea's. 

Whisk egg yolks and milk in small bowl until completely combined. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, mixing with your hands until large clumps have formed. Turn the batter out onto a flat surface and knead. Be sure to smear the butter into the dough (your palm works best) until it comes together completely.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, shaped into two 6-by-5 inch rectangles. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Prepare filling.

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peanut butter banana bread

One could say I am a bit bananas.

I tuck my pajama pants into my socks on cold nights. I like my toast without butter, simply a piece of toasted bread, preferably cinnamon raisin squaw.  And, I can stare at food websites all day long.

But, beyond all those quirks, I have an ardent love for bananas. They are never lacking in our fruit bowl. I can eat two to three a day. And, my favorite desserts consist of mostly just bananas.  As you can see.

Being that peanut butter and banana flavors are my most beloved, pairing them together has never been out of question, and mostly preferred; so much that this pairing becomes a habit.

Light. Moist. Rich in flavors. This bread is divine and quite the competition for this banana bread that I thought was the most supreme.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana

1/3 cup greek yogurt (I used greek yogurt with honey)

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 organic sugar

1/2 dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups almond flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Pre-grease loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk mashed bananas, yogurt, peanut butter, vanilla and melted butter together. Whisk in eggs and sugars, mixing until combined and no lumps are visible. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredient bowl. Fold together until flour is well combined. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Use a toothpick to test the center of bread to confirm that it is through cooking. Allow to cool, then slice. 

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lovely news! lovely dessert!

So, after some exciting and very uplifting news this weekend (my recipe made this site!), all I could think about was celebrating! My celebrating consists of doing the things I love, so I sipped Prosecco with my favorite people, listened to my favorite jams, and baked away in my kitchen, with my little pup by my side. I couldn't have asked for a better way to begin and pretty much end my weekend, as we are still in awe and excitement of this site publishing! :)

And, with all of this excitement I 'forgot' about my effort to healthy-up my baked goods, and made a delicious and ever-so-perfect sugar filled cupcake to devour happily. Nutella. Cookie dough. Peanut butter. Holy holy moly. As having all of these tastes at one time would seem obnoxious and over-the-top, they ended up being absolutely lovely together, and a wonderful little dessert.

Cupcakes, although you were plenty work and not the healthy I have been chasing after, i love you as you are wholly homemade and absolute heaven to eat. 

Prepare cookie dough first. If you would like it chilled, you can place it in the refrigerator while you prepare the cupcake batter.

Cookie Dough

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup organic sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups almond flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups dark chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to the batter along with salt. Stir in flour until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Cupcake

2/3 cup Nutella

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1 1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs (Or, 6 egg whites)

1 1/2 cups organic sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Add in the butter, mixing until combined. Add in Nutella, and then buttermilk, continuing to mix until well incorporated. Add flour mixture to wet mixture in 3 increments, beating until smooth. 

Divide batter into cupcake tins, filling them only half full. Taking the pre-rolled balls of dough, place one in each half filled cupcake tin. Fill cupcake tins with remaining batter, being sure the cookie dough is covered, and tin is about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

3 ounces dark chocolate

3 tablespoons peanut butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 8 tablespoons milk

In a double broiler, melt chocolate with the butter. Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes. With an electric mixer, add chocolate mixture and confectioners' sugar together. Beat until mixture resembles chalky beadlike balls. Then, add the vanilla and milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until a spreadable consistency is reached. Frosting should look fluffy when finished. Or, stick your (clean) finger in it and give it a taste!

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