Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

I know, I know, I know...these are not pumpkin..."how dare I!" but they are fall worthy in my opinion.
I find that the flavors of salted caramel and chocolate just scream fall. I might be the only one to agree but so be it lol
There are soooo many awesome recipes with pumpkin on the net today, I thought I would be different (and maybe slightly lazy, since i didn't want to go out of my way to make something pumpkin) Ya'll know i'm not the best at posting OR keeping up with the seasons or holidays. I tend to post whatever catches my fancy on any particular day. Today Toffee won!  and OH DID IT WIN!!!
My Hubby proclaimed these as his favorite cupcake! (but then again he's never complained about my cupcakes lol)

BTW: these cupcakes were photographed at night with none of the much coveted equipment (sigh* one day!) so they are a little grainy...my apologies!

But on the the scrumptious details...
I was overjoyed to find that our Fresh Market carried a very important ingredient to these cupcakes.      Espresso powder. This lovely little gem of a powder, makes these already chocolaty cupcakes into a I'm-gonna-die-and-go-to-chocolate-heaven chocolaty goodness (did I put enough emphasis on the chocolaty part???). I highly recommend using espresso powder instead of instant coffee granules, the instant coffee has a far more bitter aftertaste than the espressos smooth and bold coffee flavor.
If you can't find it in a store near you you can buy it online, just simply click here or here for the links ;-)

 A must for baking with chocolate, espresso powder enhances chocolate’s flavor without adding its own coffee flavor. Specially selected coffee beans are ground, brewed, dried and ground into a powder that quickly dissolves for easy mixing. 




Anyways these cupcakes have a bold yet not too bold chocolate flavor. The batter is speckled with toffee bits (yummo right?)  then I made a ganache and piped it onto the cupcake in the shape of a circle leaving a whole in the middle. Then it was delicately dipped into chocolate covered toffee pieces. (I only found the chocolate covered ones, but i do agree that the regular toffee pieces would make the cupcake look better BUT the chocolate covered ones add flavor so you choose ;-)




Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

Cupcakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. espresso powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1 cup toffee bits

For the ganache and toffee layer:

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½-2 cups toffee bits

For the frosting:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1½ cups sugar
• 4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ tsp. coarse salt
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup caramel sauce 

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the coffee, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix each addition just until incorporated.  Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula.
2. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Add the cream to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let stand 1-2 minutes.  Whisk together until a smooth ganache forms.  Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.  Transfer the bowl to the fridge or freezer to chill the ganache to a pipe-able consistency, whisking every 5-10 minutes to ensure even cooling.  When slightly thickened, transfer to a pastry bag fitted with your tip of choice.  Pipe a ring of ganache around the top of each cupcake, leaving a hole in the center.  Add the toffee bits to a bowl and dip the ganache portion of each cupcake into the toffee bits, pressing very gently to adhere.  Let the ganache set.
4. To make the frosting, combine the egg whites and the sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)
5. Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer - don’t worry, it will come together!)  Blend in the salt, vanilla, and caramel until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip with the frosting and pipe a frilly pile of frosting on top of each cupcake, filling the hole in the center of the ganache.  Top with additional toffee pieces, if desired.

Recipe courtesy of Annie's eats who adapted it from Bakers royal

Mama's Broccoli Salad

I remember my mom making this salad on several occasions. I LOVE it it's one of my favorite salads.
Might not be the best for my hips but nonetheless I love it!
There are so many versions of this favorite, different nuts can be used, no onions or dried cranberries instead of raisins. the variations are endless. you just adjust to make it your own...no judgement here :-)
Thanksgiving is coming up and this salad is a MUST!
It's a definite crowd pleaser.
Make sure you cut the broccoli real small, I just really don't like big chunks of broccoli in my salad...yuck.
The sauce is a mayonnaise & vinegar mix. Slightly sweet and tart but soooo creamy.
I used good thick hickory smoked bacon cut into strips (I used scissors to cut them into strips...so much quicker)
I used sweet vidalia onions, my husband really does not like onions. but for some reason he can tolerate the sweet vidalia onions. I think they have a softer "onion" taste than most other onions.
I like walnuts in my version of the salad. although I can't complain about the salads that used almonds or roasted salted peanuts! So your choice.
If you are making this ahead of time DON'T add the bacon until just before serving. if you add it too soon the bacon looses it's crunch and you are left with limp bacon (yuck!!!)
You can combine everything else though beforehand ;-)

Hope this recipe finds it's way to your table this holiday, It's so worth it!
























And since it's the "thankful month" here are some things I'm thankful for:

• My Awesome God and Heavenly Father, He has given me sooo much (see all bottom notes).
• My Loving, caring and did I mention handsomely hot husband who has been such a blessing to me, wouldn't want to go through life with anyone else! Thank you God for bringing him into my life!
• My two tornado toddlers who make my life complete. there is never a dull moment in our house with these to cuties! God has given them such precious characters I can definitely see God's hand print on them!
• Our beautiful house that God very generously provided for us! What a blessing to call this house our home! 
• A backyard, I know this might seem funny but it is soooo crucial to me. It's been such a blessing and relief to see my kids playing safely outside in their own yard! Can't beat that!

Well those are my thankful for the first 5 days in November! I'll update as I post.

I encourage you to make a list of "thankful's" you will be surprised and blessed by the outcome of the many blessings you have right in front of you! and yes pumpkin spice creamer is a thankful in my book lol

Mama's Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

salad

• 4 cups (1 large bunch) broccoli with stems chopped
• 1/2 cup Chopped onion
• 1/4 cup nuts chopped (walnuts, pecans, peanuts, almonds...your choice)
• 1/4 cup Raisins (or craisins) 
• 1/2 lb Bacon cooked and crumbled

dressing

• 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
•  1/4 cup White Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Vinegar

Directions

1. Mix together the broccoli, onion, nuts & raisins mix well.
2. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Mix until well incorporated, and the sugar is somewhat dissolved.
3. Pour sauce over salad and mix well to coat salad.
4. When ready to serve, top salad with crumbled bacon an mix slightly. 
5. Enjoy!!!

PS: Try mixing half broccoli and half cauliflower :-)

Recipe courtesy of my mom

Ham & Swiss Sliders- A Football Party Must!

So fall has come, and the leaves have begun to bare their gorgeous colors, In a last display of glory before they fall to the ground. My favorite tree is the little apple-like tree in our front yard. It has all the fall colors combined ranging from Green to Yellow to Deep Red...LOVE IT!
But I'm not going to bore you with poems about fall colors ;-)
Fall holds another big past time that most southerners wait the whole year for in eager anticipation...FOOTBALL season.
I am absolutely no football fan, I grew up in Europe and Soccer was the main sports there. But I must admit that I love the idea of getting together and just watching and enjoying (well I guess that depends on if your team is winning or how much you care lol) a good ol' football game.
as of now football is still going on (as far as I know lol) and people are still gathering together to yell at a TV.
I love the team spirit people have. And I've learned a lot about the south and their football!!! don't come between them!!!
Football usually means tailgates and football parties, and these wonderful events usually require easy to prepare yet delicious treats, easy to grab or add to an ever growing plate of food as you dash back to the game. Heaven forbid you miss that ONE second of the game! HellOooooo!!!
These are just that, the ideal football food...sliders...yum! They are easy to make and eat and are simply addictive!!!

Ham & Swiss Sliders
Makes 24 sliders

Ingredients

• 1 lb. deli ham (I used Black forest ham but honey ham is great too)
• 1 lb. Swiss cheese
• 24 Slider buns or King’s Hawaiian Rolls (2 packages)
• 1 stick butter, unsalted
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBSP mustard
• 1 TBSP poppy seeds

Directions

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray. Slice the buns in half and place on baking sheet. (I was able to squeeze all 24 on one baking sheet) Place one piece of ham and 1 slice of cheese  on each bun.
2. In microwave or on the stove-top  melt butter. Add brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce,  mustard and poppy seeds. Spoon mixture over the top of each bun, coating with mixture. Allow to sit for 30-60 minutes – do not cover!
3. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

You can prepare the buns a day in advance, just don't cover them with the poppy seed sauce until just before your party.

Recipe slightly adapted from Haute apple pie

Hummingbird Cupcakes with a Pineapple Flower

Wow these are little stunners!!! 

I have never had hummingbird cake before, although i had heard quiet a lot about them. i guess living in the south, it's inevitable. Since these are considered a southern treat.

The only way I can describe these awesomely gorgeous mini cakes is to compare them to a very involved tropical version of carrot cake. 

These cakes are filled with juicy pineapple, ripe bananas, sweet coconut and chopped walnuts! Yummo right???

They are very moist cakes but they don't rise as much as a regular cupcake usually does, due to the excess of yummy fruit and such.

The topping is believe it or not...a... pineapple slice!!! they are easy to make but quite time consuming. 

you need to make sure you cut the pineapple very very thin and that can be frustrating to say the least.

Here is the recipe, hope you enjoy! I know lots of southerners make this cake during the holidays.

Hope you are enjoying this awesome fall weather as much as I am! I'm so excited to finally use my fireplace!!! 

Hummingbird Cupcakes with a Pineapple Flower

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 11 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1¼ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana
• 2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:*

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla, and sugar and beat until blended and smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in the mashed banana.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the pineapple, nuts (if using), and coconut with a spatula until evenly mixed.
2. Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. 

Recipes courtesy of Annie's eats who adapted it from Martha Stewart cupcakes.

Apple Pie Cupcakes With Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I am soo excited for fall to be here. The weather hasn't really gotten the hint that it needs to change. 80-90F is not what I call "fall weather".
But nonetheless I'm excited to see the pumpkins, apples and fall leaves showing up everywhere. And these little bites of happiness will calm any "we-will-miss-the-fall-due-to-weather" anxieties you might have.
bakes some of these at home and your kitchen will smell like fall...guaranteed!
These Cupcakes are a version of the ever so loved pie. The cupcake is a simple, not overpowering vanilla based cupcake. hollowed out to provide room for a very simple cinnamon/sugar/apple mixture. Then this lovely delight is topped with a subtle cinnamon buttercream frosting. All the flavors complemented each other wonderfully.. The cupcake was not an overpowering sweet one, you could taste the individual flavors.
and of course the smell of apples and cinnamon just can't be beat!
I would love to say that pumpkin is a favorite as well but sadly this week I was sorely mistaken. i bought some glade room scent plugins. Eagerly wanting fall to be here, I opted for the maple/pumpkin smell...thinking it would make my house smell like pumpkin maple pie, in my mind you just couldn't go wrong with that combination...right???......WRONG!!! I had it plugged in for only 5 min and my to my dismay my house did NOT smell like wonderful fall baking...it smelled like a Chinese take out joint, like terriyaki sauce. Yuck EPIC FAIL! kinda wish i stuck with the simple yet perfectly paired apples and cinnamon. Oh well lesson learned...you've been warned.
But these will do the trick as well if not better.
Hope fall gets here soon! I'm dying to curl up next to my fireplace and sip some hot apple cider! mmmmmmm
Enjoy!

Apple Pie Cupcakes 

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups  cake flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2-3 tbsp. sugar
• 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

Directions:

1. Preheat  oven to 350°. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
3. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
4. To make the apple filling, heat the butter a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook for a minute, until the mixture begins to bubble. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the apples. Mix well. Cook until the apples partially tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. While the apple mixture is cooling, use the cone method to remove a chunk from the center of each cupcake, making sure to leave a rim around the top of the cupcake. Fill the holes with the cooled apple mixture. To decorate, top each cupcake with a swirl of cinnamon buttercream.

Recipe adapted from Annie's eats.

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 -4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.Beat on low 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar about a cup at a time, beating on low between each addition.
3. Add 3 tablespoons milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat on medium 1 minute.
4. Blend in up to 1 tablespoons of milk if frosting is too thick.
5. Scrape frosting into a pastry bag and add a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake.
6. Finnish off by adding a drizzle of caramel to the frosting.

My own recipe.

Pinterest Tip - Grocery Bag Storage

Start by straitening and flattening out the grocery bags.

This is one of the best ideas ever!!! It's super easy, and gets rid of all the bulky bags stuffed in your cabinet or under the sink.

I used an old target wipe container to place the rolled up plastic bags in.

What You will need;

• 24 used plastic grocery bags
• An empty Clorox or wipe container

Fold each bag in half lengthwise.

lay bags on floor making sure the handles slightly overlap the previous bag.

Make sure the handles of the first bag are bend upwards. Then start rolling the bags up, making sure you press out any extra air in the bags and making sure you include the overlapping handles from the next bag.

It should look like this. Depending on the size of your container, you can add or subtract bags.

Isn't that just awesome???

Chubby Hubby Cupcakes

Ever heard of chubby hubby ice-cream? apparently it's made by Ben and Jerry's. I have never had the honor of trying it. But after finding these cupcakes on Annie's Eats, I was thoroughly intrigued. This cupcakes combines a malted vanilla cupcake with salted pretzels and dark chocolate ganache and oh we can't forget the smooth peanut butter frosting, now can we?!. Did I get your attention yet?
describing it to you is already playing tricks on my mind. Even though I made these cupcakes i was not able to try one, due to the enormous amount of points these babies conceal. It's not helping my midnight cravings at all...
So I guess I will leave you with the mouth watering description of chocolate/pretzel/peanut butter....your welcome!
Have an awesome night! I'm going to go and sit in a corner and cry with my water and grapes...cheers ;-)

This is a very rich and loaded cupcake. A malted vanilla cupcake is filled with dark chocolate ganache and a couple pretzel M&M's (use the pretzel M&M's instead of crushed pretzels because they keep their crunchiness) then this decadent dessert is frosted with a creamy but not overpowering peanut butter frosting and topped off with a chocolate drizzled mini pretzel.

• The malted vanilla can be found at Publix in the tea and coffee aisle. I used the carnation vanilla malt powder. 
• Use a couple of pretzel M&M's in the filling, they keep their crunch longer. 

chubby Hubby Cupcakes

Makes about 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 cups malted milk powder (I used carnation malted milk powder from Publix)
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature

For the filling:

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups pretzels M&M (about two-three per cupcake)

For the frosting:

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• Pinch of  salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp. heavy cream

To garnish: 

• Mini pretzels drizzled with melted chocolate

Directions

To make cupcakes:

•  preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
•  In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to blend and set aside. 
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, mixing for 1 minute after each addition. Blend in the malted milk powder. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing each addition just until incorporated.
• Divide the batter between the prepared liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

To make  ganache: 

• place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Add the cream to a saucepan and bring to a simmer (or warm in the microwave). Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let stand 1-2 minutes. Whisk together until a smooth ganache forms. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated. Let stand at room temperature, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened.

To fill the cupcakes:

• Use the cone method to fill the cupcakes part way with ganache. Top off each ganache center with some of the chopped pretzel pieces (or a few pretzel M&Ms). (You don’t need to replace the cake tops for these cupcakes but you can if you would like.)

To make the frosting:

• Combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the vanilla and cream just until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until light and very fluffy, about 4 minutes. 
• Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake. Garnish with a chocolate drizzled pretzel.

Recipe adapted from Annie's eats