Chocolate Filled Cream Puffs

Chocolate-Filled Cream Puffs

When I first got my Kitchen-Aid mixer a large number of years ago I went through the recipe book and selected what I deemed "the most complicated thing in the book." Chocolate-Filled Cream Puffs. They came out perfectly! I've made them about a dozen times since then and even won a local-scale award for recreating them while camping once.

 Here they are for your enjoyment:
 I used a recipe that came with my Kitchen-Aid Mixer. For the first time in the history of this blog I am going to with-hold that recipe. When attempting to google for it, I found others who had subsequently lost their Kitchen-Aid cookbook and were seeking the recipe, I think I will hold it as a treasure to my heart. Believe me, the photos tell the story well enough.

 I started with these quality ingredients and eggs...why aren't the eggs in the photo?

 To Make the filling, a story unfolds...

 This is cornstarch in a pot. It is happy.



Now evaporated milk has dissolved that happy cornstarch, oh no!

 Chocolate has come to avenge the cornstarch!

 Baking chocolate is interrogating Chef Blue for what he knows about how to bring down evaporated milk.
 

 As chocolate melts into the evaporated milk, it thickens.

 And thickens.
 

 And thickens. Something, almost chemical happens at this moment in the recipe and as you're stirring constantly, you can really feel it. Suddenly the mixture is no longer evaporated milk, but rather chocolate filling infused with the power of cornstarch to create the perfect consistency.

 Into the fridge for storage, overnight or 8 hours.

 To make the dough: Butter, water, and salt in a "diamond-texture" saucepan I bought from an infomercial and LOVE.


 After it comes to a boil it's time to add the flour.

 Again, chemistry takes over and a dough forms instantly and you're cooking it in the pot like it's a frying pan. As soon as you can see the dough curling away from the edges of the pot, you know it's done. Time for the mixer.
 

 Adding eggs.
  

More eggs.
 

 More eggs. Until it looks like a paste.

 I selected this recipe because of the specificity and precision of the way it is written. It says "scant 1/4 cupfuls of dough" and I actually measure and every time, I have exactly enough for 12 perfectly shaped balls.
 

 They smell like they're done 10 minutes in, but if you take them out they will fall. The full cook time ensures a stiff rise (teehee - 3rd grader giggle)

 I almost don't even want to cut them into halves.
 

 Next, in a sad turn of events, I scrape out all the tasty dough in the cavities. It's a little to raw and eggy looking for me to eat much of it, but it is tasty.

 Look at all those neatly lined cups just waiting to be filled.

 Refrigerated filling, where are you? Again the precision comes in, I measure out 1/3 cupfuls and it fills the cavities perfectly. I *always* have filling left over, I top-off any cups that don't have that perfect degree of over-stuffed-ness, but usually this is minimalist because that 1/3 cup measurement is so spot-on.

 It is at this point that my husband starts wanting to eat them, but they're not done yet. They still need the ganache drizzle.
 

 Made with evaporated milk, sugar and chocolate chips

 And topped with powdered sugar for a delectable dessert.

Now that's what I call snack-y happiness.

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

For the birthday of a co-worker which happened to fall on the same day as our organization’s Holiday social, I volunteered to make a baked good. I immediately steered toward the suggestion of cupcakes, and as I am new and do not know the co-worker well began both suggesting holiday flavors as well as asking for help selecting a flavor. Everyone was intrigued by my new favorite online cook, Annie Eat’s, and the sound of her Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes. So here I am recreating them:

I started with these quality ingredients:

I put all the dry ingredients, save the sugars, into a bowl. They seemed happy to be together:

After mixing, there was peace and love:

I joined the wet ingredients together in a heat-safe liquid measuring cup:

I put the sugars and butter into the mixer bowl:

And creamed them together:

Beautiful batter:

Then I added everything together to make a beautifully rich mocha batter:

I fill my cupcake wells very full because I just LOVE the way the cupcakes “muffin-top” over the sides of the (once festively beautiful) papers:

As they cooled, I set about to making the Swiss merengue buttercream icing. I started with these fine ingredients:

I set the mixer bowl in a pot of boiling water on the stovetop and used a food thermometer to ensure that they reached the appropriate temperature:

Then I whipped the heck out of them:

Then I added literally the most butter I’ve ever put in something:

There were about 400 comments on the original recipe and the corresponding pieces on Swiss merengue buttercream (or SMBC as Annie Eat’s calls it) about this either coming together perfectly or not coming together at all. As the original author of the recipe states, it is, like many a recipe, all about following the recipe and having patience. I had no problem getting a rich buttery icing:

I tried to create her rich swirled technique but was not using the best coloring. I have upgraded for the future and am eager to try out something else in need of vibrant icing. The mini candycanes really sold it for my co-workers. These were an instant hit:

YUM!

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Yields: 18 cupcakes

I gathered these quality ingredients:

(for the cupcakes)

3 cups sifted 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

(for the apple filling)

4 tbsp. salted butter

2 tsp. cinnamon

2-3 tbsp. sugar

4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

Spray-on vanilla icing 

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, I sifted together the cake flour, baking powder and salt:


Today’s baking was brought to you by the number eleven, portrayed here by the butter and sugar:

After their sponsorship photoshoot, I creamed them together on medium-high speed in my Kitchen-Aid until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes: 

This recipe suits step-by-step photography well as the next instruction is to add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. So here is a photo before each egg was beat in.

Egg #1:

Egg #2:

Egg #3:

Egg #4:

I added the vanilla extract and began alternating between adding the milk and the dry ingredients:

Soon I had a rich batter:

I overfilled the cupcakes tins. I always do. Some of the cupcakes were still not as full and fluffy as I like them. This beauty shows that some did come out quite nice though:

Next, to make the apple filling, I melted the butter in my big frying pan over medium heat:

Once it was melted, I added the cinnamon and sugar (have to admit here I was afraid for my pan, but it’s T-Fal and it came out ok):

The recipe I built this off of used only 2 tbsp. of butter and the cinnamon mix was really thick for this heart photo:

I ended up throwing in another 2 tbsp. of butter before I added these apples:

They mixed up quite nicely: 

I cooked them for about 10 minutes, they were tender and delicious. I set them aside to cool:


While they cooled I cored the cupcakes:

They were so adorable: (and the middles tasted goooood too!)

Once the apple mix was cooled, I spooned it into the cupcakes: 

These babies were sooo good, I don’t feel inclined to share them with anyone!: