My Favorite Goodies (all on one plate)

Since September I have been baking, every fall it is the same ol' story, I bake for four months straight and try to perfect my favorite recipes.  This year I tackled chocolate cupcakes with peppermint butter cream frosting, sugar cookies and royal icing and something that I refer to is "ooey gooey deliciousness".  I am going to share the recipes with you now, you can stop salivating and start cooking. 

I don't mind work but I am super busy with everything I have going on so I like to find the easiest way to do things.  There is nothing easier than this recipe. 

Mix together in large bowl:
6.5 Cups Rice Chex                   
6.5 Cups Golden Grahams
1 Cup slivered almonds
1 Cup coconut

In a large saucepan combine:
1 Cup butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup corn syrup
Bring to a boil and boil for 3-4 minutes, pour over the combined dry ingredients in portions, I normally pour on 1/3, stir, add another 1/3, stir, add the last 1/3 stir.  Lay out on wax paper to cool while stirring occasionally.  Go ahead and steal a few bites before it is cool, the burnt tongue is totally worth it!

I found the recipe for these sugar cookies at this amazing blog. These are the easiest sugar cookies I have ever made and delicious!  The only thing I will say is that I use salted butter so when doubling I only add a single portion of salt otherwise it is just too much.    The cookies are beautifully buttery, a simple yet comforting flavor, a delightful crisp texture and are so fast and easy to make.  I doubled the recipe and made about 30 cookies a little larger than a softball and decorated them in just under 2 hours.  The best part is no refrigeration time! 

Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt (remember to only use a single portion when doubling if using salted butter)
2 cups flour

Cream butter, add the rest of the ingredients in order.  This is a soft dough but if you roll it out on a lightly floured surface it will form perfectly and be a great texture, if you add too much flour it will be dry and brittle.  Roll out to about 1/8"-1/4" thick and cut. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes, cool and frost as desired.

I have always made my own frosting without measuring, I just add ingredients until it looks and tastes right.  A few TBSP melted butter, about a TBSP hot water, a splash of vanilla and a mound of powdered sugar, yum!  But I wanted to try a more finished look so I wanted to use royal icing.  Royal icing is gorgeous, it can be a finicky medium but if you work quickly- and with some practice- it goes rather quickly.  I use Alton Brown's recipe.

Royal Icing

3 oz (6 TBSP) pasteurized egg whites beat until light and frothy
add 1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar (add gradually until you reach the thickness you want)

The best way to check the thickness is to allow some of the icing to drip back into the bowl, if it melds back within a few seconds you are good to go.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Butter Cream Frosting, is there anything more Christmas-y and refreshing?  I love these little babies!  I am going to disclose a recipe that won me second place at the Brown County Fair last September.  Since then I have tweaked the recipe a bit and I won't disclose it here just yet as I am competing with it again next year, but I will give you the original.

Cupcakes

Sift together:
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

Slowly pour in 1 cup boiling water and mix well.  Pour into pans, bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes (I like to lightly touch the top and if it is still a little soft but bounces back it is done and not too dry).  I also like to pour the batter into a pitcher for easier pouring.  This will make a 9x13 pan or 2 dozen cupcakes.

Here is the deal folks. I do not have frosting recipes.  I mix and measure and add until I like it.  I will tell you about how I do it and hopefully you will find success as I have.  First I cream about 1 cup of room temperature butter until it is light and airy.  Then I add about 1.5 cups2 cups of powdered sugar, a little milk, a little more powdered sugar.  If I had to guess I would say I end up adding 3.5 - 4 cups of powdered sugar total.  I then smash up 6-8 peppermint candy canes in my tiny handy food processor and add it to the frosting for flavoring. 

I hope you enjoy your frosting and the rest of your goodies.  PLEASE tell me how they turn out!