Peppermint Candy Cane Cupcakes

Oh Christmas time... Why is it you seem to come around so quickly each year?

I used to be quite grinchy about Christmas. I suspect this was in the years following the passing of my mum. She LOVED Christmas! Even though we never had much money, it was always a huge celebration in our household usually with handmade gifts, like pyjamas mum made when all I really wanted was a Furbi!. Then as I got older, Christmas eve was spent in night clubs and nursing a hangover the following morning before heading to Christmas lunch. The christmas pudding wasn't the only rum soaked item at the Christmas table. Gag. I must have been so smelly and antisocial.

Then I had a family of my own... a husband first and now a spirited (and destructive) 1 year old. Not saying that you have to be in a relationship with a child to enjoy the holiday season, but for me, they fill a massive gap where mum used to be. They make me so very thankful to be spending this holiday with the people I love. Which really is what it's all about. Christmas eve is now spent reading 'The Night before Christmas' to H, staying up late wrapping gifts with the husband and inevitably, cooking something at the last minute for lunch the next day.

It seems that somewhere between 7 years ago and now, I found my Christmas spirit in a big way. I've turned into an optimistic, carol singing, wishing Merry Christmas to strangers, Christmas lover! Who would have thought. Yesterday the three of us put up the tree while playing carols from you tube. For every bauble that I put on the tree, H thought it awesome fun to pull another off and throw it across the room. The tree is now anchored to the wall for safety and decorated from the waist up. Poor Christmas tree. Christmas trees and toddlers don't really mix and there's not even any presents under it for her to destroy yet.

Some people are awesome at planning and saving for Christmas. I'm not one of those people. I tend to shop at the last minute and wind up spending much more money than expected. A great way to save a few dollars is by making, or in my case, baking gifts. Funnily enough, as much as I used to despise my mum's hand made gifts, I turn into a regular Martha Stewart come December. Must be mum looking down on me. Anyone coming within 20 metres of my home, or over the age of about 10 will probably be gifted with a cupcake or two and some christmas balls (coming up in the next blog post) this year. These pepperminty, creamy and chocolatey cupcakes will have you feeling all tingly and festive in no time. Almost like a peppermint patty in a cake form. But more subtle. Even if you don't get to make these before Christmas, at least you'll have something to do with all those pesky candy canes that seem to hang around the house well past February.

I have an incredibly sweet tooth and these are incredibly sweet. Even for me. Proceed with caution and don't say I didn't warn you ;)

The cupcakes contain all the usual suspects. I like to use Valrhona cocoa which is expensive and this recipe contains half a cup so may not be economical for everyone. Here I have used Callebaut which is a little cheaper but any good dutch process cocoa would work just as well.

Why yes that is my trusty ice cream scoop, thank you for noticing. When I was baking and decorating cupcakes for the business this was the easiest way to quickly get uniform sized cupcakes. If you don't have an ice cream scoop and have a bit of patience, fill each cupcake liner half way. The mixture is quite liquid so try not to over fill. I've had a few overflowing cupcakes in the past using this recipe and being a tad ambitious. Please try to refrain from licking the screen right about....

Now.



After 17 or so minutes in the oven, your gorgeous little cupcakes should spring back slightly when pressed in the centre. If in doubt, test with a toothpick which should come out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack while you prepare the icing.

Now for the extraordinarily sweet part. That is icing sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla and crushed peppermint candy canes. My husband would get the sugar sweats just looking at this.

In a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Add the icing sugar half a cup at a time until firmish. If you like a more fluid icing, add a teaspoon or so of milk until you get your desired consistency. Lastly, mix through your peppermint and you're almost there.

Now any sane person probably would have stopped at this seriously sweet icing. But for some reason, I found the need to add melted dark chocolate. Holy clogged arteries, why do I do this to myself?

The result was indeed sweet and creamy and delicious. The cake is dark and moist, the icing slightly crunchy and the chocolate, well, I'm sure you don't need an explanation.

If you have some self restraint, perhaps decorate yours with a modest amount of icing and a little drizzle of chocolate instead of a flood! My mothers group guinea pigs are heading over for a visit tomorrow... sorry for the second week in a row of sheer gluttony ladies. I promise there will be healthier recipes in the new year!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Candy Cane Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cupcakes:

Makes approximately 18

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp instant coffee granules
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup good quality cocoa
100g softened unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups caster (superfine) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius

1. Line 2 x 12 hole muffin/cupcake tins with papers
2. Sift flour, baking powder and soda together
3. In a small bowl, whisk cocoa, coffee and hot water to a smooth paste. Add cold water and whisk until combined
4. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla
5. Add a third of cocoa mixture on low speed then a third of the flour until all incorporated. No not over mix
6. Spoon or scoop mixture into prepared cases, about half way up
7. Bake in preheated oven for around 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
8. Cool on a wire rack until required.

For the frosting:

800 grams of pure icing sugar, sifted (the single most tedious task in the world. If anyone has any tips please tell me!)
100 grams cream cheese, softened
100 grams unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy canes, crushed
Milk if required

1. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth
2. Add icing sugar half a cup at a time until all incorporated. If mixture is too thick add teaspoons of milk until desired consistency is reached
3. Using a spatula, stir in the crushed candy canes.

Pipe your icing onto cooled cupcakes and drizzle with melted dark chocolate. I've used a Wilton 1M piping tip and a plain piping tip.

Merry Christmas!

Bel xx

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Best Buds

I consider myself pretty fortunate for a lot of things. One of the things I'm most thankful for are the 3 girlfriends who I would describe as my best buddies.  I haven't had a proper best friend (with a title) since I was in school. Even the term 'best friend' seems so 15 years old.  The fact is, these ladies have other friends who they would consider as their 'best friends' but to me, they are everything.

They are the coolest chicks you ever will meet. One is nutso crazy, hilarious and the only person you want to be with on the dance floor. Ever.  One is so chilled out, down to earth and centred that even being around her makes me feel relaxed.  One is generous and kind, can never say a bad word about anyone and probably the most supportive person in my life aside from my husband. To say I am grateful to have these ladies in my life is a massive understatement.

But this isn't a bragging post on how awesome my friends are... It's about appreciating special people.

As I get older, I'm finding it difficult to have people in my life who waste my time. Fake friendships are on the top of my 'get's me so freakin mad!' list. A great friend said the other day 'We have so little time these days, why waste that precious time on people who don't matter?' Too true Annie. You are my Dalai Lama. It's time to shut out negativity and embrace positivity, something I am trying to do every day. So far I'm not very good at it but I'm getting better. Baby steps people, baby steps.

So if you have some genuine people in your life who make you smile, who will always be there for you and who you can count on for pretty much anything, make them some cookies. Like these beauties. There's nothing like a gift of baking to make someone feel the love.

The 3 ladies mentioned above all just had babies and I made these for them and they're gorgeous tired husbands while they were in hospital.  When I had H all I craved, while sitting around all day feeding, was cookies. Big, fat, moist, chocolate filled cookies. These have just the right amount of crispness on the outside, softness on the inside and 50/50 ratio of chocolate chips to dough. Perfection.

First, you'll need to forget everything you know about bringing your ingredients to room temperature and leave your eggs in the fridge. I'm not sure why, but Nigella says to and I always do what Nigella tells me. I love her.

Then, it's simply a matter of mixing the melted butter, sugar and vanilla together. Then add eggs, flour and baking soda then the chips. Easy peasy. I've restrained myself and only used 375 grams of chips but have been known to use 500 grams. Oh my!

Isn't cookie dough glorious? It's was a whopper of a hot day in Brisbane yesterday so your dough might be a little thicker than this.

Scoop out your cookie dough onto 2 lined baking sheets. I get exactly 24 cookies when using a 4.5 cm ice cream scoop.  Bake in a 170 degrees celsius oven for 17 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Then restrain yourself from eating them hot off the baking tray. Go on, you have the will power.

After allowing them to cool for a few minutes on the tray, transfer your cookies to a cooling rack until you can't possibly wait a second longer to eat one, or three. I like mine with weak coffee.

If you have more self control than I do, pop them onto a covered cake plate and stand back to admire your baking prowess. Having these on my kitchen counter makes me feel so Martha Stewart. However, as I have been known sneak out in the middle of the night to devour one of these incredible cookies, they were promptly packaged up and shipped off to my mothers group ladies. Better off on their thighs than mine. Sorry gals.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe. 

125 grams light brown sugar
100 grams caster (superfine) sugar
150 grams unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool slightly
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 large egg cold from the fridge
1 egg yolk cold from the fridge
300 grams plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
375 - 500 grams of chocolate chips, morsels or chunks

2 baking trays lined with baking paper

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius

1. Melt butter and allow to cool slightly.
2. In a stand mixer, with a hand mixer or by hand, cream the butter and sugars together until incorporated.
3. Add your vanilla, egg and egg yolk and mix until combined.
4. Using a whisk or sifting if you're not as lazy as I am, combine your flour and baking soda then add to the sugar mixture about 1 cup at a time. Be careful not to over mix.
5. Rain in your chocolate and pulse a few times if using a stand mixer or stir in by hand.
6. Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop mixture onto lined baking trays.
7. Bake on the middle shelves of your preheated oven for 15 - 18 minutes depending on the size of your cookies. Check for browning around the edges, the darker your brown, the crunchier your cookies will be.
8. Cool on tray for a few minutes before moving to wire rack.

Enjoy!
Bel xx