I scoured the internet looking for a good recipe to use and I finally found one that got amazing reviews at Epicurious.  I had to adjust the recipe quite a bit because it called for an 8″ square pan (which I don’t have) and I only have a 9 x 12.5″ pan, which is why the measurements are so oddball.  Also, the recipe I listed below will only make  one pan, but I actually made double that amount because I made one pan with marshmallows on top.

I have to apologize for the pictures.  My kitchen is somewhat dark and the lighting isn’t that great (especially since I do my baking at  night), so the pictures do not do the brownies justice.  They taste heck of a lot better than how they look!

Cocoa Brownies
(makes about 24-28 brownies)

3/4 cups + 3 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder*
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, cold
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts or pecan pieces (optional)

*use natural cocoa powder for a more tart and citrus-y taste, or Dutch process for a more mellow, chocolate pudding-like flavor

-  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper or foil.  Make sure to leave overhang of the parchment paper or foil so that you can lift the brownies out
-  Combine butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a large skillet of simmering water; stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth with no lumps
-  Remove the bowl from the hot water and set aside to cool until the temperature is warm
-  In a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix in pure vanilla extract on low speed
-  While still on slow speed, add eggs one at a time, stopping between each egg to allow mixture to fully incorporate each one
-  When batter is thick, shiny, and well-blended, add in flour and beat on low until mixed; beat for another 40 strokes
-  Stir in nuts (optional)
-  Spread even in lined pan
-  Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through
-  Brownies are done when a test toothpick comes out slightly moist with crumbs
-  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then lift out using the sides of the parchment paper; finish cooling on a wire rack
-  Wait until completely cooled before cutting (or else it will stick to knife and crumble)

All in all, they turned out pretty darn good.  The only issues I had was that I had to leave them in the oven for about 30 minutes since the batter was still pretty gooey at 25 minutes.  Also, I didn’t get the cracked and flaky top with this recipe.  But the center was chewy and the edges were perfectly crispy.  Not to mention the richness of the chocolate was perfect, without it being overly sweet.  Definitely a recipe I will keep handy!

For several months now I have been on the search for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe, and up and until now no recipe seems to live up to the hype.  And how am I supposed to come up with more creative recipes if I don’t even have a basic vanilla cupcake?!  But last week I stumbled upon one that did live up to it’s hype.  I discovered Billy’s Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcake, which is absolutely PERFECT.  It’s moist and fluffy, but dense enough to hold itself together and not crumble apart on you.

I did, however, substitute the whole milk with whipping cream, which I find makes any sort of baked item much smoother.  And if you don’t have any cake flour on hand, or if it’s not easily found in your local grocery store, you can make your own at home.  For every 1 cup of cake flour called for, use 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons, plus 2 tablespoons corn starch.

Vanilla Cupcakes
(makes about 30 cupcakes)

1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/4 unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners, or dust pan with all-purpose flour should you choose not to use liners
-  In a large bowl, sift together cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt
-  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, whipping cream, and vanilla
-  In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix on low speed the softened butter and sugar until lumps form
-  On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until combined; consistency should be crumbly
-  With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down the side of the bowl before each addition; beat until incorporated, but do not overbeat
-  Divide batter evenly among pans, filling about 2/3 full
- Bake for 17 – 20 minutes, rotating about halfway through
-  Cupcakes are done when a test toothpick comes out clean
-  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

The chocolate buttercream frosting is something that I have worked on for many months, and I’ve finally made one that I’m satisfied with.  As with all buttercream frostings, butter and confectioner’s sugar is the starting base.  The confectioner’s sugar is what gives the buttercream its structure, so if you’re adding additional liquids, make sure to compensate by adding more sugar, or else it will become too watery.  And from experience, don’t use buttercream in hot weather.  Seems like common sense, but I once learned the hard way when all of my pretty frosting swirls melted into a heap of goo =(

For this recipe, I gave the option to add unsweetened cocoa powder and ground cinnamon.  Both intensify the underlying chocolate flavor and makes this frosting truly delectable.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
(makes roughly enough to top 30 cupcakes, with a little extra)

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons milk or whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
5 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

-  in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy
-  with mixer on low speed, add melted chocolate until just combined
-  add confectioner’s sugar and keep on low speed
-  add cocoa powder (if desired, for extra rich chocolate flavor)
-  add ground cinnamon (if desired, to bring out chocolate flavor)
- once sugar is all in, add milk/whipping cream, vanilla extract, and salt; let mix for 2-3 minutes

All in all, this is a great basic recipe that’s bound to hit the spot for any occasion.  Don’t mind my frosting pipe job…I’m still working on perfecting that infamous “swirl” =)  Oh, and before I forget, there’s this really neat Recipe Adjuster that calculates the amount of ingredients to use in case you need to increase/decrease the yield.  Comes in really handy when you’re working with a recipe like this one, where you might not need 30 cupcakes and a Costco-sized tub of frosting!

and so here i go…my goal is to try and post a new recipe at least once every two weeks.  more if time allows it, although right now is somewhat busy for me.  i’m studying for my GMATs, and i don’t appreciate that it takes away from my personal and baking time.

so check back soon!  next time there might be a cupcake waiting just for you =)