Black Bottom Cupcakes

Countdown to Valentine's Day. It's time for all things chocolate here at The Cookie Scoop. Hoping to inspire you to create something wonderfully chocolatey for Valentine's Day, I've decided to bring you chocolate recipes the rest of this week. That's it...I've made up my mind.

And first up...Black Bottom Cupcakes. These little gems have a sweetened cream cheese and chocolate chip center surrounded with a rich chocolate cupcake. And there's no need to drag out the big standing mixer. These are easy to make with a hand held mixer. My recipe has one more addition I didn't find with any others, which is a sugar and nut topping. With or without the topping, these are great, and so easy to transport...no mile high fluffy frosting to worry about!

First combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.

Sift together the flour, 1 cup of sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 tsp. salt into a medium bowl.

Set that aside for a minute.

Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl til smooth, add the egg, 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/8 tsp. salt.

Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Now add the oil mixture to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium speed til well blended, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling about halfway.

Then scoop a large teaspoonful of the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate batter.

They next need the topping.

Mix the 2 tbsp. of sugar with the 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and sprinkle on top of each.

Bake for approx. 35 minutes or til a toothpick comes out clean.

Black Bottom Cupcakes ( from Farm Journal's Complete Home Baking Book, 1979 Edition)


Makes 18 cupcakes

Filling:

6 ozs. cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

6 ozs. semisweet chocolate chips

Cake:

1 1/2 cups sifted AP flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil ( I used canola)

1 tbsp. vinegar ( I used white vinegar)

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

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Preheat oven to 350.

1. In a small bowl, combine water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Mix well and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside a minute.

3. Beat the cream cheese til smooth,then add in the egg, 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/8 tsp. salt.

Beat til blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Add the oil mixture to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium speed til well blended, scraping sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula.

5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, filling halfway.

6. Then spoon a heaping teaspoonful of cream cheese filling into the center of the chocolate batter.

7. Mix the sugar and walnuts together in a small bowl, then sprinkle the tops of each cupcake.
8. Bake for 35 minutes, or til a toothpuck inserted comes out clean.

Remove from pan as soon as you can handle them, then cool on wire rack.

Homemade Sandwich Buns

Sometimes I'll read a recipe from one of the many vintage cookbooks I have and wonder if it's really going to come out as great as the book says. Such was the case of these sandwich buns.

Saturday wasn't looking to be a great day to be outside, slipping and sliding on the ice that covered pretty much everything wasn't my idea of a fun time, so by the afternoon I was ready to tackle some sort of project in the kitchen.

And these buns were it! As I said, I had my doubts, what with so many new, trendy, gluten free, organic, chic, hip...(well, I guess you get the idea) bread recipes out there on the internet why would I want to make an older recipe? Ok, I have no real answer for that! Maybe it's just simply nostalgia.

But getting back to these buns. They were easy to make, using my dough hook to knead, and they made a perfect bun for sandwiches. Plus they have an extra layer of flavor with the grated swiss cheese and minced onion in them. Just a subtle layer of flavor, enough that you barely know it's there.

If you have some time, although more time is spent waiting for the dough to rise, I urge you to give these a try. I'll be making them again in a day or two...they were a big hit at our house!

Blend the flour, wheat germ, sugar, salt and dry yeast in a mixer bowl.

Saute the minced onion in butter til tender but not browned.

Add the yogurt ( I used sour cream) and water and stir, then heat the mixture til very warm, nearly 120F.

Add the warm liquid to the yeast mixture and blend together with a rubber spatula.

Mix on low speed in the beginning, then increase the speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.

Then add the egg, 1/2 cup additional flour and shredded cheese.

Beat on high speed 2 minutes.

Then, by hand, stir in more flour, one half cup at a time til it makes a soft dough. I only used 1 1/4 cups total.

Knead with your dough hook til smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Sorry...if you don't have a dough hook, you'll have to turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand:(

Place the dough into a clean greased bowl and turn the dough to grease top.

Cover and let rise one hour( mine took about 1 1/2 hours) or til double in size.

Keep it in a warm place. I kept mine in the oven ( off, of course!).

Punch down and divide into 12 pieces.

Smooth into round shapes and place on a greased baking sheet, spacing well apart. Flatten each ball slightly, cover and let rise again for an hour or til doubled.

Bake for about 15 minutes or til they look slightly golden.

Homemade Sandwich Buns (from Food Editors Favorites, Treasured Recipes)

Makes a dozen buns

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small onion, minced

1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup water

3 to 3 1/2 cups AP flour, divided

1 tbsp. toasted wheat germ

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 pachage active dry yeast

1 egg, room temp.

1 cup shredded natural Swiss cheese

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1. Melt butter and saute onion in a small pan til tender but not browned.

2. Add yogurt(or sour cream) and water; blend well and heat til very warm, nearly 120F.

3. Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the flour, toasted wheat germ, sugar, salt and dry yeast into a mixing bowl.

4. Add warm liquid to dry ingredients and blend quickly with a spatula.

5. Mix on low speed to blend, then increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally.

6. Add the egg, 1/2 cup additional flour and shreded cheese and beat on high 2 minutes.

7. By hand, stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.

8. Knead the dough, using a dough hook, for 8 to 10 minutes, til smooth and elastic. (I used a total of 1 1/4 cups flour). If you don't have a dough hook then you've got to knead the old fashioned way...by hand. Think of the workout!

9. Place the dough into a clean greased bowl and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover and let rise one hour or til doubled in size ( Mine took 1 1/2 hours).

10. Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces. Smooth into ball shapes and place on greased baking sheet with space around each. Flatten each ball slightly to make bun shapes. Cover loosely and let rise again about one hour or til doubled.

11. Preheat oven to 375. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. (Mine took a little more than 15 minutes.)

Note: If you like sesame seeds, brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with the seeds before baking.

Spicy Cornbread

I had this brilliant idea (so original, right?) that for the Super Bowl it would be great to have a huge pot of chili, made ahead of time, with lots of toppings such as grated cheese, sliced scallions, diced onion, sour cream...well, I think you get the idea. And what's better to go with this chili than some nice spicy cornbread.

So I found a few recipes that sounded like a good starting point and I changed things around a little and came up with this Spicy Cornbread. It's kind of more cake-like than cornbread you're probably used to...it was for us.

I noticed differences with cornbread recipes in the amount of cornmeal to flour. Some recipes use more flour, and some more cornmeal. This recipe uses way more cornmeal than flour.

A few other ingredients I was looking to include were creamed corn, cheese and enough spices to give it a little kick. I think it all worked together to make an extremely moist, slightly spicy cake- like cornbread...perfect to go with Super Bowl Chili!

I decided I better organize the ingredients beforehand so I wouldn't get too confused...doesn't take much for that to happen! So here are all the ingredients.

One thing I did was to pour the buttermilk into the cornmeal, stir it together and let it sit for 5 minutes. I think it helps to soften the cornmeal slightly so it's not so gritty...at least I think that's what it does! ( It was suggested in one of the recipes I read).

Combine all the wet ingredients ( except, of course the buttermilk) together in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Then add the cornmeal/buttermilk mixture and stir well.

Dump the flour and spices into the wet and gently stir, being sure you get it all incorporated.

Pour the batter into a prepared pan* and bake about 35 minutes, or til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Once it comes out of the oven, it has a nice golden color.

Spicy Cornbread

Makes one 9" square or round.(I tried making a few mini muffins but the batter didn't hold up well for such a small muffin. Perhaps a jumbo size muffin would be okay).

I don't own a cast iron skillet, yet, but I bet it would be great baked in one.

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup AP flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. minced dried onion

2 eggs, beaten slightly

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)

1 small can (4 oz.) of green chiles, drained

8 oz. creamed style corn

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 tbsp. bacon fat (I used this to grease the pan for added flavor but you can use vegetable shortening also).

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Preheat oven to 350. *About 5 minutes before you're ready to pour the batter into the pan, put the pan into the oven with the bacon fat or shortening and let the pan get nice and hot. This helps the outer edges to get crusty.*

1. Pour the buttermilk and cornmeal into a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, spices and minced dried onion together.

3. In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, green chiles, creamed corn and grated cheese together.

4. Add the cornmeal/buttermilk mixture to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

5. Add the flour into the wet and stir gently til all incorporated.

6. Pour the batter into the hot greased pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cornbread cool before slicing.

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

I had some leftover pumpkin from the cranberry pumpkin bread and I was inspired to try a pumpkin scone. After searching for just the right recipe, I chose this one...for two reasons. One, it sounded wonderful and two, I've never made cream scones before so this gave me a chance to do that. All the scones I've made have been with eggs, butter and either half and half or buttermilk. This recipe used only heavy cream... no eggs... no butter...and no sugar in the dough.

They're heavenly! Light, moist and the sweetness is perfect. I brushed some cream on top of them and sprinkled each with raw sugar before baking but after they came out of the oven, I also drizzled a little maple glaze on top. Next time I make them I'll definitely add some nuts...walnuts or pecans would be great.

First combine and whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In another small bowl, mix the wet ingredients.

Add the wet to the dry and mix together with a fork just til it's all combined. Be gentle though. You don't want to mix too much or overmix or they'll come out tough.

Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and shape into a circle or (what I prefer), a rectangle, making the thickness about 1 1/4".

Then take a floured scraper or large knife and cut into triangles or wedges( if using a circle).

At this point you can either bake them or freeze them. If you freeze them just bake them right out of the freezer and add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

I brushed the cream and raw sugar on the scone just before baking, (if frozen, brush the frozen scone).

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

Makes 6 to 8, depending on which shape you choose.

You can also cut smaller triangles, this size is great for a brunch.

Scones:

2 cups AP flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup raisins or nuts(optional)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup

1-2 tbsp. cream or milk

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Preheat oven to 425, (if baking right away).

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and raisins and nuts ( if using) in a large bowl.

2. Mix the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, maple syrup and vanilla til smooth.

3. Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix together gently with a fork, being sure to get all the dry mixed in, especially from the bottom. Add more cream if it seems a little dry.

Don't overmix the dough. Mix it all til just incorporated.

4. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and form into either a rectangle or round shape.

5. Pat the dough to about 1 1/4" thickness.

6. Cut out the shapes, either wedges or triangles using a bench scraper or large knife, floured.

7. Place the shapes onto a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with cream or milk, then sprinkle with raw sugar.

8. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

9. Cool the scones for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

10. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly warm scones.

These are best when eaten the same day.

Glaze:

Stir the confectioners's sugar and syrup and begin adding the cream or milk til it gets to a thin enough consistency to spoon over the scones..

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are so good! Really! And let's face it, there's just nothing better than a really good chocolate chip cookie.

I could just stop there, give you the recipe and tell you to make them right now...but I have to give the credit to someone and that someone is, again, this book. It's the chocolate chip cookie from Bennigan's Restaurant for their Cookie Mountain Sundae, which is described as a cookie sandwich with four scoops of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge topping and powdered sugar! Yikes...a little excessive, right? Do you think that's supposed to be for one person?

Well I needed to dial it back and just make the cookies. The recipe makes large cookies for large Cookie Mountain Sundaes but you could make them any size you choose. I got 18 four inch cookies which weighed about 1.5 ounces each. They're chewy with a wonderful crunch and loaded with chocolate chips, which is, of course, what you want out of a great chocolate chip cookie. Tons of chips in every bite and not too sweet.

Now there are two ways you can make these. I made some following the instructions to flatten each one to about 1/2" thickness, which is probably better for an ice cream sandwich. Then I made some without flattening and I liked these better. The ones you see here are those. So, your choice, thin or not. Either way these are really good cookies!

The recipe is pretty simple and straightforward.

Cream the butter and sugars. Once that's all combined add the egg and vanilla and beat another minute or two.

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl...

Add the dry to the creamed mixture mixing til it's all combined, then add in the chocolate chips.

If you want them a little fatter, scoop them into balls and leave them like this.

If you want them a bit thinner, flatten each ball to about 1/2" thickness.

See the difference? The one on the left is the flat one. I myself love to see more crackle, which is what you get with the fatter one. Somebody pour the milk!

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Bennigan's Cookie Mountain Sundae from "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes" by Todd Wilbur)

Makes 18 large 4"cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp. salt ( I cut down to 1/4 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

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Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Cream the butter and sugars til light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat til well blended, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

3. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

4. Add the chocolate chips and mix well.

5. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough ( weighing approx. 1.5 ozs. each) onto your baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Flatten each cookie to 1/2" thickness only if you want a thinner cookie.)

6. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or til the edges become light brown.

7. Transfer the cookies, still on the parchment paper, to a wire rack to cool.

Rocky Road Brownies

January is finally over...is it just me or did you think this month seemed like it would never end? I don't want to sound as though I'm wishing time away but c'mon...enough January already!

So, Happy February! Been waiting for you. The month to celebrate with chocolate. My kind of month. And to start this month off right, I knew a chocolatey brownie recipe had to be first.

This one's from a book I just bought called, "Marshmallows, Homemade Gourmet Treats", by Eileen Talanian. It's, of course, chock full of new and unusual marshmallow recipes that I'll be trying in the days and months ahead but today I went with the Rocky Road Brownies.

I've actually been a marshmallow making machine lately, boiling, whipping and cutting out all kinds of shapes, including the hearts you see below. And I chose these brownies because I'm always left with so many marshmallow scraps when I cut out the shaped ones. So this recipe was a chance to use up some of them. Have you ever made marshmallows? They're really kind of fun to make...and even more fun to eat!

These Rocky Road Brownies are a little different than other recipes I've read in that the marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts are stirred into the batter rather than being placed on top of the batter. I think they're easier to eat this way. You don't take a bite and have the topping come off with it. They're dense and fudgey and very chocolatey. Valentine's Day isn't far off and these would be great!

Melt the butterand the chocolates in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring til it begins to get smooth.

Then take it off the heat and set aside.

You can also combine the flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl at this time and set that aside, too.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and salt together, til thick, smooth and light in color.

Slowly add the melted chocolate mixture, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Give that a spin for a little longer...

Then slowly add the flour/cocoa mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula...

Then beat again with the mixer another 30 seconds.

Stir in the marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chips.

Spread into your prepared pan. ( I halved the recipe and used an 8" square pan).

The batter is very thick so you may just have to use your fingers...I did and I wet my fingers so the batter wouldn't stick too much.

It's so thick that even before baking the batter looks cooked!

Then bake approx. 35 minutes or til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. The top will be smooth and shiny.

Rocky Road Brownies ( from "Marshmallows, Homemade Gourmet Treats", by Eileen Talanian)

2 oz. unsalted butter

6 ozs. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 oz. unsalted butter, room temp.

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar ( I used light brown), firmly packed

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups marshmallows, cut into 1/2" pieces ( or use store bought mini marshmallows)

Peanuts or other nuts, coarsely chopped ( the recipe doesn't specify amount so I just threw in a handful for half the recipe, just to give you an idea).

Chocolate chips ( the recipe didn't call for these so you could leave them out. Again, I threw in a handful for half the recipe)

Note: If you're using homemade marshmallow pieces, the marshmallows need to be left out for 24 hours, then coated in 2 tbsp. of flour before adding to the batter.

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Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 x 2 inch (or 8" square pan if halving the recipe)with foil and butter the foil.

1. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the 2 oz. of butter and chocolates, stirring occasionally tilthe mixture is almost all melted, then take it off the heat and it set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour and sifted cocoa powder and set that aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream the 4 oz. of butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and salt on medium high for 4 to5 minutes or til thick, smooth and light in color.

4. Turn the mixer down to medium speed and slowly add the melted chocolate mixture. Continue beating for 30 seconds after the chocolate has been added.

5. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the flour/cocoa mixture. Stir the flour mixture into the batter a few stirs, then beat the mixture on low speed for 20 seconds.

6. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure it's all mixed well.

7. Stir in the marshmallow, nuts and chocolate chips.

8. Spread the batter into the pan using wet fingers, if necessary. The batter will be very thick.

9. Bake for approx. 35 minutes, or til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. You don't want to overbake them.

10. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then lift out and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Placing them in the fridge before cutting will help to get you nice clean slices. Or pop into the freezer about 15 minutes before cutting.