A fun departure on the classic chocolate cupcake, I added some crushed Oreos to a favorite recipe of mine, and some also went into the buttercream. If there was any doubt about the nature of these babies, I dealt with the issue by sticking half an Oreo on top. The drizzle of ganache is optional, but why would you skip it?
OREO CUPCAKES (from The Bewitching Kitchen)
for the cupcakes: 120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour 50 grams (1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons) natural cocoa powder 225 grams (1 + 1/8 cups) granulated sugar 1 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 tsp Kosher salt 85 grams (about 1/2 cup) grapeseed oil 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 75 grams (1/3 cup) milk, room temperature 170 grams (3/4 cup) very hot water 4 Oreo cookies, crushed
for the Oreo buttercream: 1 cup (227 g)) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 + ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/8 tsp salt 1 to 2 tbsp heavy cream 1/3 cup Oreo cookie crumbs
for the ganache drizzle: ¼ cup (42 g) semisweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp heavy cream
Makes12 cupcakes
Heat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk very well to fully combine the dry ingredients.
Add the oil into the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed with a hand mixer until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl and continue mixing until smooth.
With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the milk and then the hot water. Continue mixing until everything is evenly incorporated, the batter will be super thin, do not worry about it. Fold in the crushed Oreos. Place the batter in cupcake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. This will take 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the ganache and allow it to cool. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In another small bowl, heat the cream in a microwave for about 30 seconds, or until bubbling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and allow the mixture to sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir the mixture until smooth and shiny. Use it when barely warm, so that you won’t melt the buttercream.
Make the buttercream. Whip the softened butter for 5 minutes with a paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated, in low-speed. Add the heavy cream to adjust consistency, then the crumbs of Oreos. Mix at medium-high for a minute or so until smooth. Frost the fully cool cupcakes. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to set. Then add the drizzle, and a half of Oreo on top. Sprinkles are optional.
Comments: Most Oreo cupcakes call for black cocoa, but I prefer a less intense version, so I used a considerably milder recipe. The addition of crushed Oreos was my way to amplify the chocolate taste. Because these cakes rely on oil, they are super moist to start with and stay this way for a few days. Crushed Oreos in the buttercream give a super pleasing texture. Make sure they are finely crumbed. And yes, you crumble the cookie and the filling. Easy!
A small collection of bakes to celebrate the occasion… Cupcakes, cookies, bonbons… Let’s start with cupcakes, shall we?
For the cupcakes, I went with chocolate, and used this recipe which is simple and wonderful. Frosting was a simple American buttercream, but the gilding of the lily was the little nest made with rice noodles broken up in little pieces, coated with melted chocolate and assembled in mini-muffin tins. I have tried other methods to make the nests and this was by far my favorite.
This is really a very very messy process, and there was some colorful language going around The Bewitching Kitchen, I won’t lie to you. But aren’t those nest super cute? Totally worth the trouble. Get the noodles and cut them with scissors in small little pieces. It will make a Royal mess in your kitchen and you will find pieces of noodles in unexpected places. Melt chocolate, coat them well (gloves are mandatory), and while everything is still pliable and warm, stick little portions inside mini muffin tins. Add the eggs and let it all set.
TRI-DIMENSIONAL EASTER EGGS
These are not made of chocolate, the shells are my favorite chocolate cookie (click here for recipe, I omitted the chipotle powder for this version) baked into these cute little molds. Once they are baked, I brushed them with luster powder mixed with vodka, decorated with Royal icing and filled with mini peanut butter eggs.
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BUNNY BONBONS
A little labor of love, you’ll need a special mold for these babies, found at one of my favorite stores, Evil Cake Genius. It is a three component mold, so you make the top, let it set, fill with whatever you want (I used lemon brigadeiro), then close the bottom with more chocolate. A very detailed video is available here.
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EGG NESTS CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Very little icing on these cookies, I brushed them with Americolor White + a touch of turquoise before baking. Then just added a few details with piping consistency icing, and placed mini eggs on top. They went together nicely with the cupcakes!
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THE GOLFING RABBIT
Same cookie, made with the help of AI-generated image, and a mini-projector… Love these goofy fellows!
If you celebrate the date, I wish you a Happy Easter! Hope you have a wonderful day…
VANILLA ELDERFLOWER PINWHEEL COOKIES (from The Bewitching Kitchen)
2¼ cups (282 g) all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt 7 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup (80 g) powdered sugar 1 large egg, room temperature 1 tablespoon (12.5 g) vanilla sugar 1 tablespoon elderberry powder (like this one) tiny amount of purple food gel dye, if needed white coarse sanding sugar
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on medium-high until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the egg and vanilla, mix to combine, and then scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula. Add the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix until well combined.
Divide the dough in half, add elderberry powder and food gel dye to one half, and mix until fully incorporated. Divide both halves of the dough in half again so you end up with two equal portions of vanilla dough and two equal portions of elderberry dough.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll each portion of dough out to a roughly 8-x-10-inch (20-x-25-cm) rectangle. Place a purple dough rectangle on top of a vanilla rectangle and use a rolling pin to gently press them together. Repeat with the other rectangles of vanilla and elderberry dough. Starting with the shorter side, roll the rectangles of dough into logs. Tightly wrap the two logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or perforated silicone baking mats. Remove a cookie log from the refrigerator and let it warm up for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll on sanding sugar to coat the surface. Using a sharp knife, cut each log into ¼-inch slices. Place on the prepared baking trays and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Comments: Depending on the brand of your elderberry powder, you might not need the food gel dye. I used a very small amount, delivered with a toothpick. The sanding sugar coating is optional but I think it adds a lot to the overall look of the cookie.
200g all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 150g granulated sugar 1/2 large egg (whisk and add about half, no need to be too precise) 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon heavy cream softened butter to coat tins pink, red and white sanding sugar
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2—3 minutes. Add the egg, cream and vanilla and beat on low speed until the egg is completely incorporated. Beating on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and continue to beat until almost incorporated.
Press the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Coat the tartlet tins of your choice with softened butter using a brush. Shower them with sanding sugar to form a layer at the bottom and edges. Place the tins on a baking sheet. Press a ball of dough in the tin, filling each 3/4 of the volume. Bake at 350F until set but not getting too much color, 15 to 18 minutes. Let the cookies sit in the tartlets for five minutes then remove gently using a small spatula if needed to help. Tapping the tins should work fine. Careful, they stay hot for a while.
Comments: Those are just adorable indeed. Best consumed the same day, but if you keep them tightly closed in a container they will be ok next day. Probably any cookie recipe will work, make sure to make it a little softer than usual for cutout cookies, that’s why the heavy cream is a good addition. Chocolate dough could be great, I intend to give it a try soon.
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COOKIE #3
CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE PINWHEELS
You’ll get a perfect swirl using Matt Adlard’s technique! I can’t share the recipe, you need to be part of his BAKE IT BETTER club, which is easy to do with a click here. Totally worth it!
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING (from The Bewitching Kitchen)
120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour 50 grams (1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons) natural cocoa powder 225 grams (1 + 1/8 cups) granulated sugar 1 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 tsp Kosher salt 85 grams (about 1/2 cup) grapeseed oil 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 75 grams (1/3 cup) milk, room temperature 170 grams (3/4 cup) very hot water
Makes 12 cupcakes. Use paper liners in your pan.
Heat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk very well to fully combine the dry ingredients.
Add the oil into the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed with a hand mixer until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl and continue mixing until smooth.
With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the milk and then the hot water. Continue mixing until everything is evenly incorporated, the batter will be super thin, do not worry about it. Place the batter in cupcake pan and bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. This will take 20 to 25 minutes, but check a couple of minutes earlier. Cool completely before frosting.
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature 175 grams (1/2 cup) smooth peanut butter (Jiffy works great) 210 grams (1 + 3/4 cup) powdered sugar 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk to adjust consistency
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed for about a few minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the powdered sugar and salt into the mixing bowl and start mixing on low until the sugar starts to combine with the butter. Turn the mixing speed up to medium-high and beat for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add milk to adjust the consistency. If not using immediately you can refrigerate for several days. Bring back to room temperature and whip again before using to frost the cakes.
Use a piping tip like Wilton 1M if you like to make a rose pattern on top. Spraying gold is optional but nice…
Comments: I love this cake recipe so much because it is simple, straightforward and always works. You can use hot coffee instead of hot water, but I tend to simplify it and just grab water from the tap, as hot as I can get it. I know many people prefer Swiss buttercream frosting but I donate the cupcakes and not knowing how long they will sit waiting, I rather use a sturdier buttercream, which is also much simpler to prepare. If you are a peanut butter/chocolate lover, this cupcake is for you!
Today I share three delicious recipes that center on that dreamy ingredient that almost every human being loves: chocolate. I have known a few members of our species who claim to “hate” chocolate, and my hope is that they get their genomes sequenced to solve the mystery. Anyway, I digress. The first recipe comes from my favorite baker-instructor-guru, Helen Fletcher. These are beyond amazing and not for the faint of heart. Rich. Decadent. Luscious. Special. They are Double Chocolate Truffled Muffins!
For the truffle component: ½ cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 grams) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams) 5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (140 grams) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the muffin component: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (210 grams) 1 cup Dutch cocoa (85 grams) ¼ teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt (I use table salt) 1 ⅓ cups brown sugar, either dark or light (265 grams) ½ cup whole milk ¾ cup canola or vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 cup sour cream (225 grams) 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder 1 cup chocolate chunks (114 grams)
Start by making the truffle filling: Heat the cream, butter and sugar together in a small saucepan just until steamy. Do not let it come to a boil. Submerge the chocolate under the cream mixture and let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes. Whisk until smooth, making sure to get into the corners. Using a rubber spatula, go around the edges of the pan and bottom to make sure all of the chocolate is incorporated. Add the vanilla. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and set aside to cool.
Make the muffins: Line 9 jumbo muffin holes with paper liners. Set aside. Heat the oven to 425°F.
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Sift the cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt on top of the flour. Whisk together to mix well. In a very small bowl stir together the coffee or espresso and vanilla until the coffee or espresso is dissolved.
In a third smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, canola oil, eggs, sour cream, and coffee mixture. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon or fold together with a rubber spatula just until everything is mixed well. Do not over mix.
With a #8 disher/scooper or a ½ cup measure, drop the batter into the paper lined muffin cups for the jumbo muffins. Top generously with the chocolate chunks. Bake at 425°F for exactly 6 minutes for the jumbo and lower the temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake for about 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool the muffins.
Starting about ½” from the edge of a muffin, insert a paring knife slanted towards the middle of the muffin and go all the way around the muffin. Remove the wedge shaped cake and set aside intact. To enlarge the hole for more filling, use a small spoon and scoop out additional cake.
Fit a piping bag with a ½” tip, fill with the truffle filling and pipe into the hole almost up to the top. Alternately, spoon the filling in. Replace the wedge shape piece pushing it into the filling.
Comments: Please make sure to read Helen’s blog post about them, as she gives detailed explanation of their origin and how she adapted the recipe to make it more user-friendly without any loss of deliciousness (I can testify to that, they are spectacular). The pictures do not make it justice, as so often is the case with brown food. Their texture is superb, and that filling is unreal! Thank you thank you thank you, Helen!
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Moving on to the second recipe, credit goes to my beloved husband, who suggested that instead of coating Oreos with chocolate, I could do small pieces of brownies. I used a very small pan from Wilton to bake them. Without further ado…
1 cup all-purpose flour (130g) 1 cup granulated sugar (200g) 1/3 cup cocoa powder (35g) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 egg, lightly beaten 3 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
to coat: compound chocolate like Candy Melts or Almond Bark to decorate: sprinkles (optional)
Heat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the pan with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add vegetable oil, egg, milk and vanilla extract; stir well until smooth. Divide batter evenly between cavities, smoothing into an even layer (about 1 tablespoon per cavity). Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on a cooling rack 5-10 minutes, loosen edges if necessary, and remove. Let cool completely on the rack.
Melt the compound chocolate until smooth using gentle power in the microwave. If too thick, add a small amount of coconut oil (refined). Coat the bites and decorate right away, or after setting, if going with drizzles of melted compound chocolate.
Comments: I got this pan at a sale in Jo-Ann store in town, and of course, could not resist it (info here). You can use silicone pans, or any other type of pan that makes mini-cakes. To coat, you can use two different methods. First, just melt the chocolate in a bowl and dip the cake to coat. That will give a rustic appearance, and you can add sprinkles right away. Second method will require you to clean the pan, then add melted chocolate in each cavity and quickly place the cake inside, pressing a bit so that the chocolate moves up along the sides. You can coat the bottom or not. Let it harden, remove from the pan, and if desired, make decorations with swirls of melted chocolate, I used white for that. Below you can see the different outcome.
And now for the last recipe, what might seem like your regular chocolate chip cookie, but it is truly special, due to the inclusion of an unexpected ingredient: buttermilk. You must give this recipe a try!
BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (slightly modified from Yesterfood blog)
2 cups flour (260g) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, unsalted, melted 3/4 cup cocoa powder (75g) 1 + 1/2 cups sugar (300g) 1 teaspoon vanilla 2/3 cup buttermilk 1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and melted butter until very smooth. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk until well combined.
Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in thirds, stirring each time just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2″ apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are puffed, edges are set, and center is still moist. Place cookie sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes, then remove cookies onto wire racks to cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Comments: These cookies will definitely please any chocolate lover out there. It almost feels as if you are having a brownie. Excellent texture, I reduced the sugar from the published version and I think it was a good move. I do hope you give it a try…
So, that’s all for now, three real nice recipes celebrating chocolate!
Bewitching Kitchen 