Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Cheesecake Frosting

Posted by: Annie

Usually when I bake, I have a motivation for doing so - such as I promised my students baked goods, or it's someone's birthday, or it is a certain holiday. However, with these cupcakes I simply was just craving a delicious peanut butter dessert. 

My peanut butter craving all started last week. Lately, I have been in an oatmeal rut. I eat oatmeal almost every single morning, and at the urging of Maggie I started eating my oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter mixed in (heaven!)

When I ran out of peanut butter I attempted to be healthier, and purchased natural peanut butter. For years, I had looked at this peanut butter, warily examining the liquid that sat on top, and always concluded that natural peanut butter just wasn't for me. Well, all those years I was right - I still don't like natural peanut butter. The texture and the watery liquid brought out my inner picky child and I promptly chucked the peanut butter in the trash.

As a result, the next few mornings consisted of oatmeal without my delicious peanut butter mixed in, because day after day I would forget to pick up peanut butter after work. Finally, by the end of the week not only did I need the biggest container of Jif I could find, but I needed a dessert that gave me my peanut butter fix. Enter, peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate cheesecake frosting. Ahhhh-mazing.

What you will need:

1 stick of butter (softened)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup skim milk
3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake tins with 12 liners.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Add in sugar and eggs and beat until fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add half of the dry mixture to the peanut butter mixture, and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the milk, and beat until combined. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients. Stir in the peanut butter chips.

Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way full with batter. Bake 15-18 minutes. Cool completely, and decorate.

Chocolate Cheesecake Frosting:

1 stick butter (softened)
8 ounces cream cheese, one block (softened)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1-2 tablespoons milk, as needed

Using a mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and cream cheese until well combined. Stir in vanilla. Continue mixing, and add in 1/2 cup powdered sugar at a time. Mix in cocoa powder. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time if frosting is too thick.

Printer-friendly
Source: How Sweet It Is

1st Annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap - Go Sign Up!!!

Posted by: Maggie

Hey everyone - no new recipe today, just a quick update. As I'm sure many of you know, Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil and Julie from The Little Kitchen are hosting the 1st Annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.

I just signed up, and if you're a food blogger you should too! All the details are on the link above, but the basic idea is that you get the names of 3 other bloggers, send them cookies, and get cookies in return. The more people who participate the better, so go sign up now!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos with Chipotle Crema

Posted by: Maggie

These tacos are super healthy, super delicious, and super cheap. They're also super full of flavor, and I made a super mess of my kitchen sink when I ate four of them while standing over it. Super duper. 

I'm at a super duper loss for words for words today. I have had a terrible cold since last Monday, and I think the amount of Nyquil I've consumed over the past eight days has turned my brain into mush. I have stared at this screen for about 20 minutes trying to think of what to talk about to accompany these tacos and am coming up empty.

Oh wait, here's a kind of funny story. When I bought the ingredients for these tacos on Monday (beans and cabbage...) the coupon that printed out at the register was for Beano. That simply cannot be a coincidence given the ingredients I was purchasing.

Have I ruined your appetite by discussing gas medicine? I hope not.

These tacos have four fillings that you'll need to make - the potatoes, the beans, the cabbage, and the sauce.  If it seems like a strange combination, just trust me and try it. I promise you'll love it.

For the potatoes:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Juice of 1 lime

For the cabbage:

2 cups shredded purple cabbage (I used my food processor to finely shred it)
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Kosher salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

For the beans:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lime

For the sauce:

6 ounces non-fat Greek yogurt
3-5 tablespoons pureed chipotles in adobo (I pureed them myself in my food processor)
Kosher salt, cumin, and cayenne to taste

For serving: 

12 small corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil. In a medium bowl, toss sweet potato chunks, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and red pepper flakes until evenly coated. Spread potatoes in a single layer onto the baking sheet, and roast in pre-heated oven for 40 minutes or until soft, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the cabbage. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and toss to combine. Set aside.

Now it's time to make the sauce. Combine your pureed chipotles, Greek yogurt, and seasonings in a small bowl, and stir well. This sauce has quite a kick to it, so gradually add the chipotle if your heat tolerance is low. Set aside.

To prepare the beans, heat olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the cumin and stir until fragrant - about 30 seconds. Lastly, add in the beans and lime juice. Cook for about 5 minutes until beans have softened and the mixture is heated through.

Heat corn tortillas according to package directions (I just nuke mine for about 30 seconds between damp paper towels) and assemble tacos. Enjoy!

Printer-friendly
Recipe source: Joy the Baker and the sauce is inspired by Emeril.