Mini chocolate peanut butter pretzel cupcakes

Today is my dad's birthday!!  (I promised him I wouldn't share his age.)  My dad -- and mom, too -- is the greatest.  My sisters and I went home and the five of us went for dim sum, which is what my dad wanted to do to celebrate.  Dim sum -- if you don't know -- are basically Chinese small plates (often, but by no means always, dumplings) that are passed around the restaurant on carts, and you choose what you want as the cart passes your table.  It's a fun -- and delicious -- experience!

But I digress.  It's my dad's birthday.  Birthdays need to be celebrated (I'm still trying to convince B of this, as he has a big birthday coming up this summer).  Cupcakes (and cakes, or brownies, or pies, or anything baked and topped with a sprinkle) are celebratory.  So my dad got some homemade cupcakes for his birthday.

I wanted to try a new recipe for my dad's birthday, but he isn't a huge lover of sweets (my mom reminded me when I asked about baking cupcakes for his birthday, since she didn't want me to be "insulted" if he didn't eat much of whatever I baked).  When I was rattling off some suggestions, I mentioned these cupcakes, which I had baked before.  She stopped me immediately after by saying "yes, make those.  Your father would love anything peanut butter and chocolate."  And so, with apologies, I am repeating another recipe.  It's a good thing it's a FANTASTIC cupcake.  Although this time I mixed it up a bit, and make some mini cupcakes (full confession?  I got tired of filling those mini cupcake papers after a while, and made some full-sized ones, too, which I ended up bringing home for the celebration).

(Mini) Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cupcakes
From Robicelli's: A Love Story, with Cupcakes, found here

Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

3/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Dutch press cocoa for super dark, chocolatey cupcakes)

2/3 cups scalding hot coffee

2/3 cups buttermilk

2/3 cups canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Line cupcake pans with 24 liners.

Place cocoa powder in mixer bowl and pour scalding hot coffee over.

Mix on low speed until a thick paste forms and mixture stops steaming- about one minute.Like I said before, mine was not thick nor was it a paste, it was actually quite runny.  The cupcakes turned out perfectly deliciously well.

Turn mixer speed to medium.
In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, egg, yolk, vanilla, salt and oil, and mix lightly with a fork, ensuring yolks are broken.

Slowly pour into mixer.

Stop mixer and scrape bottom well to loosen any caked on cocoa.

Reattach and turn mixer to medium, letting run one minute.

Stop mixer again.

Sift together dry ingredients and pour into wet mixture.

Mix on low speed until just combined.

Remove bowl and use scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring everything is mixed.

Scoop cake batter into prepared pans, filling cups 2/3 of the way.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through (I don't rotate them....shhh, don't tell).  * I baked my mini ones for 10 minutes *

Cupcakes are done when the centers spring back when you touch them.

Remove cupcakes from oven.

Let cool completely. 

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

Ingredients:

3 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Cream together the butter, peanut butter, and kosher salt with a mixer set to "high" until light and fluffy.

Add powdered sugar a 1/4 cup at a time, beating well between each addition. 
Add heavy cream. 
Once combined, taste for flavor.  I added more peanut butter -- probably about 1/4+ cups.

Continue to beat on high for an additional minute to incorporate air. 

Classic Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cream
pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Place chocolate in a bowl, and shake back and forth until it flattens out on top. 

Heat cream and sea salt in a medium saucepan until it comes to a boil (I forgot the salt.  Oops.  It was fine without it).

Immediately pour hot cream mixture over chocolate, and allow to sit for two minutes to allow chocolate to melt.

Using a heatproof spatula, stir the cream and chocolate together until completely smooth.

Allow to cool slightly before drizzling on cupcakes.

Ganache should not be hot to the touch, but still be liquid.

If it cools completely and becomes solid, microwave on 50% power in 20 second increments, stirring between each, until desired consistency is reached.

Toppings:

3/4 cups roasted peanuts

1 1/2 cup pretzels

Directions: 

Pulse pretzels and peanuts in a food processor until they're coarse crumbs.  (Alternately, place in a strong ziptop bag and repeatedly smack with a rolling pin, a heavy skillet, or anything else your find enjoyable. Place crumbs in a pie dish or baking pan.)

Assembly:

Fill pastry bag fitted with regular tip with peanut butter buttercream, and pipe onto each chocolate cupcake.  Since the icing is sweet, and my dad isn't a lover of very sweet things, I chose not to pile it up on the cupcakes as much as I did last time.  *Also, I couldn't find a regular tip and used another one.  Since the cupcakes are coated in the pretzel-peanut mixture afterwards, it doesn't really matter all that much which tip you use, but if you like the icing super-domed like it was when I made them last time, I'd recommend using the regular tip. *
Put cupcakes into the refrigerator so buttercream hardens- about 20 minutes.  Don't skip this step - my icing was pretty soft otherwise and I'm sure they wouldn't have been nicely domed afterwards.  BUT....don't keep them in for too long, otherwise they'll get hard and the toppings won't stick.

Gently roll the sides of the buttercream in peanut/pretzel mixture. 
Pour a handful over the top and lightly pack on with hand. Do NOT dip them top down into the bowl and press.  The icing isn't THAT hard.  You will flatten out the icing on the top of the cupcakes.  I learned that lesson after cupcake #1, and the rest of them looked perfect (if I do say so myself).
Shake off excess and set aside. 
Drizzle ganache across each cupcake.  I do this by placing them in a few rows on top of papertowels and drizzling both up and down and side to side on each row.

Passover brownies

A few years ago, I was talking with a patient of mine about all the baking I was doing for Passover.  She asked me what I was making -- for the life of me, I don't remember what it was except for the Mandel Bread -- but I do remember that she was shocked that I wasn't making brownies.  She apparently had a family recipe for Passover brownies that were delicious and easy to make.

So I ended up getting the recipe from her, because frankly who doesn't want a delicious, easy, and chocolatey Passover dessert?

Because my cousin is allergic to nuts, I substitute chocolate chips for the nuts, but I'm sure they'd be good without nuts or chocolate chips.

AF's Delectable Passover Brownies

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3/4 cup potato starch
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup nuts -- I substitute chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Great a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Mix eggs, sugar, oil, potato starch, and cocoa.
Add the chocolate chips or nuts.

Pour brownies into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Passover apple cake

Passover is over, but that doesn't mean it's too late for me to post one of my last two recipes from this Passover, right?  I sure hope not, because these two are great recipes that are worth having!

My mom got this recipes years ago (we're talking several decades) from a friend of hers, and frankly I think she's made it every year since.  It is one of my all time favorite Passover recipes, one that I grew up on and consider to be an essential part of Passover.  It's also super simple to make.  Always an added bonus!  And this year, I let my mom relax while I did most of the prep for this cake.

A's Passover Apple Cake

Ingredients:

4 apples, peeled (I used 2 granny smith and 2 red apples....my mom bought them and I don't remember which type they were)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup matzah meal or cake meal (I use cake meal)
Cinnamon

A's recipe also says 1 Tbsp raspberry jam or raisins, but we've never used those

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Grease a 9" springform pan.

Slice the apples into the pan.
Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl.
Add the oil and mix.
Add the sugar and mix.
Add the matzah meal or cake meal and mix well.  I find a hand mixer to work best for this.

Pour the mixture over the apples and bake for 50 minutes.

Let cool.
Remove the springform part of the pan.
Serve or cover with saran wrap.

Passover mandel bread

Two years ago I made my friend L's kosher for Passover mandel bread for Passover and I was hooked.  It was, in my opinion, one of the best kosher for Passover treats I had even had.  Ever.  And with a cup of coffee?  Heaven!  I made it last year, too, and when it came time to make it this year, I thought I might mix it up a little and make a few varieties.

First up was the original.  Because how could I NOT make the amazing chocolate chip mandle bread?!  The recipe is here.  It's also the base for the other two varieties I made.

Second up was the espresso chip mandle bread.  And the third?  Mocha chip.

Frankly, I don't think this needs more of an introduction than I gave them already.  So here it goes:

Espresso Chip Passover Mandel Bread
Adapted from L&A's Kosher for Passover mandel bread

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. matza cake meal
1/2 lb. butter
2 c. sugar
6 eggs
3/4 c. potato starch
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. passover chocolate, or chips and/or nuts (I leave the nuts out and go with all chocolate)
1 1/2 Tbsp finely ground coffee or instant espresso powder

2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Cream the butter and sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beat until smooth.
Sift the cake meal, potato starch, salt, and coffee.
Fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture.
Mix thoroughly.
Add the chocolate, and chopped nuts (if using)
Form into 3 or 4 loaves on a greased baking sheet (I used foil-lined sheets and they work just fine), about 3 inches wide.
Top with the mixture of 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Bake 40-45 minutes
When mostly cooled but still a little warm, slice into 1-1.5" slices

Mocha Chip Passover Mandle Bread
Adapted from L&A's Kosher for Passover mandel bread

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. matza cake meal
1/2 lb. butter
2 c. sugar
6 eggs
3/4 c. potato starch
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. passover chocolate, or chips and/or nuts (I leave the nuts out and go with all chocolate)
1 1/2 Tbsp finely ground coffee or instant espresso powder
4 Tbsp cocoa powder (I debated taking out a few Tbsp of cake meal to make up for the cocoa powder, but didn't end up doing that.  It turned out fine.)

2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Cream the butter and sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beat until smooth.
Sift the cake meal, potato starch, salt, cocoa powder, and coffee.
Fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture.
Mix thoroughly.
Add the chocolate, and chopped nuts (if using)
Form into 3 or 4 loaves on a greased baking sheet (I used foil-lined sheets and they work just fine), about 3 inches wide.
Top with the mixture of 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Bake 40-45 minutes
When mostly cooled but still a little warm, slice into 1-1.5" slices

Lime macaroons

I wanted to make a Passover dessert for my sister.  My non-chocolate-loving sister (I know -- shocking that I, of all people, have one of those!).  I ended up deciding that macaroons would be the best in a fruity flavor, especially because coconut is fruity and tropical.

So these lime macaroons were born!  I have to say, they taste kinda like a tropical vacation :)  Now if only I could find out if rum was kosher for Passover... :-)

*In terms of "kosher for Passover," please see my disclaimer here.*

Lime Macaroons
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

14 oz sweetened coconut
2 tsp vanilla
14 oz can condensed sweetened milk
Juice of 1-2 limes
Zest of 1-2 limes, finely grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheet with non-stick foil (I didn't have non-stick foil so I sprayed foil with non-stick spray)/

Mix coconut, vanilla, condensed milk, and chocolate chips together in a large mixing bowl.
Take a teaspoon-sized amount of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands (or cheat like me, and use a mini scooper).
Place them on a cookie sheet, spaced apart.
Bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown (watch them carefully so they don't burn).  Mine took 14 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate chip macaroons

These are macaroons.  Not macrons.  I've made those before (and probably will again soon, for Passover).  These are those good, old fashioned shredded coconut cookies that come in cans, which are ubiquitous with Passover.  Except they're not from a can.  These are homemade.  With just 4 ingredients.  And they're goooood.

OK, those of you that keep kosher for Passover will argue that this recipe is not really kosher for Passover.  For one, it uses condensed sweetened milk.  But I'm working on making them without the sweetened condensed milk....hopefully I can figure it out, and then I'll let you know.

Now one thing -- these call for being dipped in chocolate after they've been baked and cooled.  Although I used mini chocolate chips, and they seemed SO chocolatey, that I left out the dipping part.  Which is fine with me, especially because the dipping process can be long and annoying.  But if you wanted to dip them in chocolate, no one would hold it against you!

Chocolate Chip Macaroons
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

14 oz sweetened coconut
2 tsp vanilla
14 oz can condensed sweetened milk
2 cups chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheet with non-stick foil (I didn't have non-stick foil so I sprayed foil with non-stick spray)/

Mix coconut, vanilla, condensed milk, and chocolate chips together in a large mixing bowl.
Take a teaspoon-sized amount of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands (or cheat like me, and use a mini scooper).
Place them on a cookie sheet, spaced apart.
Bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown (watch them carefully so they don't burn).  Mine took 14 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.

Matzah candy

We call this matzah candy in my family.  I've heard this called a lot of different things: matzah toffee, chocolate toffee matzah, and even toffee buttercrunch matzah.  They're all slight variations on the same name, but one thing is for sure: it's AWESOME!  And frankly, the most buzzed about food at the Seder (except, of course, my mom's brisket, which is simply the BEST brisket ever.  EVER.).  My mom got the recipe from her friend, who got it from her daughter-in-law.

The other thing about this recipe, besides being delicious?  It's insanely easy to make!  Just be careful not to burn it.  Because burning all this deliciousness would just be a tragedy.  A tragedy, I tell you!

*I've seen some iterations of this with chopped nuts or toasted slivered almonds on top.  We make ours nut-free for two reasons: the recipe we got didn't call for nuts, and my cousin is horribly allergic to nuts.  But, in case you want to add nuts, I'd do it as the final step after you spread the chocolate.*

Matzah Candy
From my mom's friend B

Ingredients:

6 sheets of matzah
2 sticks butter (we used unsalted, but it didn't specify....I might use salted next time)
1 cup brown sugar
Semisweet chocolate chips
White chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with edges with parchment paper.
Place matzah on baking sheet in one layer without overlapping.
Break matzah sheets to fit on the baking sheet.

In a saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar over medium-high heat.
Boil for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the mixture over the matzah and spread evenly.

Bake for 10-15 minutes -- WATCH IT CAREFULLY, IT CAN BURN!

Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.
Allow the chips to melt for a few minutes and then spread them over the matzah.  I personally like to stagger the white chocolate chips and then swirl them over, making it a marbled look -- unfortunately that didn't work that well this time.
*If you wanted to add nuts to yours, now would be the time to do it :-)*

Break into pieces and put in the fridge to allow to cool.
Once cool, transfer to an airtight container.