The Best Frosting. Ever.

I did a little bake and craft sale a few weeks ago for Valentine's Day, and made some small knitted things, candles, homemade Nutella (recipe coming soon!), and cupcakes. Now, normally when I need to make a lot of cupcakes I get pretty lazy and just do the boxed stuff. It's way easier when I'm short on time and need to make a lot. But I can't tell you how many people said these were the best cupcakes they've ever eaten! That's saying a lot for a boxed cupcake...

Our adorable table!

The secret? THE FROSTING!

Typically the easiest frosting to make consists mostly of a crap-load of icing sugar (4 cups or more) and a bit of cream or milk. But I really hate frosting like that. It's way too sweet, and makes your teeth hurt afterwards.

This frosting is a buttercream, which is light and fluffy, not too sweet, and has amazing texture. And everyone will be raving about it. Although you need to be a bit more prepared with this recipe (as it takes quite a bit longer to make), you may never make another frosting again!

Whipped Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup milk
5 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter, soft
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 - 2 cups icing sugar

Total Time: 1.5 hours
Yield: Frosting for around 25 cupcakes, or one 8- or 9-inch two layer cake

In a medium saucepan, whisk the milk and flour constantly until very thick. This will take several minutes to thicken, and you will want it to be almost like the consistency of porridge or a very thick soup. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cover and let cool to room temperature (at least an hour).

Once the flour mixture is cool, cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy. Switch to the wire whisk attachment. Add the cooled flour mixture and whip on high speed until you achieve a whipped cream consistency.

Slow the mixer down to stir speed and slowly add icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Taste after each addition until the mixture suits your liking. You can add as much sugar as you like. The original recipe that I adapted this from called for no icing sugar, but all I could taste was flour. It may also help to cream the butter with icing sugar instead, but it's entirely up to your taste.

For Valentine's Day, I coloured my frosting pink using a few drops of red food colouring until I reached the desired shade of pink. You could use any colour you like for holidays or themed cupcakes, but plain old white works great too.

Lemon Shrimp Linguine

 

Hello friends! It's been awhile! A few months actually... Nevertheless, I am back with more awesome recipes for you! 

This dish is so quick and easy, it takes around 15-20 minutes from start to finish. And tastes so great people will think you spent an hour or more! It is also great because most of the ingredients are pantry staples, so you shouldn't have to go out and buy a ton of ingredients.

Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe for Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Lemon Shrimp Linguine

250g uncooked linguine

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic

150-200g frozen cooked mini shrimp, thawed

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon flour
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes (or 1/3 cup chopped fresh)
1/8 teaspoon hot chili flakes (or to taste)
juice of half a lemon

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings

Start by peeling and mincing the garlic cloves as this takes the longest. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of boiling salted water to a rolling boil. Add linguine and drizzle lightly with a bit of oil, if desired. Cook for 8 minutes, or according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil together until bubbly. Add minced garlic and sautee for about 1 minute. Add the shrimp, salt, and pepper; cook for another 5 minutes, until shrimp is heated through. Sprinkle with flour and stir constantly until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and pour over cooked linguine. Add parsley, chili flakes, and lemon juice and toss well. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Enjoy!

Super Moist Banana Muffins

These are the best banana muffins I have ever eaten. They are so moist that you never need butter (although maybe a little is good anyways), and you will be wondering where they all disappeared to. What makes these muffins so moist is the amount of banana in them, as well as the melted butter. Buttery, banana heaven! These are also super quick and easy to make. You will have them in your hot little hands in under 45 minutes.

Banana Muffins

1 egg
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-4 large)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly.

With a fork, mash the bananas. Make sure your bananas are very ripe, almost black. Also be sure to measure the amount of bananas with a glass measuring cup. Be as close as you can get to 1 1/2 cups so the muffins stay nice and moist. Mix together the egg, banana, and melted butter in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, powder, soda, and salt. Add this dry mix to the banana mixture and very gently fold in until just moistened and you do not see anymore white. Do not over mix or this could affect the texture of the muffins. Spoon the mixture evenly into the cups (about 2/3 to 3/4 full). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.

Enjoy!

* To make in a loaf pan, bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes.

Homestyle Bread

I feel like a lot of people think you can't have good homemade bread unless you spend all day making it, or if you have a bread maker. It would probably be a lot easier with a bread maker, but definitely not any better. And making bread by hand doesn't have to take all day. This recipe, from the Joy of Cooking for Fast White Bread, is simple and quick. It takes around 3 hours from start to finish, and most of that time is rising time.

This bread is so delicious warm out of the oven, or used for sandwiches, and even better made as French Toast! You will probably want to make two loaves because it will disappear so quickly.

Homestyle Bread

2 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package quick-rise yeast (active dry will also work)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup very warm water (115-125 degrees F)
2 tablespoons butter, soft or melted
1 to 1 1/4 cups bread flour

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Rising Time: 1.5 hours
Baking Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2.5 - 3 hours
Yield: 1 loaf

In a large bowl or heavy duty stand mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the water and butter, and mix for one minute on low speed. Add more bread flour 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is moist but not sticky.

Knead for 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl (turn the dough to coat completely). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes or until the bread has doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough, form into a loaf (roll into a rectangle that is the width of your pan, roll up the dough, pinch the seam together, and pinch the side seams), and place seam side down into a standard size greased loaf pan. Lightly oil the surface and cover with a clean tea towel. Let rise until doubled in bulk (30-45 minutes). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake the loaf for ten minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 30 minutes. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom of the loaf. Let cool completely.

I found that this bread was much better after letting it sit overnight. It was still extremely moist. I stored it in an old bread bag and cut slices as needed. Delicious!

Hope you enjoy.

*Baker's Tips:
   - The type of loaf pan you choose will alter the finished product. A glass or dark loaf pan will produce a thick dark crust, whereas an light aluminum pan will produce a thin crispy crust. I prefer a thin crisp crust so I used aluminum. If you choose a dark metal or glass pan, it is advised to reduce oven temperature by at least 25 degree to avoid the outside cooking faster than the inside. Baking time should not be affected but check regularly to prevent burning.
   - For a photo tutorial on shaping a loaf of bread, check out this website:
http://www.thekitchn.com/basic-techniques-how-to-shape-97063

Skor Sugar Cookies

This is one of those "Uh-oh... What have I done?" recipes...

Justin and I used to live around the corner for this adorable little breakfast and lunch place called The Bag Lady Variety, with awesome retro decor, the friendliest people, and also the greatest breakfast in town. What they also have are the most divine cookies I've ever eaten, and Justin's favourite... Skor sugar cookies. We would buy them out of these cookies every single time we went without any regret.

Now that we don't live near The Bag Lady anymore, we go less often, and this means less Skor cookies. I've tried before to make a copy cat version with no luck. But this time, I found a better sugar cookie that tastes exactly like them, and is also super easy and quick to make! And now it's... "Uh-oh... I will be making these a lot now."

So prepare yourself for one of the greatest cookies you will ever eat!

Skor Sugar Cookies

2-3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup soft, salted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk (optional)
1/3 cup Skor toffee bits

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, soda, and powder together. In a large bowl or electric stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth.

Add in the dry ingredients gradually. If you find the dough isn't coming together very easily, add in a little bit of milk. I found this helped to keep things moist.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and space at least 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. The dough will spread out quite a bit when baking so it's best to leave more space than less. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand and sprinkle with toffee bits. Flatten again to press the bits into the dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees F, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

The cookies will be very soft when they come out of the oven, which is key to a moist and chewy cookie. If they are not soft, cook them for less time. This means that you need to use a spatula that is as large, or larger than the cookie so that pieces don't break off when you transfer them to the wire rack. Be very gently as they may squish if you touch them too hard.

Enjoy!

Apple Spice Muffins with Crumble Topping

"Wait a second...", you're thinking, "didn't you make these for your last post?"

Well, sort of. I made apple spice mini cupcakes. Actually, I made them twice because they were so delicious (and everyone love them). And since it's the best time of year for baking and apples are almost done, (plus I had a few apples to use up) I'm at it again. I was looking for something in the realm of breakfast, and muffins are always the best thing for breakfast.

Another awesome thing about this recipe, is that sometimes you want crumble, but don't want to go to the extra effort of making it. In this recipe, all you do is set aside some of the dry ingredients before you add the wet ones, and voila! Your crumble is made! Super duper easy! So, here we go...

Apple Spice Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, soft
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup grated, peeled, and cored apple (about 2)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine flour, oats, sugar, powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1/2 cup of this mixture, and stir in cinnamon and nutmeg.

Beat eggs, milk, and apple in a small bowl (for best results, grate the apple last, or sprinkle lightly with lemon juice to prevent browning). Add to dry ingredients all at once, stirring until just moistened. Spoon into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper liners or greased. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the batter and press down gently.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.




Enjoy!
Optional: devour all 12 muffins in less than 24 hours.

Apple Spice Mini Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream

Ahhhh... tis my favourite season. The season of sweaters, colourful trees, and fall treats! Pumpkin, apple, and warm spices.

These mini cupcakes are a delicious, bite sized taste of autumn, and were a perfect addition to Sunday night Thanksgiving dinner that we had last night. Turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing! Yummm!

Apple Spice Mini Cupcakes

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (3-4 apples)
juice of half a lemon
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line your mini muffin tins with paper liners, or grease well. This batter should get you at least 72 mini cupcakes (that's six 12-muffin tins). I made exactly 78 mini cupcakes, which was six full tins, and one half-tin. Remember to fill the empty cups half full with water to ensure the muffins bake evenly, if you need to.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt, soda, powder, and cinnamon. Set aside. Peel, core, and chop up your apples into very small pieces (remember, if you are making mini cupcakes, you want the pieces to be proportional to the size of the cupcake), and toss in a bowl with the lemon juice. This will keep the apples from turning brown. Also, make sure to remove any bruised parts of the apple and discard.

In a large bowl, or in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla. Make sure not to whisk too much. Add in the chopped apples, and stir well. Then, add in the flour mixture, and fold in with a wooden spoon or spatula. Be sure not to over mix the dry ingredients either. Stir until it is just incorporated and the batter is slightly lumpy.

Using a tablespoon (roughly the perfect amount of batter for the mini tins), spoon the batter into the paper liners, or until they are 2/3 full.

Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Make sure you are checking on them more frequently, as they will cook faster than normal sized cupcakes. If you are making regular cupcakes, bake for 25-30 minutes. It may also be a good idea to rotate the pans around the oven halfway through to ensure they are all baked through evenly. While they are baking you can prepare the frosting.

Cinnamon Buttercream

1 cup butter, soft
3 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons cream or milk

Mix all of the ingredients until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. To help get it fluffy, you may need to use a fork and whisk it quickly.

Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with any decorative tip you like. I found that these mini cupcakes had great flavour, so you don't want to overpower that with too much icing. Just a little in the center to give it a little bit extra flavour is plenty!

Enjoy!

A peek into my baking corner, featuring The Big Apple,

where all my tasty creations are made!