Homemade peanut butter cups.

I made homemade peanut butter cups.  IT IS SO EASY! I will share the hows:


NEEDS:
Creamy Peanut Butter
Chocolate Candy Melts (Milk or Dark or White, take your pick)
Pastry bags.  Always use pastry bags.  They make life better.  They also now make some that are made with corn based plastic, so they make life better and less guilty.
Small Candy mold.  I got mine in a mini-cupcake baking kit from a scholastic book fair.  Best purchase ever, it came with a tiny cupcake silicone pan, a couple of fondant cutters and little pastry bags and tips.  And a recipe book.  SO CUTE!

STEPS:

Melt Candy melts inside pastry bag in the microwave.  I use half power for 1 to 2 minutes.

Put a few tablespoons of creamy peanut butter in a pastry bag.

Once the chocolate is melted, pipe a small layer into the bottom of the mold.  Let it set.  After it has set, pipe your creamy peanut butter into the mold in a pile.  Do not let it touch the sides.

Now,  Pipe the melted chocolate into your mold, letting it drizzle around and settle about the peanut butter.

Let candy set (Put in freezer for one minute if you aren't patient.)

Pop out and enjoy.

The end.

Peppermint Bark, Robyn style

I posted this recipe last year, but am reposting due to it's popularity on pinterest.  I had no idea my blog had gotten pinned over 90 times from this little bit.  So this time, I've put it back up with my new watermark and very clear step-by-step directions.


PEPPERMINT BARK - ROBYN STYLE

So, I love peppermint flavors.  Peppermint mocha?  Yes, please.  Peppermint lifesaver?  Always.  Peppermint Bark?  So divine.

I learned this recipe from the internet a while back.  It basically is a quick candy, which makes it super easy for a gift.  But I'm not a big fan of using candy canes or peppermint starlight mints like most people suggest.  So I use my happy little cheaty method.

This happens to be a favorite of my out-of-town uncle and so I make it every time he comes into town to visit my Grandparents.  So, every few months or so.

I start with one package of Almond Bark Coating.  You can find this in most grocery stores around Christmas time.  When it's not Christmas, it's a little more difficult to find it.  However, if you're willing to say, drive to 8 different stores in the off season, you will eventually find it.  Or, you could use Candy Melts, though they usually cost twice as much per ounce.  Me, I'm a driver.

You also need decorative sugars and peppermint candy oil.

You'll need a microwave safe bowl, a pot holder, a spatula, a spoon, a cookie sheet and parchment paper.

So, rundown:

• One 24 oz. package Almond Bark (or equivalent amount of candy melts)
• Peppermint candy oil (NOT EXTRACT)
• Colorful Sugars (I use seasonal ones... pastels in spring, fall colors in Autumn, etc)

• Microwaves safe bowl
• Pot Holder
• Spatula
• Spoon
• Cookie Sheet
• Parchment Paper 

Spread the parchment paper on the cookie sheet and sprinkle some of the decorative sugars on top.  Set aside.
 
Break the Bark into 3 chunks of four squares.  I break it once along the length and then in the middle.

Melt one 4 square in the microwave safe bowl for a minute on half power.  This is VITAL.  If you do it on full power, you scorch it.

Remove and stir.  Add two drops of peppermint oil.  If fully melted, pour in place.  Use the spatulas to ensure you get it all out of the bowl.

 Repeat until all your chunks are melted and poured in.  Two or three drops of the candy oil per 4square.  Once it's poured onto the cookie sheet, you can shake it a little to even it out or spread it with the spatula.

Sprinkle with the sugars.  The oil provides a perfect amount of peppermint without the pain and drama of crushing candy canes or, God Forbid, starlight mints.  Starlight mints need diamond tips to shatter, swear.

I used to do the whole package at once, but the edges sometimes scorched.  DO NOT SET IN FRIDGE OR FREEZER.  I've learned an ugly lesson from this.  You have to let it set at room temperature.  If you set it in the freezer, it will be difficult to break and it will sweat later.

Once it's set, you can break it up into chunks and then place it in your container, in this case, a little cardboard treat box:

Things I've done recently

Pinterest made me hungry.  (Follow Me?)

I was minding my own business trying to not leave the comfort of our lovely sitting room.  I was perusing Pinterest and I have so many foodie friends, that I just couldn't help but get a craving for some nummy treats.  Since I hadn't eaten yet today, i decided to follow the trend of mini-egg soufle type recipes on pinterest and make up my own.  It was super easy.  I didn't follow any recipe, I just went with it.

I found some stuff in the fridge and stirred it all together in a bowl, then put it in a muffin tin and baked in on 350 for about 25 minutes.

Here are the ingredients. 

6 Medium Free Range Cage Free Eggs
pico de gayo (prob a half cup)
a splash of milk (prob 1/4 cup)
1/2 a package of turkey bacon pieces (maybe 2/3 cup)
a good dose of cheese (prob a cup)
Penzey's Shallot Pepper (a good sprinkling... 2 tablespoons?)
Italian blend herbs (prob a tablespoon)

It went over well with the fam, everyone ate it.  And here are some pictures courtesy of my brother's spectacular camera and featuring the cake dish my mother bought so I could take pretty pictures for the blog:

tThings I would do differently:

• More Cheese.  Cheese is like the best invention ever.
• Shorter cooking time:  fluffy and a little moist is okay by me.
• Photograph before they cool and fall slightly.

All-in-all, I'm not displeased by my foray into the egg cupcake.  Now I'm going to tell you about the awesomeness that is the Strawberry shortcake cupcake.

The Strawberry Shortcake cupcake was born of a perfect blending of ideas from all the women who head up the Sunday Night Beer Tasting Soiree.

At first, I was trying to come up with a good memorial day dessert for our church picnic.  I was trying to figure out how best to do those shot glass desserts that are all the rage at casual dining spots.

Robyn: Don't you think I could just do it in cupcake form?  Like a strawberry shortcake cup cake, made with an egg white cake, and topped with strawberries and whipped cream?

Sister (part-time genius): Can't you shove a strawberry in it and then cook it?

Robyn: Sound delicious.

Mother (Full time genius): The strawberry will moosh and goo.  You should use a Strawberry jam or preserve.


So.... Here you go:


Make an egg white cake mix.  Put it in cupcake liners.

Spoon one spoon of all-fruit no additives preserves into the center.

Bake.

Top with a white butter cream (Crisco style not butter based) and shove a fresh delicious strawberry on top.

Watch parishioners enjoy.  There were reports of licking fingers and lips clean during eating.

Yeah.  No pictures exist :o(  but it happened.


And finally!!!!!

Graduation cupcakes....

I made cupcakes.  Topped with white icing and threw this bad boy on top:

 (http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Graduation-Caps)

I might be able to get my sister to upload the pictures.

On a side nite, Nestle After Eight mints are freaking delicious!

Anyway, HAPPY SATURDAY, CUPCAKES!


-Robyn

After Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Today's menu:

Chocolate Fudge cupcake topped with peanut butter ganache, drizzled with milk chocolate and garnished with peanuts. 


Super tasty, too.  Instead of posting recipes here, since I get all my recipes from AllRecipes.com or Epicuroius.com, I'm just going to post photos.

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Ganache

I used 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 cup reese's peanut butter baking chips.

Milk Chocolate Candy Drizzle

I let my sister take the pictures, and it shows, right?  Anyway, Happy Eats!

Curse you, internet!

So, I looked up how to make modeling chocolate online.  I found a place extolling the awesomeness of candymelts and corn syrup blended in.  So... I make this substance.  And instead of modeling chocolate, I ended up with a non-Newtonian substance.

I shoved it into the freezer after no good came from my efforts with it and will now focus my afternoons energies on Molding candy melts for the tops of my cupcakes and leave the molding chocolate for another day.

Meanwhile, check out my molded candies...

Works in progress:

Those little things are spider bodies and bats.