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Chocolate Biscoff Buttercream Cupcakes
This post is brought to you by Biscoff Spread // Have you “Spread the Love” yet? You know, the spread that has taken the nation by storm… Biscoff Spread. I have dipped my toe in the Biscoff pool a couple of times and today I’m sharing my Chocolate Biscoff Cupcakes along with sharing about the Biscoff Spread the Love Challenge. All you have to do is share your photos of how you use Biscoff. You could win a trip to Belgium to the Biscoff factory, cash prizes or a years worth of Biscoff!!
What is Biscoff? Well, if you’ve ever flown on a commercial airline within the last 20 years you may have had a Lotus Biscoff cookie as a in-flight treat. They are a tasty cookie created in Belgium, and in Europe they are called Lotus Speculoos cookies.
Back in 2007 a culinary enthusiast brought their Speculoos creation to a Belgium reality television show, not unlike our Shark Tank here in the U.S. and pitched an idea for turning the Speculoos cookies into a spread. The folks at Lotus LOVED the idea and that is how Biscoff Spread was born. Within 3 hours of it’s first release, the Biscoff spread sold out and it has become an overnight sensation all over the world!! Click here to find out where you can buy Biscoff.
All Biscoff products are made with all-natural ingredients and are preservative-free. They are free of trans fat and cholesterol and made without genetically modified ingredients or artificial colors. They are Vegan and also do not contain nuts.
You can enjoy Biscoff in many ways, on toast, with apple slices, in a sandwich or in all kinds of sweet goodies. About a year ago, I created a Biscoff Crepe Raspberry Cake that was truly a show stopper.
When I was developing that recipe I created my Biscoff buttercream recipe that is perfect for all types of desserts. This week I topped my favorite chocolate cupcakes with that amazing Biscoff buttercream and it was heaven in cupcake form.
Chocolate Biscoff Buttercream Cupcakes
Chocolate Cake:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix (any kind, I've used chocolate fudge, Swiss chocolate, or milk chocolate)
1 C Mini Chocolate Chips
1 cup Sour Cream
1 Pkg. of Chocolate Pudding (small 3.5 oz. box)
Biscoff Buttercream:
2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup Biscoff
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3-4 cups of powder sugar
1-2 tbsp. whole milk
Directions
For the most amazing chocolate cake ever, prepare cake batter as directed on box, and add sour cream, pudding and chocolate chips. Pour into cupcake liners. Bake as directed on box (you might need to add a minute or two to the baking time because of the added ingredients). Place on a wire rack to cool.
For the buttercream I just modified my Simple Vanilla Buttercream recipe a bit by adding the Biscoff and lowering the amount of vanilla extract. It’s a good classic and easy buttercream recipe.
In a bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, place softened butter and Biscoff. Cream the two together and add vanilla extract. Turn mixer off and add half of the powder sugar, carefully turn the mixer on low and mix the sugar in completely. Add the remaining sugar slowly until it creates a dough like consistency. Add 1 tbsp. of milk and mix on high. Check the consistency of the buttercream. If it’s too tight add more milk. Mix on high for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.
If needed store in a air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Take out of the fridge for an hour or two before you want to use it to make sure that it is at room temperature when you need it.
Using a jumbo closed star decorating tip with a pastry bag from Sweet Baking Supply, I iced the cupcakes with a simple swirl and then drizzled a little melted Biscoff on top. For some added flair you can break-off a piece of a Lotus Biscoff cookie and place it on top of the frosting. These cupcakes will hold up quite well as long as the temperatures aren't too hot. Refrigerate if don't plan on eating them for a bit, but make sure to bring them back up to room temperature before serving.
Don't forget to visit the Biscoff challenge for a chance to win a fun trip or a years worth of Biscoff. You can also find fun ideas on their Pinterest Boards along with their Facebook page.
Friday Flair Link Party // Chocolate Mousse Edition
Friday Flair Link Party // All I have to say is… YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!! Last week during the first Friday Flair of the new year, I wasn't sure what to expect and you all blew me away. You know, it's kind of a funny world us bloggers live in. We sit here in our homes, behind our computers, working on our projects and you never really know who's out there checking out all of your hard work. Sometimes you wonder if anyone really cares, so it's such a wonderful feeling to find out that people do care, so I thank you so much for coming back every week to share in this fun little party.
I am working on several new projects that I'm excited to share. I have a cold weather project that you can work on with your kiddos, a video on how to do some advanced techniques with your Silhouette, some great recipes and valentine's projects galore. I am also working on making WhipperBerry a little easier to use, so stay tuned for all kinds of fun things. But… enough about me, here is this week's inspiration photo from Minimally Invasive. It's a two ingredient chocolate mousse that I am going to have to try!
img source // two ingredient chocolate mousse from minimally invasive
Serisously, check it out! The two ingredients will blow your mind. Now it's time for YOU to blow our minds!!
Let's Get the Link Party Started
Vanilla Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla salted chocolate chip cookie recipe // I don't know anyone who doesn't go weak in the knees when served a nice warm chocolate chip cookie… They are truly mom's love right on a plate. Now, there are many different recipes for this beloved cookie but I have stumbled across THE PERFECT chocolate chip cookies recipe…
I grew up with the classic Toll House cookie recipe that my Mom has made for decades and I'm a fan, but I also felt like there was something missing with this recipe. I stumbled across a chocolate chip recipe on Tidy Mom that challenged my idea of a good chocolate chip cookie. Cheryl's recipe is the New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe adapted from the original recipe from Jacques Torres. This recipe calls for slightly different ingredients than your traditional cookie, like the addition of baking powder and for the dough to be chilled no-less than 24 hours before baking. The big new ingredient for this recipe is the addition of a sprinkle of course sea salt on top of the cookie before baking. It's kind of like the popular salted caramel concept. I decided to take the addition of sea salt to the next level… Have you ever heard of Vanilla Sea Salt?
I discovered Vanilla Sea Salt or Vanilla Fleur de Sel, last year when I was doing research for my homemade Vanilla Extract. I ordered a bottle because I thought it would be perfect for caramels, little did I know that it would also be wonderful with these cookies. I do believe we can make our own vanilla sea salt, I'm going to work on that and see what I come up with.
Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here is my adaptation of this famous New York Times recipe…
2 (minus 2 tablespoons) cups cake flour
1 2/3 cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/4 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds of bittersweet chocolate
vanilla sea salt
Directions
In a large bowl mix sift the the dry ingredients together starting with the flours then adding baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugars together. Mix on high for 5 minutes until the mixer is really light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on high for 1 more minute. Slowly combine the butter and sugar mixer with the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the chocolate and place in a large storage container. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and then place the lid on the storage container. Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, 72 would be best.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, pre-heat the oven to 350 degree. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick cooking mat. Scoop six 2 1/2 ounce dough balls. I used this one ounce scoop and placed two generous scoops together to create one large ball and then sprinkle a pinch of the vanilla sea salt on top of the dough.
Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, just until it starts to brown. When you take the cookie out of the oven it will look slightly underdone. You want them that way. That's what makes these cookies magical…
Let the cookies cool. You will find that after they have cooled a bit, these cookies have a crisp texture on the outside and are still soft and chewy on the inside.When you bite into one you will have that sweet taste of the cookie and every once in a while you will have a lovely burst of salt from that vanilla sea salt and you will be in heaven. Quite honestly this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie in my book!
What's your favorite cookie recipe? Have you found "the perfect" cookie recipe for your taste? Let us know, we would love to try some more idea!
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