Home | Catch My Party

 Molly at CakeFYI is back with another insane dessert... chocolate peanut butter cookie dough cupcakes!! I'm dying because this is so up my alley!!!

In my household, the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is an absolute dessert staple. If you love it too, then you’ll definitely want to try these cupcakes!

This unique recipe starts with a simple chocolate cupcake batter, but by adding edible raw peanut butter cookie dough to the center, as well as more to the batter, you get something totally transformed. Plus I top them with peanut butter cookie dough frosting for just a tad more decadence!

Edible Raw Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Ingredients

• 1/4 C Butter
• 1/4 C White Sugar
• 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 2/3 C Flour
• 1/4 C Peanut Butter

Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in flour and peanut butter until well mixed. Set aside.

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1/4 C White Sugar
• 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 3/4 C + 2 TBSP Flour
• 1/4 C +2 TBSP Cocoa Powder
• 3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 C Milk
• 1/4 C Saffola Oil
• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Water, Boiling

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Add egg, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat well.

Pour in boiling water, and stir the batter until combined.

Grease or line a cupcake pan. Fill each cupcake well halfway with batter, then add a teaspoon sized ball of cookie dough in the middle. Top with additional batter.

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool completely.

Once cooled, top with Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Icing and sprinkles.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Icing

• 1/2 C Butter
• Remaining Cookie Dough
• 2 1/2-3 C Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 1/2 C Peanut Butter, or more to taste

Cream the butter and remaining peanut butter cookie dough.

Then add half of the powdered sugar. Add the milk and continue to beat. Continue to add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Beat in the peanut butter.

Molly, once again you've blown me away with what you create, thank you!!!

To learn more about Molly check her out at CakeFYI.

 

Molly from CakeFYI has been busy dreaming up some more delicious treats for us! Check out her newest recipe!

To me, soft pretzels are a dream come true. They’re kind of tough on the outside, but they’re so fluffy on the inside. They’re the perfect snack at any age, but let me tell you, those simple pretzels can get so much better.

It’s sort of a timely process to make pretzel bites, but it’s incredibly fun and pretty darn simple. I dunked these in a homemade salted caramel sauce and sprinkled them with sea salt to give them an extra kick of flavor. I don’t think you need any more convincing.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C Warm Water
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Pkg Active Dry Yeast
• 4 1/2 C Flour
• 2 Tbsp Butter, melted
• 6 Cups Water, for boiling
• 1/4 C Baking Soda, for boiling
• 1 Large Egg Yolk

Tools: Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, large pot, baking sheet

First, add your water and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Then sprinkle in the yeast.

Give the mixture a little stir, and let it sit for 5 minutes.

After about 5 minutes, the yeast mixture will begin to bubble and foam. Then, gradually begin to add half of the flour, mixing on low as you go.

After adding half of the flour, gradually add the melted butter. Then, continue to add the remaining flour.

Once you’ve added all of the flour, and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, it’s ready to knead. Put your mixer on medium-high, and let it knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.

Next, brush the sides of a large bowl with oil, or spray it with cooking spray. Roll the dough around in the bowl to coat it in oil. Let the dough sit to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until it has doubled in size. Once the dough has risen, we’re ready to form the pretzel bites!

Fill a large pot with water and add the baking soda before you turn the stove on high. Let it come to a rolling boil. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Meanwhile, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 1 dough portion at a time, roll out fat ropes of dough, about 10 inches long and 1 inch wide. Cut each dough rope into 8 small pieces, and set them on a greased baking sheet.

Once your water begins to boil, carefully drop 6-8 pretzel bites into the pot. Let them boil for about 30 seconds, and then place them back on the greased baking sheet. I like to use a slotted spoon or a spatula to get them out. That way, there isn’t too much water on the baking sheet. They’re going to look a bit lumpy at this point, but don’t worry about it. They will take shape once they’re baked.

Whisk 1 large egg yolk with a splash of water. Brush the pretzel bites with this mixture to give it an egg wash.

Bake the pretzel bites for 7-8 minutes until golden. Immediately transfer them to wire racks to cool.

Now, what about that Salted Caramel Sauce I mentioned?

Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 3/4 Brown Sugar
• 1/3 C Milk
• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tsp Salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, add the brown sugar, milk, and vanilla and whisk well. Let the sauce boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not stir it!

Once boiled, remove it from the heat and whisk well. Pour it into a jar or bowl immediately, and place it in the fridge for 5 minutes to slightly thicken.

Grab a cookie sheet, and place it under the wire rack. Dunk the top of each pretzel bite in the caramel sauce. Swirl it around to get the excess off. Top them with a sprinkle of salt, and let them set to dry for 1 hour.

 

And voila!!! Bite size deliciousness... bet you can't eat just one!

 

Thanks Molly, for the yummy recipe! To learn more about Molly check her out at CakeFYI.

I love summer. I love the warm weather, the long days, and hanging out with friends and family. I also love taking trips. We're actually on our whirlwind summer trip right now to visit my family on the East Coast.

I'm writing this post from my hotel  room in NYC.  I put together this collage of some highlights of our NYC trip so far:

• The view of the Empire State Building from our hotel room
• A Hebrew National hotdog at Lucky's Famous Burgers with their special spicy sauce -- my favorite hotdog!
• Gelato from Il Labratorio del Gelato
• My daughter getting her photo on a cupcake at House of Cupcakes
• Me trying on new glasses at Warby Parker
• A pastrami sandwich and chicken soup from Katz's Deli -- an institution!
• A ginormous Hershey's Bar my daughter would like me to buy her

To see more of my trip and follow me a long, check me out on Instagram.

During the summer, I like to create food that feels casual and easy. So as a companion recipe to the Spanish Tortilla with Hot Dog I posted last week (and sticking to the Spanish theme), I also created this Summer Gazpacho Salad. The salad features the flavors I love in a gazpacho - cucumber, tomato, pepper, and garlic with a nice kick from the vinegar and lime. The Spanish Tortilla brings a salty, richness to the menu, whereas the gazpacho salad brings a crisp, summer freshness.

SUMMER GAZPACHO SALAD

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 red pepper
• 1 basket of cherry tomatoes
• 1 spicy green pepper (Jalapeño or Poblano)
• 1/2 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons parsley (Italian)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 lime
• 2 shredded chicken breasts
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red or sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Directions: 

Dice the cucumber and red pepper, and add the cherry tomatoes (halved) to a bowl. To give the salad some heat, use a roasted a spicy pepper (we used a jalapeño). Remove the skin and seeds, dice the pepper, and add to the bowl.

Now shred or chop the chicken breasts and add to the bowl.

Dice 1/2 an onion, and mince or press the garlic. Chop 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 tablespoon of cilantro and add to the salad. Save the rest of the parsley and cilantro for garnish.

To dress the salad, mix 4 tablespoons of olive oil, juice from 1 lime (and optionally the zest from the lime), 1 tablespoon of red or sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Toss the salad in the dressing, and sprinkle some of the leftover parsley and cilantro over the top. You can serve immediately, but it tastes even better if you put in the fridge for a few hours and let the flavor marinate.

For summer entertaining, the Spanish tortilla and summer gazpacho salad make the perfect match! I love serving them together at a summer BBQ!

Hebrew National tastes great because, for more than 100 years, we've adhered to the highest quality standards. Hebrew National Franks are made with premium cuts of 100% pure kosher beef, and contain no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no by-products, and no fillers. Premium taste and high quality every time, for any occasion. That's our guarantee. Learn about even more reasons to love Hebrew National, and tell us why you love them, too! www.facebook.com/HebrewNational

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Hebrew National via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Hebrew National. 

What a fun Memorial Day weekend I just had! Lots of time spent with my little family, exploring San Francisco and doing lots of local stuff in Palo Alto. Honestly I can't think of a better way to enjoy a long weekend!

My weekend in a nutshell... We hung out at the Golden Gate bridge, went to the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, spent time with my in-laws in San Francisco, and I even got a foot massage! To learn more about my escapades, check me out on Instagram!

To celebrate the start of summer, I was asked by Hebrew National (sponsor of this post) to come up with a delicious recipe using Hebrew National hot dogs. I've loved Hebrew National hot dogs since I was a kid. It was the only hot dog my mom would serve because she thought they were the best. And with my recipe, well, I think I've succeeded at making something delicious!

Inspired by my husband's love of Spain, I present to you my Spanish Tortilla! (Spanish tortillas are very similar to fritattas but with potatoes.) This tortilla is filled with potatoes, onions, pepper, spices, and cut up hot dog to give it that smokey, salty taste. Yum!

What's great about this dish is that it's perfect for easy entertaining. You can make it the day before, then serve it hot or cold. Plus, it works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! And it's delicious!!

SPANISH TORTILLA

Ingredients:

12 eggs 1/2 cup of diced yellow onion 1/2 cup of diced red onion 1 cup of chopped red pepper 1 1/2 cups chopped small red potatoes 4 hot dogs (you can substitute chorizo) 1 garlic clove 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in half, then quarter. Boil for about 10 minutes, or until they just start to soften. Strain the water and set aside.

Put a cast iron or over safe 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, thinly sliced hot dogs, salt, diced onion, red pepper, and minced garlic clove. Stir until onions start to soften, than add the potatoes. Stir gently (so as not to break the potatoes) until they are cooked through. You can add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk the 12 eggs in a bowl, and pour into the skillet. Stir occasionally, pulling the cooked bottom up. When it starts to solidify, but is still a little runny, move the pan to the oven. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, just until the top starts to brown.

Cut into slices, garnish with a little cilantro, and serve!

Hebrew National tastes great because, for more than 100 years, we've adhered to the highest quality standards. Hebrew National Franks are made with premium cuts of 100% pure kosher beef, and contain no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no by-products, and no fillers. Premium taste and high quality every time, for any occasion. That's our guarantee. Learn about even more reasons to love Hebrew National, and tell us why you love them, too! www.facebook.com/HebrewNational

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Hebrew National via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Hebrew National.

Want a quick, fun, yummy treat to serve at your Memorial Day barbecue? How about homemade cinnamon sugar pita chips? I promise your guests will love them!

CINNAMON SUGAR PITA CHIPS

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 3-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 stick of butter at room temperature
• 2 pita
• 1 pinch of salt

• 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut each pita into 8 slices.

Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt in a small bowl. Mix until creamy.

Spread the mixture on top of each slice and in the middle. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes checking often. The longer you bake, the crispier they will get.

Enjoy, and Happy Memorial Day!!

 

I'm all about sweet and salty, and Molly from CakeFYI has captured it perfectly in this new recipe. 

Hunting for the perfect Father’s Day cupcake recipe? Look no further! Today, I’m thrilled to be bringing you this unique recipe for Salted Caramel Pretzel Cupcakes - the perfect salty and sweet combination! These cupcakes are made with a salty caramel batter. They’re topped with salted caramel icing, crunchy pretzels, and a salted caramel drizzle. What more could you ask for?

Salted Caramel Pretzel Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3/4 C Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/4 Cups Flour
• 1 3/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 Cup Milk

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated.

Add half of the milk and mix well.

Add another third of the flour, mix, and then add the remaining milk.

Add the remaining flour and continue beating until well mixed.

Using a ¼ measuring cup, divide the batter equally among 12 cupcake wells.

Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool before icing.

Once cupcakes have cooled, ice them with Salted Caramel Icing. Top with crushed pretzels, and drizzle with additional Salted Caramel Sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce

• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 3/4 C Brown Sugar
• 1/2 C Milk
• 1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tsp Salt

Melt butter on low in a saucepan. Once melted, add brown sugar, milk, and vanilla and whisk together.

Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in salt, and let cool.

Salted Caramel Icing

• 1/2 C Butter
• 4 1/2 C Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tbsp Salted Caramel Sauce

Beat the butter and a 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. Add the extract and Salted Caramel Sauce and continue beating. Continue to add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

If you like salted caramel, check out these salted caramel blondies Molly also created for us! To learn more about Molly check her out at CakeFYI.

Here are some fun posts I did for Spoonful this week...

Graduation cap pops are simple to make and very fun to eat, too!

Get some great ideas on how to throw a golf themed party for Father's Day!

This sparkling strawberry ginger lemonade recipe is so refreshing and delicious!

 For more party planning inspiration, check out all my posts on Spoonful!

Do you think of yourself as a "foodie"? Then have you seen the newly redesigned Foodie site? It's filled with photos of beautiful dishes and new inspiring recipes that are easy to bookmark. I don't know about you, but I love browsing photos of gorgeous food. I find it weirdly relaxing. I think it must be the feeling of comfort it evokes. Do you feel the same way?

One of the best thing about Foodie is if you want to add your recipes to the site, it's simple (no need to retype). With their bookmarlet tool (like the Pinterest "pin" button), Foodie will upload your recipes all by itself. Plus you can follow people you like and have people follow you. Here's my info if you want to follow me.

Foodie has a Foodie iPad app that's updated seasonally. It features some of the best recipes from the site. Personally, I think the Spring Flavor app looks delicious and I just downloaded it. I love having great recipes at my fingertips on my iPad. Makes cooking so much easier!

Look for our recipes in an upcoming edition!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Foodie.com.

 

CakeFYI is here to show you how to make bright, bold, beautiful rainbow cupcakes...

As spring is upon us, and bright colors are beginning to pop, it’s time to add some color to your desserts! You’ve probably seen the infamous layered rainbow cakes filling up your Pinterest feed, but what about rainbow cupcakes? These cupcakes, inspired by those layered rainbow cakes, will serve as the ultimate pop of color at your next event. Starting with a basic white cupcake batter, they’re incredibly easy to make. Use any color combinations you like to make your own unique dessert.

Ultimate Rainbow Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
• 1 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/4 Cups Flour
• 1 3/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 Cup Milk

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated.

Add half of the milk and mix well.

Add another third of the flour, mix, and then add the remaining milk.

Add the remaining flour and continue beating until well mixed.

Separate the batter into 6 bowls or cups. You’ll want about 1/2 cup of batter in each. I like to use paper cups for easy clean up!

Color each cup of batter a separate color, from red to violet. I used Wilton gel food coloring, but you can use any food coloring of your choice.

Add one tablespoon of violet batter to each cupcake well. Then add the blue, the green, and so on.

You’ll finish with the red.

Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool before icing.

Basic Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Butter, softened 3-3 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar> 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract 1 Tablespoon Milk

Beat the butter and a 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar.

Add the vanilla and milk and continue beating.

Continue to add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

Using the same method as above, separate the icing into bowls or cups. This time, I only used 4 colors, but you can certainly use all 6!

Color each cup of icing a separate color. I used violet, green, blue, and yellow.

Prepare a piping bag with your favorite icing tip. To make the swirled color effect, simply alternate colors while filling the bag. Do one scoop of violet, one of green, and so on. Beat the butter and a 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar.

Add the vanilla and milk and continue beating.

Continue to add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

Using the same method as above, separate the icing into bowls or cups. This time, I only used 4 colors, but you can certainly use all 6!

Color each cup of icing a separate color. I used violet, green, blue, and yellow.

Using slight pressure, pipe thick swirls of icing on top of your cupcakes.

 

Thanks Molly, they're gorgeous! To learn more about Molly check her out at CakeFYI.

I've been talking about my chocolate soufflé for a while, so I'm finally posting the recipe.

My main takeaway from making chocolate soufflé, is that it's no way near as hard as people say. The main thing to remember is not to get any egg yolk in your egg whites. Otherwise, it's pretty simple.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 oz. dark chocolate (I used 70% cocoa content)
• 3 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar to coat the ramekins

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Grease four 3 1/2 inch ramekins with butter. Pour a couple of teaspoons of granulated sugar into each ramekin, cover with saran wrap, and toss to coat the inside. Spill out the remaining sugar. Put the ramekins in the refrigerator until you are ready to add the soufflé mixture.

Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, or you carefully microwave it on medium at 30 second intervals until it is melted. Stir occasionally until smooth.

Beat the yolks until creamy in a separate bowl. Remove the chocolate from from the heat and mix in the yolks.

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to whip the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until it starts to foam up (soft peaks). Add the 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and continue to mix on high until it it is glossy and firm (hard peaks).

With a spatula, thoroughly mix about 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate. Now very gently, fold in the remaining egg whites into the chocolate sauce in three batches. Keep it as foamy and light as you can.

Spoon the mixture into the ramekins. If you want more of a "hat" top (see our cheese soufflé recipe), you can fill to the rim, then run your finger around the inside edge of the ramekin.

Bake for about 12 minutes, then quickly and without jarring the soufflés, remove them from the oven and dust with some powdered sugar.

Serve quickly because they will start to collapse a little after a minute or so (this is just what happens to soufflés), plus they are so stinkin' awesome when they're hot.

Just looking at these photos makes me want to bake another!