Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

This is my first Martha Stewart Cupcakes Club in a really long time. I joined the club right at the beginning, but lost interest when I wasn't enjoying the product I was making from the cookbook. Well, this month wasn't the best time to start up again. The cupcakes turned out dense and heavy just like a muffin.  I find a lot of the recipes for the cookbook are like this. There is a HUGE difference between a cupcake and a muffin.  The first and foremost is the density of it, if it's dense it's a MUFFIN. I made the cupcakes for my students and at least they enjoyed them.

Thanks to Rebecca from the Baking Sisters for choosing this month's cupcake.  Next month Candied Hazelnut Cupcakes.  If you'd like to learn more about the baking club click here and please make sure to check out the other member's blogs.

Everything you need

Flour covered chocolate chips (so they don't sink to the bottom)

Batter without the egg whites

Whipping up the egg whites

Batter with egg whites

Finished batter

S'more Squares

I love s'mores, I think it is my favourite flavour combination.  I found this awesome recipe from The Happy Baker.  It's the best recipe for s'more squares out there, even better than Martha Stewart's.  I give these squares as presents as everyone loves them and they go great with hot chocolate.  Here is the recipe with a couple tweaks.


2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg 
2 and1/3 cups graham crumbs
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt


1, 7 oz. container of fluff
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 
1  1/2 cups mini marshmallows


Incorporate the first seven ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or with a hand held blender.  Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and press the rest into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Put the fluff into the microwave for about 30 seconds and spread the fluff over the graham mixture.  Sprinkle chocolate chips all over the fluff and then the marshmallows over the chocolate chips.  Sprinkle the remaining graham mixture on top and press into the marshmallows.  


Bake for 20 - 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Let sit and cut into squares.

Peanut Butter, Chocolate chip, Peanut Butter Chip and Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Cookieeeeees, I love cookies especially when they are gooey inside.  These cookies are the holy grail of peanut butter and chocolate.  They have everything a peanut butter lover needs to satisfy that need.  

Right now Reece's has a limited edition peanut butter cup bar out that is double the weight of the regular three cups.  I have grown to love this bar as I was hard as a die hard fan to wrap my head around not eating the chocolate cups.

I found this recipe from allrecipes.com and made a couple of adjustments to suit my needs.  By the way this recipe makes about three dozen cookies; I made two dozen then froze the rest of the batter.

Recipe:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup peanut butter chips
• 6 chocolate covered peanut butter cups or two bars, cut into chunks

Cream the butter and sugars together.  Add eggs one at a time and add the vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda and add to the butter mixture.  Add the chips and chunks to the mixture and incorporate with a spatula.

Bake at 350 for around eight minutes, the cookies will look underdone but will crisp up out of the oven.  Keep on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before moving them to the cooling racks.

We ate them too fast for me to take pictures of the final product but here are some while I was making them.  Try them for yourself, they are worth every ounce of butter.  

All of the mix-ins

dough...mmm!