omaha food blog

June 25, 2013

4th of july cupcakes with an amazing giveaway

what a great post i have for you!!! a little long but worth the time because it includes cupcakes and an awesome giveaway.

Betsy from Java Cupcake and Carrie from Bella Cupcake Couture are the organizers of this cupcake blog party, and includes 23 other bloggers with different cupcake recipes. pretty much 2 recipes a month for you to bake for an entire year!

the assignment: to display simple and delicious cupcakes in bella cupcake couture cupcake wrappers with props laying around the house to show you how to create a good looking cupcake table with little effort.

the theme for the cupcake blog party? 4th of july, of course. which i think is a perfect fit since the holiday is almost upon us. it came by really fast, didn’t it?

if you have a get together planned for 4th of july, you ~~need~~ must get these cupcake wrappers {or enter for your chance to win it} and display your cupcakes effortlessly because these {cute wrappers} basically do the job for you. and that’s one less thing you have to do.

isn’t that nice?

and if you don’t have a party, it’s time you start planning one. you still got a week or so to go!

let me tell you about the props. they look kind of fancy but in reality they are far from it. well, some do have sentimental value, which is nice but i promise they aren’t fancy at all.

the backdrop are napkins my husband’s late grandma gifted us at our wedding shower. the cake stand i had it before we got married and actually used it at our wedding.

the stars are made from paper i downloaded from martha stewart’s website for free. i got the stars template from the internet for free as well. just google “free star template” and you’ll find tons.

and i taped some of the paper stars to toothpicks to create the cupcake toppers.

cupcake wrappers + cupcake toppers = good looking cupcakes!

the ribbon/star backdrop was pretty easy. scotch taped the ribbon to the napkins and glued the paper stars to the ribbon. i also had red ribbon laying around so i cut it in 1-inch pieces for a “festive” 4th of july confetti.

see? something you can easily accomplish for any party, actually. they look great and there was no hard work involved at all!

happy birthday america!

below are the details on how to enter the giveaway.

and here’s a recipe for my favorite vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.

vanilla cupcakes ingredients:
1 and 1/8 cups cake flour
1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature {still cold to the touch; sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature {sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature {sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}

yields 10 cupcakes

4th of July vanilla buttercream ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter {still cold to the touch; sitting on kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes}
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon blue gel paste food coloring

yields a generous amount for 10 cupcakes

directions:

preheat oven to 350F. line one standard cupcake pan with paper liners {10 cups in total} and set aside. in a medium bowl, sift cake flour with baking powder and salt. mix with a whisk and set aside.
cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute over medium speed {kitchenaid setting #5}.
add sugar to butter and cream together for 3 minutes over medium speed until fluffy.
set speed to medium low {kitchenaid setting #4} and add eggs one at a time and mixing 20 seconds in between to incorporate well. add vanilla and mix for 30 more seconds.
stop mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and paddle attachment and mix on high for 30 seconds to mix all ingredients well. if batter curdles beat for 30 seconds more.
set speed to the lowest setting and alternate flour mixture with milk in three additions. do not over mix.
scoop batter into cups with an ice cream scoop filling them 3/4 full.
bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, rotating cupcakes half way through. let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 minutes and out of the pan for about 30 minute on the same wire rack.
make the frosting: cream butter for 3 minutes over medium speed {setting #5 on kitchenaid} with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. once done creaming mix for 30 more seconds at high speed.
stop mixer. add sugar and beat at the lowest speed setting possible for 1 to 2 minutes until combined. while mixing add vanilla, salt, milk and gel paste food coloring. increase speed to setting #6 or medium high and beat for 3 more minutes until fluffy and creamy. frost cupcakes with round tip or with an offset spatula.
store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

now we talk giveaway! the participating bloggers and their recipes include:

A Pumpkin & A Princess An American Cupcake in London Bella Cupcake Couture

Chronicles of a Foodie Creative Food Cupcakes Take the Cake

Diary of a Mad Hausfrau Haniela’s Healthful Pursuit Hoosier Homemade

Hungry Happenings In Katrina’s Kitchen Inside BruCrew Life

Java Cupcake Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons Love From the Oven Make Bake Celebrate

Not Just a Mommy Not Your Mommas Cookie Pint Sized Baker

Sugar Swings! Serve Some The Baking Cup Cupcake Project The Decorated Cookie

and let’s not forget the cool prizes!

thanks to our amazing Prize Pack sponsors for their generous donations! please, visit their websites to see more of their fabulous products!

Bella Cupcake Couture

The Smart Baker

India Tree

Lucks Food Decorating Company

Pretty Party Details

to enter to WIN this Prize Pack, simply fill out the entry form by clicking here. you have to like my facebook page, leave me a comment below and fill out the form in order to be entered for a chance to win.

contest opens 25 June 2013 at 07:00 PST and closes 1 Jul 2013 at 23:59 PST. one winner will be chosen and announced within 48 hours of the contest ending. winner will be contacted via email by betsy@javacupcake.com and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. if they do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

this contest is open to residents worldwide.

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June 20, 2013

exquisite brown butter oatmeal cookies

brown butter oatmeal cookies is where’s at! i don’t think i liked a cookie so much besides my chewy chocolate chip or nutella s’mores cookies…

these oatmeal cookies absolutely take the cake :)

let’s talk about the key ingredient: brown butter.

brown butter makes this cookie chewy, chewy, chewy and so delicious. brown butter has a nutty flavor and enhances anything you put it in/on. this recipe also has a pinch of cinnamon, which goes amazingly well with the oatmeal and brown butter. hope you are making them right now as you read this!

enjoy the how-to pics below and how exquisite they look after you bake them!

make the brown butter by melting the butter over medium heat until it foams and changes to an amber color.

make sure to whisk, whisk, whisk!

if you follow me on instagram or facebook, you probably saw this picture of the state of ohio making an appearance in the brown butter, hahaha :)

here’s the brown butter cooling down. see how the color changed?

in a food processor, grind oats.

and sift it through a mesh colander.

add brown sugar and brown butter.

ready to go!

cooooookieeeesssss!

exquisite brown butter oatmeal cookies

ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1 cup old fashion oats, divided
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1 stick unsalted butter, sliced in 1 tablespoons
1 large egg, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30 to 50 minutes approximately}
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

yields 9 to 10 medium cookies.

directions:

make brown butter: in a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. whisk constantly until the butter has changed to an amber color {about 5 to 8 minutes}. you will smell it once it’s done. remove saucepan from heat and pour butter in a bowl to cool down. set aside.
preheat oven to 375F. line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat and set aside.
in a large bowl, combine flours, salt, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the oats. whisk well and set aside.
in a food processor grind the remainder 1/2 cup of the oats until crumb is very fine. sift through a mesh strainer. grind the remainder oats on the strainer in the food processor again. add crumbs to bowl.
whisk in sugars and mix well with the flour/oats mixture.
add cooled brown butter and egg to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. mix in vanilla.
with a regular size ice cream scoop, fill it 3/4 full, and form cookie dough balls. if you fill the scoop all the way, cookies will be way too big. continue to do this step until dough is all gone.
bake cookies for 10 minutes rotating them half way through. do not over bake. they will look pale and gooey, but once they are cooled off they are the perfect consistency.
let cookies cool in the cookie sheet placed on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes or so and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

note: you can refrigerate dough for about 10 minutes if the dough is too soft. i did refrigerate the dough so they cookies were a little thicker, but if you like flat cookies, you don’t have to refrigerate the dough at all.

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cinnamon • cookies • oatmeal • Leave a Comment

May 9, 2013

best ever peanut butter marshmallow brownies

do you know who’s best friends with peanut butter? if you said honey, you aren’t wrong :) who doesn’t like eating a peanut butter honey sandwich? ok, maybe just me.

if you said chocolate, you were right. chocolate is peanut butter’s best friend. but, i think chocolate goes beyond friendship and is peanut butter’s spouse. they go SO well together and are perfect for each other :)

this recipe yields a rather thin brownie because of the size of the pan i used. i tested this recipe twice and is definitely better with the larger size pan due to the brownies’ richness, texture, and the addition of marshmallow creme and peanut butter. they are the perfect balance of sweetness because of the chocolate and marshmallow and saltiness because of the peanut butter. they are chewy and melt in your mouth. and if you are looking for the perfect peanut butter brownies, this is it!

i documented these amazing brownies and hope you make them. they will love you forever :)

make the peanut butter mixture with the double boiler technique. add butter, milk, peanut butter, powder sugar and marshmallow creme to a bowl and stir occasionally until smooth!!

now onto the brownies :) this is a pretty easy and to the point method. over simmering water {double boiler technique} melt chocolate with butter, coffee and cocoa powder.

add sugars immediately after taking bowl off of the stove.

whisk in eggs and fold in flour. and you are almost done :)

add peanut butter mixture followed by the marshmallow creme. there’s no right or wrong here. i added it in a line shape and filled the gaps with the marshmallow.

with a butter knife swirl the peanut butter and marshmallow in both directions, horizontally and vertically.

can’t wait to dig in!!

best ever peanut butter marshmallow brownies

ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
3 and 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons strong brewed decaf coffee {regular coffee works too}
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6.5 ounces marshmallow creme {half of a 13 ounce jar approximately}

peanut butter-marshmallow creme swirl

ingredients:
One 16 ounce jar creamy peanut butter {i used all natural}
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk, room temperature {sitting on the kitchen counter for 30-50 minutes approximately}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6.5 ounces marshmallow creme {half of a 13 ounce jar approximately}
1/2 cup powder sugar

yields 32 2×2 inch squares.

directions:

preheat oven to 350F.
grease a 17.25 x 11.5 inch shallow baking pan {cookie sheet} throughout with butter and line with parchment paper. grease parchment paper with butter. parchment paper should hang over the edges of the pan. set aside.
in a large {heat-proof} glass bowl over a pot of simmering, slightly boiling water over medium low heat, combine peanut butter, vanilla, marshmallow creme, butter, powder sugar and milk.
mix constantly with a rubber spatula until all ingredients are well combined. peanut butter mixture is ready when smooth. turn heat to low and leave bowl on top of the pot with simmering water.
in a large {heat-proof} glass bowl over a pot of simmering, slightly boiling water over medium low heat, melt unsweetened chocolate with butter, coffee and cocoa powder keeping an aye on it by stirring with a whisk constantly. this will avoid the chocolate to scorch.
once chocolate mixture is melted, take bowl off of pot with simmering water with pot holders and place on a heat-proof surface such as a large trivet or cutting board. immediately add sugars and whisk by hand for one minute until dissolved. do not over mix since you don’t want the brownies to be caky once baked.
whisk in vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
add sea salt and mix well until incorporated.
mix in flour just until incorporated. do not over mix.
add brownie batter to pan. add peanut butter-marshmallow creme swirl mixture to brownie batter in dollops forming 3 parallel lines.
add marshmallow creme in dollops and use a knife to swirl brownie batter, peanut butter mixture and marshmallow creme together in both vertical and horizontal directions.
bake for 25-30 minutes. they are ready when a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. start checking brownies at the 25th minute mark.
cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting. or you can cool brownies in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting. with a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut into 2-inch squares.
store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes:
I used this wilton pan for the brownies. You can certainly bake these brownies in a smaller pan but make sure to increase the baking time by 10 minutes or so because they will be thicker, so you’ll need to bake them longer.

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brownies • chocolate • marshmallows • peanut butter • 4 Comments

May 5, 2013

salsalicious

i had the urge to post this salsa recipe for you to enjoy on cinco de mayo.

or if you are like me, you can enjoy this easy-to-make, lime-bursting salsa every week. yes, i make it pretty much on a weekly basis. it’s so delicious and healthy. it must be my love for tomatoes and cilantro. this salsa has layer after layer of flavors and it is salsalicious.

chop everything separately in a food processor or blender, or by hand. mix ingredients in a bowl. season with lime and sea salt. and you are on your way to a mind blowing, yet simple mexican salsa.

i LOVE lime. i grew up in south america, and lime is actually our lemon. so i overuse it in this recipe. but, there’s no such thing. try it and you’ll see that this salsa has the most balanced lime ratio than most of them out there. at least i like justifying my love for lime and how good it tastes in this salsa :)

you can check out my guacamole recipe here. my husband asked me to tell you that he highly recommends it ;)

here’s the how-to and recipe. enjoy!

finely chop onions and jalapeño.

proceed to chop tomatoes in a food processor or with a knife.

add the tomatoes to onions and jalapeño.

salsa is nothing without the lime. it definitely enhances all the layers in this appetizer.

i barely chop the cilantro as you can see :)

serve with chips or with mexican dishes!

salsalicious {salsa}

ingredients:

3 ripe plum tomatoes, or any other kind
1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped {more or less, depending how spicy you like it}
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bush cilantro, roughly chopped
2 limes, juiced {more if needed}
sea salt to taste {i add about 1/2 teaspoon}

serves 8 people.

directions:

cube tomatoes and add to food processor. pulse several times until you get small chunks but also some liquid from the tomatoes.
if you like your salsa pico de gallo style, pulse about 3 to 5 times. You can also chop the tomatoes with a knife in small cubes.
in a medium bowl, add chopped tomatoes, cilantro, onions, jalapeño, lime and sea salt. stir all ingredients. taste and add more lime or salt if needed.
serve with chips, pita chips, Mexican dishes and more.
refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

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avocados • gucamole • lime • salsa • sauces • tomatoes • veggies • 4 Comments

May 2, 2013

scrumptious red velvet cupcakes

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hi, my name is carolina and i’m addicted to red velvet cupcakes. my addiction began many years ago and is still going strong ;)

okay, now that i have confessed, i can tell you all about these red velvet cupcakes. the cupcakes are light, fluffy and like my friend Paula {hi Paula!} would say “very red velvety.”

they don’t have too much cocoa powder so it doesn’t overpower their taste. we are talking about having the perfect sweet/tanginess ratio here. SERIOUSLY.

speaking of which, i developed this recipe with the intention of including greek yogurt. so it has a good half a cup of the non-fat kind. in addition we have the baking soda with the vinegar, adding the ultimate tang to the batter. a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

cake flour was also a major player in the small, light crumb of this cupcake texture. my favorite. because in my opinion, cupcakes should be light and airy, but flavorful. i’m not friends with dense, hard texture cupcakes. nope, can’t do it.

haha. watch out, apparently i take cupcakes’ texture very seriously.

let’s talk frosting {which by the way i take even more seriously than cupcakes’ texture}.

i paired the red velvet cupcakes with my good ol’ cream cheese frosting i developed years ago. if you like sugary frosting, where you can only taste sugar and more sugar, i think you need to try this recipe so the sugary frosting demons can leave your taste buds :) haha.

like you’ll see below, the cream cheese frosting is creamy, light, very tangy with a hint of sweetness from the powder sugar. very easy to make and it only has 4 ingredients.

enjoy my directions in pictures {i do my best to guide you through the recipe!} and how these adorable but scrumptious red velvet cupcakes look like after baked.

sift flour with cocoa powder, add sea salt and whisk well!

add sugar to oil and beat in the bowl until creamy.

proceed to add eggs beating well after each addition.

this is the red gel paste i used. you can certainly use beet juice if you like!

alternate flour, milk/greek yogurt mixtures.

this is one of my favorite parts. making the baking soda bubble with the vinegar makes me feel like a scientist ;)

scoop batter into lined cups

onto the frosting! cream butter and add the cream cheese.

mmm!

add sprinkles!

scrumptious red velvet cupcakes

ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups cake flour
1 and 1/2 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature {about 30 to 45 minutes sitting on the kitchen counter}
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 tsp red gel paste food coloring
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature {about 30 to 45 minutes sitting on the kitchen counter}
1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt, room temperature {about 30 to 45 minutes sitting on the kitchen counter}
2 tsps baking soda
2 tsps white vinegar

yields 20 cupcakes

directions:

preheat oven to 350F. line two standard cupcake pans with good quality {grease-proof preferably} paper liners {12 and 8 cupcakes in total}.
combine milk and greek yogurt in a small bowl or large measuring cup and whisk well eliminating any lumps. set aside.
in a large bowl, sift flour and cocoa powder. whisk in sea salt. set aside.
in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat oil and sugar for 2 minutes at medium speed {speed #5 on kitchenaid}. sugar and oil should be well combined and have a creamy consistency.
add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition.
follow with vanilla and food coloring at medium speed.
alternate milk mixture with flour mixture three times at the lowest speed setting. make sure to finish with the milk.
stop mixer and in a small bowl combine baking soda and vinegar mixing well with a fork. it will foam and you’d want to add it to the batter immediately. beat on medium high for 30 seconds until well combined.
with an ice cream scoop, pour batter into cupcake liners filling 3/4 full.
bake for 18 minutes rotating cupcakes half way through.
cool cupcakes on a wire rack for 3 minutes. let them cool out of the pan completely before frosting.
store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

cream cheese frosting

ingredients:

12 tbsps unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature but still cold {about 45 minutes sitting on the kitchen counter and cold to the touch}
12 oz package cream cheese, cubed, room temperature but still cold {about 45 minutes sitting on the kitchen counter and cold to the touch}
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powder sugar
sprinkles for garnish {optional}

directions:

beat butter for 3 minutes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium speed {setting #5 in a kitchenaid}.
add cream cheese to bowl and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until well combined and fluffy.
add vanilla extract and beat for 30 seconds. stop the mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on high for 30 more seconds to combine all the ingredients.
set mixer to the lowest setting and add powder sugar a little at a time. once all the sugar is incorporated, about 30 seconds, mix on high for 1 and 1/2 minutes to make the frosting creamy, fluffy and airy.
in a piping bag fitted with desired tip, add the frosting to decorate the cupcakes.

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cream cheese • cupcakes • exotic flavors • Leave a Comment

4th of july cupcakes with an amazing giveaway

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exquisite brown butter oatmeal cookies

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best ever peanut butter marshmallow brownies

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salsalicious

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scrumptious red velvet cupcakes

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