Cookies and Cream Frosting on top of Martha's Devil's Food Cupcakes.. You may have tasted the honey, but I have the hive.

Honest to god love that saying.. It applies to many aspects in my life. I could go on for ages explaining, but I bet you the smarty pants reader has figured it out already ;)

That saying also applies food. I get so frustrated after I'd taste something, then person who made it refuses to share their recipe. So there goes the saying.. "You tasted the honey, but I have the hive".

It is hard to explain, but you feel some kind of sick power knowing that they would have to come back to you for more.. That is why I started my blog - I mean why keep it to myself when I can share it for anyone to enjoy!

Here is one recipe I've always wanted to make but never knew what the exact ingredients were

Unfortunately this recipe didn't make the cut for my cupcake stall. So feel free to make this recipe.. Definitely tasty!

Devils Food Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting

Again, Martha's Devils Food Cupcakes featured my previous post

Devils Food Cupcakes
By Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

• Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each

• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

• To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and garnish with chocolate curls just before serving.

Cookies and Cream Frosting
Sourced from Annies Eats

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. whipping cream
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. Oreo cookie crumbs

For garnish:
24 Oreo cookie halves

Directions:

To prepare the frosting, in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until the whipped cream holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in the cookie crumbs with a spatula.

Scoop the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe frosting decoratively on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with Oreo cookie halves

Did I also mention that you can now be a fan of Brisbane Baker on Facebook? Check me out!

Heart Shaped Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Sooo, I was thinking about the upcoming Valentines day..


Sometimes I wonder if Valentines Day is just a holiday made up by Hallmark or Florists to try and boost sales.. But even if you do think that, I know that everyone still is secretly hoping that someone will be their Valentine.


So, I was trying to think of those who wont get anything- As I have been one of those people many times in the past, I wanted to try and make some goodies to give away before Valentines day.


Instantly cupcakes came to mind.. but I always do cupcakes- Mainly because they already come in individual servings and does'nt require cutlery of any descripton.. but screw cupcakes! I am sick to death of always being the person at work who brings in cupcakes. "Great pattycakes.", "Cupcakes were yum.", "Can you give me the recipe for those cupcakes you brought in the other day?" "Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!"


I want something wayyyyyy better to make those super ronery people feel better about themselves :D


When I think of St Valentines, I think: Hearts, chocolates, cards, LOTS of the colour red.. and not forgetting your unmentionables ;). I thought cake pops, but I am sick to death of seeing them everywhere aswell! And like a light to moths, I was instantly drawn to Red Velvet Whoopie Pies!


Moist, soft, delicious, filled with decadant cream cheese frosting, and not to forget red.. But, I didn't want them to be in just 'flat cupcake form', and also wanted to incorporate a few more aspects of Valentines day into it. So I decided to make them heart shaped! :D




Red Velvet Whoopie Pies



2 Cups of general purpose flour
1 Tsp of salt
1 Tsp of baking powder
2 Tbs of unsweetened coco powder
1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 Cup of unsalted butter (softened)
1 Large egg
1/4 Cup of sour cream (room temperature)
1/4 Cup of milk (room temperature)
1 Tsp of vanilla extract
1 Bottle of pillar box red food colouring



Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (approx 160g) Packet of creamed cheese (room temperature)
160 Grams of unsalted butter (room temperature)
400 Grams of powdered sugar
1 Tsp of vanilla extract


Preheat your oven to 160 degrees and line 2x baking trays with parchment paper.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla in a jug, set aside.

In a seperate bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg.

Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then add 1/2 of the wet, repeat again until you end with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients until just blended, do not overbeat.

Spoon batter into a piping bag (I used a disposable one as I assumed that the batter may stain my good piping bag (as it did my bench top and my hands :D)

I piped my batter into heart shapes, but you can do whatever shape comes to mind.

Bake for 6-9 mintues or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean, being careful to watch the pies as they will cook quickly. Allow them to cool completely on baking trays.

For cream cheese frosting, use an electric mixer to beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla and start adding powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. It's not necessary to use all of it, whatever you feel is right.

To assemble your pies: Once cooled, match your pies up (so that both sides are the same size, as mine ranged in sizes), pipe your cream cheese frosting into the inner flat side of one pie, and attach other side. Repeat until all are done.

You can be patient and wait until they are refridgerated, but I ate mine straight away.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to tell me how your Valentines Day goes!

Coconut Macaroons

Simply more-ish!

Lately, I haven' had that much time to myself to bake as I have been moving house.. I really wanted to get my baking fix but really only had limited time... and when you move house with the people I live with, well it seems like your the only one who puts in any effort.

Anyways.. I was searching recipes on http://www.taste.com.au/ instead of working (he he) and stumbled across the recipe for Coconut Macaroons. With only 3 ingredients and 20 mins cooking time, I couldn't help but make these.

So simple to make, if you have ever made royal icing, then you can make Coconut Macaroons..

Ingredients
3 eggwhites, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut- I tweeked this a little bit, I used shredded coconut


Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the eggwhites in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until soft peaks form.

Add the sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, beating continually, until the mixture becomes stiff and glossy. Add vanilla extract and fold through with a spatula.

Add the coconut, 1/2 a cup at a time, and gently fold through with a spatula until evenly distributed, being careful not to overwork the mixture.

Place spoonfuls of the batter onto a baking tray lined with greased baking paper. For classic French-style macaroons, use a piping bag.

Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the macaroons are lightly browned. Remove from the baking paper immediately and cool on wire racks before serving.

and Vio-la! Light, airy and don't forget really delcious tea time treats!

ANZAC Biscuits

As Australia Day has just gone by, I wanted to kick off my blog with something that represents our country -Just being a little bit patriotic here. So I thought, what symbolises our country more than ANZAC bikkies?

Just a little bit of a history lesson here:

These beaut bikkies were originally thought up by the loved ones of Australian soldiers as they were concerned about the nutritional value of the supplies given to their fighting men. However any food they would have shipped over would spoil in the time it took to get them over there.

A body of women did come up with an answer, Soldiers Biscuits - a Scottish recipe using rolled oats. These biscuits would remain edible for up to 2 months due to the lack of egg as a binding agent.

Now, I bet you are wondering why they are now called ANZAC biscuits.. Well, after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed in Gallipoli, they were finally renamed ANZAC Biscuits!

Well, there you go, you learn something new every day!

I sourced this recipe from http://www.taste.com.au/- This is one of my favourite websites, it's great source for recipes when you are feeling uninspired.

ANZAC Biscuits

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut - I got a little bit excited and used a whole cup of coconut, wouldn't advise this as I had to use extra butter and treacle to help bind all of the dry ingredients

2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle
150g unsalted butter, chopped
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Method
Preheat your oven to 170°C.

Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the golden syrup and butter. Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.

Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. - I suggest flattening the balls of dough in your hands so that they don't crumble.

Bake for approx 12 minutes or until golden brown- Keep an eye on them, if your oven is anything like mine, it would want to burn things the second you look away!

And ta da! crunchy more-ish ANZAC Biscuits. Perfect with your morning cuppa!

Let me know how you guys celebrated Aus Day!