hi there!  I just posted my latest baking video if you want to check it out on youtube. Blueberry Cupcakes!  even though they not chocolate, my work people still loved them!

A while back I asked on Facebook for requests of treats to make for my blog and baking videos.  The blueberry cupcakes suggestion caught my eye.  It is also the subject of my latest baking video on YouTube. 

 Blueberries always remind me of my grandma (my mom’s mom).  When I was little, my mom, gram, Aunt Nancy and i would go blueberry picking and then bake muffins and pies with them.  I just remember that being so much fun.

My grandma is just amazing person.   91, so sharp and she loves the Buffalo Bills.  She asked me last week if I heard anything about the team’s plans for Tyrod Taylor.  (I hadn’t). She knew the deadline for the team to decide is March 11 (I didn’t).  It reminded me of the time about 6 or 7 years ago when she was talking to me about the Bills 3rd  string quarterback being injured at training camp.  I didn’t even know who their 3rd string qb was!  She is also one of the kindest, sweetest souls I have ever met.  

This recipe  calls for buttermilk, but it you don’t have it, combine 1/2 cup milk wit 1/2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.

Ingredients – 1  yellow cake mix (or you can use white cake mix),  1/3 cup oil,  3 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup blueberry greek yogurt (you could sub in plain or vanilla greek yogurt or sour cream if you want), 2 cups blueberries (I used a 12 oz bag, frozen)

Preheat oven to 400.  Place baking cup liners in muffon tins.  Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk and yogurt.  Blend in cake mix.  Fold in blueberries. 

Fill muffin cup liners 2/3 full.  Bake 5 minutes at 400. Then, without opening oven door, reduce heat to 350 and bake another 7 to 10 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out basically clean.  (Using two different temps makes for puffy top or domed cupcakes). 

Let oven heat back up to 400 before putting in subsequent batches of cupcakes. Bake  minutes, reducing heat to 350, oven door closed, for 7 to 10 minutes.  

If you don’t want puffy top cupcakes, and prefer flat tops, then just bake them at 350 for 15 to 18 minutes. (Toothpick comes out basically clean)

Let cool completely.  Frost  with your favorite  frosting. Store in covered container.

I was trying to come up with something different to bake for work and stumbled across this recipe in my cookie index – chocolate black and white cookies.  They come out huge!  Not that anyone at the worldwide leader will complain about that!   I messed up the frosting part though.  I put the frosting on top, but the correct way is to flip them over and frost them on the bottom. 

These call for cake flour.  If you don’t have any, you can make it.  Add 4 tbs cornstarch to 2  cups of flour and sift it a couple of times.  And voila!  Cake flour.   

1/2 cup sugar,  1/2 cup brown sugar,  1/2 cup shortening,   1 egg,  2 tsp vanilla,    1 cup milk,  2 cups cake flour, 4 tbs cocoa,  1 tsp salt,  1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream shortening, sugar and brown sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Stir in milk.  Fold dry ingredients.  Scoop out 3 tbs of dough and place on a baking mat on top of a cookie sheet. Leave plenty of room between cookies because they spread.  I fit about 6 on a sheet and I made 20 cookies.  Bake 10 minutes.  Let cool on sheet 5 minutes.  Remove from sheet

Vanilla frosting 

4 tbs butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar,  tl1 tsp vanilla, 3 tbs milk.   

Combine.  You can add more milk if you want a little thinner frosting.

Fudge frosting  

1/2 cup chocolate chips,  1/2 tbs butter,  2 cups powdered sugar,  1 tbs corn syrup,  2 tsp vanilla, 3 tbs boiling water

Melt chocolate and butter.  Mix in rest of ingredients.

Frost half of cookie with white frosting and the other half with chocolate frosting.   

The sugar cookie recipe I made to bring into work only made 15 cookies.  That is not enough, so I whipped these up as well to bring in.   They are so simple and are stuffed with mega stuff oreos. And I dipped the bottoms in melted chocolate, just because. 🙂

 Ingredients 

1 cake mix (any flavor), 1/3 cup oil, 1 egg, 1 tbs water.  Oreos, 1 cup milk chocolate chips, 1 tbs oil

 Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cake mix, 1/3 cup oil, egg and water.  Scoop out 3 tbs dough.  Divide each piece of dough in half, placing one half on top of oreo, the other half on bottom and seal in the oreo.  Place on cookie sheets lined with nonstick baking liners. Bake 10 to 1 minutes. Let cool.  

Microwave chips and 1 tbs oil in microwave proof bowl in 45 second increments until meltes.  Dip bottoms of cookies in.  Set bottom up to dry.  Store in covered container.

These cookies are featured in my 2nd on camera baking video on YouTube.  I wanted to thank two coworkers for having me on their podcast (search “the outsider podcast” on iTunes or soundcloud to hear the interview).  They both like sugar cookies, so voila – Swig sugar cookies!

1/2 cup butter (softened),  1/4 cup +1/8 cup oil,  1/2 cup + 1/8 cup sugar, 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup powdered sugar,  1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla,  2 1/2 tsp water, 2 3/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar.

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter, oil and sugars.  Add egg, water and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 3 tbs dough.  Roll into ball.  Place on cookie sheet, lined with non stick baking sheet.    Spray bottom of a drinking glass with Pam and dip in sugar.  Lightly flatten cookie.  Repeat scoop, roll, pam and sugar dip process for remaining dough. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.  Let cool.  Leave plain or frost if desired.  Store in covered container.

I brought this cake into work this morning.  It is now 730 am and there are only  two pieces left!  While some of you may consider it strange for people to eat cake this early, it is pretty normal at ESPN Radio.  Considering the place operates 24 hours a day and never closes, sugar is always appropriate for a boost any time of day.  This cake is really easy to make and you can use whatever flavor cake and pudding mixes you want.  I have done chocolate in the past and today went with yellow cake mix and vanilla puddng.  I used fat free greek yogurt.  You can use regular greek yogurt or sour cream if you want.

When you frost the cake, use a small amount between layers.  I have used too much in the past.. and the top layer has slid off when transporting or even just sitting in the cake carrier.  Then i was scrambling to move the top layer back, yet still make the cake appear presentable.  Yikes!

Ingredients – 1 yellow cake mix, 3.4 oz vanilla pudding mix, 1 cup plain  greek yogurt (2 , 5.3 ounce containers), 4 eggs, 1/2 cup water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two cake pans with pam.  Mix well.  Batter will be quite thick.  I used a 1 cup meaduring cup to divide the batter evenly, alternating between the two cake pans.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  (Inserted toothpick will come out with only a few crumbs).  Let cool.

Frosting – 12 tbs butter (softened),   5 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup cream or milk, 2 tsp vanilla.  Cream butter 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and beat another  3 minutes.  You can and add another tbs or two  more of cream or milk to thin out frosting if you want.

Place one cake top down on platter.  Spread a light layer of frosting on what would be the flat bottom of the cake.  Place other cake, flat part down, and finish frosting.. this frosting recipe makes a lot, so you will have some left over.. or you can just use it all if you want.

Today was absolutely amazing!   71 degrees and sunny.  (Two weeks after we were hammered by a blizzard).  Great weather meant two walks for Charlie, which made him very happy. And since he’s 13, we have to do that as much as we can as long as we can. ( I see so many of you have lost pets the last couple of years and I know how excruciating it is)

My treats for work are cake batter cookies with white and chocolate chips. Just a blog post, hoping to do another video recipe Monday, my next off day.  I really appreciate all your kind words about my blog posts and my video debut.

Ingredients – 3/4 cup butter (softened), 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp butter extract (you can use vanilla if you prefer), 1 cup yellow or white  cake mix , 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 cup white chips, 1 cup chocolate chips.

Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add egg and butter extact.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Fold in chips.  Use nice cream scoop to roll into mounds. Chill a few hours.  Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 min.  Store in covered containee.

645 am on my off day and I have started the process of making bracciole. (  I like to let it cook in sauce most of day to make sure it is tender.)  I feel like my Grandma Lisi.  She would cook anything at any time.  The recipe is not that hard, just a little time consuming, I guess. 

Ingredients – 1 pkg of bracciole meat, Italian flavored bread crumbs, parmesan cheese.  

Heat your sauce (either homemade or jar) over low heat.  Spray a baking sheet with Pam.  Lay the bracciole meat flat, top with a handful of bread crumbs and sprinkle with cheese.  Roll into a log.  I put two or three toothpicks in each one to keep them together.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Put them in sauce.  Cover pot.  Cook over low heat at least 4 to 5 hours.   I start early in the morning, turn it off while I leave the house (leaving pot covered), then turn it back on when I return.