Like Riding a Bicycle

The phrase "it's like riding a bicycle" is probably not one I should use to describe something I do, having never quite mastered the art of bike-riding. However, when it came to getting back to baking after being away from it for almost 3 weeks, the description was pretty accurate. All of last week I was pretty jet-lagged, but when Lauren asked if I could make 2 dozen cupcakes for her coworker, I jumped at the chance to get back to baking. Her coworker was throwing a party for her husband and wanted 1 dozen cookie dough and 1 dozen chocolate mint chip.

The baking process went pretty much like it always does for me - midway through mixing one of the batters, I ran out of an ingredient. In this case, it was cocoa powder. Fortunately, there's a convenience store up the corner from me, but it's always a pain to have to leave what I'm doing for an ingredient run. As it's getting warmer out, I realized it's going to be more and more uncomfortable to bake in my kitchen being as we don't have air conditioning.

I think cookie dough is shaping up to be my favorite flavor I make and not just because I can eat the leftover cookie dough while I'm baking. I like the unexpected surprise of finding a cookie baked inside your cupcake.

Finished cookie dough cupcakes

Thin Mint Cupcakes

My coworker sold Girl Scout cookies in the office for her daughter's troop. This was truly evil because not only did I buy two boxes (Tagalogs and Thanks a Lots), but sadly I ate them all by myself within two days. I attempted to feel better about this by reasoning that both boxes were only 2800 calories combined.

Cupcake with its inspiration

Only one week after this unfortunate incident, I found myself thinking about Girl Scout cookies again. I didn't want to eat an entire box again by myself, so I decided to turn a box into Girl Scout cupcakes. Out of the kinds I like (I hate Samoas), I thought Thin Mints would be best incorporated into a cupcake. I had an idea to do a chocolate cupcake with a Thin Mint baked into the center and a whipped chocolate mint ganache.

Fortunately, my coworker donated a box of Thin Mints to the greater good (you know, cupcakes for the office), and I was able to make these. I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe from The Cupcake Blog and a chocolate ganache recipe I came up with myself. After preparing the batter, I spooned about a tablespoon into each cupcake liner and then pushed a Thin Mint cookie into it to spread the batter along the bottom of the cup. Then I scooped more batter on top and baked them. Once they were done, I topped them with the whipped ganache and a quarter of a Thin Mint.

Inside of the cupcake, you can sort of see the cookie in the center
That whiskey was not used in the making of these cupcakes

I decided to eat one for quality control purposes. Honestly, I didn't even want to because I'm not a huge fan of neither chocolate nor mint (my alliance is strongly with vanilla), but these ended up being some of my favorite cupcakes I've made in a while. I decided that I like this type of chocolate frosting better than the chocolate buttercream recipe I've been using. I think I'm making the permanent switch to this one.

Whipped Chocolate Mint Ganache Recipe
Frosts 15 cupcakes

Ingredients:
5 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 tsp. mint extract (use vanilla extract for regular chocolate frosting)
2 C sifted powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Heat heavy cream over low heat until bubbles form
2. Pour cream over chocolate, let stand 1 minute
3. Stir chocolate mixture
4. Add mint extract. Let mixture stand 15 minutes to cool
5. After cool, use mixer to slowly add powdered sugar. Beat on high until smooth and lighter in color.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Along with the raspberry-vanilla cupcakes I took to my sister's college last Saturday, I also recreated one of her favorite ice cream flavors in cupcake form-mint chocolate chip. I had made chocolate chip frosting before, so I knew I wanted to add mint (and a bit of green dye) to that for this cupcake's frosting. I've been experimenting with a few different chocolate cake recipes, but I decided to try the chocolate buttermilk recipe I saw listed on Martha Stewart when looking for something else. I tend to think that cupcakes made with buttermilk (like the vanilla and red velvet recipes I use) come out better in general, and was hoping this chocolate recipe would be a winner. In the end, however, I just didn't love it. It wasn't a bad recipe, but I think the one I've used from chockylit's Cupcake Blog found here is much better. The Martha one just didn't rise that much and was much drier than I would have expected from a buttermilk cupcake.

Another thing I realized while baking these is that I really don't like the foil cupcake liners. I had bought them for some S'mores cupcakes this past summer, and hate them then, but ran out of paper liners this time and had to use them. They separate from the cupcake too easily and get all out of shape.

Here's the recipe for the frosting (frosts 16):
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
2 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. mint extract
1/2 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 T whole milk
1/2 bag Nestle's mini chocolate chips, semisweet

Directions:
1. Cream together butter and cream cheese until fluffy
2. Add in mint extract. Mix well.
3. Add confectioner's sugar slowly, beating well.
4. Add milk as needed
5. Add 2-3 drops green food coloring
6. Once frosting is mixed properly, stir in chocolate chips

Apparently Victoria's Secret gift boxes fit 16 cupcakes perfectly