Peppermint Brownies

Yet another week in Middle School has gone by and I can't belive that we are only 2 weeks away from winter break! This week, we started Looking for Pythagoras.  I think it is pretty cool how students are led to discover the Pythagorean Theorem and I think that this is going to be a really great unit to teach.

In other news, I just found out that my original Student Teaching placement for the Spring is not going to work as the teacher I was going to work with has recently decided to accept another job.  This is very exciting for him, but I had a little bit of a panic attack.  However, the school of education found another placement for me and it looks like all will be well.  I am going to be at a different school teaching geometry, algebra 2, and pre-calculus.  This sounds super awesome and I am crazy excited.  I am meeting with my new cooperating teacher next week and I can't wait to check out the new school!

This week was also exciting because I made Peppermint Brownies for the DTS study night.  Then, I had so many leftovers that I brought them in for a little teacher treat at school.  I love sharing these things with the people I care about and it was so exciting seeing how happy everyone was after having these guys.  This past summer, I tested a bunch of brownie recipes and came up with the best one: Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies.  Then, I just adapted this recipe after being inspired by the Galley Gourmet.  You have to make these! They are a great holiday treat!

Peppermint Brownies

Ingredients:
For the Brownie Layer:
10 tbsp unsalted butter
8 oz. unsweetened bakers chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
pinch of salt
1 cup flour
10 oz dark and mint chocolate chips
For the Peppermint Frosting Layer:
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
For the Topping:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
crushed candy canes

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil.  Lightly grease the foil.
2. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the bakers chocolate with the butter.  Stir frequently until smooth and then stir in the sugar until well combined.  Stir in the eggs until well combined.  Next, stir in the espresso powder, vanilla, peppermint extract, and salt.  Mix in the flour until just combined.
3. Pour the brownie batter into your prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool completely
4.  Make the frosting by beating the butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and peppermint extract until well combined and fluffy.  Spread over the cooled brownies.
5.  To make the topping, melt the butter and the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Repeat until mixture is melted and smooth.  Spread over the frosting layer and then sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.  Place the brownies in the fridge to set. Once set, cut into squares and serve!

Enjoy :)

4 Christmas Cookies

My cousin Chris is hosting Christmas on Christmas Eve.  She is a fantastic cook and baker and this year she asked me to make the cookies.  I thought long and hard about what I would make to impress her.  And then, I decided to bake 4 cookies that are perfect for the holidays and simply delicious.  The best part of holiday baking is bringing people together.  Therefore, I am spending the day with my mom and bestie Katie and we are going to make some amazing cookies!

1. Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies.  I've made them before and they are great! The hint of nutmeg and red and white colors make them a fabulous holiday cookie.

2. Inception Cookies.  These have sort of become my signature item, but my family has never had them! I decided to make this oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie, but instead of the usual oreo, I'm using the holiday ones!

3. Now that I have re-made some of my favorites, I am going to introduce a few new cookies on the scene. The first is a Red Velvet Cookie.  I love red velvet in any form.  So, when I found a recipe for a healthier version of a red velvet cookie, I just had to make them!  I got the recipe from AmyBites and I was really excited to try it out!

Red Velvet Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp red food coloring
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cream butter and sugars together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Then, add food coloring and beat all together.
3. In a medium bowl, mix flours, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.  Add to the wet ingredients in the large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until just combined.
4. Add cream cheese to the bowl and mix until you have a nice swirl.
5. Scoop out tbsp sized balls onto a greased or lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

4. To be honest, I was only supposed to make 3 different types of cookies for Christmas, but I have never been good at making decisions and when it comes to cookies they all look so yummy and it makes it hard to decide! Also, my mom really wanted me to make something with mint.  So, I found these: Peppermint Patty Cookie Bars.  The original recipe is from Picky Palate and then I put a little twist on it.  I also love how easy they sounded!

Peppermint Patty Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
2 sticks, or 1 cup, unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
12 oz bag dark chocolate chips
24 oz bag York Peppermint Patties

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 9x13 inch pan with foil.  Spray foil with baking spray.
2. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Slowly add to the wet ingredients until just combined. Then, stir in chocolate chips.
4. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and press down to make even.  Place unwrapped peppermint patties across the batter.  Then pour the rest of the batter and smooth over the top to cover all the patties.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes.  Let cool for at least and hour, then cut and serve!

**Serving Idea: Sprinkle chopped Candy Canes over the top for an extra minty flavor and for a cute holiday theme!

I hope that you have enjoyed my Christmas Cookies and have found some yummy ideas for the holidays!

Enjoy :)

Breakfast and Boozy Cupcakes

It's my boyfriend, Brian's, 21st birthday! To celebrate this exciting occasion, I made him breakfast, and then together we made cupcakes! My Secret Santa in my fraternity got me a book called, Intoxicated Cupcakes.  It's adorable and all the cupcakes are based off of drinks and involve booze.  Brian picked out the mojito cupcake recipe and we made them!  To be honest, I made them and Brian did the dishes, but I think that was for the best :).

For breakfast, I made pancakes (not from scratch because I was tired).  They turned out really great and I highly recommend them.  The mix was from target and it was an apple pancake mix with a cinnamon streusel topping.  We topped them with REAL maple syrup from Canada.  MMM!

In the afternoon we made the Mojito Cupcakes.  They came out amazing! Now it's off to dinner with his family and then hanging out with all his friends!

Mojito Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

(adapted from Intoxicated Cupcakes)

Ingredients: 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp dark rum (we used Captain Morgan)

zest from 1/2 lime

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 cup finely chopped mint

1/2 cup light sour cream

Frosting:

5 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp dark rum

1 tbsp milk (I used skim)

1 tbsp mint, finely chopped

1 tbsp lime juice

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2-4 drops green food coloring (I put WAY too much in)

1/2 lime zest for garnish (optional)

Brian's 1st Legal Beer!

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners (I was able to make 15)

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking power, and salt.  

3.  In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until light at fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well.  Add lime zest, juice, rum, and mint and continue to mix until well incorporated.

4. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and sour cream in about 3 additions.

5. Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Mine took around 20 because they were pretty large cupcakes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

6. To make the frosting, mix all ingredients except for the sugar, food coloring, and zest.  Slowly add sugar and mix well.  Add in the food coloring until you have the desired green coloring.  Frost or pipe cupcakes and add lime zest or lime slices as garnish.

Enjoy :)

Source: VeganYumYum
my cupcakes looked a little awkward because
of how green the frosting came out...
this is what they should look like :)