Dessert Recipe Makeovers

With the weather potentially frightful weather later in the week, I had to get a few things done today. Write a blog post was not on my original agenda, but I thought hey, why not! While the weather was somewhat spring-like on this first day of December, I needed to get in a run. I wanted to spend the rest of my day baking. If I start a "baking day" with a run, I don't feel guilty at all about tasting my goodies!!!! This post is not my typical post. I am going to share three different "recipes" and my twist on them -- banana bread, peanut butter cookie yumminess (I really have no idea what they're called, they're just yumminess!!!) and another take on a butterfinger cupcake.

I have a go to banana bread recipe. It's pretty much the only one I use. I feel so much better about myself when I eat the whole loaf, er, uh, I mean when I have a slice :) because I use more whole wheat flour than white flour. I would love to take credit for its awesomeness, but I cannot. I found the original recipe here on the Betty Crocker website. I follow the recipe exactly. . . well, actually I never add the salt (I generally can't find it, but I normally don't add salt to my sweet things, even though I know the salt is supposed to bring out the flavor even more) and instead of nuts I add about a cup of mini-chocolate chips--depending on how many I have. (So I guess I don't really follow it exactly) I use the mini instead of the full sized because I like the bread's texture better when I do it that way. I don't know if it's actually the case, but it seems to give it a bit more moisture using the chocolate chips. I truly find the banana bread a little dull without that pop of flavor the chocolate brings. I also love to eat a slice warm with a little butter on it, but I find this recipe just as enjoyable really, really cold. The other incredible thing about this recipe is that it makes two full sized loaves.

I had to use the word "recipe" loosely earlier. My next tasty confection is what I lovingly refer to as peanut butter cookie yumminess. It takes 2 ingredients. Store bought peanut butter cookie dough and mini-Reese's peanut butter cups. Personally I think it works better if you use the mini-cupcake liners in your mini-muffin tin (I even spray my liners with Pam). If you are out of the liners, it will work but I think it's too difficult to get the cookie out without the liner even spraying it with Pam. Anyway, place the liner in the mini-muffin tin. Place a ball of peanut butter cookie dough in the lined muffin tin. Bake for about 10 minutes. While the cookies are still hot, place a mini-peanut butter cup into the center. Now let them cool before you eat them, uh, I mean, remove them from the muffin tin. You actually could remove the cookies first before you put in the peanut butter cup, but this blog is about how I do it and what works for me. Just because something works for me, doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Recipes are just guidelines anyway. :)

My last baking item for the day will be a take on a butterfinger cupcake recipe I tried earlier this year. You can find it's blog post here. It was very tasty, but I honestly thought the cake itself was a little too crumbly for my preferences. I thought I would see what I could do with a yellow cake mix and store bought chocolate icing. Duncan Hines really has a very flavorful "whipped" chocolate icing that is a good texture to make the cute little cupcake swirl. I actually used it for cupcakes for a friend's wedding. Anyway for a different take on the butterfingery cupcakes, I made my yellow cake mix just like the box said. Then I added about a cup of peanut butter and half a small package of butterscotch pudding mix. Adding a pudding mix really punches up the flavor of a boxed cake mix. With the cake mix I used, I got about 21 cupcakes. After baking and letting cool, I topped with the chocolate store bought icing.

With time later tonight, I might just make some pumpkin muffins. Another two ingredient "recipe." Any flavor of cake mix, I will be using one of the kids' favorites if I do it. . . cherry chip and 1 can of pumpkin. I bake in my mini muffin tin for 12-15 minutes. The fabulous thing about this recipe is the options are boundless. Play up the pumpkin flavor with a yellow and add cinnamon chips or pumpkin pie spice.

Butterfinger-y Cupcake

Butterfinger Cupcake

I make a pretty yummy dessert around Halloween time that is a "homemade version" of my most favorite candy bar. . . the Butterfinger! Now that I am in this cupcake mode,  I should try to make a cupcake that reminds me of that oh so fabulous candy bar. I was trying to figure out how to do it, when a friend told me she made a healthful Butterfinger shake and she used butterscotch pudding mix. I thought it was crazy, but I tried to make my own version, and lo and behold, it tasted just like a Butterfinger! I thought I will try to find a really great peanut butter cupcake recipe and add some butterscotch pudding mix to it. I found a fabulous starter recipe here. And bonus, it has a really good chocolate buttercream frosting recipe too!

As soon as they were cool enough, I frosted this yumminess. I will be totally honest, I am not one of those really good people who never taste a batter because of the raw eggs. I know, totally not OK, but I did it anyway :) When I tasted the batter, I thought the cupcake would be more "Reese's Peanut butter cup like". After it was baked and iced. I think it had a definite butterfinger taste. I made 18 out of this recipe, and I frosted 13 in this way. I didn't have enough to finish doing the little swirl, so for the remaining 5, I just slathered it on and then garnished it with crushed Butterfingers--I just barely had enough icing for this. I didn't even have enough left over to eat by itself later ;) This was a yummy cupcake. The cake itself was a little on the crumbly side, but it was oh so delicious! As soon as I got them done, I immediately shared this with the teachers at school. It was perfect timing. ..  most of them were finishing up lunch.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 4oz package butterscotch pudding mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare cupcake pan. I use liners. The Wilton Brand is OK, but I prefer the Reynolds brand.

Sift flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add in eggs and sugar and combine with an electric mixer. (It begins to look really lumpy, but don't worry, it will smooth out.) While mixing, add in the butter, then the vanilla.

You can use the non sugar-free option, this is just what I had available.

Mix in the peanut butter. . . stream in the milk. The last thing I added was my pudding mix. And I blended it together. I used my "handy dandy" Pampered Chef scoop, and I put 1 scoop in each, and I made 18. I baked these for about 20 minutes.

Frosting:
1/4 cup shortening (I use Butter Flavored Crisco)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk

I put this together like I do all my buttercream recipes. I start by blending the butter. Then on this one I added the cocoa. I always do my milk and vanilla next. And my last ingredient is my powdered sugar. I do sift my powdered sugar, I think it makes a huge difference. I can always tweak my recipe a bit--add in more sugar or milk based on the consistency I want. This recipe would easily frost 12, but not quite all 18 since I like to pipe my frosting using a piping bag and a large tip (1M).

 Since I didn't quite have enough to pipe it on all the rest, I just "smeared" the frosting on top. I sprinkled crushed a Butterfinger candy bar on top to garnish.

Cupcakes with crushed Butterfingers on top.