Vanilla Almond Cupcake with Maple Frosting

Aug 23, 2011 by Gina Mueller

I finally purchased a cupcake pan after being inspired by Ming Makes Cupcakes.

My favorite meal, breakfast, combined with dessert makes for one fantastic cupcake.  First things first, THANK YOU Ming for creating this little piece of heaven.  Now if you are considering making this cupcake immediately stop all considerations and MAKE IT!  Trust me they are amazing.  Melt in your mouth AMAZING!

My Aunt passed down my grandmothers Corelle Ware plates to me the other week.  I love them!  I can literally see my mother as a little girl eating fried chicken and cinnamon rolls off these plates.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk

I made my own almond meal by grinding up a cup of almonds in a food processor.  Only ground the almonds for a couple minutes or they will turn into almond flour.  Extra almond meal? I used the left over almond meal in my oatmeal and greek yogurt the rest of the week.

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Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Jul 24, 2011 by Gina Mueller

It was one of those days where I woke up thinking of chocolate… yes this happens often.  A little morning and a little chocolate so why not a coffee and chocolate combination.  I found this recipe on PetiteKitchenesse a few months ago and marked it because they looked amazing and the ingredients were simple.  And WOW were they good especially if you undercooked them to perfection and added a little vanilla ice cream.

Yield: around 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 2⅔ cups (around 16 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 tablespoons of butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1⅓ cups of granulated sugar
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon espresso
• 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until a smooth mixture forms.  I created a double broiler with a glass bowl.

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