I was smitten with cookies ever since I had my first Oreo at the age of five. On Sesame Street, I, hands down, loved Cookie Monster the most. To this day, I always choose cookies over cake. And although my favorite cookie is still classic chocolate chip (with some sea salt on top), I love trying out other variations.

If you’re a fan of a chewy cookie, imagine a mouthful of warm, gooey, chocolate-y dough topped with a cold, creamy ice cream of your choice. The inclusion of brown butter puts this cookie over the top by adding an extra hint of nuttiness. The hazelnuts offer a welcome crunch in between sweet pieces of milk chocolate, while the espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor.

Even if they’re just to store away in the freezer and pull out for special occasions (or for a night to yourself), make these cookies. You won’t regret it.

Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Makes about 10 ramekins (depending on size of ramekin)
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in the cookbook Flour

1½ cups (210 g.) blanched whole hazelnuts
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. (185 g.) butter, softened
2/3 cup (140 g.) sugar
2/3 cup (150 g.) brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
1½ cups (210 g.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
10 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. espresso powder (optional)*

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a food processor, pulse ½ cup of hazelnuts to the consistency of flour. Set aside.
• Lay the remaining hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until toasted and fragrant.
• Let the hazelnuts cool and then coarsely chop.
• Brown the butter by heating it in a saucepan over medium heat. Watch carefully as it melts and slowly changes color. Once it smells nutty, remove it from the heat.
• Add the butter to a large bowl with the sugars and beat until combined. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, stir the ground and chopped hazelnuts in with the flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate and espresso powder. With a hand mixer on low speed, blend the flour mixture slowly into the butter mixture.
• Once a dough forms, chill for as little as 2 hours or up to 5 days in the refrigerator (Or freeze for up to 3 months.).
• Grease the ramekins or any small, individual deep dish. Press a thin layer of cookie dough into the bottom of each dish.
• Bake the ramekins at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until dark brown around the edges (Baking time may vary based on the size of the ramekin.).
• Let cool and then place 2 scoops of your favorite ice cream on top. (I chose cinnamon.)

*Espresso powder can be found at Kitchen Conservatory.

I love this cake created by Bouchon Bakery‘s Thomas Keller. It’s spongy and perfectly designed to soak up simple syrup or liquor. Also, the olive oil flavor isn’t overpowering. It only adds a hint of something special.

I’ve been in love with Champagne frosting ever since I tried a cupcake featuring it at La Patisserie Chouquette. The frosting is light with a lovely flavor. I ended up finding champagne extract at Karen Ann’s Cake Supplies store. While I thought about using actual Champagne, the taste gets cooked off too easily. Champagne extract is perfect; although, be sure to add it in small increments, tasting as you go.

I baked the sponge cake in a large sheet pan and used a cookie cutter to stamp out little rounds. I added a teaspoonful of Chambord to each slice before layering it with frosting (Although I’d be interested in experimenting with a simple basil syrup or any other flavor component.). The combination is irresistible, and if you top it with chocolate-covered strawberries … well, good luck eating just one cake.

Olive Oil Cake with Champagne Frosting
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in the cookbook Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller
Makes 6 to 8 mini layer cakes (depending on the number of layers and size of cutter)

Nonstick oil (if using parchment paper)
1 cup plus 1 tsp. (145g.) all-purpose flour
½ tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. (3g.) baking powder
½ tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. (2g.) Kosher salt
3 Tbsp. (50g.) eggs
¾ cup plus 2 tsp. (158g.) sugar
¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp. (113g.) whole milk
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (79g.) extra-virgin olive oil

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Line an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Spray with nonstick oil if using parchment paper.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
• Beat the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer for about 1 minute. Increase to medium speed, and whip for 5 minutes, until the mix looks thick and pale yellow. Scrape the batter down the bowl and beat on high for another 5 minutes.
• Add the wet ingredients, and beat until combined.
• Slowly add in the flour mixture, and beat on low until combined.
• Pour the batter into the sheet pan, and use a spatula to spread in an even layer, making sure to reach the corners.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cake is golden on top and springs back when lightly touched. Let cool completely.
• Invert the pan onto parchment, peel back layer of parchment paper if necessary.
• Freeze the cake before using a cutter to stamp out round shapes, or any shape you prefer.
• Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 4 hours. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Champagne Frosting
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
¼ tsp. champagne extract, or more to taste
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
6 to 8 tsp. Chambord
Handful whole strawberries
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Mix the flour and milk in a saucepan. Once stirred, put over medium-low heat. Keep stirring until it resembles mashed potatoes. It should look like a goopy, cohesive batter.
• Let the mixture cool, and then store in the refrigerator until completely cooled.
• Beat the extract, butter and sugar in a mixer on high until fluffy.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until light and fluffy.
• Layer two cake rounds with frosting and top with a third cake round. Repeat with the remaining cake rounds to make 6 to 8 layered cakes, in total.
• Pour 1 teaspoon of Chambord over each layer cake. Top with a dab of icing.
• Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave for 10-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate has melted.
• Dip the whole strawberries into the chocolate and place one strawberry on top of each frosted cake.

Note: You may have frosting left over that you can freeze for later use or use as a dip for fresh fruit.

Spring has officially arrived, and, for me, that means lemon-y and raspberry-y desserts. I love these little lemon cupcakes because they’re zesty and delicious. The raspberry frosting is the perfect complement: fluffy and of the melt-in-your-mouth variety. If you can’t find freeze-dried raspberry powder, skip that step and place a few fresh berries right on top. The poppy seeds add a lovely crunch, and the cake has a delicate crumb and is so easy to put together. Happy spring and happy baking!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s book Rose’s Heavenly Cakes.
Makes about 22 cupcakes

2½ cups cake flour (250 g.)
1¼ cups granulated sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
5 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/6 cup poppy seeds
14 Tbsp. butter at room temperature, cubed
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup and 1 Tbsp. sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Lemon glaze (recipes follows)
Raspberry mascarpone frosting (recipe follows)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, zest and poppy seeds in a mixing bowl. Beat on low until combined.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter on low. Add in the eggs, yolk, sour cream and vanilla, beating well after each addition.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
• Transfer the batter to a lined cupcake pan. Fill each cupcake mold ¾ of the way.
• Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out of a center cupcake clean, or with just a few crumbs attached. The cupcakes should spring back when pressed lightly.
• Meanwhile, make the lemon glaze and raspberry mascarpone frosting.
• When the cupcakes have baked, use a chopstick or thin skewer to stab three holes in each cupcake and pour the glaze over the holes.
• Let cool before piping the frosting on top.

Lemon Glaze

1/3 cup powdered sugar (to taste)
5 Tbsp. lemon juice

• Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl, and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds, until the sugar is dissolved. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.

Raspberry Mascarpone Frosting

12 oz. heavy cream (1½ cups)
1½ cups powdered sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
5 Tbsp. freeze-dried raspberry powder
8 oz. container mascarpone
Pinch of salt

• Beat the cream on high until thickened.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the cream and beat on low. Do not overbeat, as the mascarpone can curdle.

I love good sandwich bread; it’s something I spend the most time selecting in a grocery store. I try to find bread that is tasty but not too healthy – a carb that can taste great with something sweet but also work for a savory sandwich. Unfortunately, a surprisingly high number of breads have high fructose corn syrup in them, which I try to avoid. Even after all these years, I don’t have a favorite brand of sandwich bread, so this week, I finally set out to make my own.

This bread tastes just as good, if not better, than store-bought bread. The honey flavor is quite prominent, so I recommend making this with a mild honey if you are not a fan of sweetness in bread.

If you choose to make this with all-purpose flour, it will be soft and wonderful. I chose to swap some of the all-purpose flour out with some white whole-wheat flour, which makes the bread a bit denser and more filling. Feel free to play with the ratios of flour.

My only problem with this bread is that I’m not so great at cutting ultra-thin slices the way mass-produced bread is sliced, so I always end up with fat slices if I’m not careful. But either way, this is lovely to share with a neighbor, eat with breakfast or make into a snack with peanut butter and Nutella.

Honey-Oat Bread
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published on Summer Harms. 
Yields 1 loaf

1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 cups white whole-wheat flour
¼ cup old-fashioned oats, plus 1 handful for sprinkling
1½ tsp. salt
1½ cups warm water
1 pkg. (or 2¼ tsp.) active dry yeast
¼ cup honey, plus 1 Tbsp. more for spreading
2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

• Combine the flours, oats and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• Mix the water, yeast and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently whisk to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes to ensure the yeast has dissolved.
• Add the dry ingredients and butter to the mixer bowl and use a dough hook to mix, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. If you don’t have a mixer and/or dough hook, use a wooden spoon to combine ingredients.
• After 1 minute or so, the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl and come together as a ball around the hook.
• Pull the dough off and with your hands mold it into a ball. If the dough is slightly sticky, that’s fine. Put the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour.
• After the first rise, punch the dough down. With your hands, form the dough into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 1 more hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Spread 1 tablespoon of honey and sprinkle 1 handful of oats on top of the risen dough.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and you can insert a knife into the center and the knife comes out clean.
• Brush the top crust with butter after pulling it out of the oven (optional).
• Let cool in the pan, then turn it out onto a wire rack or cutting board and slice.

Store in an airtight container or wrap carefully in plastic wrap at room temperature. The loaf can last up to 2 weeks.

This is a very adaptable and simple banana cake. I prefer any banana cake recipe that uses oil instead of butter since, really, the moistness from the bananas should be enough. Also, not having to worry about butter being at the right temperature and beaten correctly makes this a one-bowl cake, which really is the best kind.

I added in some spices and chocolate to give the cake a tweed effect. When you’re baking it, I suggest allowing your own personal tastes to dictate any tweaks to the recipe such as adding ginger to the batter or even using peanut butter as a frosting or filling. The soft white chocolate cream cheese frosting is not overly sweet, which I prefer, but if you want more sweetness, add powdered sugar until its sweet enough for your taste.

This cake is lovely as an afternoon snack or as a breakfast treat with friends. It also lasts several days when wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge (Serve at room temperature.). Happy Baking!

Banana Chocolate Tweed Cake
Makes 1 thin 10-inch round cake
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s book Rose’s Heavenly Cakes.

8 oz. bananas (about 2 large bananas)
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1½ tsp. vanilla
6 oz. sugar
3.7 oz. canola oil
7 oz. cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a 10-inch round cake pan with a circle of parchment paper and lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan.
• In a large bowl, with a food processor or electric hand mixer, mix the bananas and sour cream until smooth.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and keep mixing. Then, add the sugar and oil.
• Use a spatula to fold in the remaining ingredients. Mix.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out the cake and remove the parchment paper.
• Using a spatula, spread the white chocolate frosting (recipe follows) over the top and decorate with chocolate sprinkles.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
8 oz. cream cheese
1 oz. butter, soft
2 Tbsp. sour cream
¼ tsp. vanilla or almond extract

• Set up a double boiler or bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add the white chocolate to the top of the double boiler or, if using a pot of simmering water, to a tempered glass bowl that you then place atop the pot of water. Once the chocolate has melted, let cool until the chocolate is warm to the touch.*
• Whip the remaining ingredients in a stand mixer until smooth.
• Add in the chocolate and beat for several minutes until fluffy.**

* If you don’t wish to use the double boiler method, microwave the chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring  between each increment until it is fully melted.

**You may have some leftover frosting if you only want a thin layer of frosting on the cake. I suggest using the leftovers to frost another cake or as dip for cookies.

Fruit plus chocolate is not my favorite combination, especially dark chocolate. Therefore, when I set out to make this cake, I thought I was being so clever because I wouldn’t want to eat it at all. Boy was I wrong.

Red wine isn’t just the ideal accompaniment to a hearty meal. It also adds the most delicious touch to any chocolate cake. The result is always moist and the flavors become more complex. Every time I make a red-wine cake, I wonder why I don’t do it more often.

As far as the addition of fruit, I’ve had my hands on some cherry concentrate for a while now and wanted to use it somewhere, somehow. Also, my Bundt pan hadn’t been touched in nearly a year, but this somber weather was inspiring me to use it once again for a rich, dark cake perfect to nosh on in the depths of winter. It also helps that this is a one-bowl recipe and you can have it in the oven in minutes.

Feel free to swap out the cherries for other fruits, or skip them altogether. Just don’t skimp on the red wine. Enjoy, and happy baking!

Cherry Chocolate Red Wine Bundt Cake
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in Food & Wine
1 9-inch Bundt cake

Nonstick cooking spray
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1¾ cups granulated sugar
Zest from 1 orange
2 sticks butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup almond flour*
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup red wine
¼ cup cherry concentrate (or replace with ¼ cup red wine)
1 cup dried cherries
2 oz. finely chopped semisweet chocolate

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare a 9-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and flour.
• Pour the sugar into a large mixing bowl and add the orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.
• Add in the softened butter and beat using an electric mixer or whisk until fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla, beating well after each addition.
• Gradually add in 1½ cups of all-purpose flour as well as the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
• Using a spatula, fold in the red wine, cherry concentrate, dried cherries and chocolate.
• Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and dry. Remove from the oven and let the pan cool.
• When the pan is cool enough to handle, un-mold the cake and let it cool further on the rack.
• Serve with sweetened whipped cream or powdered sugar sifted over the top.

* Available at Whole Foods Market, 1601 S. Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, 314.968.7744, wholefoodsmarket.com. Alternatively, you can pulse whole almonds in a food processor until they reach a powdered form.

These cupcakes come just in time for Valentine’s Day. I made them for a friend who loves all things Nutella. Devil’s-food cake is topped with the softest, fluffiest Nutella “cloud” frosting and then sprinkled with hazelnut crunch. The cupcakes were devoured in a hot minute, and I had plenty of the hazelnut crunch left over to munch on. Hazelnuts are a bit more expensive than your average nut, but they are worth the splurge when being used for someone special (even if that someone special is yourself). Happy Valentine’s Day!

Note: The recipe for the cake is best made when measured in grams. Kitchen scales are cheap and extremely useful for anyone who likes to bake at home. I highly recommend making these according to weight.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes
Makes about 10 cupcakes
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery

Hazelnut Crunch (recipe follows)
30 g. cocoa powder (¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp.)
100 g. all-purpose flour (½ cup plus 3½ Tbsp.)
½ tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. baking powder
56 g. egg at room temperature (3½ Tbsp., start with 2 eggs)
Pinch salt
126 g. sugar (½ cup plus 2 Tbsp.)
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
86 g. mayonnaise (½ cup plus 2½ Tbsp.), room temperature
105 g. water (¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp.), room temperature
Nutella Cloud Frosting (recipe follows)

• First make the Hazelnut Crunch (recipe follows).
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
• In a bowl, sift the cocoa powder with the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs and measure out 56 grams, pouring the measured amount into the bowl of a stand mixer. To the mixer, add the salt, sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 5 minutes, or until the batter is thick and pale yellow. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides, then beat again until well combined.
• Beat in the mayonnaise. Fold in the dry ingredients, along with the water.
• Pour the batter into the liners until each is 2/3 full.*
• Bake the cupcakes for 16 to 18 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly pressed.
• While they are baking, make the Nutella Cloud Frosting (recipe follows).
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

*If you’re feeling fancy and want to take these cupcakes to the next level, make this praline paste, and drop a teaspoon of the paste into each cupcake right before baking!

Hazelnut Crunch
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in Bon Appétit

¼ cup hazelnuts
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/8 tsp. sea salt
½ cup Nutella
2 cups toasted rice cereal

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool, then coarsely chop and set aside.
• Melt the butter, chocolate and salt in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth.
• Stir in the toasted hazelnuts and Nutella; then fold in the rice cereal.
• Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.
• Using your hands, break the mixture into small pieces.
• Cover and chill (can be made 4 hours ahead of the cupcakes). 

Nutella Cloud Frosting
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published on Sweetapolita

1 stick butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup Nutella
1 Tbsp. milk
Pinch salt

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add in the rest of the ingredients and beat on medium-high for several minutes (The longer you beat, the fluffier the frosting gets.).*

*For a sweeter taste and firmer texture, add more sugar. To loosen the frosting or reduce sweetness, add more milk by the tablespoon.

Forgot to make a Valentine’s Day reservation? It’s your lucky day. Sometimes the most romantic nights are spent cooking together or for one another. We have picked out some of our favorite recipes (two appetizers, two salads, four entrees and two desserts), so that you can create the perfect menu for you and the one(s) you love.

Click here to see 10 Great Recipes for Valentine’s Day, including this recipe for Bacon Fat-Fried Cornbread courtesy of Taste’s Matthew Daughaday.

— photo by  Carmen Troesser

If you type “vanilla cupcake recipe” into a Google search, you will find at least 2,470,190 results. Everyone has a vanilla cake recipe they swear by. Your preference really just depends on what vanilla means to you. I used to confuse vanilla cake with something overly sweet and headache inducing. Whenever anything boasted of being all-vanilla, the essence of vanilla was almost always buried in masses of sugar. I wondered why people would ever want vanilla anything without at least a little bit of chocolate to ground that wallop of sugar. I mean, how boring.

Years later, after stumbling upon a jar of vanilla sugar from Home Goods (a treasure trove for bakers) and taking in a deep whiff of the delicious aroma, I wondered why I hadn’t truly ever enjoyed a vanilla cake … so I ventured to make one myself.

After testing several recipes that I found online, I finally returned to a classic: white chocolate raspberry cupcakes that I’ve made countless times for many orders and birthday parties. By upping the vanilla content, the cupcakes were completely transformed into bean-flecked beauties, giving off the most enchanting smells of vanilla. To keep the vanilla taste lingering, I filled the centers of the cupcakes with a luscious vanilla bean pudding that I will now be making for years to come, and then I topped them with my favorite vanilla bean cream cheese frosting.

It took every part of me not to add something else to this – some chocolate or strawberries – but I was paying homage to all the crazy people who love all things vanilla (I even showed restraint with my rainbow sprinkles!).

Although the cupcakes were intended to go to my boyfriend’s workplace, my friends and I ended up eating them all, savoring every last crumb. That’s how I ended up with my own version of a truly vanilla cake. And somehow, in the process, I fell in love with something all-vanilla myself.

Here’s my white chocolate raspberry version of theses cupcakes for those of you who aren’t as crazy about vanilla.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes exactly 12 cupcakes

1 stick butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
¼ cup vanilla-infused sugar*
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cup of flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup sour cream
1/3 cup white chocolate chunks
Vanilla bean pudding (recipe follows)
Vanilla bean cream cheese (recipe follows)

*If you can’t find vanilla-infused sugar, add the scrapings from 1 vanilla bean to regular sugar.

Vanilla Bean Pudding
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published on SmittenKitchen.com
Makes 3 cups

2 2/3 cups 2% milk, divided
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp. salt
1 vanilla bean, including the scraped-out inside (or 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract)
1 large egg

• In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of milk to a boil.
• In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and the scrapings from the inside of the the vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, wait until the end to stir it in.)
• Toss the scraped-out vanilla bean pod into the saucepan of milk.
• Slowly whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup of milk into the bowl of sugar. Then whisk in the egg.
• Once the milk in the saucepan comes to a boil, gradually add it to the sugar mixture while whisking the whole time.
• Return the entire mixture back to the saucepan, and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula.
• Once it simmers, cook for one minute longer and then stir in the vanilla extract if using.
• Pour back into the original bowl and let cool.
• Once cooled, cover the pudding with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour.*

*You will have leftovers of this pudding, but you’ll be grateful for it. Serve with fruit or use as a pastry cream in other recipes. You may also double the cupcake and frosting recipes to accommodate the leftover pudding.

Vanilla Bean Frosting
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published on SmittenKitchen.com

½ stick butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
4 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ the inside of 1 scraped-out vanilla bean
4 oz. of mascarpone cheese*

• Beat all ingredients together except the mascarpone.
• Once fluffy, beat in the mascarpone, until the frosting is combined and smooth.
• Store the frosting in the fridge for about 20 minutes, or until it’s firm enough to frost a cake.

*Or you can use 8 oz. of cream cheese and omit the mascarpone.

Cupcakes, frosted, last up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Unfrosted, the cupcakes can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored up to 1 month in the freezer. Vanilla bean pudding lasts up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the combination of mint and chocolate. I will try any mint chocolate dessert in sight, any time. My favorite is the Ghirardelli mint chocolate squares. I like seeing the mint, not just having it infused into my dessert. I do, however, find After Eights too strong for my taste. The flavors need to be balanced – a harmonious meeting of dark chocolate and smooth mint.

In this cold weather, I find dark chocolate and mint to be the perfect solace. I wanted to make something bite-sized and brownie-like that hit the spot (And these did!). I used chopped York Peppermint Patties in these, which are so much better than just using extract.

Since my mom loves Heath bars, I added toffee bits to the other half of the batter. Baking these in a cupcake pan is ideal for anyone who likes the chewy/crunchy edge piece of a brownie (And if you don’t, please send them my way.).

Brownie Cupcakes with Mint or Toffee
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in Martha Stewart’s book Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone’s Favorite Treat
Makes 20 to 24 brownies in a mini muffin pan (or 12 regular-sized cupcakes)

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
1 stick of butter at room temperature, cubed
1 cup sugar
¾ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
4 York Peppermint Patties, coarsely chopped (or a bag of mini ones), OR ½ cup toffee bits

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and ready a cupcake pan with liners.
• Set up a double boiler or bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add the chocolate and butter to the top of the double boiler or, if using a pot of simmering water, to a tempered glass bowl that you then place atop the pot of water.
• Once the chocolate and butter have melted, remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the sugar and salt until smooth.
• Whisk in the eggs and then gently whisk in the flour and cocoa powder until combined; try not to over mix.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into the cup and place 1 chunk (or 2) of Peppermint Patty in the center, and then top with 2 tablespoons of batter, covering the patty completely.
• If using toffee instead of mint, swirl some toffee bits into each cup after pouring in the batter.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted halfway in the center (above the patty filling) comes out with a few crumbs attached (As long as the batter isn’t wet, it’s done.).
• Cool completely before eating.

These can be stored for up to 4 days at room temperature in an airtight container.