Christmas Dreams

It’s funny how things work out. A nasty cold creeps up on you the week before Christmas and doesn’t let up entirely until after the holiday, a date yet to come... Your wife ends up feeling the effects of that cold over the holiday weekend itself. My cold killed some of my late week motivation for Christmas food & drink that I had hoped to share here at Ancient Fire. Such is life. My steady recovery and Margot chilling quietly on the couch this weekend gave me time to spend time in the kitchen on Christmas having fun.

I made the Figgy Pudding and Christmas Cake prior to leaving to visit family for the first part of the weekend, but just didn’t get to sharing them. I enjoyed the experience making these two recipes for the first time. There was plenty to be learned about where they come from and what they mean to us at Christmas time. I’ve got the leftovers soaking in rum or cognac right now. New Year Day treats! Some lore, recipes (at the bottom) and photos are below.

Figgy pudding comes from 16th century England and is largely considered a version of Christmas Pudding. The diversity of its ingredients and cooking methods speak to it being a very local, or house to house specialty. The Christmas connection is from the carol “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and the lines "Now bring us some figgy pudding" and “we won’t go until we get some” indicating that figgy pudding might have been given to carolers at Christmastime. In the larger realm of Christmas Pudding you find even more diversity, gift giving, prizes baked into them and many traditions in vast locales where it was made. Steaming the pudding is a very popular method, although not the clear majority winner amongst methods.

I also made a Christmas Cake using figs and a similar spice complement to the figgy pudding. Both cakes are dense and very flavorful, something a bit of citrus, sugar syrup or spirits can add life to. Why not all three? Like a cocktail in your dessert! House style Christmas cakes are as old as baking and Christmas, so everyone has their own type of recipe they like. I trend toward the big flavors and baking spices this time of year, but that isn’t certainly the only route. Light colored cakes with whispy frosting and mint or vanilla flavors certainly bring visions of the winter-time Christmases of New England where I live.

We started Christmas Day with Squash Laced Cinnamon Buns from page 220 of the November 2011 Cooking Light issue. I got up early to make the dough, went back to bed, and then rose to cook them for the obligatory watching of A Christmas Story. We’ve watched this movie in Jamaica on Christmas, and it never fails to make us laugh about Christmases past. Back to the buns. These were my finest bread baking experience ever. Repeating it will be an epic struggle with luck I fear. Baking good bread takes a lot of time, and even with that success is not assured.

The Starbucks hot cocoa mixes that I snagged last month made mochas that wound up the day pretty good. We’ve enjoyed them again several times since. Merry Christmas indeed!

I also made one of my favorites, mulled wine, on Christmas Day. This turned out to be the right treat for the bands of flurries and snow showers we had all day. It was beautiful at times and I hope I caught some of it in photos. We took walks with Pete (our dog) several times to enjoy the beautiful day.

The recipe for the wine is a simple one, but mulled wine is special that way. You can make a little or a lot, but you have to make sure you drink what you make when it’s warm and first ready to drink. Letting it cook for too long isn’t a recipe for success. Too much acid, citrus pith, cooked flavors, etc. Some batches do better than others, but avoid it if you can.

Ancient Fire Mulled Wine

1 bottle of rich, red wine. Syrah, Cabernet, Merlot or similar

1 orange, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

3 cloves

3 allspice berries

15 sugar cubes, more to taste

Heat a crock pot on high. Add spices and orange slices to the bottom of the cooker. Allow aromatics to build. Pour over the wine and add the sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved and the wine is hot. Do not

allow to get to a simmer or boil. Ladle into punch cups or mugs. Multiply the recipe as needed.

While I was making ginger syrup earlier in the week I ended up with the “spent” ginger in the fridge. I immediately thought of candied fruits, and from there candied ginger and orange slices were made. I wasn’t dreaming of sugar plums, I made them!

Other than the mulled wine I drank a few additional beverages over the weekend, including a bottle of Rose Regale with family on Friday and wines from Virginia (Barren Ridge and Tarara) on Saturday over Chinese food and snacks. After Christmas I went back to the open wines from the holiday open house and enjoyed the white blends from the Finger Lakes (Lamoreaux Landing and Hunt Country Vineyards) that we opened at that event.

I received a great gift in the form of a bottle of Jefferson’s Straight Rye Whiskey. I haven’t cracked it open yet, but that time is not far off. I had bottle of their 10 year old Bourbon open earlier in the week and I can’t say I would let it stray too far if it was mine…

I can’t complain about how my holiday weekend worked out, I had lots of fun. I would have had different fun perhaps without the cold, but more fun? That might not be a slam dunk. With New Years coming Margot and I are looking forward to going out and having a bit of a party before we ring in a new year and have to get back to the rat race!

Cheers!

Jason

{ Recipes }

Ancient Fire Figgy Pudding

6 large dried figs, chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup dark rum

3 Tbsp cup cognac or brandy

1/4 cup raisins

2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 (packed) cup brown sugar

1 cup fresh white bread cubes (made from about 8 inches of baguette)

1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Optional: 1/3 cup brandy, cognac or rum, to flame the pudding

Equipment Note

You will need a 8+ cup Bundt pan and a stock pot large enough to contain it and water for steaming.

Directions:

Bring the figs and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer until the water is almost gone.

Add the rum, cognac raisins and bring the pan back to a boil.

To flambé the figs:

Remove the pan from the heat, make sure it’s in an open space, have a pot cover at hand and,

standing back, set the liquid aflame. Let the flames burn for 2 minutes, then extinguish them by closing

the pan with the pot cover. For a milder taste, burn the rum and brandy until the flames die out on their

own. Set the pan aside uncovered.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and salt.

In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and brown sugar together with a whisk. Stir in the bread cubes, the melted butter and the fig mixture.

Add the dry ingredients and mix to make a thick batter. A final mix with the cherries and cranberries and you are ready to steam it!

Spray the Bundt pan with cooking spray, then butter it liberally. Give the center a good coating.

Spread the batter into the pan and seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Lower the pan into the

stock pot and fill the pot with enough hot water to come one-half to two-thirds of the way up the sides

of the pan. Bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan and lower the heat so that the water simmer gently.

Steam for 1-2 hours. Add water if necessary.

The finished pudding will have lots of steam trapped inside the pan. Caution should be exercised opening the pan.

When a knife emerges clean from the pudding it is finished cooking.

Removing the Bundt pan from the pot can be tricky. Where the oven mitts and use tongs if you can. Dump out onto a rack and allow to cool a bit before serving.

Use the optional spirits to douse the cake for a tableside flambé before serving. Be careful, this can go wrong too easily. Be prepared with a cover, water and quick wits.

You can serve it with whipped cream, marshmallow fluff, ice cream or just eat it as is!

Christmas Fig Cake

1 stick of butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup molasses

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup dark rum

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups dried figs, finely sliced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 and liberally grease a Bundt (tube style) pan.

I liked the preparation of the figs for the Figgy Pudding, so I am going to repeat that here with the figs & water, then adding the rum over a light simmer for 5-10 minutes. No flambé to finish this time.

In a work bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and molasses and mix well.

Add the orange zest, buttermilk, and rehydrated figs. Mix until evenly distributed.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend until smooth.

Fold in the walnuts, if using.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes. A toothpick or skewer into the center should emerge clean to test if it is done.

Cool on a wire rack.

The recipe I riffed off here of has the setup for a glaze or sauce. I would have opted for whipped cream, but ran out of steam before I got there.

Check out the Dorie Greenspan inspired post that guided me at http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/baking-desserts/other-desserts/figgy-pudding-cake.php

Cappuccino Muffins w/ Nutella Fluff Frosting

I saw Tweets about Nutella Day and of course got to thinking about what I could contribute. Margot and I love the stuff and when I found it was made by the same company that makes the Ferro Rocher candies that I have been addicted to from time to time, it totally made sense.

I went with something that I don’t do a lot in my blog, baking. I made cappuccino muffins, cupcakes seem apt as a description too, with Nutella and marshmallow fluff frosting. The frosting was Margot’s idea. She’s got a better feel for sweet treats than I do and ignoring that idea would be pretty stupid in my experience.

Cappuccino Muffins w/ Nutella Fluff Frosting

Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp baking cocoa
½ cup + 2 Tbsp vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1/4 cup Smart Balance, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Set oven to 375. Combine dry (first 6 ingredients) in a large mixing bowl. Mix the instant coffee into the almond milk. Mix in the melted Smart Balance, beaten egg and vanilla to the milk. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until well blended. Pour batter into 6 greased or paper lined large muffin tins. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in to the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Frosting
¼ lb butter, softened
¼ cup Nutella
½ jar Fluff
¼ lb confectioners’ sugar
½ tsp vanilla

Blend the softened butter and Nutella together until smooth. Mix in the sugar and vanilla. Gently fold in the fluff using a spatula. Spread over the cool cupcakes.

( Margot and I had some ideas of what we could do with this, but they really aren't blog worthy... )

The presentation in the china coffee cup completes the idea that this would be a great pairing with a hot cup of coffee for breakfast or an afternoon snack!

I hope everyone is having fun on Nutella Day. The list of recipes compiled so far is pretty amazing.

Cheers!

Jason

Apple Pie - To Compete Or Not?

( my long-time crust recipe and our first test of the Apple Cheddar Crunch pie )

Mack’s Apples in Londonderry, NH has an annual apple pie-making competition, with 2011 being the 21st year. The last few years I have known about it but was out of town on the weekend of the event. This year I found I would be home and decided to throw my hat in the ring.

I’ve entered several recipe contests before, but never a live judged food competition. With plenty of wine competitions, and medals, behind me this seemed like a gap that I could fill starting with apple pie. But what makes a competition worthy and furthermore a competition winning pie?

I have a combination butter/shortening crust recipe that is my go-to for pies. My filling is 100% Cortland apples and heavy on the spices. Everyone seems to love them and in 2003 and 2004 I made over 200 apples pies by hand to fundraise for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I guess you could say I have some experience making pies, but would that translate to a win?

I love my crust recipe but not being overconfident I felt I need to experiment with other recipes to be sure that I had something that would really stack up. Thankfully the Mack’s competition requires participants to submit their complete recipes and the winners are published for all to see. I went and picked up the 2009 and 2010 winning recipes to see what I could learn. I also scoured the web looking for other ideas with the intention of running some trials in my kitchen before deciding what to make for entry. Crusts made from 1005 Crisco dominate. I find this weird as I have never been terribly impressed with this type of crust. I find them to be less flaky and flavorful than those made with butters, lard or other ingredients. Taste being what it is I had to give it whirl and be objective about what I found.

We ended up with four crust recipes pitted against each other. The fillings were all the same. We had to use my long-time favorite which is 60% butter and 40% Crisco. We also choose 100% shortening (Crisco), a recipe with shortening, egg and vinegar and for the final crust, 100% lard. My mother said that her aunt Pat says you can’t make a good pie crust without at least a little lard. Seems like good advice to me.

( lard, anyone? )

Crust Recipes

Butter/Shortening Crust
(makes 1 double crust)
2 ½ cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
11 Tbsp butter
7 Tbsp shortening
8-10 Tbsp ice cold water

Allow the butter and shortening to soften slightly. Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Adding the butter and shortening in two waves, work it into the flour with a pastry blender. The final result will look like coarse crumbs. Add the ice water folding the crumbs together until it forms a ball. Lightly flour the ball and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. When ready to make the pie the dough should be divided into two pieces and rolled out on a floured surface as needed. (The top picture shows an example of this crust.)

100% Shortening
(makes 1 double crust)

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup + 2Tbsp shortening
5 Tbsp ice cold water

The method is the same as the above recipe except that you are using 100% shortening.

Shortening, Vinegar & Egg Crust
(makes 1 double crust)

2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 beaten egg
1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 cup ice water

Allow the shortening to soften slightly. Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add the shortening, working it into the flour with a pastry blender. Combine the wet ingredients and add to the flour mixture to form a ball. Lightly flour the ball and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. When ready to make the pie the dough should be divided into two pieces and rolled out on a floured surface as needed.

( just a little bit of oil from the lard collecting in the foil! )

Lard Based Crust
(makes 1 double crust)

2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. lard
1/4 c. water

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in lard with pastry blender until small pea size particles/coarse crumbs are obtained. Sprinkle with water a little at a time. Mix with fork until flour is moist. Press into a ball place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. When ready to make the pie the dough should be divided into two pieces and rolled out on a floured surface as needed.

After the experiments I decided that my non-traditional pie recipe would have an all-lard crust and my traditional would have a lard/butter crust. My exact competition recipes can be found below. The all shortening crusts were too dry for me and the lard crust just had that extra oomph in taste and texture that made me feel like it was the way to go.

( Apple Cheddar Crunch waiting to be judged )

Apple Cheddar Crunch Pie
(non-traditional)

Glazed Almonds (crunch)
½ cup sliced almonds
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Splash of rye whiskey

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Roast the almonds for a few minutes until they become fragrant. Shake them frequently. Roasting time is about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan. Add the butter to the pan, allowing it to melt. Add the cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Mix well, breaking up any clumps of sugar and allowing it to melt a bit. Add the nuts back to the pan. Stirring frequently allow the nuts swim in the butter/sugar mix for 5 minutes. Splash the whiskey over them. Be careful not to splash the whiskey onto the burner or near open flame. Continue to stir for two minutes. Remove them from the heat. Allow them to cool. They will become slightly clumpy and very crunchy.

Pie Crust

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
18 Tbsp lard
8-10 Tbsp ice cold water

Allow the chilled lard to soften slightly. Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Adding the lard in two waves, work it into the flour with a pastry blender. The final result will look like coarse crumbs. Add ice water folding the crumbs together until it forms a ball. Lightly flour the ball and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Pie Filling

7 large Cortland apples
1 Tbsp lemon/orange zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon/orange juice
½ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp clove
6 oz thinly sliced sharp cheddar cheese
Glazed almonds (from recipe above)
1 egg
1 Tbsp Demerara sugar

Cut the dough ball from the crust recipe in half. Roll out the bottom crust and place in your pie plate. Spoon a small layer of the apple filling into the empty shell. Slice the cheese thin and evenly place over the apple filling. Spoon the remaining apple mixture into the shell leaving any liquid behind. Spread the nuts over the top of the filling. Roll out the top crust and place it over the filled shell. Trim the edges so that an even amount of overlap from both crusts is available. Overlap and pinch shut the crusts making sure the edges are inside the very outer edge of the pie plate. Brush the egg over the top of the crust, including the edges. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Cut four slits in the center of the top crust for venting. Bake in a 350 degree over four 1 hour or until the top is browned.

( my traditional pie hot out of the oven )

Traditional Apple Pie

Pie Crust

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
11 Tbsp lard
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
8-10 Tbsp ice cold water

Allow the chilled lard and butter to soften slightly. Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Adding the lard/butter in two waves, work it into the flour with a pastry blender. The final result will look like coarse crumbs. Add ice water folding the crumbs together until it forms a ball. Lightly flour the ball and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Pie Filling

7 large Cortland apples
1 Tbsp lemon/orange zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon/orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp clove
1 egg

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Combine the apples, zest, juice, sugar and spices in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Let stand 10 minutes.

Cut the dough ball from the crust recipe in half. Roll out the bottom crust and place in your pie plate. Spoon the apple mixture into the shell leaving any liquid behind. Roll out the top crust and place it over the filled shell. Trim the edges so that an even amount of overlap from both crusts is available. Overlap and pinch shut the crusts making sure the edges are inside the very outer edge of the pie plate. Brush the egg over the top of the crust, including the edges. Cut four slits in the center of the top crust for venting. Bake in a 350 degree over four 1 hour or until the top is browned.

( lots of pie! )

I didn’t place in the competition and on at least one account there was a good reason why. The crust of my traditional pie wasn’t cooked all the way through. I had to finish cooking the leftovers before I took it to a family party the night of the competition. It was consumed quickly and the feedback was great. I can least take comfort in the fact that I made some people happy with it. My non-traditional pie seems to have been robbed of a chance. It was executed perfectly and when I had a chance to taste it I could find no issues. It didn’t advance to the second round where at least one pie with a Pillsbury (store-bought) crust did, so I can only assume the judges weren’t as discerning as they could have been.

( my non-traditional pie is cut for tasting )

( what are they thinking as they try it? )

I have already been kicking around ideas for next year and I will definitely be back and ready to try it again!

( Denise LaRoche, non-traditional winner. We chatted before the judging. She shared secrets! )

( Deborah Pierce, traditional winner. I tried her winning pie and can learn from her tricks! )

( the winner in the traditional category. it looks simpler than it is )

The announcement of the winners and prizes can be found at the Mack’s Apples web site. It pays to know who your local news reporters are. A quick conversation with April from the Union Leader netted a great quote on the front page of the local edition on Monday January 31st!

Cheers!

Jason


Simple Midwestern Apple Pie

International Blogger Holiday Cookie Recipe Exchange

( it is too early to leave these for Santa, but it sure is a nice idea! )

What foodie doesn’t love a good cookie swap? But how do you do that amongst food bloggers all over the world? You swap recipes and ask each blogger to post their experience with another participants recipe. When I first saw this I immediately thought “that has to be the coolest idea I have seen in some time.” I threw my cookie chops in and a few weeks later received an e-mail from Joanne from Eat’s Well With Others with the recipe for Maple Brown Sugar Cookies.

Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
Makes 24, adapted from Indulgence Cookies

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup soft brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg yolk
2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and egg yolk, beating until just combined.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cardamom. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough.

3. Shape the dough into a flat disk, cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes or in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (The book tells you to put it in the fridge for 20 minutes. And let me tell you, this was nowhere near enough time. Basically just refrigerate until chilled and slightly hard.)

4. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2-inch round cookie cutters. Or if your dough is too soft to do any such thing because you are impatient and refuse to wait until it is cold to work with it. (Not that I would know anything about that.) Roll it into balls and then flatten them slightly with your palm. Place on the prepared sheets 1 1/2 inches apart and bake for 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the dough is used up.

Cookies and I are no strangers and this time of year I always make some and I try to make new and different kinds for a little holiday fun. Last week I posted about making cookies with my Mom, something she and I had done quite a bit since I got interested in cooking. I can recall marathon cookie-making days in preparation for swaps that had so many participants we had to bring boxes to cart our haul home. We would end up with so many cookies I swear we could have fed an invading army!

These cookies are spicy, but the cardomom offers a twist that makes them much less like a Snickerdoodle than you might think. The rooty, earthy flavors from the maple syrup makes a New Englander real happy.

For a second serving of the cookies I went with a twist, ice cream sandwiches! I used pairs of the cookies, vanilla ice cream and Demerara sugar to create a treat for a holiday dinner with friends. The sugar was dusted over the edges of sandwiches before letting them rest in the freezer for 20 minutes before serving.

Another holiday season and another successful cookie swap. Lori from Fake Food Free (the organizer of the exchange) was my recipe recipient and posted the story I shared and her experience with my Mom’s recipe for Russian Teacakes last week. I read the post to my Mom while I was down for a visit. She laughed when I said that her recipe and story were making her famous on the Internet. I could tell she was happy and that made the experience complete.

I hope you are taking some time to enjoy holiday foods this year. If you try something new and would like to spread the word, let me know. I’m always up for trying new holiday treats!

Cheers!

Jason

Guest Post - Chocolate Chip Banana Coffee Cupcakes

Today's guest post comes from Jessica at the Messie Kitchen. Last week she teased us in her post about visiting a friend in Texas with a picture of the cupcakes she is sharing with us today. Finally, the recipe!!!

Everyone has one in their office. You know, that person who bakes every week and more often than not has leftovers to share with her hungry coworkers? The one who can brighten up a bland Thursday morning with fresh muffins or perk up an Tuesday afternoon lull with chocolate chip cookies?

I think there is a love hate relationship with this person. You love her because she brings goodies in every week. You hate her because you can’t resist the goodies! Well, it’s more love than hate, I’d say.

The point is, if I didn’t work in a wellness center, I would totally be this person. The problem is that my coworkers and I work in shifts, so usually there are no more than two of us. If I bring a plate full of cookies, you can rest assured that the two of us will get far more than our share.

Because of this, I can’t be Susie Homemaker of the office until I work in a real office.
Enter Allie Daus. Yes, if you refer back to my blog you will see I just visited a good friend in Texas. Daus works in a real office. One with business casual and a big staff. She works in the mother load for bringing office goodies, and when she asked me to bake something for her to bring in last Friday, I was chomping at the bit.

Brownies? Cookies? Maybe scones? I wanted something that could pass off as “breakfast-y” so that her coworkers could sit down at their desks with a cup of coffee and munch away the morning.

Coffee cake. Perfect. What’s more accessible than coffee cake?
CoffeeCUPcakes! Chocolate Chip Banana Coffee Cupcakes. Wonderful. And this is what I did (for 18 cupcakes or a Bundt cake).
Chocolate Chip Banana Coffee Cupcakes

What ya need:

½ cup of butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana (about 3-4 ripe)
½ cup sour cream
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup chocolate chips
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

What ya do:

1. In a small mixing bowl, cream the butter and ¾ cup sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the banana and sour cream.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture.

3. Combine the cinnamon, chocolate chips and remaining sugar in a bowl.

4. Spoon half the batter into 18 cupcake tins and top evenly with cinnamon, sugar and chocolate mix. Top with remaining batter.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back lightly.

6. Top with chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

What ya need:

1.5 semi sweet chocolate chips
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract

What ya do:

1. In a double boiler over hot but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Add vanilla.

2. Drizzle over cupcakes

Though this recipe called for using a Bundt pan, I think the cupcake idea is super cute and much easier to eat…and who wants to work at eating! I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it’s a hit in your office…or maybe you’ll just keep it to yourself!