cookies, brownies, & anything with peanut butter

Welcome to Cupcakes with Kelly! I'm Kelly and baking is what I do. I love to bake all types of things, from rustic fruit tarts to themed sugar cookies to wedding cakes. Baking is my passion, and my job. I'm a pastry chef at Tatte in Cambridge, MA, and I also make custom cakes and cookies for events. If you're interested in having something custom made for you, . I'm located in the Boston area. My email is [email protected] if you'd like to contact me!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Dark Chocolate Almond Cherry M&M Cookies

I combined several of my favorite things plus one very special ingredient to make these amazing cookies. A chocolate chip cookie base + almond extract + dark chocolate chips + cherry M&M's + Almond Joy Instant Pudding! I hope you like chocolate, cherry and almond flavors....if you don't, well....there may be no hope for you. 

I found the Almond Joy instant pudding mix (along with Mounds instant pudding mix) at Wal Mart a few weeks ago, and had been pondering what exactly to do with them since then. When the Valentine's Day M&M's started showing up on shelves, specifically the cherry kind, I knew what had to be done. 

I started with a pudding cookie base, and substituted almond extract in for vanilla, and my Almond Joy extract for the basic vanilla that the recipe called for. I had to use dark chocolate chips, of course, because the combo of cherry, almonds and dark chocolate is simply irresistible. 

Dark Chocolate Almond Cherry M&M Cookies:

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup splenda (or sugar)

1 large egg

1 tbsp almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup Almond Joy Instant Pudding Mix

1 tsp baking soda

A pinch of salt

¾ cup dark chocolate chips

¾ cup cherry M&M's

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry mix to wet mix and beat until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and M&M's by hand, or beat on low speed for 30 seconds. 

Chill dough for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

Scoop into tablespoon sized balls, and slightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 11 minutes. Let sit on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 25-30 cookies.

Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Hi all! It's me, your not-at-all-absent baking blogger! What? You say it's been nearly 3 months since I've posted? Noooo, that can't possibly be true....

Okay, okay, it's true. I am so sorry. As I believe I've mentioned, I have an actual job as a baker now, and as much as I love it, it is exhausting. I started to get behind on my blog, then it turned to winter and I lost most of the hours of sunlight I need to photograph, then it had been so long since I posted I actively avoided posting, which made me feel guilty, which made me avoid the blog altogether. Seriously. I haven't even looked at it in months because I felt so guilty. I miss it though, and I want to make a sincere effort to regularly post again.

So, for my triumphant return, I give you a gorgeous pie!

I made this pie for Thanksgiving....yeeaahh, it's definitely been awhile, huh. It's depressing. I haven't stopped baking but I stopped documenting! I've been cranking out some awesome, unique cookies lately too, and I just have barely even made note of any of them. Seriously off my food blogger game. 

Anyway, pie. This isn't any old apple pie. It is a beautiful, homemade lattice-topped crust, two kinds of apples and drenched in homemade salted caramel sauce. So much deliciousness going on in a lovely package. My family insisted on making it the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table. It was so pretty, I wasn't even worried that it wouldn't taste good. It was already a smash hit.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie:

I'm actually not going to write out the directions because, hey, this is my first post in 3 months. Baby-stepping back into this thing. Also because I followed Sally's recipe to a T. I trust Sally wholeheartedly, as you may have noticed based on many of my previous posts. I used her crust recipe, pie recipe, and salted caramel recipe. A perfect trifecta of wonderful. 

A few notes:

I used 3 Granny Smith and 3 Honeycrisp apples.

Definitely have more caramel sauce onhand when you serve the pie; people will always want more salted caramel sauce if it is an option.

Pie is good heated or cold. 

Definitely sprinkle coarse sugar on top if you have some on hand; it looks so pretty. 

When making the pie crust, seriously invest in a pastry blender. They cost about 4 dollars, your local grocery store will almost definitely have them, and it will make your life about 1000% times easier. 

You obviously don't need to do a lattice top, but you should because it really isn't difficult and it impresses people SO much. Here is an excellent step-by-step tutorial with pictures. 

I made this pie again for my coworkers and it didn't last the day. I know apple pies, particularly this one, seem like a lot of work, but it is seriously worth it. 

Another fascinating fact; salted caramel sauce can in fact be eaten with spoon right out of the jar! But seriously. This pie will convert the staunchest of apple pie haters (if such a group of people exists!)

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies

They are a peanut butter cookie base chock full of peanut butter M&M's. And equally full of buttery, salty pretzel pieces. Everyone knows peanut butter and pretzels are an amazing combination (to be fair, so is peanut butter and everything). They were a major crowd pleaser. 

Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies:

(Makes 40 cookies)

1/2 cup unsalted butter. softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup splenda (or sugar)

1 large egg

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup peanut butter M&M's

3/4 cup pretzel pieces

(Dough requires chilling)

Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, light brown sugar and splenda. Mix in peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together flour and baking soda. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture. Fold in M&M's and pretzels using a rubber spatula. Save a few pieces for sticking in the tops after baking. Chill dough for 30-40 minutes.

Preheat to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Cookies may appear undone, but take them out anyway. Press a few extra M&M's and pretzel pieces into the tops of the cookies for appearance purposes if desired. Let sit on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

These cookies are incredibly versatile. Any kind of M&M would be great. Or a mix, if you have a bunch of ends of bags laying around. I made blondies recently that had regular, coconut, pumpkin spice and peanut butter M&M's. A strange mix perhaps, but they were incredible. This is a cross section of them. Unfortunately I didn't take any actual pictures of them, but I might have to make them again so I can make a post about them. Anyway. Peanut butter cookies.

Make em. Love em. Live the peanut butter way. 

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I used this recipe to again, to make a regular cake for my family last week, and everyone raved about it. I had 2 women, who both claimed to be carrot cake connoisseurs come up and tell me that it was the best carrot cake they had ever had. High accolades all around people; you need to make this cake.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes: 

(Makes 16 cupcakes)

1 cup light brown sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup nonfat vanilla greek yogurt (or regular yogurt)

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

2 cups grated carrots (about 4-5 medium carrots)

¾ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake trays with 16 liners. 

Using an electric mixer, combine brown sugar and vegetable oil; add in yogurt. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in vanilla, beat until incorporated.

In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and incorporate by hand, stirring only until JUST combined. Fold in carrots and pecans; again, just until incorporated. 

Evenly distribute the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake for 17-18 minutes; cupcakes are done when toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or only with a few crumbs. No batter. Wait until fully cooled before frosting.

Lightened Up Cream Cheese Frosting: 

1 (8 oz) package of neufchatel cheese (it tastes exactly like cream cheese but with less calories)*

½ cup butter, softened

2 ½ cups confectioners sugar

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

⅛ tsp salt

Using an electric mixer, beat together room temperature cheese and butter. Add in 2 cups of the sugar and beat until combined. Mixture will be very thick. Add in cream and vanilla. Beat on medium/high speed for two minutes. Add in another half cup of sugar to make slightly thicker (I did), and salt. Beat another 2 minutes. Enjoy!

*You can try using fat-free if you like; I often use fat-free cream cheese in recipes, even when they say not to. But I was afraid it would mess with the creamy consistency of the frosting. 

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

This would be a great Thanksgiving dessert to bring to your family's celebration. I guarantee they will love it. When I made my cake, I used 2 9 inch circle pans and evenly distributed the batter between them. My boyfriend kept harping on that he read it's extremely difficult to make a layered carrot cake, but I had no issues whatsoever, so I say layer on!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Pumpkin Spice M&M Blondies

So when I saw Pumpkin Spice M&M's at Target a few weekends ago, I immediately bought a bag. Only problem, I had nothing to make them with them. I wanted to save them for something special, but weeks passed and nothing was coming to me. Then, last weekend, my boyfriend was going to a poker night at a friend's and made a comment that he felt like he should bring something. For some reason, that was all the inspiration I needed, and I practically shouted "PUMPKIN BLONDIES!" 

The pictures are not my best as I basically had an hour to make the blondies, let them cool, and do a rushed photoshoot before he had to leave with them. But believe me, they are very tasty. I've made these blondies before, only that time I used pretzel M&M's. The pumpkin spice flavor went awesome with the brown sugar-loaded blondies and made them a perfectly appropriate fall dessert. 

Pumpkin Spice M&M Blondies: 

(Makes 35 bars)

½ cup butter, melted

1 ½ cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup pumpkin spice M&M's

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer, beat together melted butter and light brown sugar until combined. Add eggs one at time, beating after each addition, then add vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture slowly with the mixer on low. Mix only until just combined. Stir in M&M's. 

Pour mixture evenly into pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely (or at least for a bit!) before cutting into bars.

If you want them to be thicker, by all means use an 8x8, or a 9x9 pan. If you can't find pumpkin spice M&M's near you, you could use regular (or any kind!) of M&M's and add some pumpkin spice to the blondie batter! I kind of want to try that myself, actually. Either way, these are some tasty blondies!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze

I just went to Portland, OR recently, so of course I had doughnuts on my mind since hitting up Voodoo Doughnuts on our first day. My old favorite was the ODB, which I recreated a few months back because I just couldn't wait. I had to get one again, naturally, to see how my recreation compared. My boyfriend proclaimed mine to be better, and I have to say I kind of agree with him. You just can't beat 100% freshly made. It was still delicious of course. My boyfriend had to get the famous bacon maple bar, because he had never had one before. (Clearly he was excited to try, as he was halfway through it before I even got a picture). My new favorite, however is the Butterfingering. It was soooo good. I know it won't be long before I need to attempt a recreation of those!

Anyway. Back to pumpkin donuts. These donuts are packed with pumpkin, cinnamon and brown sugar (aka the best things in life), and topped with a maple syrup glaze, then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar because there is nothing in life that isn't better topped with cinnamon and sugar (don't fight me on that).

Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze: 

(Makes 6 donuts)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp pumpkin spice

3 tbsp pumpkin puree

2 tbsp +1 tsp buttermilk

1 large egg

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray. 

Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, buttermilk, egg and melted butter until combined. Fold wet ingredients into dry mix with a rubber spatula just until combined. 

Divide the dough evenly among the 6 cavities of the prepared pan. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Donuts should spring back when pushed when done. Let cool in pan. 

Maple Glaze: 

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp sugar free maple syrup (or whichever kind you prefer)

1 tbsp buttermilk

Whisk together all ingredients. Once the donuts are fully cool, dip them into the glaze, then top with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. Best enjoyed day of!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Golden Oreo Funfetti Ice Cream

Also did I mention I hate photographing ice cream? Because I do. Even more than granola bars. It's a race against time and I don't like it. 

For this recipe I combined aspects of the original recipe by Something Swanky that I used for the monster cookie ice cream and got the inspiration from this similar recipe by Averie Cooks. 

Golden Oreo Funfetti Ice Cream: 

(Makes approximately 2 cups)

1 (8 oz) tub of fat-free cool whip

½ cup sweetened condensed milk (about half of a 14 oz can)

1 tsp vanilla

12 golden oreos, coarsely crushed

⅓ cup sprinkles of your choice

Whisk together the cool whip and vanilla; fold in cool whip with a spatula. Cool whip will be much easier to work with if you take it out the freezer 10 minutes beforehand, or leave it in the fridge. Mix in cookie pieces and sprinkles. Freeze for at least 5 hours hours before serving. That's literally it!

It tastes just like ice cream; dare I say, better? Requires almost no time or effort and can be modified in about a thousand ways! I've already made another kind since this and I can't wait to share it with you!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have to admit, my seasonal pumpkin obsession is starting to fade. Slightly! Only slightly. I still have 3 pumpkin recipes in queue to post about, with plans for at least 2 more. And just today I bought pumpkin spice coffee creamer. Slight tangent to talk about coffee creamer: I do not drink a lot of coffee. I drink it in the morning occasionally, mostly the days that I go into work early (5 or 6AM). Sometimes I'll have it as an evening treat, or afternoon treat on the weekends. So there is absolutely no justifiable reason for me to have as much coffee creamer as I do in my fridge. As of today, I had 4. It's a problem. There are just so many tempting kinds! I had two of the International Delight Cold Stone varieties (Sweet Cream and Brownie Sundae), Salted Caramel Mocha, and now Baileys Pumpkin Spice. I seriously need to up my coffee intake.

Anyway. Pumpkin. I don't feel the all-encompassing need for it that I did come September 1st, but I'm still super into it. I eat a pumpkin granola bar for breakfast every morning. I'm obsessed with the Iced Pumpkin Mocha Latte from Dunkin Donuts. And I adore these cookies. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: 

(Makes 30 cookies)

1 ½ cup flour

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup light brown sugar

½ cup splenda (or sugar)

1 ½ tsp vanilla

6 tbsp pumpkin puree

½ cup chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugars until combined. Add vanilla and pumpkin and whisk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Scoop out tablespoon sized balls of dough. Roll into balls, then flatten with a spoon, or with the palm of your hand. The dough will barely change shape in the oven, so make them as flat as you'd like the final end product to be. Bake for 8-10 minutes, no longer. Immediately after removing, you can flatten them out more, if they aren't quite flat enough, and stick more chocolate chips on top if desired, just to make them look prettier. Let sit on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container, or freeze.

Recipe slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

More pumpkin recipes coming soon! And non-pumpkin recipes as well. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you non-pumpkin lovers out there. Though I don't pretend to understand you, I still love you!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Homemade Cosmic Brownies

Mine are a lot taller than regular cosmic brownies, but I prefer them that way. Brownies made in a 13x9 always seem so thin. I actually poured the batter in a 13x9 I had prepped, but I just couldn't deal with how thin they looked, so I transferred the whole thing to a 9x9. I forgot that brownies do actually rise some, so they might have been okay, but I still think I made the right choice. 

They are VERY chocolatey. A whopping ¾ cup of cocoa powder is in the brownies, and as if that's not enough, they are topped with a chocolate ganache that is basically just melted chocolate chips. I cut mine into pretty small squares, and that was definitely a good call. I love chocolately goodness as much as next girl, but these things are rich. If you have a chocolate lover in your life, these are a must make.

Cosmic Brownies: 

(Makes 25 small brownies if made in a 9x9 pan)

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup splenda (or sugar)

⅔ cup light brown sugar

2 tbsp coffee (I just used instant coffee - can just use water if no access to coffee)

2 tsp vanilla

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder + ¼ cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder (or just 3/4 cup regular unsweetened cocoa powder)

¾ cup +2 tbsp flour

½ cup mini m&m's (more if desired!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 9x9 (or 13x9 if desired) pan with aluminum foil, and spray with cooking spray. 

Whisk together melted butter, eggs, splenda, brown sugar, coffee and vanilla. Add in cocoa powder; continue to whisk until smooth. Add in flour and stir until just incorporated (until you don't see any more dry spots).

Pour batter into pan, and smooth top with a spatula sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean or at least clean of batter. Allow to cool completely.

Ganache: 

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

½ cup half & half

Microwave chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl for 1 minute, just to to soften them. Heat half and half in the microwave for just under a minute (until it starts to bubble). Pour the half and half over the chocolate chips; let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk mixture until smooth. (If it doesn't seem nice and smooth and pour-able, heat in microwave for 15 seconds at time. This wasn't an issue for me). Pour over cooled brownies. Sprinkle with mini m&m's. 

Let the brownies sit in the fridge for at least hours before slicing. The ganache needs to set. Keep in fridge for as long as possible for serving because they're best slightly cold!

Recipe slightly modified from Averie Cooks

Have sweet, chocolate filled dreams everyone!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

However, before I start really talking about these lovelies, let me just preface this entry by saying I'M SO SORRY that it's been so long! I've been consistently trying to update every other day, or at least 3 times a week recently; this is my first entry in MORE than a WEEK. Aggggh. Begin excuses: my birthday was on Sunday and I was out doing birthday things with family all day. Including a birthday 5K! (Okay, it was just a regular 5K but I ran it in 26 minutes! 4 minutes better than my last 5K).  I honestly don't remember what I was doing Monday night, and Tuesday I worked at the bakery for 14 hours, then bonded with my coworkers over some much needed drinks. THEN from Tuesday to yesterday, I was on vacation in Portland, Oregon! I fully intended to make posts while I was there. I had all my photos chosen and edited and everything. But our hotel only had free wifi in the lobby (I know right?! What is this, the stone age). And I didn't want to curl up in the hotel lobby to write about cookies. Plus I was only there for 4 days and I wanted to squeeze as much Portland in as I could. Basically, I've been neglectful and I hope you'll forgive me. 

TLDR: I'm sorry this post took so long, it won't happen again. Let's talk strawberry chocolate chip cookies. 

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies: 

(Makes 40 cookies)

1 (16.25 oz) box Duncan Hines Strawberry Supreme cake mix (I know Pillsbury has a strawberry cake mix, and that Pillsbury is cheaper. I highly recommend against  using Pillsbury mixes for cookies)

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

⅓ cup vegetable oil

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping if desired

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

Mix together cake mix and baking powder in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla and vegetable oil until fully combined. Pour the egg mixture into the dry mixture and stir until there are no more dry spots. Stir in chocolate chips, trying to distribute them evenly. Scoop out tablespoon sized balls of dough and roll them into oval-ish balls, taller than they are wide. I stuck a few chocolate chips into the tops of each of mine, to make them prettier. Totally up to you. 

Bake for 10 minutes. Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe slightly modified from Sally's Baking Addiction 

They're soft without being mushy, and taste like strawberry without tasting artificial. They are truly unique cookies, and I definitely recommend them whole-heartedly. Anther post really soon; I promise! Maybe even tomorrow!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Birthday Sugar Cookies

Colorful frosting, fun shapes, and a copious amount of sprinkles? You guessed it; it's more sugar cookies! I'm pretty sure in my last post I said I wouldn't be making them again for a while. Welp I lied. I bought a bucket of cookie cutters at Target a few weeks back, then scored some awesome alphabet cookie cutters a yard sale last week. Last weekend also happened to be my nephew's birthday party. Perfect occasion to try out my new stuff!

I decided to make some little boy-specific shapes (cars, trains, and dinosaurs) and some general little kid shapes (rubber duckies and teddy bears). I also made some hearts and stars (not pictured). I used the most basic frosting recipe in the world. I used it last time too, and it works great. Just mix 1 tsp of milk for each 1/4 cup of powdered sugar you used. I did 1/4 cup for each color and each batch frosted about 12 cookies.

The ducks were my favorite. I've always loved rubber duckies though, so I'm biased. The letters were really fun to work with too.

I didn't want my other nephew to feel left out so I made a special Lightning McQueen car just for him. 

The sugar cookie recipe is incredibly basic too. 

Sugar Cookies: 

3 cups all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until combined. Add in egg and vanilla. Slowly add in flour mixture.

Spread flour on a counter or cutting board or table, wherever you have space. Roll out balls of cookie dough to desired thickness and cut out your shapes. I've found the best way to pick up cut out shapes without messing them up is to keep the cookie cutter on the cookie, and slide a spatula underneath it, picking off the surrounding dough. This way, the shape doesn't get changed. 

Arrange your cookies on baking sheets and let them chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes each. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling. Wait until completely cooled to decorate. 

Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups

Remember to have fun with it! Decorating sugar cookies can be frustrating, especially because this recipe makes a lot of cookies (around 50 if I'm remembering correctly). Create a plan beforehand; for example, I decided I would make all the cars blue, all the trains red, etc. When I made my Sweet Treat sugar cookies, I basically made every cookie different which was VERY time-consuming. Having a plan made it go much faster. Also give yourself enough time. Bake the cookies one night, and decorate them the next. Whatever you need to do! 

If you're interested in specialized cookies for an event, remember you can contact me at [email protected]! Prices negotiable. 

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Grown-Up PB&J Cookies

The peanut butter portion is made up by more mini peanut butter cups! You might recognize them from some other projects. Seriously people. Trader Joe's. They sell em' by the bucket. The jelly portion is two-fold; some strawberry jelly swirled into the tops, AND chopped up Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares. I had never had these before, and was excited to try them. Dark chocolate is my favorite kind of chocolate, closely followed by semi-sweet. I don't like milk chocolate and I ABHOR white chocolate. It's just a gross impostor claiming to be chocolate in my opinion.

Anyway, peanut butter and jelly cookies. I made them for a kid's party (mostly because I thought it was an excellent excuse) but really, they are appropriate for any occasion. Kids don't care that there's fancy chocolate in it. Adults will be impressed! And will never guess that they're made of only 7 ingredients! Did I mention this is another improved upon box cake recipe? Cause it is. I'm so into them lately; first the Bite-Size Pumpkin Spice Cakes, then these, and another recipe that I'll be posting soon!

Grown-Up Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies: 

(Makes 40 cookies)

1 (16.25 oz) box of white cake mix (I used Betty Crocker - don't use Pillsbury)

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mini peanut butter cups (or chopped up regular peanut butter cups)

8 Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares (1 bar)

1 tbsp jelly (strawberry, raspberry, grape, your choice!) for swirling into tops, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

Mix cake mix, melted butter, eggs and vanilla together by hand until fully combined. Carefully stir in candy pieces. You may want to stick the Ghirardelli bar in the freezer for 20 minutes or so beforehand, so it's easier to chop. Chill dough for 30 minutes (don't skip this; chilling dough is important).

Using a rounded tablespoon, drop balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet. If you choose, swirl a little bit of jelly into the top of each ball using a butter knife. I mostly did it for looks, but I was pleased with how they came out. Totally your choice. Bake for 10-12 minutes; until bottoms turn golden. Let sit on baking sheet 5 minutes after removing from oven before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe adapted from Inside BruCrew Life

The goodness of a childhood (err, and adulthood) meal in a neat cookie shaped package. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk and some apple slices for the optimal childhood throwback!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Biscoff Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bars

I hope you like biscoff, bananas, chocolate, peanut butter cups, and mess. Because that is these bars in a nutshell. Delicious? Yes. Not the prettiest things in the world? Yes. I actually debated not sharing these because they are not, shall we say, photogenic. But they're sooo tasty, I didn't want to keep it all to myself!

They actually look a lot prettier before being cooked. I love bananas, and I love mini peanut butter cups, and I love chocolate chips, so I actually had to stop and take a picture mid-baking process to document these lovely layers. For my biscoff lovers, the crust is made of crushed up biscoff cookies, and the drizzle topping is made up of biscoff spread and sweetened condensed milk. I have very mixed feelings about sweetened condensed milk. I don't mind using it as an ingredient in, say, ice cream, but I don't generally like pouring it on top of things. I decided to make an exception for these because I loved all the other ingredients so much.

Biscoff Banana Peanut Butter Cup Bars: 

(Makes 20 bars)

1 cup crushed biscoff cookies (I unfortunately didn't count before I threw them in food processor, but I think it was around 16-20 cookies)

¼ cup butter, melted

1 ½ ripe bananas

⅓ cup mini peanut butter cups (I had especially mini ones from Trader Joe's; if you don't have access to these, just buy any size and chop up 1/3 cup of them)

⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup sweetened condensed milk (1/2 of 14 oz can)*

⅓ cup biscoff spread/cookie butter

Preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with tinfoil (to make removal easy) and spray it with cooking spray to be safe. 

Mix together the cookie crumbs and butter; spread into bottom of pan making sure to pack it down. Slice enough banana slices to cover the surface of the crust in one layer. This was 1 ½ bananas for me. Evenly sprinkle the peanut butter cups and chocolate chips over the top.

Combine the biscoff spread and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl, and microwave for 20 seconds. Drizzle evenly over top of bars. Bar for 23-25 minutes; until edges are golden. Allow to cool completely before cutting. 

*You can use a whole can if you want, but I didn't want to do that. Like I said, I'm not a big fan of pouring sweetened condensed milk on things.

Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

Like many of the things I make, I prefer these cold. I tried them at room temperature, then I tried them after being the fridge overnight, and THEN I tried them after being in the freezer overnight, and they just kept getting better. Added bonus; the cold really firms up the crust, and makes those peanut butter cup/chocolate chunks more pronounced. They may not be the prettiest thing you'll ever make, but I assure you, they will make your mouth happy. 

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Bite-Size Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cakes

It's a pumpkin day! Aka, every day in my life. I really think that I've had pumpkin in some form every day in September so far. Pumpkin beer, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin vodka, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin English muffins...probably some things I'm forgetting...and these! Bite-size Pumpkin Spice Cakes frosted with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream! The cake is so moist and flavorful...and literally has 2 ingredients. 

You read correctly; TWO ingredients. A box of spice cake mix, and pumpkin puree. That's it. You can throw them together in 5 minutes, and no one will believe that it came from a box mix. I like keeping them in the fridge; it keeps them firm and they're delicious chilled. 

Bite-Size Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cakes: 

1 (15 oz) box of spice cake (I used Duncan Hines)

1 (15 oz) can or 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350F; line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Mix together cake mix and pumpkin puree until fully combined. Drop dough onto baking sheet using a rounded tablespoon. Try to make them nicely rounded because they don't change shape much while baking. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until edges are set. Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes after removing from oven, then transfer to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream: 

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2 ½ tbsp shortening

2 ⅓ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp almond milk (or preferred)

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and shortening until smooth. Slowly add sugar; once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer on high and whip the mixture for 1 minute. Add milk. Add pumpkin pie spice. Feel free to add a little more if you wanted a stronger flavor!

Frost cakes, and enjoy!

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Cookies Redux

My first recipe redo! I loved my Salted Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Cookies (I know, it's a mouthful, I'm working on it) so much, I needed to make them again. And I was making desserts for a wedding where the bride and several family members can't eat gluten. (The same wedding I made the vegan chocolate avocado cookies and the coffee cake cookies for). So it was perfect! I wasn't originally planning on documenting the cookies the second time around, but they came out SO much nicer looking, I had to. If you looked back at the original post, I'm sure you can see the difference!

They're so lovely; I'm quite enamored with them, still. I did two things differently this time.

One: I rolled the cookies into balls before baking. I wanted them to be more professional looking, since I was bringing them to a wedding. Last time I just scooped dough onto the sheet and they came out mostly round, but this time was perfect. 

Two: I chopped up my chocolate pieces before preparing the dough, and stuck them in the freezer. I baked the cookies, and then immediately after taking them out of the oven, I stuck the chocolate pieces in. If you remember last time, I had issues with the chocolate immediately melting when I stuck them in the cookies. This worked absolutely perfectly, I couldn't have been more pleased. They actually look like chocolate chunk cookies now.

They were a huge hit with folks at the wedding, especially with those who can't eat gluten. I got several requests for the recipe. Definitely one of my new favorite cookies. You can find the recipe in my original post here!

Also, I apologize that I haven't been updating as much lately. I have two jobs, one as a full-time baker at a local cookie company, and another part time doing work for my old computer company. Between working both jobs, baking, taking pictures, and spending time with my boyfriend, I'm lucky I have time to sleep and eat. But I have several exciting things lined up for you this week, including another pumpkin treat tomorrow! 

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

Yes! Time for another pumpkin recipe. Simple yet delicious entry today. Mixing it up; I made something to put on other baked goods; (low calorie!) Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese! Delicious on homemade bread, such as Chocolate Swirled Zucchini Bread, and Biscoff Banana Bread, with crackers, cookies, or just with apples!

It’s literally so easy. There is basically one step: blend ingredients. 

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese: 

1 (8 oz) package fat free cream cheese

½ cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark)

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp (ground) ginger

⅛ tsp cloves

⅛ tsp nutmeg

pinch of salt

½ tsp vanilla

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, pumpkin and sugar until smooth. Add in spices and vanilla. Makes about 1 ½ cups. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight before serving. Enjoy it guilt free; only 19 calories a tablespoon!

Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat

I couldn’t resist sticking a biscoff cookie in there. You know me. Can’t resist my biscoff! Though, you should probably spread it on pumpkin bread, or other pumpkin-based things. Because, pumpkin season! Can’t stop, won’t stop. 

[cupcakeswithkelly]

Ice Cream Sundae Cookies

Have you ever wondered what an ice cream sundae replete with chocolate fudge, marshmallows, M&M's, and sugar cone would taste like in the form of cookie? No? Well you can now. The answer is: YUM. 

It's basically one of those clown sundaes Friendly's used to have compacted down to a delightful cookie (and you don't have to wait 45 minutes to get it). 

Ice Cream Sundae Cookies: 

Recipe adpated from Cookies and Cups

(Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies; note, I tend to make cookies on the smaller size, these were about 1 tablespoon of dough each)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

6 crushed up sugar cones (makes about 1 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup mallow bits

3/4 cup M&M's (I just used original, but you could use any kind!)

1 cup preferred type of chocolate chips for drizzle (or 3 squares of candiquik - what I used)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg and vanilla, and mix until combined. Slowly add dry mixture to wet until all incorporated. Stir in mix-ins by hand (be gentle, so the cone pieces don't get too crushed; I used a rubber spatula, and folded them in). 

Using a rounded tablespoon, drop balls of dough onto baking sheet (they will spread). Bake 8-9 minutes or until edges start to golden. Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. 

Once cool, melt chocolate in the microwave (30 second intervals, stirring in between each), and either drizzle freehand, or transfer to a ziploc bag; snip a teeny bit off the corner, and pipe on. That is what I did; I prefer to have more control. Chocolate drizzle is definitely worth it; barely adds any calories per cookie (79 each total if you're curious), and really completes the look/taste of the cookie. I recommend storing in the fridge; it helps keep the sugar cone bits crisp!

But you know what I thought would be really cool? To completely take these cookies over the edge?

Making them into an epic monster cookie ice cream sandwich. Oh yeah. I went there. If you haven't made your own monster cookie ice cream yet, you need to do that. Then make these cookies. Then make this sandwich. What could be better with a sugar cone-M&M-chocolate-marshmallow cookie than peanut butter-M&M-cookie dough ice cream?

Oh right. Nothing.