Chocolate Cream Filled Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Here is another alternative for the vanilla cupcake recipe, the chocolate cream filling really puts these over the top!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 Madagascar vanilla beans, scraped using seeds only
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. cake flour, NOT self rising
1 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners.

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla beans together for 3 minutes, until very light. Add eggs, on at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract. In a separate bowl whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure when you measure your flour that you gently stir it first to aerate it, and then spoon it into the measuring cups and level to prevent adding too much flour and having a dry cupcake. Add half of flour mixture to batter and mix, add buttermilk and mix, add the the remaining flour just until combined, do not overmix.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.

Chocolate Cream Filling

2 Tbs hot water
7 oz container marshmallow creme
1/2 c. shortening
6 Tbs. powdered sugar
5 Tbs. Dutch processed cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together all ingredients until combined. Use a pastry bag with a large star tip to fill cupcakes. I cut an X in the middle of each cupcake with a sharp knife, then I inserted the tip of the bag into the middle of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake with about a tablespoon of chocolate cream.

Vanilla Bean Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 vanilla beans, scraped using seeds only
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
about 6 cups powdered sugar
enough milk to reach correct consistency

Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla beans until creamy. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Add enough milk to reach correct consistency, I usually end up adding about 1/2 cup. I also used the large star tip to frost these.

Orange Cream Cupcakes

These are a delicious, citrusy alternative to your standard cupcake flavors, they end up tasting like an orange creamsicle! I've been going crazy trying to find a really good vanilla cupcake recipe, so after trying 5 different recipes and changing a few measurements, I came up with this one. I purchased the Madagascar vanilla beans off of Amazon.com, 16 for only $9.00, and free shipping! I would highly recommend purchasing vanilla beans on the internet, the grocery stores charge way too much. If you don't have vanilla beans, just add a little extra vanilla extract.

Orange Cream Cupcakes

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 vanilla beans (seeds only)
1 Tbs. orange zest
1/4 c. fresh orange juice
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. cake flour, NOT self rising
1 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 and line 2 cupcake pans with liners.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, orange zest, and orange juice for 3 minutes, until very light.
Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
When measuring the flour, make sure to aerate it first (gently stir) and then spoon into measuring cup and then level. It's very important that you not put too much flour in the batter, otherwise the cupcakes will be dry. With the mixer on low speed, add half of flour mixture, add buttermilk, and then the remaining flour. Mix until just combined, do not overmix.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.

Orange Cream Frosting

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 Tbs. butter, softened
1 vanilla bean, seeds only
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
5-6 c. powdered sugar
enough milk to reach the correct consistency

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla bean seeds until smooth. Add vanilla extract, orange zest, orange juice, and 4 cups of powdered sugar. Add remaining powdered sugar, and enough milk to reach the correct consistency. I used a large star tip to pipe on the frosting. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Lemon Ricotta Fritters with Sweet Berry Sauce

Mmmmm, mmmmm, my family ate good this morning! These are delicious little pockets of heaven. The fritters aren't too sweet, so they go perfectly with the sweet berry sauce.

Lemon Ricotta Fritters with Sweet Berry Sauce

First heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large wide heavy saucepan. Place candy or deep fry thermometer in oil, you want the oil to be 365-370 when you are ready to fry the fritters.

For the Sauce:
1 lb. strawberries, rinsed and cut in quarters
1/2 small container raspberries
1/2 small container blackberries
(or you could substitute a frozen berry blend and just thaw them first)
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Place all berries in a bowl. Pour sugar over the top and stir, let sit 15 minutes. Gently mash with a potato masher. Pour into a medium saucepan and heat on medium until thickened a little and sugar is dissolved, about 7-8 minutes. Pour into a serving bowl and place in freezer to cool a little while you are making the fritters.

For the Fritters:

3/4 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs. lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. whole milk ricotta
2 large eggs
3 rounded Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting
Lemon zest for garnish

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt; set aside. In separate bowl whisk together the ricotta, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir gently to combine. At this point the oil should be 365-370 degrees F. Working in batches, gently drop by tablespoons (I used the Pampered Chef cookie scoop) the batter in the oil, about 5 per batch. Turning occasionally, let fry until a deep golden color, about 4 minutes. You can take one out and cut in half to check and see if it is done. Repeat with remaining batter. Place cooked fritters on paper towels to dry. Serve over berry sauce and dust with powdered sugar and lemon zest. Makes approximately 10-12 fritters.

Adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Homemade BBQ Sauce

This BBQ sauce is so good and it's an easy dinner to make using your slow cooker! On homemade buns, these really melt in your mouth.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c. ketchup
1/3 c. dijon mustard (I just used the cheap generic brand)
5 Tbs brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 Tbs honey
1/4 c. A1 steak sauce
4 Tbs lemon juice (juice of one large lemon)
3 Tbs liquid smoke (you can find this by the BBQ sauce in the grocery store, I used Stubbs Mesquite liquid smoke and it was really good)
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker, pour in enough water to cover and cook on low 6 hours.

When it gets close to the 6 hours, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a gentle boil and turn heat down to low, simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove chicken breasts to a large cutting board and pour all leftover water out of the slow cooker and throw away. Wipe clean.
Shred chicken breasts. Add chicken breasts and homemade BBQ sauce back into the slow cooker, stir gently to combine. Let cook on low at least one hour to combine flavors. Leftovers would be great on pizza!