Sunday, July 17, 2011

Butterbeer Cupcakes

I can't wait to try out my new KitchenAid (thanks Kris and Amy for the wedding gift), and I can't think of a better inaugural recipe to try than Butterbeer Cupcakes.  If you are thinking, "what the heck is butterbeer" then you've probably not read Harry Potter.

Butterbeer is a favorite drink of wizards in the popular book series.  Jacob and I are fans too.  We got to taste the "muggle" version at Universal Studios when we visited Harry Potter World.  It's a magical drink...can't wait for the cupcake version.

A friend and fellow Harry Potter lover sent me this recipe:


Butterbeer Cupcakes
Makes 18
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For the cupcakes:
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  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup cream soda

.For the ganache:

  • 1 11-oz. package butterscotch chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream

.For the buttercream frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 16-oz. package powdered sugar
  • Splash of milk or cream (as needed)

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream your butter until light and fluffy. Add your sugars and beat until well-combined. Beat in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then beat in your vanilla and butter flavoring.
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Alternate adding your buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients in batches until all are well incorporated. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch. Cool completely on wire racks.
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For butterscotch filling: In a double boiler (heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stove), combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream and stir until completely combined and smooth. Cool to room temperature. Fill a squeeze bottle with ganache and insert into the center of each cupcake, squeezing until filling begins to overflow.
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For buttercream frosting: Cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add in ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. Add milk or cream by the Tablespoon as needed. Frost cupcakes and top with a drizzle of butterscotch ganache.


Friday, July 15, 2011

Team Jacob/Harry

My name is Holly, and I am a Harry Potter addict.  (Hello, Holly.)

Tonight my amazing husband is taking me to see the last Harry Potter movie.  I have made him watch all of them.  He listens patiently at all my comments about how the movie messed up this or that from the book.  He even took me to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios on our honeymoon.  He is a good man.....better than I deserve.  

If you're one of those people that think Twlight and Harry Potter are in the same league, let me tell you this.  They. Are. NOT.

Sure, I was "Team Jacob" throughout my engagement (Team Jacob being a Twilight reference), but I am so much "Team Harry is soooo amazingly better than Twilight ever hoped to be" it's not even funny.  I can't wait to see it....and I can't wait to see it with my husband.  Thanks, Jacob, for caring about my interests!


Let's end it here...."Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend."~Stephen King

There's No Place Like Home!

 

Well, it is official.  I received my Kansas driver's license in the mail today.  And it had a new name on it too!  I think it is only appropriate, though, I have on my OU t-shirt.  I mean, I am still an Oklahoma girl at heart. 

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Not a "big" fan....

My husband and I are a lot alike...sometimes freakishly alike.  But we definitely differ on many food favorites. 

I love breakfast, and I never miss it.  Lunch, sure, skip it, but you don't want to see me without a good breakfast in me.  Jacob.....well he usually doesn't eat breakfast unless you count a couple bites of cantaloupe and a couple of strawberries.  And I don't.  Count it, that is. 

I also like salty.  Chips and salsa always trumps ice cream in my book.  So it is not surprising that salty-themed breakfasts are my favorite style too.  But how can you be choosy when your husband says he will get out of bed on Saturday morning to make breakfast?  How sweet, right!?  Yeah, we are newlyweds.  Yes, I have been warned this will stop.  I don't believe them.  :) 

Today Jacob made breakfast.  He made sausage and pancakes.  When he asked me if pancakes were okay, I said, "I'm not a big pancake fan, but sure, babe, whatever you want to make."

Did I mention he is so sweet?  And he listens.  Guess which ones are mine?  Remember, I'm not a "big" pancake fan....




Friday, July 8, 2011

Do you take coupons for that?

Jacob is known for his thriftiness.  He uses coupons and never pays full price if he can help it. 

So today we went to the county courthouse to get our marriage license.  Because we did marriage counseling, it only cost us $5.....in cash.  When the lady asked us for the $5, Jacob looks at me.

"Do you have any cash?  All I have is two dollars."

I dug around and had $2 cash too.  "Do you have any change?"  Jacob asked.  So I dug around my cavonous purse again to produce two quarters, three nickles, 2 dimes, and 15 pennies.

We were able to pay for our marriage license.  And we gave the lady a funny story to tell.

As we walked out, Jacob remembered where his two dollars came from.  We'd gone to Target the night before to get some necessities.  After we were already checked out, Jacob remembered a coupon.  Target gave him the $2 cash he was owed from the coupon.  If it weren't for that coupon, we'd not had a enough cash to pay. 

So, yes, you can use a coupon to pay for a marriage license.