salted caramel chocolate cupcakes

I found this recipe on pinterest. Yes, I do have a pinterest, and yes, I do actually make recipes that I find on there. I love these cupcakes because they are just heavenly. Salted caramel, chocolate and did I mention salted caramel. Yum!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs (you could easily substitute applesauce here)

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350*F. Begin by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Mix in the eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla, beating well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Add this mixture alternately with the sour cream, mixing on low until just combined. Mix in the water.

Pour batter into cupcake liners* and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Allow the cupcakes to cool while you make the salted caramel filling. This is the salted caramel recipe that I use, although you will find a different one on the original cupcake recipe.

Then cut little divets in the top of the cupcakes using a small, sharp knife. Pour the salted caramel sauce into this divets.

Top with salted caramel cream cheese frosting.

Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

salted caramel sauce to taste

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in butter until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in salted caramel.

These cupcakes are so delicious. I'm serious. My mouth is watering right now as I am thinking about them, and I'm thinking it has been too long since I last made them. Please make and love! :)

*A helpful hint that my sister shared to help with pouring cupcakes is to use an  ice cream scoop. It is super easy and all of your cupcakes come out very uniform.

French Silk Pie

I keep mental files on people I know. Nothing creepy, just mental notes of what they like or don't like. I find it makes it easier to cook for people when you are able to make things that they enjoy. I have a very dear friend who loves french silk pie, but she does not like it with any whipped topping. Most french silk pies come topped with either cool whip or whipped cream, so whenever I see my friend (who lives far away from me) I make a point to make her some french silk pie. There are many versions of french silk pie, and this is mine.

French Silk Pie

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 eggs

6 ounces chocolate, melted (I use a dark chocolate)

1 pie crust (I use an oreo crust)

Begin by beating the butter until it is smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add in the chocolate and beat until smooth. Add in the eggs and beat until the filling is stiffer and has become lighter. Spoon into pie shell and allow to sit in the fridge for several hours or until set. Keep refrigerated as this does have raw eggs in it. You may serve it with whipped cream or plain. You may also add in about a tablespoon of peppermint schnapps to make it a minty chocolate pie. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

I have been living with an extreme dislike of making sugar cookies. Without going into any detail, sugar cookies were the cause of me ultimately quitting my last job. It has been almost a year since I have made sugar cookies because of that. There was honestly a part of me that believed I would never make sugar cookies again in my life because of my bad experience with them. The fact that I made sugar cookies and that I am blogging about them is an expression of my healing process.

These sugar cookies I have nothing but good memories to associate with them. When I was in college my aunt sent me a box of sugar cookies every year on Valentine's Day. Can I just tell you what a blessing that was, for me a single girl to receive a package on Valentine's Day? It was a big deal to me. So Aunt Lynda, if you are reading this, know that your cookies ministered greatly to my heart and still continue to! Thank you!

A while back my mom asked if I had my aunt's recipe for sugar cookies and told me that it was in our family cookbook (yes, we have a family cookbook, be jealous). The other day, I had a hankering to make her sugar cookies, so here they are.

Sugar Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350*F. Cream together butter and powdered sugar.


Add egg and flavorings (I only used vanilla because I didn't have any almond on hand).


Add in flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix well.


At this point you can chill the dough if you desire to roll it out and cut out cookies, or if you still haven't quite recovered your love of making sugar cookies to that point, you can just drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. I baked mine for 4 minutes and then rotated my cookie sheets and baked another 3-4 minutes.


As I bit into one of these little babies, I was already thinking of variations I could make on these, so expect some more sugar cookie goodness to be headed your way soon!