Jelly Bean Brown Sugar Cookies

Good morning! I'm so happy it's Thursday. That means it's almost the weekend and I'm super excited for the weekend! Shaun and I have plans with family and friends all weekend long to celebrate the holiday. It includes dinner with great friends, a city day with my mom, sister, cousins and aunt and celebrating Easter with both sides of our family. Busy-ness!

Ok so I tweeted yesterday that I had devised the dessert to top all Easter desserts and that I couldn't wait to share with you today. Well, it's not quite ready to be shared. I need a little more time to perfect it so I'll be sharing it tomorrow, I hope you'll stick around until then!

Instead, I'm sharing another fantastic, fun and unusual recipe that can be enjoyed by all, be it for Easter or not. With a $1 bag of jelly beans, I changed up a classic sugar cookie, making it not only pretty to look at, but also a satisfier for any sweet tooth. I love adding some seasonal treats into a classic cookie to turn up the fun.

This is adapted from a classic recipe that I found in my sweet Betty Crocker Cooky Book. It is so basic and simple and that's really all you need when it comes to cooking and baking. Oh and it includes a whole cup of shortening. My grandmother would be so proud.

Jelly Bean Brown Sugar Cookies
*Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book
1 C shortening
2 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C buttermilk (I made my own by combining lemon juice and milk)
3 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 bag (about 1 1/2 C) small jelly beans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together (via stand mixer, hand mixer or a good ol' wooden spoon) the shortening, sugar and eggs very thoroughly. Stir in the buttermilk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and mix until completely combined.

Slowly stir in the jelly beans, careful not to overmix the batter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Once chilled, drop teaspoon or tablespoon (I used the latter) sized dough balls onto a greased baking sheet. Make sure to get jelly beans into every cookie, preferably near the top of the cookie.

Bake 8-10 minutes until the bottoms start to brown and the tops are slightly firm.

So there you have it. A quick and easy cookie with a little extra sugar fun thrown in for good measure. Hope you enjoy! What's your favorite seasonal dessert or candy?

For more Easter desserts, check out:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs
• Pink Coconut Cupcakes

Loaded Butterscotch Blondies + Salted Chocolate Glaze

There are not many weekends when I have free time. So when Shaun had a live fantasy baseball draft on Saturday, which took up most of the day, I got my bake on. I usually don't bake unless it's with a purpose. In fact, I hate having baked goods around the house since Shaun is not a dessert fan so guess who ends up eating most of it?! I swear, I have the too-tight jeans to prove it.

But I was looking for a calming activity. Whenever I feel stressed, I find baking to be super therapeutic. With a photo like that, can you blame me?

So with nary a party or gathering to speak of, I got a hankering to get a little creative. The end result? Blondies filled with butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and walnuts. A glaze worthy of my permanent recipe collection. And the tiny hit of sea salt on top? There aren't words. This tiny touch ties the entire dessert together in a sweet, salty and savory little package of spectacular deliciousness. Seriously. Just look at those sweet little flakes of salt! Ahhh I just want to devour one right now. I probably will. Please don't judge me.

Loaded Butterscotch Blondies + Salted Chocolate Glaze
*Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
For the blondies:
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C brown sugar
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 C walnuts, chopped
1/3 C butterscotch chips
1/3 C white chocolate chips
cooking spray
For the glaze:
1 C confectioners' sugar
1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter
2+ tbsp boiling water
kosher or sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9" baking dish with foil, one sheet lengthwise and one sheet the opposite way, making sure to leave some overhang. Coat with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, whisk the brown sugar and melted butter together. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine.

Fold in the flour mixture. I used a rubber spatula. Add the butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and chopped nuts and fold until just combined.

Pour into the baking dish and smooth into an even layer.

Bake for about 22-25 minutes until the top is slightly firm. Let the blondies cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once cooled, grasp the foil to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a wooden cutting board. Cut into squares and drizzle with chocolate glaze.

To make the glaze, melt the chocolate (I used the microwave, at 15 second intervals. It cooks quickly so be sure not to burn it). Melt the butter and whisk together with the sugar and hot water. If the mixture is too thick, add another splash of water to thin out into drizzleable consistency. Get your drizzle on over the blondies. Sprinkle just a touch of sea salt or kosher salt over the top. Devour multiple bars immediately.

Isn't it pretty? It's calling your name.

About half the tray called mine. Those jeans aren't fitting anytime soon.

So there you have it. The tale of how I spent my solo Saturday afternoon. Oh this and watching Bethenny Ever After. Yep, it happened. 3 episodes worth. So what do you think? What is your best therapy? How do you unwind?

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes

Everyone has their favorites.

If you’re this little cutie, its peanut butter and pizza.

If you’re my husband, it’s sports. And me. (obviously).

If you’re Charlie Sheen, it’s winning. Duh.     (sorry, I had to)

If you’re a food writer, you don’t have a favorite because everything is given equal opportunity eating. I’m ok with it.

If you’re my mom, it’s Whoppers. And malted anything.

During our holiday bake-a-thon, Mom made malted chocolate sandwich cookies that were fantastic...but the rich, chocolatey confections didn’t quite embody the whole malt flavor profile. It was kind of a bummer. Mom was sad. Who could blame her? She wanted malt.

So when Kimberly and I started planning her birthday brunch, I knew that a malted dessert must be on the menu. It’s mandatory to make people’s favorite things on their birthdays, didn’t you know? (Good luck to those kind enough to bake for mine. See above.) After I decided on cupcakes as the vehicle for this malted adventure, I spent lots of time researching. Blog after blog. Recipe after recipe. I had to make sure that the recipe I chose would, of course, let the malt shine. Nothing short of authentic Whopper-flavor would suffice.

When I came across Nam's recipe and beautiful photos on The Culinary Chronicles - where she noted that she had altered Martha Stewart’s original recipe to be more malt-like - I knew I had the basis for a winner.

If you like the malt flavor, I beg you to make these immediately. And if you could take it or leave it, I still beg you to make them. I simplified some of the ingredients (for those of you not, in fact, wanting to pay $19.99 for a box of Dutch process cocoa powder), essentially licked the mixer paddle clean (it’s ok, no one will know. especially if you make your cupcakes after your husband/boyfriend/roommate falls asleep on the couch watching March Madness), and proclaimed these the ultimate chocolate malt cupcakes. It’s like a giant Whopper in cake and frosting form. Make them now. Please.

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes
*Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes via The Culinary Chronicles
**Makes 28 cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
2¼ C all-purpose flour
¾ C unsweetened cocoa powder
½ C granulated sugar
¾ C brown sugar
1½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 C milk
1½ C malted milk powder
1 C vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 C sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ box Whoppers (chocolate covered malt balls)
For the buttercream:
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 C vegetable shortening, at room temperature
½ C malted milk powder
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant espresso powder
3 C confectioners’ sugar
½ box Whoppers, for garnish & presentation

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 3 muffin tins with paper or foil liners. I used cute Spring + Easter themed ones from Michael’s. Aren’t they cute?

First, chop up about ½ C of the Whoppers. Set them aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. In a glass measuring cup, mix the milk and malted milk powder until powder is dissolved. I used a glass measuring cup because it saved me from having to wash an extra item (and by wash, I mean load into the dishwasher).

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the flour mixture, milk mixture and oil until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, until each egg is incorporated. Add the sour cream and vanilla, and beat until just combined. Sample the batter to make sure it’s wonderful. You know you want to. No one’s looking. Fold in the Whoppers (or any kind of chopped up malt balls).

Ladle the batter into your cute baking cups. Fill each one about half way, which should make about 28 cupcakes.

Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking pans midway through, until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks and let the little bundles of joy cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the malted frosting. Note: I let my cupcakes cool on wire racks overnight and frosted them on the morning of the party. In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add the malted milk powder, espresso powder and cocoa powder. Mix on medium high for 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar ½ cup at a time until all is incorporated. If you want a sweeter frosting, add another cup of confectioners’ sugar, however, I thought 3 was plenty. If your frosting is too stiff, slowly add a splash of milk at a time to thin out. Make sure the frosting is completely combined and fluffy. Go ahead. Sample a spoonful. Or 2.

Now frost ‘em up. I used a pastry bag to get the swirls, but a simple knife will do the trick. Top with Whoppers and place on a nice platter or tray. Sprinkle the rest of the Whoppers around the cupcakes. Prettiness.

My mom was very happy with these birthday confections. She actually proclaimed them to have the best icing she's ever had. So what do you think? Are you a fan of malt? What is your all-time favorite?