PB Espresso Brownies

My lab seems to have a lot going on lately! First, Juhi finishes her med school apps, warranting cupcakes. Next, Kate, the post-doc I've been learning some cool imaging techniques with, has her birthday! Which I did not find out about until the day before. Luckily, I had a chance to ask my favorite screening question ("what's your favorite ice cream flavor?"). The answer: chocolate and peanut butter!

One of my favorite (and easiest) chocolate desserts to make is Giada's espresso brownies. Essentially all you have to do is fancy up some boxed brownie mix and BOOM you have a delicious treat with that extra kick. I decided this time to kick it up 2 extra notches (a la Emeril) and incorporate peanut butter into the brownies AND frosting. I seemed to be on a candy streak (after the Andes for the cupcakes), so I bought some mini Reese's and chopped them into "chips" to throw into the batter.

After that, I had to find a recipe for peanut butter frosting (because there's never such a thing as too much peanut butter). I simply spread the buttercream on top of the brownies, threw them in the fridge, and brought them into lab the next day.

How'd they go over? Considering the fact I had to hide one brownie to bring home, I think the lab enjoyed them. Words such as "decadent", "rich", and "best thing ever" were used to describe these creations. I'm really glad they liked them - here's the recipe so you, too, can wow your favorite chocolate-peanut butter lover. Don't even wait for their birthday.

Don't like coffee? Don't worry - these have a very subtle coffee flavor, as the espresso actually serves to amp up the chocolate. Ina Garten has an episode about it, so it must be true.

Peanut butter-y chocolate-y espresso-y goodness.

Kate's Peanut Butter Espresso Brownies
Makes 16 big brownies

Brownies - inspired by Giada
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. espresso powder
1 box brownie mix with chocolate chips, preferably Ghiradelli
15 Reese's minis, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk together water, vegetable oil, eggs, and espresso powder. Mix in brownie mix until just combined. Stir in Reese's.

Transfer to greased 9x9 brownie pan, and cook 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost with peanut butter frosting once cooled, allow to set in fridge before serving.


Frosting - inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter (NOT all-natural)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk (or cream)

Combine butter and peanut butter, beat until fluffy and smooth. Incorporate vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly beat in powdered sugar (adjust quantity depending on desired sweetness). Add milk or cream, and beat till smooth. The frosting may be a bit soft, so allow some time to set before serving or frosting.

Maple-Frosted Carrot Cupcakes

So my friend Xixi sent me a gchat yesterday - "Andrew, I'm making cupcakes for my lab... I need an assist, would you be able to help?" My response: "Uhhh YES of course! Let's do it!" Apparently our last foray into baking for her lab (chocolate red wine cupcakes) was such a success that she had to follow it up with something equally as delicious! Though I have faith in Xixi's baking abilities, she needed a little cheerleading from me to take her cupcakes to the next level. Note - it was all her, I just measured and mixed a bit.

She sent me over the recipe we were making - a Smitten Kitchen carrot cupcake with a maple cream cheese frosting. Ummmm YUM. I'm actually not super into carrot cake but I was in a mood so I acquiesced to her demands. So begrudgingly. This is what transpired...

Dry ingredients expertly combined. Lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger - almost like a pumpkin creation!

Slowly add the dry to the wet ingredients, otherwise you'll make a mess when you try to stir it in!

I told you - CARROT cake.

All these carrots make it healthy ya? 

Whilst we were waiting - an orange-strawberry ginger beer cocktail.

The final product - sorry it turned out slightly blurry.

As with previous cupcake recipes, this frosting was TOO SWEET if you add the full 2 cups of powdered sugar - so again I cut it down to 3/4-1 cup. There's also already maple syrup in there, so take that into account when you consider your sweet tooth.

What's the cocktail, you ask? Simply muddle juice from half and orange and 4 strawberries with 3 oz. rum. then distribute amongst three glasses, and top off with ginger beer (my new favorite mixer). It's a refreshing summer drink with a kick!

So, Xixi, I hope your lab loves *our* cupcakes (though it can be our secret that I helped). I'm free to help baking again anytime!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

When the undergrad in my lab, Juhi, was almost-but-not-quite done with her med school apps, I decided to entice her with a proposition: finish the apps, get a baked reward from yours truly. Apparently it worked because she finished them within a couple days. However, admittedly it took me a couple weeks to make good on my promise, but nevertheless I did NOT forget!

How did I decide what to make for the occasion? I simply asked Juhi what her favorite flavor of ice cream was, and went off of that. When she said "mint chocolate chip" I was super-excited because I love mint too! So this would not be an unenjoyable experience (though is baking ever?).

I immediately scoured the interwebs for recipes - cupcakes, brownies, cakes, cookies, I saw them all. But when I found a recipe for cupcakes with a mint oreo INSIDE, I was set. And cupcakes are easy to work with for a group (much moreso than a cake, where you have to cut and make a mess blah blah blah).

Of course, no cupcake is complete without a delicious frosting, and because I was cheating with the cupcake (see below), I had to bring it on the frosting. Of course no mint cupcake would be complete without a mint frosting, so I found a delicious mint buttercream to use. In general, I tend to think most frosting recipes are too sweet, so I usually start with 1/2-3/4 of the sugar in the recipe and add more as necessary.

The final result? You judge for yourself how minty fresh I got with it. Needless to say, Juhi loved them, though probably not enough to re-do her med school apps just to get another batch (all you have to do is ask!).

Mint on mint on mint.

Juhi's Mint Cupcakes

Cake (makes 24) - inspired by Half-Baked
1 devils food cake mix
24 mint oreos
Andes mints, for decoration

Frosting (makes 1 cup) - inspired by Cooking Whims
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar
12-15 Andes mints, finely chopped
green food coloring

Follow directions on cake mix for the cupcakes. Pour into greased or lined muffin tins, only filling about halfway. In each cupcake, push an oreo into the center, being sure to cover them completely (and not eat too many of the extras!). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make the frosting, whip butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the milk and a couple drops of green food coloring and continue to whip until smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once incorporated, fold in the chopped mints. Transfer to a Ziploc bag or pastry bag (if you're fancy).

Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe frosting on using your chosen method, and top with an extra Andes mint. Refrigerate until set.