Reese's Cupcakes

I've decided candy bars are great for cupcake inspiration. Because so many people love peanut butter, I decided Reese's would be my first candidate. Now, I have made these cupcakes several times for cookouts, work events, just for fun, and they are a hit every single time.

You can start with devil's food cake (recipe here), or even just grab a box of devil's food or any other chocolate cake from the store to bake. Then you fill the cupcakes with peanut butter icing/filling, top with peanut butter - chocolate frosting, then decorate with a Reese's peanut butter cup minis.

I am fortunate to have a super awesome big sister to buy me these fancy little cupcake tools to remove the filling, but before I had these, I simply used a 1A round tip, pushed it into the cupcake and squeezed in filling until just before the cupcake seemed like it would burst.  For those of you who want to achieve the same flowery swirl that's in the photo below, I used a 1M tip for that and iced from out to in.

If you make mini cupcakes, believe it or not, you can still fill them!

 

Peanut Butter Filling

1/2 C. butter, softened
1 C. creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp. milk
2 C. confectioners (powdered) sugar

Mix butter and peanut butter, then gradually mix in sugar, adding milk as necessary for a creamy filling. Fill cupcakes.

Peanut Butter - Chocolate Frosting

1 C. butter, softened
1 C. creamy peanut butter
4 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C. milk
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter, peanut butter, and vanilla, then gradually mix in sugar, adding milk as necessary.

Hope you enjoy these!

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I've always loved brussel sprouts, even as a kid. But many people really don't. I encourage you to try these if you're one of those people. Every time I make these for some occasion, at least one person declares they've never really liked brussel sprouts, they go ahead and try one to be polite, and then ask me for the recipe.  It's super simple.

Start with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  Wash the sprouts and toss in the vinaigrette. Put in a baking dish. Sprinkle with some seasonings, and then bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, until they start to soften and can be penetrated with a fork. Turn on the broiler for the last 5 minutes to crisp and brown the edges and you have this very tasty and healthy side dish.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C. balsamic vinegar

2 - 4 cloves garlic crushed

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. course ground black pepper

Mix or shake all of the ingredients together in a bottle.

Brussel Sprouts

1 lb brussel sprouts

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

enough balsamic vinaigrette to coat sprouts

And of course, if you like spicy like I do, once the sprouts are cooked, add a little Tapatio and these are perfect!