The Candyman Makes the World Taste Good

So apparently there are people out there who eat things other than cupcakes. Crazy thought, I know. So for those folks, here's a delectable choice for homemade caramels. Now, you're probably thinking, "But making homemade candy takes forever, my hands get all sticky, I have to stir constantly, and it's way too hot." Yeah, I'm not going to deny any of that. It's all true. BUT, for me at least the payoff of homemade candy is so worth it. And the rest of your family, friends, neighbors, and strangers that you give candy to will love you forever. Guaranteed.

A digital read thermometer.  Handy-Dandy!

DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt this recipe unless you have about 1-1 1/2 hours of time where you need to do nothing else (and I really mean nothing else but stand at the stove. True story). Also, please go get a digital read thermometer if you don't already have one. Pretty please. It makes this so much easier and practically guarantees perfect candy.

Ok, so you've made it this far. You apparently have nothing better to do today (hey! Me either! Let's hang out after you're done with your candy!) Before you start, get together the hardware.

1 large pot or a 3 qt. pot. (I have no idea how big mine is, all I know is I use it to make lots of pasta. Mmmm....pasta)
1 digital read thermometer WITH a programmable alarm
1 wooden spoon
1 8x8 or 9x9 (depends on how thick you want your candy) square pan
Aluminum foil
Non-stick spray
Non-stick spatula
Optional: Holiday music

Now, for the ingredients:
1 C butter, unsalted
2 1/4 C packed solid brown sugar
2 C heavy cream (None of this pansy half and half stuff)
1 C light corn syrup
2 t vanilla extract

Great! Now that you have everything together, prepare your square pan to receive the delicious molten caramel mixture. Trust me, do this ahead of time. To do this, flip your pan upside down. Really, do it. Unroll enough foil to go from edge to edge. Mold the foil around the pan. Lift the foil off, flip the pan right side up and place the foil inside. Voila! Easy foil lining! Lightly spray the foil with the non-stick spray.

All ingredients in, bringing it to a boil

Now that your pan is ready, and you don't have to go anywhere for about 45-60 minutes, turn the stove on low and melt the butter completely. Add the brown sugar, cream, and light corn syrup. Do not add the vanilla yet! Turn the heat up to medium-ish and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly.

Boiling hot molten caramel

Once the mixture boils (it should look frothy), turn on your thermometer and bring the temperature up to about 245 degrees. (The final temp will be 248 degrees, but NO HIGHER!) Please stir constantly. Nobody likes crystally burnt caramel. While stirring you may sing and dance to the optional holiday music. Once the temp reaches 245, keep an eye on the temperature as it will jump to 248 in an instant.

Let it set for 2 hours!

When it does reach 248, take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla. After the vanilla is stirred in pour the boiling hot delicious-ness into your already prepared pan. Wasn't that a good idea to do that ahead of time?

 Here comes the hard part: let it sit for about 2 hours. That means don't cut into it. Don't let the kids cut into it. Or the hubby. Or the cats. You get the idea. Once it has solidified, use the foil hanging over the edges to lift the candy out of the pan. And since you sprayed the foil first (you did, right?) the foil should peel right off of the candy. Using a really sharp knife (or a semi-sharp knife sprayed with non-stick spray) cut the caramels into strips, then into bite sized pieces. Toss into a air tight container as is, or wrap in small pieces of wax paper and hand out to small children (preferably ones you know).

How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

Yorkshire Terrier Cupcakes!

A super easy way to ensure a really moist, dense cupcake is to add pudding. I'm not talking about adding in a Snack Pack (I mean, you could, but I wouldn't recommend it). Just a box of of instant pudding added to the dry ingredients of your cake mix will ensure you never have to deal with a dry cupcake again! Just add vanilla to the yellow or white cakes, chocolate to the chocolate cakes, or mix and match whatever flavoring of pudding you want. Another fabulous perk of doing this is it's also *almost* impossible to over bake the cupcakes (I said almost, I'm sure someone out there could find a way).
But on to these adorable doggy cupcakes! These ones are Yorkie cupcakes made for a friend at work and were modeled after here Teacup Yorkshire Terrier. The puppies themselves have tons of frosting, perfect for those sweet tooth folks out there. Fortunately, the bone in the center has a more moderate amount of frosting. Everyone wins!

You will need:
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 C water
1/3 C oil
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 can dark chocolate frosting
White buttercream frosting

In a large bowl combine the pudding dry mix with the dry cake mix. Add the eggs, water, and oil. If the mixture is still too thick, add water 1/4 C at a time until it is of a cupcake consistency. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for about 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely. Reserve 6 cupcakes for the bone. In a large bowl, tint the white buttercream tan by adding 2-3 T of the chocolate frosting.

To construct the puppies swirl the tan and chocolate frosting all over the bodies. Next, pipe a large tan or chocolate ball for the face. Using a small star tip add the long hair accents on the side of the face and next to the nose. Using the opposite color from the face, add eyes, nose, and highlights to the longer hair. Pipe in dark ears, with light centers in front. Voila! Yorkie puppies!

To construct the bone, take the 6 cupcakes left aside and arrange in the shape of a bone. Once arranged, pipe a small amount of frosting onto the bottom of the paper in order to 'glue' the bone in place. Spread the light tan frosting over the cupcakes. With a piping tip and the darker frosting, add puppy paws and any words you would like it to have.
There you go! A super cute and deceptively easy cupcake cake that will leave everyone wondering what bakery makes those doggies!

'Tis the Season....Well, Almost

Gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream

I've always loved taking store bought cake mixes and making them better. This cupcake is a fabulous example of that. This delightful little treat started out life as a yellow cake mix. Yup. Who knew those box mixes could create something that fantastic? Even better, the folks at work would never have guessed that it wasn't entirely homemade!

Gingerbread Cupcakes
1 box of yellow cake mix
1/2 C dark molasses
1 T cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t allspice
2 t ginger

Prepare yellow cake mix as directed on box. Once the mix is just barely combined, add remaining ingredients. Stir only enough to incorporate ingredients. Over mixing the batter makes for tough cupcakes! Preheat the oven and fill the prepared cupcake tins with about 3-4 tablespoons of batter. (They should be about 3/4 full) I usually bake my cupcakes for the lower end of the recommended baking time, so they are just barely done. While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, prepare the frosting.

Cinnamon Buttercream
1/2 C softened butter
1/2 C shortening
6 C powdered sugar
Up to 1/2 C milk
1 T vanilla extract
3 T cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and shortening. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Once all the sugar is in the mixture should look dry and crumbly. Basically, it should look nothing like delicious frosting at this point. Add the vanilla and cinnamon, then while the mixer is turning, slowly begin to add the milk. Continue to beat the frosting and add milk until it reaches the consistency you desire. I tend to like the frosting to be a little more stiff as it will hold the sharp corners a little better when decorating. The amount of milk you add is dependent on how stiff you want the frosting, but also on how humid the day is and any number of other factors including, but not limited to, the full moon, your kids distracting you so you pour in too much, how close your mixer is to the hot oven, etc.

Once you have the frosting to your desired stiffness and the cupcakes are sufficiently cool (and I mean cool, any vestiges of remaining heat will melt the frosting into a runny mess) you can start decorating the cupcakes.

I usually find a large star tip and a reinforced pastry bag work best with the stiffer frostings, and is how I achieved the look above. Play around with different pastry tips to find your own signature swirl, or just grab a butter knife and start spreading!

As always, happy cupcaking!

Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

Up close and personal

 These fantastic yellow rubber ducky cupcakes are so easy to make and they are just so adorable! Perfect for any baby shower, kid's party, or just for someone who loves rubber duckies (as these were). They do take a little bit of time due to the freezing time needed, but aren't they worth it?

 To make these you will need:
3/4 can of white frosting (melted, tinted to the color you choose in a tall, deep bowl)
1/4 can of white frosting
Mini M&M candies
Orange Starburst candies (1/2 of each candy for the bill. Microwave slightly to soften and shape.)
Jumbo marshmallows (cut diagonally for tails)
Donut holes (for heads. Plain works best)
Baked cupcakes in liners

My rubber ducky army!

Freeze cupcakes for 1-2 hours. Attach marshmallow tail with frosting. Attach donut hole head with frosting. Freeze 1 hour. Once the tails and heads are securely fastened, hold the cupcake by the bottom and submerge completely in the melted, tinted frosting. Remove quickly and hold over the bowl until no more frosting drips off. Place on a cooling rack. Press one shaped bill onto the mouth area of the ducky. Attach M&M candy eyes (M side in!) with white frosting. Repeat until you have a ducky army capable of conquering any bathtub!


Variations:
Instead of melted frosting, spread on with a knife for a textured look.
For a fluffy ducky look, roll in tinted shredded coconut after frosting.