Makes 15-18 cupcakes
- 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the blade and pulse until smooth. The entire mixing process should not take more than 5 seconds. Fill the muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a rack before frosting.
The Joy of Cooking
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Substitutions: This recipe calls for a food processor, but I mixed the batter fairly easily by hand. I made these cupcakes using chunky/salted peanut butter since it was all we had on hand at my friend’s house. When I make these cupcakes in my own home, I will use a chunky/unsalted peanut butter–I found that the nuts really added a wonderful dimension. I nixed the butter and used two tablespoons of vegetable oil since it has less saturated fat. Next time I would like to try a plain yogurt substitution for both the oil and butter. There were no chocolate chips on hand so we opted for a chocolate frosting. Next time I’d like to experiment with other frostings, perhaps even a peanut butter frosting even though it seems redundant.
Pea tendrils taste like a cross between peas and spinach and are used in Chinese cooking, where they are called dau miu. Find them at farmers’ markets and Asian markets. Spinach or watercress can be substituted for pea tendrils in this lovely green dish.
- 12 ounces orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta)
- 8 ounces bacon, chopped
- 8 shallots, trimmed, quartered
- 2 cups sugar snap peas (about 8 ounces)
- 4 cups (4 1/2 ounces) pea tendrils
- 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh mint
- 1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- Additional shaved Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring often. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Transfer to large bowl.
Meanwhile, sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add shallots to skillet; sauté over medium-high heat until golden brown, pressing with spoon to separate layers, about 5 minutes. Add snap peas; stir until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Add pea tendrils and petite peas, stirring just until tendrils wilt, about 1 minute. Add pea mixture, bacon, mint, and enough cooking liquid to moisten pasta. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Serve, passing additional cheese alongside.
Makes 4 servings.
Bon Appétit, April 2005
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Substitutions: If you haven’t figured it out already, I like to take great recipes and tweak them to a healthier state. I used spiral-shaped whole wheat pasta in place of the “little ears,” used turkey bacon in place of the regular bacon, and used frozen chopped spinach in place of the pea tendrils out of convenience. Onions can also be used in place of the shallots if so desired.
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING.
10 to 12 servings.
VARIATIONS:ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13×9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost. BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.
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Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
- 2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.–
Substitutions: I used whole wheat flour since it was all that I had on hand. While it sounds kinda weird, it turned out perfectly moist and chocolatey, plus it had extra fiber. For the frosting i used granulated rather than powdered sugar and as a result the frosting was a bit grainy. In the future i will probably run out to the store to get some powdered sugar since I never have it on hand.
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
- a 3/4-pound whole skinless boneless chicken breast, halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegatable oil
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon drained bottled capers, chopped
- 3 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Halve the chicken pieces horizontally with a sharp knife and flatten them slightly between sheets of plastic wrap. In a large heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil over moderately high heat until the foam subsides and in the fat sauté the chicken pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, for 1 minute on each side, or until they are cooked through. Transfer the chicken with tongs to a platter and keep it warm, covered loosely. Pour off the fat in the skillet, to the skillet add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the wine, and the lemon juice, and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the capers, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Serves 2.
Gourmet,October 1991
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Substitutions: Nixed the capers because I will probably never make anything that requires capers again. Also nixed the parsley because why buy a whole bunch of parsley when you’re only going to use three tablespoons? Logic at it’s finest
Lemon juice and peel offer a double punch of flavor in this delicious dish. Serve the risotto Italian-style as a first course, or American-style as a main course.
- 6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
- 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large shallots, chopped
- 2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups hot broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
Makes 6 first-course or 4 main-course servings.
Bon Appétit, May 2002
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Substitutions: I pretty much stick to the recipe with this one, but try to use as little butter as possible. Leaving out the butter is not detrimental to the risotto’s instrinsic creaminess. Trust me. I also like to add in fresh spinach toward the end of the cooking period because spinach is awesome. i have also substituted onions for shallots on a number of occasions.
