Avatar Cupcakes

I don't think it's a secret by now that Eric and I are kinda nerdy. And being the big nerds that we are, we just had to see Avatar last Thursday night (Friday morning) at the midnight showing. This movie did not disappoint! It was amazing. The graphics were like nothing I've ever seen before. The story kept me interested throughout. And that Sam Worthington? Hot! Actually, there was one disappointing thing about the movie - the crowd. Or lack of crowd. There wasn't a line when we showed up at 10:30pm. Even after we waiting it out at the local diner, there still wasn't a line at 11:30. We ventured in the theater to find it just over 1/2-way full by the time the movie started. People, this movie cost half a billion dollars to make. You must go see it. NOW! Take your mom. Take your grandma. Take your dog. I know movie ticket prices are outrageous, but I promise that this one's worth every cent!

After watching the trailer for this movie over and over for the past several months, I just couldn't get those buff, blue warriors with the bright yellow eyes out of my mind. I decided to bring some cupcakes with us to opening night.

These are chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate filling and buttercream frosting. I'm going to post the chocolate cake recipe soon because I baked some extra cupcakes for Christmas decorating and it is the best chocolate cake recipe I've ever tasted! Stay tuned...

Here's a pic of our friend Amy, showing off the Avatar "Eye" cupcake against the movie poster.

photo via Fought The Law

The Richest Bourbon Brownies

Attention brownie lovers - bake these now! These brownies are oh-so-wonderful. It's been a few weeks since I had one and I can still taste them, so moist and dense. So rich, they were almost like fudge squares.

My mom (hi Mom!) loves brownies. They might possibly be her favorite dessert. A few weeks ago, Eric and I took a trip up to our family cabin with my folks and I was in charge of bringing dessert. I landed on this recipe because it combines two things my parents each love separately. My dad is a Jack Daniels Man and my mom is a Brownie Queen. I wish the bourbon flavor had been a bit stronger. If you're into that sort of thing, brush a little extra on the top.

Bourbon Whiskey Fudge Brownies

from Cookie Madness

6 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3 1/2 ounces good quality unsweetened chocolate, cut up

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, cut-up

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp bourbon plus 2-3 Tbsp for brushing top (I used Jack)

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch metal baking pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, you may use parchment paper.

Melt butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. When butter starts to melt and coats pan bottom, add both chocolates and reduce heat to low. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted. Add the granulated sugar to melted chocolate and stir over low heat for about a minute or two. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Beat eggs with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until very light. Add brown sugar to eggs and continue beating for another two minutes. With mixer going, add melted chocolate mixture to egg mixture. Scrape sides of bowl and beat in vanilla, 2 tablespoons bourbon and salt. Add the flour and stir just until mixed.

Pour into the pan and bake for 28 minutes or set. Let cool for about 20 minutes on a wire rack, then brush tops with remaining 2-3 tablespoons bourbon. Let the brownies cool too room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for a few hours or overnight.

The chilling/sitting time is important. The texture changes as the brownies chill. This also gives the bourbon flavor some time to develop, though it is quite mild.

And here's our little one, seeing snow for the first time :)

Hello Kitty Cupcakes ^..^

It's been a while, I know. I'm way behind on my posting. I have a long archive of photos that need to be seen and recipes that need to be shared. Combining the holidays with wedding planning has been keeping me busy. Here's a little something to hold you over...

I baked my 2nd-ever custom cupcake order. A friend ordered these for his special lady for her birthday. She's a big fan of Hello Kitty and he wanted minis. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to do a good job on the decorating with such a small space to work with but they came out looking fantastic. They took a long time. I decided on an easy combo of vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream. I'd do one color layer of buttercream, put the little guys in the fridge to harden a bit, and then do the next step/color. The end result was worth the time, though. Aren't they so adorable?

I also used the leftover batter and frosting to bake up these pretty sparklies for my niece's sleepover birthday party. Hi 'stina!!