 Last month we celebrated Judah’s 2nd birthday and I served these Monster Cupcakes. They were a huge hit and every kid seemed to enjoy having not just one, but TWO suckers to slurp on after they finished their cupcakes.
I promised a tutorial on how to make these. They are actually pretty simple and can easily be customized. Since monsters are pretty crazy and vary in shapes, anything goes when it comes to decorating them.
Here’s what you’ll need to make cupcakes exactly like the ones pictured above:
- Solid Color Standard Sized Greaseproof Baking Cups (greaseproof is important in order for the color to stay vibrant after baking)
- Standard sized cupcakes, baked in the greaseproof liners (any flavor)
- Miniature-sized cupcakes, no liners (any flavor)
- Vanilla buttercream frosting, colored in batches to match cupcake liners. I have no tips on how to create the perfect colored icing and do trial and error every time. If you need help with icing colors, I’d recommend reading this blog.
- Piping bags and decorative tips (I used Wilton tips #104, #21, #3)
- 2 small suckers for each monster
- M&M’s (or any other small solid color round candy)
Squeeze a small amount of frosting in the middle of each standard sized cupcake. Center a miniature cupcake, upside down, over each standard cupcake, using the frosting to act as a glue.
Using desired icing tips to pipe the hair on the monsters. You can get creative here. Here I used Wilton tip #104. Other tip sizes listed below.
Pair suckers and round candies up by color to use as the monsters eyes. Use the same frosting to glue on the round candies to each sucker, then top them on each monster.
Wilton tip #104 (above). Pipe starting from around the bottom working your way up.
Wilton tip #21 (above). Pipe lines from top to bottom, all around the cupcake.
Wilton tip #3 (above). Go crazy and just squeeze the icing out of the bag, letting it fall wherever on the cupcakes for this one. Try to go in somewhat circular, or loopy, motions.
These monsters were one of the first things noticed by the kids. Definitely a furry and tasty hit!
For more tips on how to make these cupcakes, check out Annie’s Eats, and What’s New Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.
The neighborhood we live in now is in stark contrast to the neighborhood we left in California. Since we moved into townhomes owned by the seminary, you can guess that there are other young family residents, resulting in many other kids for Judah to play with. Back in California, Judah had no friends his age in the neighborhood and the closest playground was a 15-minute drive. The closest playground here? About 20 feet from my kitchen window. 
Needless to say, Judah is having the time of his life. And, he is being forced to share his toys. Today, he clobbered a girl twice his size as she ran towards his Hot Wheels collection that he so proudly displayed on the sidewalk. Then after the blow, he yelled “Mine!” That’s when I clobbered him. Not really. But, that’s when I wanted to. :\
Judah’s a good kid. But, he is really having to figure out this sharing thing. I mean, he just turned two, and he’s never had to share his own toys very often, so I should give him some slack. But, I’m going to nip it while it’s hot.
You know who else needs to work on their sharing skills? Chick-fil-a. I need them to share their various sauce recipes. Specifically, their Polynesian sauce (right, Steph?).  But, trying to find a “copycat” recipe for them is pretty much impossible. So, I took a few packets from their restaurant the other day and will be playing around in my kitchen with the ingredients listed.
Even though Chick-fil-a does have a honey mustard sauce, this honey mustard recipe is actually reminiscent of their “Chick-fil-a Sauce,” (although definitely not exact). There are many different ways to make honey mustard. Some people use horseradish, others add more honey, then someone else might throw in some OJ. I like to keep it as simple as possible, with ingredients I always have on hand. This formula is just that and creamy, tangy and the perfect dip for our chicken nuggets.
Copyright Pennies on a Platter 2007
 Mayonnaise is a condiment I never seem to have on hand when I need it. We don’t use it often in our house, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like it. It’s just that whenever I buy it, it seems to expire before we go through it and we end up throwing out the majority. It’s not a cheap condiment, and buying a smaller jar doesn’t make sense either since a smaller container is not much less in price.
One day I decided I wanted to try making honey mustard to go with our chicken nuggets. When I was reviewing the recipe and saw that mayonnaise was on the ingredient list, I immediately cringed because I knew I didn’t have it on hand and I did not want to go to the store. Instead of giving up my quest for homemade honey mustard, I decided to look up a recipe for homemade mayo and was pleased with how surprisingly simple it was (even being an Alton Brown recipe).
This requires a little bit of elbow grease as you whisk the ingredients into the egg yolk. Although I haven’t tried it yet, myself, you can probably use an immersion blender or stand mixer instead. Just a few staple ingredients, whisked briskly together, let set at room temperature for an hour and you have about a cup of mayo. Perfect for homemade honey mustard or homemade ranch dressing, with just enough left over that I know won’t go to waste.
(Homemade honey mustard recipe coming soon.)
- 1 egg yolk*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 pinches sugar
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 cup oil, safflower, corn or canola (I use canola)
Whisk together the egg yolk and dry ingredients into a small glass bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon juice and vinegar, then thoroughly whisk half into the yolk mixture. While briskly whisking, slowly add the oil a few drops at a time, until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten in color. At this point you can slow down the whisking a little and increase the oil flow to a constant, thin stream. After adding half of the oil, whisk in the rest of the vinegar mixture. Continue to whisk until the rest of the oil is fully incorporated. Let set at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, then refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Source: Alton Brown, via The Food Network
*RAW EGG WARNING
Use caution in consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.
1.4 http://penniesonaplatter.com/2012/01/24/homemade-mayonnaise/ Copyright Pennies on a Platter 2007
 Last fall, I was on a kick for making my own homemade condiments. Each recipe I tried was successful. Then, when our move to Mississippi was confirmed, I stopped my new-found love of do-it-yourself concoctions because I knew they would all be wasted as they wouldn’t survive a 3-day journey across the country.
Now that we’re semi-settled in, I am enthusiastically diving back into the DIY journey. This week, I will supply you with the three condiments recipes I made before the move, starting with my favorite of the three, this ranch dressing. When I made my first batch last September, I doubled the recipe and still used it all up before it went bad. I made Chicken Ranch Pizza, used it as a dip for my Oven “Fried” Pickles, and pretty much slathered it onto every other food that entered my mouth. When ranch dressing is available, it’s quite possible I abuse it. Meaning, it goes on everything. Now that I can have it homemade, without preservatives, I feel much better about this habit. And, having it homemade is a measly 5 minutes away.
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small bunch of chives
- 1 small handful of parsley leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (white pepper, preferred)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk
Dump all ingredients into the blender using 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Mix for 10 seconds. Blend in more buttermilk to achieve desired consistency. Store in an airtight container for 1 week.
Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride 1.4 http://penniesonaplatter.com/2012/01/23/homemade-ranch-dressing/ Copyright Pennies on a Platter 2007
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 We have all heard it by now. Paula Deen has type 2 diabetes. So, maybe this isn’t a good recipe to follow her announcement yesterday, because it’s as sinful as any of Paula’s best dishes. But, we need our cookies and life goes on. Just resist the temptation to eat these every day…”y’all!”
If you were with me when I made these other cookies last month, you’ll remember that Ben persuaded me to title them with the word “Dangerous”. Similarly, he suggested I preface these cookies with any of the words “Ridiculous”, “Sick” or “Nasty” (all terms that mean extremely delicious, if you’re not up with some west-coast slang.) But, I had to draw the line and didn’t take his advice this time. I’m sure you will agree with me why. Anyhow, it goes to show how much we loved these cookies. I meant to save half of them for my mother-in-law when she came to visit, but somehow they disappeared before we knew it! I believe there was one left when she arrived. Oops! At least they are HUGE cookies, so one was probably plenty.
I made these using Trader Joes’ mini peanut butter cups, but you can certainly use whatever brand miniature peanut butter cups you like. You can even use the regular sized cups, because you just chop them up. Judah had a really fun time helping me “strategically” place the chopped PB cups on top of each dough ball. I really wish I would’ve snatched a photo. He was a big help!
Enjoy these chewy, chocolaty, peanut buttery, unhealthy pieces of joy! But, in moderation y’all!
*Full disclosure: I like Paula Deen and in no way am I making light of her health condition. In fact, I am saddened by it and at the same time grateful for the wake-up call. My heart goes out to her and the battle she is having with living with this condition and living with the stress of the media’s involvement.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter (not natural)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 Tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa (or a Dutch blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 cups coarsely chopped peanut butter cups, divided*
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- *Recommended: Freeze the peanut butter cups for at least 30 minutes before chopping for easier preparation.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Blend in the egg, vanilla and milk until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low speed. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups.
Drop large rounds of dough onto the baking sheets (about 3 Tablespoons each), spacing 2-3 inches apart. Gently press a few pieces of the reserved peanut butter cups into the top of each of the dough balls. Bake 12-14 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back). The cookies should be soft from the oven and will set as they cool. Be cautious to not over bake. Cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Source: Annie's Eats 1.4 http://penniesonaplatter.com/2012/01/18/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-cookies/ Copyright Pennies on a Platter 2007
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