Not So Dainty Cupcakes

Part of being a Dainty Deb is not simply the "dainty" part -- there is also a good deal of "Deb" involved. To me, being on top of one's life includes being kind to one's family. Particularly Debs are concerned with the well-being of their significant other. My husband's well-being, tragically for my daintiness, often requires Peanut Butter confections.

I'm leaving my poor husband to fend for himself for a week while I visit my brother in Manhattan. I thought it only a measure of good manners that I make him something delicious before I go... They're about 500 calories apiece, but they're pretty astonishingly delicious. They're like a cupcake version of a peanut butter cup.

Decidedly UnDainty Deliciousness (Peanut Butter Cupcakes)

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

You'll need:

1 1/4 C. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 C. gently packed light brown sugar
6 T. butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. smooth peanut butter
2 lg. eggs, room temp.
1/2 C. milk (whole or soy is best), room temp.
12 oz. peanut butter morsels, divided in half
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 C. heavy cream
Mini-Reece's peanut butter cups, cut into fourths, for garnish


In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter and vanilla together on medium speed, beating until blended. Add in peanuty butter and beat until blended and fluffy. Add each egg individually, beating well after each addition. Add milk, beat well. Finally, stir in 6 oz. of those peanut butter morsels gently.


Fill each cup evenly, and bake 25 -- 30 min. until golden on top and when a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool completely -- meanwhile, you can make your own icing (see below) or cheat a little (Debs know how to cheat, gracefully, with feminine allure and without getting caught) and use store-bought. Then top with the peanut butter cup fourths.


Easy-Peasy Chocolate/Peanut Butter Frosting

*Note: This makes about double what you really need to top the cuppers with, so either halve it or have a plastic container on hand to save the remaining amount in for later. It refrigerates beautifully for up to 3 months.

Melt the remaining peanut butter morsels, the chocolate chips and the heavy cream over low in a saucepan. Stir occasionally (usually takes me about 10 min) until totally 100 % smooth. Pop in the fridge for about an hour. You want it to be cool all through, though not hardened. The best way to test this is with a clean finger stirring -- although, then you're left with a deliciously coated finger... Anyway. Once it's done, about an hour in the fridge, then you want to beat it on medium to high speed for about 3 -- 5 minutes until creamy and fluffy.




As a variation, if you'd like to make these as breakfasty muffins, you can turn them into PB&J treats: Just as you're ladling the first dollop of batter into the paper muffin cup, top each of those dollops with a tablespoon full of your favorite jelly (I like scuppernong). Then cover entirely with another dollop of the batter before baking. You don't have to ice them when they're filled with jelly and they make very enviable breakfast or lunchtime treats at any office.


Dutiful Deb Ditties:

"Ain't No Other Man" by Christina Aguilera (See, you married him for a reason. Hopefully he didn't marry you sheerly for your cupcakes, but hey. They never hurt.)

"Me and Mr. Jones" by Amy Winehouse

"If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul (I like the part where he defends his wife, saying "she sure can cook, baby!")

"The Man I Love" by Etta James (The man I love loves peanut butter and has the rapid metabolism of a flying squirrel. sigh.)

Hunka-Hunka-Burnin' Cobbler

OR: The longest hour of my life

It was my parents' first visit up to NC to see my husband and me since we'd moved in. Little known fact about me: I like to have something baking when people come over. It makes the house smell good and lets them know you are, well, baking for them. So I decided to make my favorite cobbler recipe for Mom and Dad... Only one problem -- the 9 x 13 x 2" dish I normally used to create this concoction was busy (read: filthy dirty and I was too lazy to hand-wash it; ergo it stayed right in the dishwasher where I finally located it). So instead, defying all laws of physics and cullinary skill, I opted to substitute the 9 x 13" pan with a PIE PLATE. That's right... I was going to try and fit the same amount of cobblery goodness which normally requires the largest baking pan I own into a 9" pie plate. I think my faulty logic somehow was related to the number "9" -- I figured the plate could handle both 9" pie plate and 9 x 13" pan were utilizing the number "9" (I am NOT good at math. Or physics, clearly).

So I was dusting when I realized that the kitchen was filled with smoke. I turned on the oven light and noticed that the cobbler was angrily overflowing it's tiny vessel much like I was overflowing my size 6 bikini panties those days. The cobbler had turned into a gooey muffin-top, and the goo was dripping right onto the lower burner, which actually was sending up small burst of flames as the goo would land. Now, rather than remove the cobbler, for fear of the flame bursts, I decided to instead just leave it and hope for everything to work out for the best. Perhaps the cobbler would miraculously heal itself. So for 20 more minutes, I anxiously stared into the oven's window. The miracle never happened, and the smoke started to make my eyes water. Oh hell, I thought. Please note, at this point, my parents were about 20 minutes away and my house smelled like a big fat burning cobbler. So finally, I overcame my fear of those little flame bursts and opened the oven door. Smoke poured into my kitchen. I flung the pie plate into the sink and gushed water over it, causing even MORE smoke. My husband walked in and sighed. But he did very nicely offer to fan the smoke from the house as I ran to the Harris Teeter for another dessert. All ended well, though my parents and husband teased me mercilessly. What I was most upset about was, tragically, the fact that they didn't get to taste my really awesome cobbler.

But now you can. Just make sure you use a 9 x 13 x 2 " pan. NO EXCUSES. In fact, that's what I'm renaming this cobbler.

The 9x13x2 Cobbler.

Preheat your oven to 350 and then set out 2 C. of milk to let get to room temp.

1 stick butter, melted
3 1/2 C. fresh berries
OR
16 oz. Frozen berries -- any variety, or a mix is nice. If using this frozen option, get the bag out when you set out the milk to let thaw a little bit.
2 C. room temp. milk
2 C. sugar
2 C. self-rising flour (OR regular flour with 1 tsp. salt and 3 tsp of baking powder mixed in to make it self-rising; You can do this any time, the standard is: for each Cup of flour, add 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt)

Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2" pan. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and flour, then the room temp. milk. Mix will be liquidy and lumpy. Pour this mix on top of the butter, but don't let them get too combined. It will settle on it's own, just resist the urge to touch it. Then add your fruit. The more fruit you use, the less crust, and vice versa. And if you use the max or more amount of fruit, then a single serving is only 200 calories. So use your own discretion. And again, don't try to mix it all up in the pan. Just put it all in there and leave well enough alone.

Bake until golden brown on top and bubbly at the sides (about 1 hour). Sift powdered sugar on top for a pretty presentation, and always serve warm. This is super good with french vanilla or butter pecan ice cream.

It makes 10 -- 12 servings and refrigerates perfectly. JUST USE THE RIGHT PAN.