Chocolate Cupcakes

I've said this before and I'll say it again...I'm not really a cupcake person. But there are certain go-to, all-American classics that everyone loves and I'm pretty sure chocolate cupcakes are on the list. I wanted to do something nice for a family friend who is a fellow nurse and was very helpful to me in the last couple of months as I finished school and was looking for work. With her advice I was able to complete my final practicum and ultimately find my first job as a registered nurse. I thought to show my appreciation by baking a batch of cupcakes and bringing them to her.

Of course no good deed can be uncomplicated...or at least it seems that way to me. About two months ago I suffered a ski injury when I was a little too ambitious out on the slopes. Up until a few weeks ago I believed myself to be healing, albeit slowly, and was carrying on with my daily activities. However as the pain started to worsen instead of improve I decided to revisit my doctor and a series of X-rays confirmed that I had in fact fractured my hip. No one, including the doctor, could believe that I had been walking around with a broken hip for nearly two months!

Luckily the X-rays showed that my hip was healing and in proper alignment, meaning I did not require surgery. However I was told that I must rest and use crutches for a month so that the bone may fully heal. This has led to a lot of sitting and lying on my part and, unfortunately, limited abilities in the kitchen.

My family has been extremely helpful during this time and accommodated me in many ways. Despite my limitations, I still wanted to bake the cupcakes and my brother was kind enough to help me in the kitchen. Having a Kitchen Aid stand mixer also helped because I could just dump the ingredients in the bowl and let it do all the hard work, with just some occasional scraping on my part.

Even though I may not be a cupcake person even I have to admit that these chocolate cupcakes were delicious. They were not fluffy and cakey as cupcakes tend to be, but rather dense and chewy. They definitely had a "bite" and the chocolate frosting just added to their already rich flavor. The quantities in the recipe were a little strange so I was somewhat hesitant at first, but I trust my favorite food blog Annie's Eats and it did not disappoint.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Note: The recipe makes approximately 24 cupcakes.

• ½ cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp hot water
• 2¼ cups flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1⅔ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla 
• ¾ cup sour cream

1. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and hot water and whisk until smooth.  
2. In another medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend.
3. Combine the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and the butter is completely melted.  
4. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture is cool, about 4-5 minutes.  
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  
6. Blend in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture until smooth.  
7. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing each addition just until incorporated.
8. Divide the batter evenly into two well-greased or paper-lined standard-sized muffin pans. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
9. Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Chocolate Frosting
Note: The frosting sets quickly so make sure you are ready to use it as soon as it is ready.

• 6.5 oz (180 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1⅓ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• ⅔ cup sour cream

1. Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Set aside to cool until just barely warm.
2. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Gradually mix in the sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  
4. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream.  
5. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.  Frost cupcakes immediately before the chocolate hardens and the frosting sets.

Perogies

Last week my mom and I were in the store and I saw a perogy press mold. I begged my mom to buy it, claiming that I would use it right away. My mom gave in because she said she remembered how her family used to have a similar one when she was a little girl and started to recall some of her childhood memories in the kitchen. The fact that it was on sale also helped.

True to my word I used the perogy mold later that same week. Earlier that day I had visited my grandmother for lunch and told her of my intentions to make fresh perogies, or as we call them in Russian "varyeniki", from scratch. In a conversation with my mother the next day, my grandmother said she could tell that physically I was present but mentally I was thinking all about the perogies...which was totally true.

The concept of the perogy mold was good: make the dough, roll it out and cut into strips, press into the mold, fill each cavity with the filling, lay a second sheet over-top, and then use a rolling pin to apply pressure and seal the perogies. Then pop out the finished product and BAM... six perogies all at once. The problem was that the mold was not well designed and the perogies were not as easy to seal and pop out as they should have been. The mold itself was not heavy, therefore it tended to slide on the counter when using the rolling pin. Also, the ridges were not as pronounced as they should have been, meaning that after using the rolling pin we still had to use our fingers to apply pressure on specific parts of the mold for the perogies to properly seal. Despite our initial difficulties we eventually got the hang of it and admitted that there was a certain convenience to being able to make and fill six perogies at a time, even with the flaws in the mold.

We used a traditional potato and onion filling, with a few select ones having cheese as well for my brother's sake. After boiling them off, we also pan-fried them for an extra crunch and served them with caramelized onions and sour cream. Personally I have always loved perogies and was really proud of the finished product. More so, I was happy to spend the time in the kitchen with my mom knowing that she had done the same with her mom when she was a young girl.

Perogies
Note: It is best to make the filling first and allow it to cool while making the dough because it cannot be hot when making the perogies, otherwise it will melt the dough. This recipe makes approximately 36 perogies.

For the dough:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup water
• 2 tbsp oil

1. Combine the flour and salt and set aside.
2. Whisk together the egg, water, and oil. Stir into flour mixture, adding up to 2 tbsp more water if needed to make a soft, but not sticky dough.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface about 10 times, or until it is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

For the filling:

• 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• Olive oil 
• Salt and pepper

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so that water is gently boiling and cook potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until the pieces can be easily pierced with a fork. 
2. Drain the water from the potatoes and mash well so that no chunks remain.
3. While the potatoes are boiling, pour some olive oil into a large pan and saute the onions over medium heat until deep golden in color and caramelized.
4. Combine ¾ of the onions with the mashed potatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve the remainder to serve with the finished perogies.  

To assemble and cook:
Note: The assembly instructions are based on making each perogy one at a time, without the use of any tools or molds. Although not necessary, pan-frying the perogies at the end makes them taste even better and I would highly recommend it.

1. Divide the dough into quarters and work with one portion at a time, keeping the rest covered with a towel.
2. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until almost translucent.
3. Using a 3" round cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place approximately 1 tsp of filling on each round.
4. Lightly moisten the edge of half of the round with water. Fold over the filling and pinch edges together to seal.
5. Place finished perogy on a flour-dusted cloth or plate and cover with a towel to prevent from drying out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
6. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook the perogies, in batches and stirring gently, until floating and tender, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a colander to drain.
7. If desired, melt a little bit of butter in a pan and quickly fry the perogies, about 5-8 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve with reserved onions and sour cream.

Mocha Granola

Yes that's right...it's another granola recipe. You would think that by now I would have stopped posting such recipes because really they're all quite the same. The concept is simple: mix some oats with desired nuts, add some sort of binding sweetner, bake in the oven (mixing often), and then mix in any dried fruit at the end. Easy, right?

Well the truth of the matter is that there are actually many flavor combinations out there, some on the healthier side and others more like a dessert. This particular granola is more of a dessert granola due to the mini chocolate chips that get mixed in the end. It also uses quite a bit of coffee so I wouldn't recommend it as a late night snack, though it's a great pick-me-up in the morning. Of course the chocolate chips can be omitted all together...but then again, who would want to do that?

Mocha Granola

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• ¼ cup ground flax seed
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp dry instant coffee granules
• 3 tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips 

1. Dissolve the instant coffee granules in the hot water. Add in the vanilla and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, ground flax seed, almonds, sunflower seeds, and salt. 
3. Add the oil to the dissolved coffee mixture and combine with the oats. Mix well.
4. Add the honey to the oats and stir until everything is evenly coated.
5. Spread the oats in an even layer onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until the oats are golden.
6. Allow the granola to cool completely before mixing in the mini chocolate chips and breaking into clumps. Store in an airtight container.