Okay, so I know what you are thinking. Boring. You see this and you are about to just keep on passing by.

But before you go, let me just say that this was so tasty that I actually threw a bunch of it out….to save myself from eating the whole pan.
So ignore the crappy lighting and the fact that there is nothing really drool-worthy about them (other than the taste) and give them a chance. Unless you don’t like toffee, then these probably aren’t for you.

I made these because I was really looking for an excuse to sit around and eat the extra toffee pieces…if we are being honest. Lucky for me this cake used up most of the bag (if you are in the states Heath makes milk chocolate covered toffee pieces, which is what I used). So I had portion control. I felt proud of myself. That was until I ate a piece of the cake. Then another. And so on, you see where this is going.

It got to the point where into the composting bin it went. And not just that, it got covered with Tabasco sauce, just in case I felt the need to fish it out of there. Gross, I know, but it’s just touching other food, so technically, it wouldn’t be that bad if I went and fished it out. I know, I know, you think I a little less of me. I’ll survive.

And just one last quick note to the person who emailed me asking if I would give up using Culinary Concoctions as my food blog name so you can use it. Um. No. I’m sure there are other Culinary Concoctions blogs out there. But there is only one Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. So unless your name is Peabody, you are probably safe.

Brown Sugar Toffee Snack Cake

4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup self rising flour
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup buttermilk
1 ½ cups milk chocolate covered toffee pieces, divided

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray a 8-x-8-inch pan with baking spray, or butter and flour it. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream.

Turn mixer speed to low. Starting with the flour alternate, 1/3 flour,  ½ buttermilk mixture, 1/3 flour, remaining ½ buttermilk mixture, remaining 1/3 flour.

Fold in ½ cup milk chocolate covered toffee pieces.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Insert a knife or wooden skewer to test for doneness.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup chocolate covered toffee pieces on top. The chocolate should melt, that’s okay, you want that.

Best if eaten the day of, as the toffee will get a little sticky. Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Now some would say that I am a fairly decent baker and most days I would agree with that statement. That being said, most of my friends are not. Most don’t cook if there is not a crock pot involved, and baking seems to scare them to death.

Enter Beth.

When Beth Lipton of Cookie Pie asked me if I wanted to be apart of her upcoming book blog tour to feature her new book, I of course, said yes…it’s a dessert book, duh! You Made That Dessert?: Create Fabulous Treats, Even If You Can Barely Boil Water is what the book is called and it’s a God send for a good portion of the people I know. Those who want to bake but fear it.

This book gives you the building blocks to make tasty desserts, and that ladies and gentleman is all that you need to get some dessert making self confidence under your belt. There are pictures, pictures, pictures in this book. Which is awesome since it is geared towards those you don’t bake that often but want to. A picture is always nice to look and say “oh good, mine looks like it’ suppose to”. The directions are written really well. Step by step but not to complicated and written in everyday language, no super culinary speak.

My husband takes his lunch to work everyday. He likes cupcakes but when they are frosted they don’t travel well, as he stuffs his lunch into his work bag every morning as I cringe. So I am always on the lookout for muffins or cupcakes that can stand alone. That’s why I chose these Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. Perfect for what I needed.

Now enter the tragedy in my household. While making these cupcakes, out of nowhere, the motor part of my Kitchen Aid just dropped, straight down into the batter. There were many, many, many, many curse words spoken. Many. Did I say many? Many. And then I started to cry. My husband came downstairs to see what was the matter. I pointed to the mixer. He knew all was not good.

Now lucky for me I still have my original KA from 13 years ago. So I was able to start again. The only problem was, now I was out of butter to make frosting. So I had some frosting in the fridge from something the other day (yes, I have frosting in my fridge), so I ended up using that instead of something from the book. I only frosted a couple of them for photos. The rest are for the hubby’s lunch.

These are nice and dense and chocolaty. I found them to be a little more muffin like than cupcake like, which makes sense, since the method used to make them is very similar to that of making a muffin. So if you have kids or a husband who crushes his lunch daily, these are a great snack to make for them.

If you or someone you know is a little afraid of the baking world, but really wants to make desserts, I recommend this book whole heartedly!

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup hot strongly brewed coffee
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
8 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line all the cups with standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.

Place the cocoa powder in small bowl. Whisk in hot coffee until smooth and let cool until the mixture is lukewarm, about 5 minutes. In a separate small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt with a fork.

In a medium bowl, using and electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. After beating in the second egg, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a flexible spatula and beat the mixture again, until just combined. Beat in vanilla and coffee mixture.

Using the flexible spatula, stir in the flour mixture. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the flour is incorporated, but try to mix as little as possible- the more you mix, the tougher your cupcakes will be. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Use an ice cream scoop or two TBSP to divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Do not over bake them, or they’ll be too dry. Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack for 20 minutes to cool, then remove the cupcakes from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from: You Made That Dessert? Create Fabulous Treats, Even if You Can Barely Boil Water by Beth Lipton

So the In-Laws have left and I have been doing my best to get back into the swing of things. Not easy to do. I love having people visit but hate having my routine get all thrown out of whack. And it is extra out of whack since there is no hockey right now so I am not score keeping at night. Though that means more baking time.

Thought I would be nice to the husband and make him something with peanut butter and chocolate since I haven’t really done much with his favorite flavor combo in awhile. This is about as rich as it looks in the photo. Now, in the real recipe, you don’t want to use as much mousse as I did in the photo…it was just for photographic purpose. If you used that much it would be a little too much in my opinion.

I did have a slightly amusing moment while out getting the Peanut Butter Cups. I stopped off on way home to the Starbucks to get my afternoon Refresh Tea. While standing in line I notice that the barista and what appears to be her boyfriend arguing. Which then turned into a shouting match, in which he called her a whore.

I really wanted to point out the the guy, that though she may be a slut, she is most likely not a whore, as I doubt she was getting paid for putting out.

But since the guy looked a little unstable, I felt it best to keep my mouth shut this time around.

Sadly, the took the rest of the argument outside. However, I don’t feel that she will be having her job there anymore. Perhaps I should offer them both a piece of the torte to make two very unhappy people get in a better mood.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Torte

6 brownie rounds (recipe follows)

peanut butter cream cheese mousse (recipe follows)

lots and lots of peanut butter cup pieces (I chopped up about 15 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups)

chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

Brownie Rounds

7 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup cocoa powder ( I used Green and Blacks)

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

½ semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F.

Butter and flour Six 4 ½ -inch Diameter Spring Form Pans. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar, about 2 minutes.

Add in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat another minute.

Pour in cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until fully incorporated.

Fold in chocolate chips until completely distributed throughout the brownie batter.

Using measuring cups, pour a heaping 1/3 of a cup into each of the 6 prepared pans. If there is any batter left over, try to as evenly as possible, add to the prepared pans.

Bake for 20-23 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Mousse

½ cup whipping cream, chilled

5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup plus 2 TBSP powdered sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter (I used Jif…duh)

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the whipped cream on high until stiff peaks form.

Place into a bowl and set aside.

Add the cream cheese and peanut butter and whisk on medium speed, until fully incorporated. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined.

Add whipped cream back into bowl and whisk on medium high until peanut butter mixture and whipped cream are fully incorporated and the texture is light and fluffy.

Place into a medium sized bowl and set in fridge while brownies fully cool. At least 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache

4 ½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped finely

½ cup heavy whipping cream

Place chocolate in a medium bowl.

In a small saucepan bring cream to a boil. Once the boil starts, pour over chocolate.

Let sit 5 minutes.

Whisk until mixture is smooth and glossy.

To Assemble the Torte:

Remove brownie from spring form pans. If still too warm, place in freezer for about 10 minutes.

Place one brownie circle on a plate. Add about a 1/8 cup of peanut butter mousse (I added much more to mine and actually doubled the recipe…but for photo reasons only. That much filling would be too much).

Scatter a handful of peanut butter cups.

Place another brownie round on top of the that. Then add another 1/8 cup peanut butter mousse. Then peanut butter cups.

Place third and final brownie round on top of second layer. Add a ¼ cup for the top layer of peanut butter mousse. And more peanut butter cups.

Pour ½ the ganache over the top of the torte. It might take some peanut butter cup pieces with it down the side. Just add more on top, you know you wanted to anyway.

Repeat and make a second torte. You should have two total. You can share…but why would you?

Busy, busy, busy.

The In Laws are here in town and we have been a busy bunch. I read Taste of the South magazine and a while back they had recipes using a product called Cheerwine. It’s a cherry soda with a flavor that you can’t really describe. It’s like cherry cola, but then they took come of the cola out…it’s unique. So I made a cake using that for my In Laws since they were nice enough to bring out a 12 pack from Alabama (since you can only get it in the South to my knowledge).

That got my Mother-In Law and me talking about baking. She was in awe that I made my own bread often. She asked me what I baked the most and I told her, and I followed up with “but brioche is my favorite.”

“What’s that?” was what came out of her mouth. Right away, I knew that she was not going to be leaving my house this time around without getting to try some brioche.

They have been staying at a Holiday Inn Express, which every morning has cinnamon rolls, which they love. I figured I would give them a little twist on the morning treat that they have been eating all week.

There are two versions here. First just a plain old cinnamon sugar filled ones. The second uses Maple Butter (which is basically thickened up maple syrup), Dried Cranberries, and Pecans. Both are good. You don’t taste the pumpkin in the actual brioche, it just makes it a nice orange color and moist. So in order to taste a little of the pumpkin, I added it to the cream cheese frosting. Mmm, good.

The good news is that my Mother-In Law is now a fan of brioche. But then again, how can you not be.

Fall is Coming Pumpkin Brioche Snails with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

½ recipe Pumpkin Brioche (see below)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried, unsweetened cranberries
3 TBSP Maple Butter (if you can not find this use 2 TBSP maple syrup)
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 recipe Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)

Or just Cinnamon Filled

½ recipe Pumpkin Brioche
½ cup cinnamon sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches wide and 16 inches long, with a short end toward you.

In a small bowl, mash together the maple butter (or maple syrup) and butter together. Stir until combined. If you are making just the plain cinnamon sugar kind, skip this step.

Spread the maple/butter across the dough, leaving 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Scatter the  nuts, cranberries over the maple butter. If you are making the cinnamon sugar kind, spread the butter across the dough, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the butter.

Starting wit the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. Place on a baking sheet and put into the freezer for about 10 minutes, this will make it easier for you to cut.

With a chef¢â¬â„¢s knife(I use a bread knife), using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends if they¢â¬â„¢re ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into rounds a scant 1 inch thick. Put the snails inside the individual muffin holes. You may also use a round 8-inch cake pan (this recipe will use two). If using rounds, leave enough space for them to puff.

Lightly cover the snails with wax paper and set the baking sheet(s) in a warm place until the snails have doubles in volume, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F. Turn oven down to 350F. Rotate the pans 180 degrees, and bake another 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let cool for 15 minutes and frost with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting.

Pumpkin Brioche

For the Sponge:
¼ cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup bread flour

Combine the milk and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment ans whisk until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the pumpkin puree, sugar, and flour, forming a thick batter. Cover with plastic film and let rest in a warm environment until bubbles form, 30-40 minutes.

For the Dough:
5 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ lb(2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1.Add the flour ans salt to the sponge, then add the eggs. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the eggs are absorbed. Increase speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes. The dough will begin to slap around. Hold on to the mixer when necessary.
2.2. On medium-low speed, add the butter, 2 TBSP at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.(Recipe did not say to, but I switched to the dough hook at this point). Knead until the dough is shiny ans smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape out the dough, wash and dry the bowl, and coat it lightly with oil.
3.Place dough in the oiled bowl and turn it so that the top is coated with oil. Cover with plastic film and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
4.After the dough has doubled in volume, press down to deflate, folding one half into the other. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. This is the second rise.

Pumpkin Brioche from The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
4-5 cups powdered sugar
milk to thin

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese and butter for 3 minutes.

Add pumpkin puree and spices. Beat until fully incorporated.

One cup at a time, on low speed, add powdered sugar. Increase speed to medium after powdered sugar starts to incorporate and wont fly all over you.
Add powdered sugar until you reach desired consistancy.

Thin with milk if frosting is too thick.