Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

A coworker's birthday was coming up... what better excuse to make cupcakes? She is definitely a chocolate fan, but I also wanted to add something extra. Winter has been hanging on for dear life and we all needed a little brightness to liven up the cold week. These cupcakes were perfect for that! The raspberry frosting added fresh flavor and the orange extract and cinnamon brightened up the richness of the chocolate. Great cupcakes if you're looking for a pick-me-up! 

Side note: Both the cake and frosting recipe come from this amazing little box of recipes I received as a gift. So far, each cake and frosting has come out absolutely perfect. The cards also have little fun tips and ideas for combining different flavors (definitely worth picking up!). 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes 
Yield: 12 cupcakes Prep time: 40 minutes Bake time: 18-20 minutes

Ingredients
Orange Chocolate Cupcakes (Recipe adapted from Mini Box Recipe - Cupcakes)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup cake flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs 
3/4 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup sour cream 




Raspberry Frosting (Recipe from Mini Box Recipe - Cupcakes)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
i/8 teaspoon salt 
2 cups powdered sugar 


Directions
For the cupcakes...
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with liners and set aside. Combine butter, chocolate chips and cocoa powder in a double boiler and heat until melted. Stir mixture and remove from heat, allowing to cool for 5 minutes. Side note: If you don't have a double boiler, you could always just set a small metal mixing bowl placed over a saucepan of boiling water. There's a great tutorial to follow  here. 

2. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and orange extract. 

3. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the wet ingredients. Add a third of the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the sour cream and stir. Add the rest of the flour mixture, stirring until batter is thick and creamy. 

4. Drop batter into the cupcake tin until each cup is 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.

For the frosting...
1. Place raspberries in a small, microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle lemon juice over them. Microwave on high for 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and let cool to room temperature. Side note: This mixture is probably going to terrify you as soon as you see it! The raspberries get all shriveled and aren't even recognizable. Have no fear - that is exactly how they're supposed to look (I went through 2 batches of raspberries before coming to peace with it).  That being said, it helps to thaw your frozen raspberries if you choose those over fresh ones. 

2. Combine raspberries, butter, vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar until you've reached your desired consistency. 

Steak, Mushroom & Blue Cheese Salad

Lately, I've really, really been trying to be healthier. It's insanely difficult when you have a recurring urge to keep making cupcakes. The beautiful little Easter chocolates sitting around are also not helping - but, who else is gonna eat them?? Needless to say, I was very excited to try this recipe! It's from an amazing cookbook, The Best Simple Recipes, that is absolutely necessary for anyone who is hell-bent on teaching themselves to cook. The recipes are easy to follow, delicious and little write-ups tell you exactly which products to buy at the store. As for this recipe: it is a great man salad (you're welcome, Jeff), but is light enough to leave you feeling pleasantly full. A perfect busy weeknight meal. Hope you enjoy it, too :)

Steak, Mushroom & Blue Cheese Salad 

Yield: 2 salads Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients
2 chuck steaks (8 oz.) or 2 strip steaks (8 oz.), about 1 inch thick 
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt 
1/2 cup olive oil 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
10 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 (6 oz.) bag baby spinach 
2 tablespoons capers, drained and minced 
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese 

Directions
1. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Combine garlic salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and sea salt in a small bowl then season the steaks. 

2. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook steaks until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Pour off the fat but do not wipe out the pan. 

3. As steak is cooking, whisk together remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, shallot and mustard in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 

4. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and 3 tablespoons of dressing. Cook until mushrooms are golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside and allow mushrooms to cool for 5 minutes. 

5. Toss spinach, capers, mushrooms and remaining dressing in a large bowl. Slice steak into strips, about 1/2 inch thick, and arrange over salad. Sprinkle with blue cheese and enjoy!

Adapted from The Best Simple Recipes

Chocolate Strawberry Muffins (or the Dream Muffin)

My friend Dana was the one who convinced me to try these adorable looking muffins we had both seen on Pinterest (yes, we talk about Pinterest recipes and probably for a good 40% of the time we're together). I can't think of one thing involving chocolate and strawberries that hasn't tasted like it's straight out of heaven, so I was sold. The best part about these has got to be the fact that they're also guilt free. Applesauce takes the place of butter and oil, while strawberries have tons of antioxidants. 

These were extremely simple to throw together and turned out to be absolutely delicious. Of course you can tell that they're "skinny", but they're so tasty and satisfy my sweet craving that hasn't gone away since it was cookie season. Hope you enjoy them!

Chocolate Strawberry Muffins 

Yield: 10 muffins Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 15-18 minutes 

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup & 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce 
1 egg white, beaten
2/3 cup diced strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips 

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl then set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar and applesauce. Stir egg white into applesauce mixture until incorporated. Side note: A fork worked well for this step in breaking up the clumps of brown sugar. 

3. Add applesauce mixture to dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Gently fold in strawberries and chocolate chips. 

4. Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill 10 muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test. Side note: Our old school oven wasn't doing well with baking them evenly, so they truly baked over a range of 15-18 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, I tested them every minute or so and took individual muffins out to cool when they were done. 

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction