Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
85g (6 tbsp/3/4 cup) butter, room temperature
225g (1 cup) white sugar
83g (1/3 cup) peanut butter
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp salt
120ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk, room temperature
220g (1 3/4 cup) flour
2 tsp baking powder

Frosting:
375g (3 cups) powdered sugar
250g (1 cup) peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
113g (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
5 tbsp heavy cream, room temperature

1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners (you will need 16).

2) In a large bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until very smooth. 

3) In another bowl, combine together flour, baking powder and salt. 

4) Beat (on low speed) one third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Beat until smooth. Add half of the buttermilk and beat until incorporated. Repeat this step one more time, adding one third of the flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk. End with the remaining flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

5) Divide the batter among 16 cupcake cups. Bake for 17 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool until completely cooled before frosting.

6) To make the frosting, Beat together powdered sugar, peanut butter, salt and butter. Add heavy cream (try adding 4 tablespoons, it might be enough to achieve the desired consistency). Continue beating for about 5 minutes or until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy.

Recipe by collecting memories

White Chocolate Blondies

White Chocolate Blondies

113g (1/2 cup) butter
150g (5.3 oz) white chocolate, chopped
150g (3/4 cup) white granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly whisked
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 tsp salt
125g (1 cup) flour

Icing:
1 tbsp butter (optional)
50g white chocolate (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F.

2) In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add white chocolate and sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted and the mixture looks smooth. Remove from heat and let cool a little bit.

3) Stir in the egg, vanilla extract and salt. Add flour and stir just until combined. Spread the mixture into the baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares. 

4) If you are making the icing, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan, turn off the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes or until melted and mix until smooth. Alternatively, you could melt butter and chocolate in a microwave. Drizzle over the blondies and serve.

Recipe by collecting memories

Sweet & Sour Cauliflower

Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
600g cauliflower, chopped into florets

4 tbsp (60g) flour

6 tbsp (90ml) water

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp white vinegar

2 tbsp water

1 tsp cornstarch

1) Preheat oven to 220C / 430F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

2) In a large bowl, combine together flour and water until a smooth batter forms. Add cauliflower florets and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the cauliflower onto the baking tray, making sure they don't touch each other. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cauliflower is softened and slightly browned.

3) While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the sauce: in a small saucepan, combine together soy sauce, ketchup, honey and white vinegar. 

4) In a small bowl, combine together water and cornstarch. Stir with a spoon until there are no lumps. Add this to the saucepan.

5) Turn on the heat and cook the sauce over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. You do not need to bring it to boil. Cook just for a few minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened (thick enough to cover the cauliflower). Remove from heat.

6) Once the cauliflower is cooked through, transfer it to a bowl and add the sauce. Toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Recipe by collecting memories 

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

250g (2 cups) flour
240ml (1 cup) boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
Up to 60ml (1/4 cup) sesame oil (I used sunflower)
A bunch of chopped scallions

1) In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Stir in the boiling water and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough forms comes together. Transfer to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Wrap in a plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge).

2) Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a disk (20 cm / 8 inch in diameter) and brush the tops with oil. Sprinkle some scallions and roll the disk up. Twist the disk into a spiral and re-roll it into a disk (same size). Repeat the process with oil and scallions, roll it up, twist into a spiral again and re-roll into a slightly smaller disk (It depends how thick you want your pancakes). Repeat this process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

3) Heat some oil in a frying pan. Cook pancakes for around 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Cut into 6 wedges and serve immediately with soy sauce for dipping.

Recipe adapted from here (you can find step by step pictures here as well). 

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce 

200g (1 cup) white sugar
15ml (1 tbsp) light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
60ml (1/4 cup) water
120ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
15g (1 tbsp butter)

1) In a medium saucepan, combine together sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Bring to boil while stirring. When it starts bubbling, stop stirring and let it turn to a light/medium amber color. At this point it will NOT look like caramel. Especially if your saucepan has a black bottom, you won't be able to see the real color so turn off the heat when it looks just slightly golden, otherwise, it will be dark and bitter. The whole browning process should take no more than 10 minutes. 

2) When you reach the desired color, remove from heat and slowly start pouring in the heavy cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the butter. Let cool for a few minutes and pour in a jar. Keep in the fridge. It will be firmer if you keep it in the fridge. If you want it more runny, simply put the jar in a bowl filled with hot water and it will become more pourable. Alternatively, leave it at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Recipe source unknown. I've had this recipe for ages and have no idea where did it come from.