2010: The Year of the Cupcake

I had planned to drive into Mount Vernon this afternoon for a Costco trip; we're running low on ground beef. I take Proverbs 31:14 very literally when it says "she is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar." A 45 minute drive off-island counts as "afar", right?

Kidding, kidding. But hey! it made Jason laugh.

Oh I crack myself up . . .

ANYWAY.

After a busy morning with the Bud, and nearly falling asleep watching Reba this afternoon, I decided Costco would have to wait. Instead, I baked Chocolate Gingerbread cookies. I will remember 2009 for many reasons (like, you know, the whole move to Washington thing), but my burgeoning love for all things baked will certainly be the sweetest.

Friends and family have picked up on this new hobby of mine and with Christmas conveniently at hand, pitched in to help feed my addiction, er, uh, broaden my horizons.

It started with this day calendar from Lindsay.

Every day gives a new cupcake recipe (with photo) or a variation of a recipe. Yesterday was Chocolate Mud Cupcakes. Today is a variation: Raspberry Mud Cupcakes. Tomorrow? I don't know. But I'm betting it includes the word Mud and calls for lots of chocolate. :)

Pretty nifty, eh?

Then my dad sent me Martha Stewart's Cupcakes a few days after Christmas. As if the calendar itself wasn't going to send me into a sugar coma . . .

I haven't made one single thing from it yet, but a list is forming of all the recipes I want to to try: flourless chocolate cupcakes, blackberry-cornmeal cupcakes, lavedner-iced brownie cupcakes, S'mores cupcakes, and candied sweet potato cupcakes.

Is anyone else drooling? Don't make me drool alone now.

I told Lindsay we would have to devise a way to mail cupcakes because there's no way I'll be eating everything myself. She thought inventing cupcake mailers would be a great way to get rich, so while I bake, she's going to patent her ideas. :)

Then a few days later, much to my surprise, I found this waiting in the mail for me, too. Also from my dad.

He's such a sweet guy. Ha ha! Sweet! Get it?

Ok, I'll stop now.

Suffice to say, I have a waiting list of recipes I want to try out of this book, too. And no, I won't give you a peek, because I'm afraid your computer keyboards wouldn't handle the saliva.

Oh, ok. But only because you asked nicely. Please do put a towel over your keyboard, though. I don't want to be held responsible for electronic failures.

On my waiting list are the Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookie, Maple-Pecan Shortbread, Chocolate Crackles, Buttered Rum Meltaways, Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brown-Butter Toffee Blondies, and Chocolate-Strawberry Thumbprints.

Whew!

I'm gonna be baking for years. :)

Today I crossed one of those recipes off the list. I made Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread cookies (photo above on the front of the book). Here's what my kitchen looked like:

(Do please ignore that pan of brownies off to the left. They were intended for Rum Balls, also from the cookie book, but they had an unfortunate accident with some imitation rum. I won't make THAT mistake again. When a recipe calls for rum, use the real thing. Please. Your mouth and hapless taste-testers will thank you.)

Here's the batter before chocolate chips were added. Mmmmm!

The cookies turned out delicious!

(though I think I'll add a little less ginger next time. But that's just my anti-spice-iness talking. My taste-testers approved of them "as is")

The recipe will be posted later this week, along with my alterations because I have a few bones to pick with Ms. Stewart. Nothing major. I just don't happen to own a $200 Kitchen Aid mixer and no, I don't think the dough has to be refrigerated before and after you form it into balls... but that's a whole 'nuther post.

And since I've already been asked, no, I'm not planning to turn my blog into a Martha Stewart version of Julie and Julia.

Tempting, but no.

Instead, I think I'll just dub 2010 "The Year of the Cupcake."

What a yummy year this will be! Happy weekend, y'all!