Chocolate Butter cookies

• WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• 2 cups self-rising cake flour
• 2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 ounces milk chocolate (optional)

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Instructions -
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Sift together flour and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale. Mix in flour/cocoa until thoroughly combined.
3. Roll into 1″ (or slightly bigger) balls and place on un-greased cookie sheets 2″ apart.
4. Bake for 5 minutes. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cookies look set. The tops will still be a bit soft.
5. Remove form the oven and transfer to cooling racks immediately. Cool.

6. Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Drizzle over cookies.

OR:

Roasted Butternut Squash, Pears, and Cranberries

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~8-10 side servings

• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 2 pinches of kosher salt
• 4 cups butternut squash chunks (roughly 1″ cubes)
• 3 cups pear (bartlett) chunks (roughly 1″ cubes)
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Instructions -
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss together butternut squash, pears, and dried cranberries. Pour butter over it and sprinkle with sugar/spice mix. Toss until well distributed.

4. Spread into a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and toss or stir. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the squash and pears are for tender. Check seasoning (I added a few more pinches of salt) and serve hot.

Make-Ahead
This dish can easily be made ahead of time, cooled, and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. When you want to serve it, heat it up in a 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot.

Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes

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Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes
~about regular 16 cupcakes
Espresso/Coffee Cupcake

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup strongly brewed coffee, cooled to warm
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 rounded teaspoon instant espresso

Meringue Icing

• 2 large egg white
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• pinch of salt

Caramel Drizzle

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions -
1. Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.Place paper liners in muffin tin.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Combine coffee, milk, and Kahlua in a cup and set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar together in the stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat yolks in one at a time.
4. Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the liquid mixture. Scrape down sides, then beat in another third of flour mixture, then the rest of the liquid, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl and divide batter in half.
5. Leave half of batter as is. Stir instant espresso into the other half.

6. Drop batter into prepare cupcake liners by putting the espresso batter in as bottom half, and spooning the coffee (non-espresso) batter on top. (In picture: left is espresso batter, right is with coffee non-espresso batter on top)

7. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before removing them to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

8. Meringue Icing
*Don’t make meringue until cupcakes have cooled.
Set up a double boiler. Whisk together meringue icing ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer by hand. Put over double boiler and whisk as it warms to about 130 degrees F (sugar dissolved). Attach to mixer and use the whisk attachment on medium speed to whip until cooled, about 5 minutes. Drop onto cupcakes immediately. (Tip: Put something under the wire rack to catch drippings.)

9. Caramel Drizzle
*Making a small amount of caramel is a little more challenging because you have a smaller window of caramelized sugar to burnt. Make sure everything is ready by the stove before starting.
Spread sugar evenly across the bottom of a heavy bottomed saucepot and put over medium-high flame. Try not to touch the sugar but watch carefully as it melts. As soon as it is browning, you can start to stir. When it looks like all of it has browned lightly, remove the pot from heat and stir in butter. Be careful because it will bubble violently. Bring it back to the flame and stir for a few seconds until smooth. Remove from the heat again and add heavy cream, again careful of violent bubbling. Stir rapidly until smooth. Set aside and allow to cool to luke warm.
Drizzle over the cupcakes.