Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Yummm! I made these cupcakes earlier this year for a beer-themed dinner party we had. Although the recipe calls for Guinness, I used the chocolate vanilla stout that Mike and I homebrewed. As you can see from the picture, I used both vanilla and chocolate frostings. I love the cupcake tower too! That was a Christmas gift last year from my friend and coworker Laura. She knows me well! It's such a fun accessory for entertaining. :) Here is the recipe! Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

And here is the cupcake tower in case you need a creative gift idea for a baker in your life!

Cupcake Tower

Zucchini Muffins

This morning I made zucchini muffins. I used this particular recipe a couple weeks ago to make zucchini bread to bring to my boyfriend's family's house for Thanksgiving. This time I decided to make muffins since they take less time to bake! I completely forgot to take pictures along the way though...it was only after they were all done did I remember my recent inspiration to begin a blog. Oops! From now on, I hope to remember to take pictures of my baking adventures from start to finish. The muffins turned out very well. I altered the original recipe a bit...the recipe I followed today is below. I'll share with you Megan and Mike's comments about the muffins: Megan: "Mmmm, they are moist." Mike: "They are good. Very chocolatey." So there you have it! I like the way the shredded zucchini looks in this picture. It makes the muffin look rather Christmas-y! I also used fun Christmas muffin liners. Oh, and another point of note...the last time I made this recipe (into bread), I think it tasted even more moist a day or two after I baked it. Also, a nice thing about this recipe is that it does not require an electric mixer. It can all be done by hand! It's quick and easy, with simple clean-up. Yay!

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup light yogurt (I used Dannon light n’ fit vanilla)

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 cups grated zucchini

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I added these to only half the batter)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Grease AND flour (the flouring is important for this recipe!) two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as chocolate chips. Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into muffin cups or prepared pans.

Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Bake loaves for approximately 60 minutes, give or take 10 minutes. Immediately remove muffins from pans and cool on rack. Leave loaves in the pans for10-15 minutes before removing to rack to cool.

ENJOY!!

Welcome to the Barbershop!

Hi friends, Welcome to my blog! For a little while now I have been thinking that I'd like to start blogging about what I bake since it is a favorite hobby of mine. I've recently been inspired by a few blogs that I check regularly, including Smitten Kitchen, For the Love of Cooking, and Adirondack Baker. So, here goes! I hope to post on a regular basis, but we'll see. With grad school and all, it's hard to find the time! However, since I loooove baking, I try to make time for it, as it is incredibly relaxing and enjoyable for me. I hope you enjoy reading my posts and maybe even try a recipe or two!! :) Yours in Baking,

Colleen (a.k.a. Barbershop)