Andes Peppermint Crunch Cupcakes -
A Small Rant and a Made From Scratch Recipe
Recently, I purchased Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips. I love mint and Aldi had them cheap. Glancing at the back of the bag I saw recipes for cookies and cupcakes. The picture showed the cupcakes to be chocolate. I was excited to try it.
(Here begins the rant!)
I was so disappointed when I looked closer at the "recipe" for the cupcakes. The ingredient list: 1 package Devil's Food cake mix; eggs, oil, and water according to the package directions; 1 package Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips; 1 container white ready to spread frosting. (My emphasis added!)
The "recipe" continues to tell you to follow the box directions, throw in a cup of the chips, follow the box directions. Cool, frost and top with the rest of the chips. Of course, I am paraphrasing here, but the "recipe" is online, if you'd like to go see it for yourself.
This is not a recipe. This is a serving suggestion! If you use cake mixes, I have no issue with you. We all take short cuts here and there. I'm not anti-cake mix, but you know if you are reading a recipe, and it is making cupcakes, you can substitute a cake mix instead. What you may not know is the recipe for making them from scratch. It is the dumbing down of American cooking, I tell you!
(Here ends rant)
I decided I wanted to make these cupcakes for a function we were attending. I did not have a cake mix, so I pulled out my1965 edition of the Settlement Cookbook again. Do I really have to go back to 1965 to find out how to cook from scratch?!
Old-Fashioned Devil's Food CakeDoes anyone else have trouble finding unsweetened chocolate squares? I had semisweet. I used those and put a bit less sugar in. You can also substitute 3 TB cocoa plus 1 TB butter for each square of chocolate. .
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
3TB water
1 1/4 C sugar
1/2 C butter
1 C sour milk or buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg yolk
2 scant C flour
Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt the chocolate, water and sugar in double boiler; when dissolved add the butter. Stir well. Set aside to cool. Mix buttermilk, baking soda and beaten yolk, add the melted chocolate mixture and then the flour. Bake in two well-greased and floured 9-inch layer pans for 25 minutes. Frost as desired.
I melted the chocolate in the microwave. I adjusted the recipe by adding 1 C peppermint chips to the batter and making them cupcakes. I didn't use paper liners, but would recommend them for this recipe. The chips tend to stick. I frosted them with Basic Butter Frosting (recipe below) and topped with the remaining chips. They were a hit at the function we attended, and they were made from scratch!
Basic Butter Frosting
2 TB butter
1 C confectioners sugar
2TB milk, cream, sherry, rum or brandy
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Cream butter and sugar well, add the flavoring and liquid until mixture spreads well.
Labels:
Make it from scratch,
recipes
7 comments:
I agree that that was just a serving suggestion. I need to make a list of things I want to make for the Make It From Scratch Carnival.
I'm LOL that you have baker's chocolate and buttermilk in your house. I've been wanting to make some recipes from the bread cookbook I just got from the library but I can't b/c they all call for buttermilk. Who has buttermilk??? Now I know. ;o)
I emailed this to Mary, but then thought maybe someone else might need the info to, so. . .
I have dried buttermilk. You can get it at the bulk food store. You also can make a substitute. 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar in 1 C of milk. Let it sit for a few minutes till it starts to look a little yucky! :)
In answer to your question about going back to in time to get "from scratch" rcipes...the answer is no.
Maggie at hillbillyhousewife.com has some terrific from scratch recipes. A few weeks ago I made her egg noodles which are simple and delicious. She also has an excellent and oh so easy to make chocolate cake recipe. Plus a lot more.
And No I am not Maggie. Maggie doesn't pay me to praise her. LOL Maggie has been my cooking mentor for a few years now. I love her to pieces.
Paula
When can I come over and eat all this good home cookin'? I am amazed that you have time o do this with four kids!
I have to try this....sounds like it's going on my ever growing list of things to make!
Almost 15 years ago, I'd bring homemade dishes to the fancier potlucks at work, as did my cousin and many of the "older" employees.
One of the "younger" employees asked someone 'where they bought' their dish, and the lady raised an eyebrow while telling her she made it.
A conversation started about how it used to be good etiquette not to bring store-bought items to potlucks, but since so many single mothers are busy, and most men didn't cook well back then, it became "OK" to bring in fancy/expensive store-bought items -- not the premade crap from the grocery store's deli area LOL.
The poor young girl's head kept ducking lower and lower, because she had brought premade grocery deli crap.
What is it with parents that they can't teach their children to make at least one acceptable homemade dish for potlucks?
PS: I'm buying these mint chips next time I'm out LOL, thanks for the recipe! I'm also going to make the delish looking Andes Peppermint Crunch Icebox Cookies (1st link in Google using the name).
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