Treats

Sweet rewards after training is a perfect way to treat yourself after a great workout.

What you will find:

• Hi Hat Cupcakes
• Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
• Mason Jar Pies
• Summer Strawberry Cakes in a Mason Jar
• Message in a Cookie
• Almond Joy macroons
• Whoopie Pies
• Spunky Beer Bread

Hi Hat Cupcakes

Hi Hat Cupcakes

One of my favorite things that my husband and I do together is bake cupcakes. (Shhh… Don’t tell his Mossy Oak camo friends.)

These little beauties are made with devil’s food cake, vanilla meringue frosting, and then dipped in chocolate to create a chocolate shell. I saw this recipe and step-by-step photos on the Bakerella Blog. The recipe actually came from the book Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans.  I simplified this recipe that Martha Stewart did from the Cupcakes! book because I am not a domestic diva, I’m a runner. Martha had this recipe in 10 steps, are you kidding me?! Who has time for 10 step cupcakes. Keep it simple.

Cake:

I bought a Devil’s food cake box (shh… don’t tell Martha!)

Vanilla Meringue Frosting:

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I didn’t have almond so I added more vanilla)
• 1/4 cup water

Chocolate Coating:

• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini)
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Make the Devil’s food cake box according to the directions, cool cupcakes before frosting
2. Vanilla Meringue Frosting: In a large heatproof (Pyrex) bowl, combine sugar, 1/4 cup water, egg whites, and cream of tartar. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and beat for 2 minutes more until frosting thickens. (This was all Joe’s job, strong arms are needed to make meringue for 15 mins!)
3. Put the meringue frosting in ziplocs and cut the corner off and pipe on top of cooled cupcakes. Place in the refrigerator. Ok, so from the blogs I read it said that you can dip these after the meringue got stiff in the refrigerator. We went out to eat and then dipped these cupcakes in the next morning after leaving them in the fridge all night.
4. Prepare the chocolate coating: Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof Pyrex bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl/cup, and dip the cupcakes. I gently twirled the cupcakes to remove all the excess chocolate. Serve chills and keep in the fridge until you are ready to eat them. (meringue = eggs)

We just got a new, fancy camera for Christmas! Joe did the photography. Have fun, make treats, and keep running!

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Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*grouprecipes.com

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 package of plain white cake mix
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Combine all cupcake ingredients and blend for 3 minutes
• for Cake: two 9 inch pans bake for 27-29 minutes
• for Cupcakes: bake for 20-24 minutes
• P.S. these freeze beautifully

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Mason Jar Pies

Idea from Our Best Bites Blog check out the link here for the pies and tons of their amazing ideas!

Ingredients:

• Pie Crusts (Pillsbury or homemade)
• Pie Filling any kind (I made Apple and Pumpkin)
• Apple Filling :: Store Bought kind and 1 fresh apple cut into small pieces to add to the filling
• Pumpkin Filling :: 1 can 30 oz Easy Pumpkin Pie Filling, 1- 5oz can evaporated milk, 2 eggs beaten
• Mason Jar the short and squatty kind

Step 1: Set oven to 375. Roll out dough, use the lid of mason jar to make 2 circles per mason jar. 1 for the bottom of the jar and 1 for the top of the jar.

Step 2: Fill 3/4 full with pie filling

Step 3: 2nd pie crust on top of pie filling. I used a small knife to cut out a leaf shape.

Step 4: Cut a piece of tin foil to place on top of the oven rack (no cookie sheet). Place the jars on top of the foil and bake for 50 mins. Check often to make sure the pie crusts are not burnt.

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Summer Strawberry Cakes in a Mason Jar

How sweet are these? The cupcake reign is over! These major jar cakes are super easy and not much more effort than making/decorating cupcakes. Hope you love them as much as I do!

You will need:

1 Carton of strawberries

Strawberry Cake:

• Strawberry Cake Mix :: (on the box asks for oil, 3 eggs)
• Follow directions for 2-9 in round pans

Cream Cheese Icing:

• 1-8oz cream cheese softened
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 teaspoons milk
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Make the 2 round strawberry cakes. Meanwhile, make cream cheese icing. Fill bottom of mason jars with cream cheese icing.

When cake have cooled, crumble the cakes and place on top of the icing in the mason jars.

 

Layer the cake on top of the cream cheese icing. Top with a thin layer of cream cheese icing and top with strawberries.

 

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William Sonoma: Message-in-a-Cookie

 

 

Seriously… can cookies get cuter? I think not! I got this Message-in-a-Cookie kit from my sister-in-law and it has been such a fun gift. I have used this kit to make cookies for the Mosaic Girls conference, Boston Marathon encouragement, holidays, and a bridal shower.

 

These cookies take some love and some time so prepare yourself. The pay off is totally worth it and everyone will be shocked you made them yourself! I used the recipe in the kit (I would post the recipe but it makes more sense when you have the kit and know what to do with it)

 

My changes to the William Sonoma Message-in-a-Cookie Recipe: Only add 1 tsp vanilla extract, add 1/2 tsp

lemon extract, zest of 1 lemon.

 

 

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Almond Joy Macaroons

These cookies taste just like Almond Joy! I was so excited about making these and they are only 85 calories for 1! Set aside some time to make these, they only bake for 20 mins, but you have to leave them cool 2 times for an hour each. It is worth it, I promise.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup crushed pineapple in juice, drained (I used 1/3 cup pureed pineapple)

1 3/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup liquid egg whites

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

30 raw whole almonds

1/4 cup semisweet choc chips

 

Directions:

1. In a medium sauce pan, cook the first 6 ingredients over medium-high, stirring constantly for 5 mins. You want the mixture sticky, liquid evaporated. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and refrigerate for 1 hour in a bowl

2. Preheat oven for 350, coat a cookie sheet with foil. Scoop out 30 tablespoons sized balls of dough onto the sheet 1/2 inch apart. They do not expand much and all 30 will fit. Press and almond into the top of each.

3. Bake 20-25 mins until golden brown, rotate pan half way through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cook completely for 1 hour.

4. In a small, heat safe bow, microwave choc chips for 25 seconds, stir in 5-sec intervals until melted. Spoon choc over cookies in a zig-zag pattern. Allow choc to harden before serving.

I found this in the Shape magazine and it was adapted from Sweet & Skinny by Marisa Churchill. I really want to check out more of her recipes because I loved them so much.

 

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Whoopie Pies

 

WHOOP! or WH08P! I can’t make these without thinking about Texas A&M.

Ingredients:

1 box of Devil’s Food Cake

(make batter per directions, mine used oil and eggs)

icing (make yours own butter cream or the vanilla whipped)

sprinkles

cookie sheet, parchment paper, cooling racks, and a bowl

Directions:

1. Make batter per directions, drop batter onto a cookie sheet in rounded 2-3 in circles
2. Bake for 6-7 mins (follow directions on box for temp)
3. Cool completely before icing and sandwiching the cakes together
4. Bowl of sprinkles. Roll the edges of the whoopie pie in the sprinkles

Drop batter onto cookie sheet. I used a pancake squirter…

 

 

Roll the edges in the sprinkles…

 

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Spunky Beer Bread

Homemade Beer Bread 

Runners love carbs. Most races have a post-race celebration with beer. Since, I can not have that for awhile with the baby; this delicious bread will work perfect as a recovery or carb load. It is best with warm soup.

Ingredients:

3 cups *Self Rising* flour (sifted)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 oz) can beer
1/2 stick of melted butter

Directions:

1. oven to 375
2. mix dry ingredients and beer together
3. grease 1 loaf pan (I used old school crisco)
4. dough into pan, pour melted butter over the dough
5. bake for 1 hour, take out of pan, let rest for 15 mins (this is the hardest part!)

**SIFT the flour!!

This recipe makes the whole house smell amazing and is perfect with a cup of soup. I didn’t taste a hint of beer at all.