With Sprinkles on Top

Mardi Gras is a week from today! Admittedly, this is not a big holiday in Wisconsin. At all. But I’ve always loved the spirit of it — and I would love to visit New Orleans someday! I spotted these cupcakes on the wonderful I Am Baker last year and had to try them out.

I had never made hi-hat cupcakes before and for the most part it was a smooth process. I only lost one mound of frosting to the bowl of chocolate coating! I’ve added some additional instructions to the recipe that will hopefully help you out if you are also new to hi-hats.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras Hi-Hat Cupcakes
Recipe source: I Am Baker
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• Make a batch of cupcakes. You can use a box mix to make some from scratch (I used this Food Network recipe for yellow cupcakes). Any flavor will work. When the cupcakes have cooled completely, cut the tops off of each cupcake to remove the little “mound.” You will want a flat surface for the frosting to sit on.
• Make a batch of buttercream frosting. Go homemade with this. I used I Am Baker’s recipe and it was great. Divide the frosting into three bowls and use gel food coloring to dye the frosting purple, green, and yellow. Whatever color you choose to put on top will be what you need the least of. In my case, I allocated more frosting to be purple and green than I did for the yellow.
• Using a large, round tip, pipe frosting onto the cupcakes. Pipe a large purple base, then the green, then the yellow.

Make the chocolate coating & dip:
11 oz. chocolate chips or finely chopped
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.
2. Stir until melted and smooth.
3. Transfer to small container with high sides (like a drinking glass, just make sure its wide enough to fit cupcake), and let cool about 15 minutes. [I used a large Starbucks coffee mug for this step]
4. Holding cupcake by its base, gently dip it into chocolate and then remove. Let as much excess chocolate drip off as possible, then set aside and let harden. [Dip the cupcake quickly! The longer you let it linger in the chocolate, the more likely the mound of frosting will fall off.]

Makes 12 cupcakes.
If you want to see what I’ve made in years past for Mardi Gras…

1. Mardi Gras Cake Pops
2. King Cake
3. King Cake Knots
4. King Cake Monkey Bread

I know I have professed my love for all things cookies ‘n’ cream on my blog before, but let me reiterate: I LOVE COOKIES ‘N’ CREAM. It’s my favorite ice cream flavor. Oreos are my favorite cookie. It can do no wrong. So much so that I’ve always dreamed of having a dalmatian because, well, duh. And I’d name him or her Cookie. Too bad dalmatians are not the sweetest of dogs. But I digress. Here’s today’s recipe!

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cookies
Recipe source: Lil’ Luna
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1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
3 cups flour
1-1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped Hershey Cookies N Cream bars

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Scoop Tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned.
5. Remove from oven and let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks for complete cooling.

I love a good, classic chocolate chip cookie. I love it even more when the ingredients involve three different kinds of “chips.” These beauties include chocolate chips, semisweet chips, and white chocolate chips. They also include cinnamon. I know. I raised my eyebrow, too. I mean, these aren’t snickerdoodles — so why the cinnamon?! But trust me, it works. These cookies were so great!

Triple Chip Cookies
Recipe source: Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice
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4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans [I left these out; not a fan of nuts in cookies!]

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line 2 cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
3. In a large separate bowl beat butter with both sugars together on low until creamy about 1 minute. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture 1/4 at a time. Stir in all the chocolate chips and nuts.
5. Drop dough by level 1/4 cups 2 – 3 inches apart onto the baking sheets. [I used an ice cream scoop for this – it worked great!]
6. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in tightly covered containers in a cool, dry place up to 5 days. Makes about 24 large cookies.

Valentine’s Day is a week away!! Here are some ideas if you’re looking to make a sweet treat.

1. Tootsie Roll Fudge
2. Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
3. Red Velvet Cake
4. Pink Ombre cake
5. Pear-Raspberry Heart Pies
6. Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
7. Bee Mine Cookies
8. Red Velvet Cupcakes
9. Neapolitan Rice Krispie Treats
10. Brownie Bites
11. Buckeye Bites
12. Conversation Heart Cake
13. Cherry Chocolate Kisses
14. Heart Cookie Cake
15. Conversation Heart Cookies
16. Black & White Heart Cookies
17. Mini Valentine Cupcakes
18. Conversation Heart Marshmallow Cookies
19. Pink Heart Cookies
20. White Chocolate and Cherry Shortbread Cookies

I took a family law class last semester (and I’m in another this semester) and the main lessons we all learned are as follows: everyone is going to get a divorce and every couple is going to end up hating each other.  Alright alright, that’s a little harsh, I know.  But when you spend an entire semester learning about the dissolution of marriage — and reading cases about husbands and wives fighting all the time over everything, it’s hard to be overly optimistic when you hear wedding bells ring.

I think the biggest thing we learn in law school is to be risk adverse. Prepare. Prepare some more. Think ahead. Cover your ass. And as my contracts professor once said, “You need to be pessimistic – all the time. You need to think of the worst case scenario and how you’d handle it.”  When I decided to make this cookie cake, I wanted to write something funny on it — that best encapsulates Valentine’s Day and my ever-increasing risk-adverse way of thinking.  And so the “get a pre-nup” cookie cake was born. ;) Hurrah for love and marriage and rainbows and butterflies! But get a pre-nup. Just sayin’.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Recipe source: dineanddish.net
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1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour, plus 4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Beat butter and sugars together.
2. Add eggs and vanilla.
3. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
4. Add dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well blended.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Spread dough into a large heart-shaped pan (I bought mine at Target).
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

*I decorated the cake with store-bought frosting. You could always make homemade buttercream if you’d rather use that. Also, I would highly recommend placing your heart-shaped pan onto a cookie sheet — and putting both in the oven. Why? Because your giant cookie is likely going to bake up and over the edges of your heart pan — and you want the cookie sheet to be able to catch the overflow. Mine overflowed a bit — and if it happens to you, don’t worry. Just trim the excess, overflowed cookie off with a knife. No one will know any different. :)