Purple Velvet and Vanilla Bourbon

Well, followers, it's been a pretty big year for me so far! And it's not even over! Littlest Love has been making some big moves into the baking scene, all thanks to the support of friends and family, and of course, butter. I really couldn't do it without butter.

I am officially operational, and my website is in the creative stages - i.e. I have finally begun working on it! So I'm hoping to have that in full swing starting January 1. Yes, January! It's so soon! I'm already placing local, small-batch orders and am available for all of your partying needs. 'Tis the season!

And if all of this weren't exciting enough, I'm also finalizing a pretty exciting R&D cupcake. I've decided to share it with the masses, because quite frankly, it's too dang delicious not to. I have created a PURPLE VELVET cupcake. Think southern charm meets Prince. Oh, and did I mention there's salted caramel involved? Why yes, I did. Earlier this week on my Facebook page, I had a spoiler alert.

It held the test of all things delicious. It was purple, and it was silky smooth and had the perfect crumb. In fact, It was so good, I held it up to the "Wall of Motivation" that we have up in our tiny apartment. It held up nicely, don't you think?

And as boyfriend dug in, he was stoked to find that it was bright purple (the pictures don't really do it justice!) and the perfect combination of flavor. That salted caramel that I poured into the frosting just took it over the edge into cupcake greatness.

Seriously, look at that caramel going into the cream cheese frosting. Can you think of anything more decadent and delicious?? Seriously, I cannot. Drool....

Wait! The fun isn't over! Yesterday I got a little excited and pulled out the Bulleit Bourbon. It might be my favorite new ingredient. The quality of the bourbon is flat out ridiculously good. It's sweet but not overwhelming, and it's just down right smooth. I knew it would be the perfect element for my homemade bourbon vanilla extract.

Look at that caramel color. It's beautiful!

Yum! It will be about 8 weeks until it's fully infused and ready to use, but that means it'll be ready just in time for Mardi Gras season! Like you need an excuse for bourbon vanilla?

And last but not least - the biggest, baddest news of all. I am going to have my very first giveaway! Stay tuned, because it involves some geography, some nostalgia, and some Thanksgiving love!

Happy Halloween!

*Disclaimer - This blog post has way too many pictures! But it's Halloween!! And I couldn't resist showing some of Autumn's glory...

So, today is my favorite holiday! I love dressing up, being silly, eating candy, and most of all, I love fall flavors! Halloween is a time to indulge in your inner-child, which is great, because it's the one day of the year that my usual behaviors are acceptable. That's right. I consult my inner-child daily and regret nothing. Nothing!

But onto the fun! I bought two tubs of candy corn - original and those tiny pumpkin 'mallow bites that are more addicting than Fritos. Just saying. And after a weekend of uncontrollably snacking on candy corn and crack pumpkins, I decided to use will power. Just kidding, I had to throw them away. Just kidding, I baked with them.

Okay - let's get down to business. You want to see the goods! I know it! Let's celebrate the sweet nectar of the gods by pouring them over espresso brownies. Yeah? Okay, glad we're all on board there!

The following night, I indulged my senses and drank a delicious beer. I'm a tried and true Shipyard Pumpkinhead fiend, but Shlafly's Pumpkin Ale is a VERY close second. I paired this with my chewy, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Oh my!

And of course, there was pumpkin carving! Like I could resist this... I drained the meat of the pumpkin, used the liquid in a sauce pan with some brown sugar, and made pumpkin syrup for my coffee. I'm giving you a run for your money, Starbucks!

Now, onto what I think might be my favorite. Speaking of inner-child, I bought a new (not-for-kids) toy! I bought myself a kitchen torch, and I am addicted. Addicted. It looks kind of like a laser beam!

This bad boy was first used to create my pumpkin cupcakes with toasted marshmallow frosting. And yes, they were a HUGE hit!

Last, but certainly not least, I whipped up a quick classic. I couldn't resist making these Rice Krispie Treats with candy corn sprinkled in. They were just too cute! Who else is hopped up on sugar right now!!?!?

And of course, what's Halloween without a good, solid costume? Naturally, we had a few. Here I am on Saturday night watching My So-Called Band with Justin (Where's Waldo?). I'm Carmen Sandiego. And together, we were the Elusive Couple.

 And for our Bo Dog. He was a t-rex. He looks unhappy in the first photo, but he really got to liking the costume after a while!! We dressed up with him today and handed out candy at Justin's office,  cj Advertising!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 

S'more Birthday Fun!

I'm going to get right down to business before I get into the fun in the sun action. After several iterations and help from friends, I have developed a very short, 10-question survey for each of you to fill out. It takes all of 5 minutes to do, and it is going to help me offer you the best products. I'm hoping that your input will provide me with some strategic insights so that I can begin baking in September! So please take a few moments and head on over to Survey Monkey!

Okay, okay, I'm ready to talk about the goods! This weekend was a festive one, filled with baking and birthday parties and sunshine! I was lucky enough to be able to bake for a wonderful friend's birthday party. Her only parameter: PEANUT BUTTER. My immediate reaction was to pair it with chocolate. But I held myself back and really thought this one through. After asking around on my Facebook page, I realized quickly that my options could be endless. People suggested Nutter Butters, blueberry jam, Nutella, bananas, and the list goes on and on. And believe me, those ideas will be used in many future recipes, but I had to narrow it down somehow. To really keep with the sunshine, summer and barbecue theme, I went with a play on everybody's favorite campfire food: S'MORES!

So in honor of the mild, perfect weather we've had all summer, I bring you... a peanut butter s'mores cupcake! The cupcakes themselves were crispy on the top and fluffy on the inside, giving them the perfect likeness to a graham cracker, without losing that light and airy cupcake charm.

And of course I filled it with something wonderful. What's that you ask? Any guesses??

If you said Nutella, you'd be spot on. I decided to bring out a more sophisticated flavor than just a simple chocolate ganache filling. Thus, I opted to bring out the nuttiness by using this perfect, chocolate hazelnut spread. The options with Nutella are endless, but the beauty of a s'more is the simplicity of the ingredients, so I just stuffed that bad boy with Nutella straight up!

And what a magical pairing it was.

I topped it with a pillowy, peanut butter marshmallow frosting and a mini Reece's peanut butter cup for good measure. And in all of the peanut buttery excitement, I added a little too much of it to the frosting, causing the oils to sweat out a little bit. Thankfully, they tasted delicious regardless. Next time, I'll be sure to stay calm and keep the ratios on point.

Speaking of ratios, anybody know the ratio of size and likability? If it were based on my friend alone, I'd say that it's inversely proportional, because I have a huge amount of love for someone so little and adorable! Only this southern belle could look this cute after sliding down a giant slip-n-slide while we all sang her Happy Birthday. Her reward/present for being such a trooper? A cupcake, of course!

Southern Charm + FUN news!

It's been a while since my last post, but that's because I've been a very busy bee.  More on that to come. That's right, you must read the entire blog to hear the wonderful news! But it's worth it, because I present to you <drum roll please!> last weekend's Steeplechase sweetness! Steeplechase is a lot like the Kentucky Derby, in that people wear big hats while "over-serving" themselves and I think it also involves horses.  I can't be sure, because the stories I've heard mostly involve alcohol, mud and rain, but I'll take people's word for it.  In any case, Steeplechase has no known traditions that I could deconstruct into delicious treats - after all, nobody wants to eat mud.  So instead, I stole Kentucky Derby traditions.  If you said mint juleps and red roses, you'd be correct!

Let's start with my personal favorite - the mint julep brownie.

Yes, you heard me! Gooey, chocolatey, minty, and boozy, this brownie was infused with a heaping dose of Tennessee charm. And by that, I mean the ever glorious Jack Daniel's whiskey.  And I suppose it doesn't hurt that I decided to swirl in a heavy dose of creamy, minty cheesecake into the batter.

Yes, I've combined two favorites:

And made the brownies super thick by putting them in a 9x9 pan! Talk about deep dish desserts!

Next on the list of derby delights is the ever-glorious red velvet cupcake.  I went for a deep red color, and swirled a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting on top.

 It was pretty glorious...

But enough about the sweets! You want to hear the gossip! The news!  The FUN news!  You got it.  After a long, hard day at work, I toured a beautiful commercial kitchen space. And it was the real deal, with a very bright and helpful staff that plans to help me every step of the way. This could be it folks!  This could be the start of a beautiful working friendship!  Littlest Love could be in business as early as June, so be on the lookout for a real deal website and a possible Littlest Love siting somewhere in Nashville, TN!

Whole30 Craving Post: Seis de Mayo

I was too busy yesterday avoiding all things Mexican to post anything delicious.  For some reason, I always miss out on celebrating Cinco de Mayo!  Whether it be a test the next day, random "no sugar" diets, or whatever else just so happens to fall on May 5, I rarely [if ever] get to celebrate.

And thus, another year without it.  Now, this may not seem like a big deal, since nobody is really sure what Cinco de Mayo's purpose is in the first place.  But for those that know me, my love affair with Mexican food/drink is a steamy one.  My most beloved menu items (in order): Tequila, Queso, Spicy Chocolate, Tacos, Jalapenos, and Tequila.  Did I say tequila?  Why is it the most wonderfully delicious thing ever?  I love baking with it, cooking with it, and sipping on it in any and every form.

So, in honor of my spicy Mexican fiesta love affair, I decided I couldn't skip Cinco de Mayo all together.  Thus, I bring you Seis de Mayo!  The fiesta of cravings, creamy tequila frosting, and last year's dose of mini coconut margarita cupcakes brought to you by Littlest Love. Salud!