My name is Barbara, and I'm The Awkward Chef! I love a good meal, but seriously lack the skills to make one. This blog will document my cooking successes and failures as I learn to become more comfortable in the kitchen.
Samoa Cupcakes
11. February 2012 by Barbara
It’s been a busy few weeks
Two weeks ago, I started a new job. I’m a web designer for an advertising company in Clearwater, FL. The drive is a bit longer, but I like what I do, my coworkers are easy to get along with and I’m 5 minutes away from Clearwater beach, so I can head down there for lunch everyday. I don’t mind waking up a little earlier when I get to see paradise everyday.
Last month, my friends Neil and Sara moved in with me and the boyfriend. They came from NJ, where I used to live, and are staying temporarily until they find a place of their own. So far, it’s been a blast having them here. We’ve been showing them around the area, going to different restaurants, shows and hot spots in town. They’re great with our dog, clean up after themselves, and even have dinner ready when we get home from work!
They both like to cook and don’t mind heading to the store to get ingredients for kitchen experiments. A few weeks ago, I introduced Sara to the wonders of Pinterest and we came across a recipe for Samoa cupcakes. The Samoa’s are my favorite Girl Scout cookie, so I couldn’t wait to see how this turned out. I’ve never made a cupcake completely from scratch, as in, making the batter, frosting and toppings without using a box, so I was a bit apprehensive, but I managed to pull it off. It took a few hours, but everyone enjoyed them so it was worth it! If I can do it, you can too. 
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and coconut extract until fluffy and light, at least 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk beating just until combined.
Fill the cupcake papers 1/2 full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Tilt each cupcake in the muffin pan so it sits at an angle.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan at this angle for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To toast the coconut, spread the coconut onto a rimmed sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven, stirring frequently, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.
To make the frosting, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm, about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the caramel frosting mixture is lukewarm, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Adjust consistency with a little more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary.
Heat chocolate chips in microwave for about 30 seconds or until drizzling consistency.
Frost your cupcakes with a rubber spatula, or transfer it to a frosting bag. This is the part I had the hardest time with. I used a spatula and they didn’t turn out as pretty as I would have liked. I think it may have been easier for me to use the frosting bag.
Drizzle the frosted cupcakes with melted chocolate and garnish with toasted coconut.
| Samoa Cupcakes |
- For the Cupcakes:
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- For the Caramel Frosting:
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and coconut extract until fluffy and light, at least 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk beating just until combined.
- Fill the cupcake papers 1/2 full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Tilt each cupcake in the muffin pan so it sits at an angle. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan at this angle for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To toast the coconut, spread the coconut onto a rimmed sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven, stirring frequently, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.
- To make the frosting, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm, about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the caramel frosting mixture is lukewarm, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Adjust consistency with a little more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary.
- Heat chocolate chips in microwave for about 30 seconds or until drizzling consistency.
- Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe a spiral of frosting, beginning at the outer edge and working inward. Drizzle the frosted cupcakes with melted chocolate and garnish with toasted coconut.
Drink Your Vegetables…Kale Shakes
02. January 2012 by Barbara
Happy New Year! I hope you had a fantastic night, whatever you did. The boyfriend and I spent New Years Eve at the Tampa Bay Lightning game, then met up with some friends at a bar down the street afterward. It was a laid back place that wasn’t incredibly busy. At midnight, we walked outside and had a perfect view of the fireworks being set off at Channelside. It was a great night!
The new year means it’s resolution time. For most people, including myself, that means getting in shape. One of my goals for 2012 is to run 5, 5K races. It’s a lofty goal for me, since I just started running a few months ago, but one I think I can accomplish.
Holiday Food Traditions
28. December 2011 by BarbaraI hope you had a Merry Christmas! I still think I am recovering from my weekend of non-stop eating. My family sure knows how to throw a party.
Thanks to my boyfriend’s mom cooking a massive feast on Christmas Eve and my parents cooking on Christmas, I haven’t had to do much cooking. Christmas Eve was complete with traditional Portuguese dishes; cod fish, cod fish and more cod fish! There was even octopus! My parents decided to do an “Italian” Christmas, complete with a giant breakfast from my dad and lasagna for dinner. Do you see now why I was in a food coma?
Chicken Stew
20. December 2011 by Barbara
I’m going to tell you something will make a lot people jealous. Today, it was 80 degrees outside. Even though I live in Florida, this type of heat is abnormal for December. For the past 2 weeks or so, it’s been a bit chilly in the morning, but then heats up during the day. And while I’m not wishing for snow or anything (ugh!) I wouldn’t mind some cooler weather to help me get in the Christmas spirit. I’m still in denial that Christmas is ON SUNDAY!
To help me get in the spirit, I’ve been making a lot of “cold weather food”. This Chicken stew recipe was loosely based off of one of Giada’s (sidenote: Isn’t she just stunning?) and originally was going to be beef stew, but the beef kind of went bad before I had a chance to cook it. I’ve been busy wrapping gifts, I swear!
Simple Peanut Butter Cookies
12. December 2011 by Barbara
No matter how much I try to plan, I always feel like the Holiday season is so overwhelming. Usually right around mid December is when I start wishing that the new year would just get here already.
The boyfriend and I spent most of last week trying to fix decorations. We had some rainy, windy weather on Wednesday that caused our reindeer and lights to blow all over the yard. Thursday night, the dog did this…
He’s been trying to get on my good side ever since.
The holiday season will always stress me out, but I’m trying hard to focus on the good things that happen this time of year. Things like cooler temperatures, Trans- Siberian Orchestra and holiday lights always bring a smile to my face. And let’s not forget the food. I’ve definitely been indulging in lots of Christmas treats, including these peanut butter cookies that were simple to make and absolutely delicious. I’ll wait until the new year to worry about eating healthy again.
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Guinness Chili and my Obsession with Sons of Anarchy
06. December 2011 by Barbara
A few weeks ago, my other website got hacked. If this sort of thing has ever happened to you, then you’re already familiar with how much it sucks. I won’t get into details, but while I was scanning my laptop for viruses, I decided I should finally download Netflix streaming to my Wii. And thus began my obsession with Sons of Anarchy.
In a week, I watched all of season 1 and 2. I would have watched season 3, but Netflix doesn’t have it on streaming yet. That’s how much I like this show. The only thing I can think about is (*SPOILERS*) how SAMCRO is going to get Abel back. I’m not an early adopter of new TV shows, so this sort of thing happens to me often. I’ll wait a few seasons, start at episode one, then get so sucked in I watch 10 episodes in one day.
Despite my obsession, I managed to pull myself away from the TV long enough to make chili. I was going to follow a recipe, but there are a million different ways to make chili, so I figured I’d try to make it my own way with what we already had in the kitchen. The boyfriend helped.
Rachael Ray’s Loosemeat Sandwiches
30. November 2011 by Barbara
For a person that doesn’t cook much, I watch an awful lot of Food Network. I like to say it’s for “research”, but I doubt I’ll be making a 1,000 cupcake display anytime soon. I enjoy Food Network because they accent the creative side of cooking and working in a creative field, I get lost in the art of it all.
I’ve always liked Rachael Ray. Her meals are quick and easy and she seems like a person I would be friends with. While her recipes may not be the most “artistic”, they’re perfect for someone like me who’s still learning the basics.
Rachael’s Loosemeat Sandwiches are like a healthier version of a sloppy joe and even the most awkward chef’s (like myself) can manage to make this.
Candy Corn Cupcakes
28. November 2011 by Barbara
With Halloween long gone and Thanksgiving out of the way, I’m sad that I’ll have to wait 11 months for my favorite time of year to come back around. At my house, we’ve put away the orange and green decorations and focused our energy on all things red and green. I don’t think I’m quite ready to say goodbye to fall, so today I’m posting about candy corn cupcakes.
Candy corn is one of my favorite treats. Before Halloween, I bought 2 bags of it and just finished it off. I was proud of myself for keeping it in the house that long! Normally, it’s hard for me to resist. I’m finding I have more self control that I thought.
Homemade No Rules Soups to Get Rid of those Thanksgiving Leftovers
25. November 2011 by Barbara
I’m still in a food coma from Thanksgiving. I headed to my parents house yesterday morning, where my Dad cooked breakfast and my mom cooked the traditional turkey dinner. Of course, I couldn’t leave without taking a ton of leftovers. Thanks Mom! I won’t have to grocery shop for a whole week.
I’m not a big fan of Black Friday. Although there were some great deals, I’d rather sleep in and enjoy the day at home. I’m much more of a shop in your pajamas online kind of person. So while people were out braving the stores, I stayed in and thought of different ways to make use of all these leftovers, other than just making turkey sandwiches.
A few weeks ago, I was looking to make something that could easily be reheated throughout the week. After going through my refrigerator, I decided on chicken and rice soup. Not to brag, but it turned out delicious!
The best part about making a homemade soup was that it was flexible. Instead of following a recipe exactly, I just took ingredients I already had that I thought would work together. The first time I made this, I had chicken, but it would work just as well with some leftover Thanksgiving turkey. A perfect way to get rid of all those leftovers.
Below are instructions for chicken and rice soup. Feel free to use this, or substitute your leftovers. I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!
Chrissy’s Buffalo Chicken Dip
21. November 2011 by Barbara
She has always been the cook in the family. When you’d complain there was nothing in the house to eat, she’d be able to make a great meal out of a few ingredients, something I was always jealous of.
There’s probably 100 different recipes for buffalo chicken dip out there, but my sister’s is the best. Is it possible to be addicted to a dip? Because I can’t get enough of this stuff! Now that I have the recipe, I always make sure I have the ingredients in my fridge to make it. I’m pretty sure I have a problem!