Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Do you guys remember when I made that soooper delicious gluten free cookie cake? And I said the one drawback was it was a little bit delicate? Well, I wanted to try the recipe again with a little xanthan gum to see if I could solve that problem. But then it was the holidays and I had a ton of Christmas baking to do. Except, I'm a problem solver.

My mom gives me a list of things to bake every year to give to her coworkers. This year it consisted of Browned Butter Maple Blondies, Zucchini Brownies, and my sort-of famous Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cookies. She puts together a little selection of treats for everyone and I assume it pleases them since she still asks me to do it. But one of her coworkers is gluten free and she only gets the cookies. Don't get me wrong, everyone loves those cookies, but it's gotta be a little sucky when everyone else has all sorts of choices and you've only got the one.

"What about my cookie cake?" I asked. "I want to try making it again and it's gluten free."

My mother had reservations. "But it's a pie. How would I give it out?"

"I could make it into cookie cups." She agreed that sounded like a good idea.

I had all the ingredients to make the cookie cake in my pantry already, I just bought some Reese's to stuff the cookie cups with when I was picking up the ingredients for everything else on my list.

Then I made them with just a couple adjustments, and I had to keep from stuffing all of them in my face they were so good. I managed to keep from eating them all so my mother could give them away as presents, but I made them again to share on ze blog and these are mine-all-mine

These don't taste gluten free at all. In fact, the coconut flour helps make the outside crisp while the inside stays soft and gooey, giving it the ideal cookie cup texture. These aren't delicate the way the cookie cake was, plus they don't have grainy edges like the cookie cake did.

The Reese's on top then gets all melty and biting into it is like an explosion of peanut buttery chocolatey goodness. And just like the cookie cake, these are beyond simple to make. One bowl, one whisk, stuff it with a seasonal Reese's, and you've got a simple and adorable treat perfect for sharing.

Or hoarding. Which is what I plan on doing.

*EDIT: it's been brought to my attention that the seasonal Reese's are not gluten free. However, Reese's cups are GF and actually fit better into the cookie cups. I was just trying to be cute and seasonal. Please always make sure to read the packaging*

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 3 dozen cookie cups

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup coconut flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp. xanthan gum

1 cup chocolate chips

36 chocolate covered peanut butter candies (like these Reese's hearts), unwrapped and frozen

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Add 1 tablespoon of dough to each cavity of the prepared muffin tin, pressing it in lightly with your finger. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the edges start to brown and set. Immediately press the candies into the middle of each cup.

Place the tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before removing the cookies to cool completely. If you want the candies to keep their shape, chill the tin in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before removing the cookie cups.

Note: Seasonal shaped Reese' s candies are not gluten free. See more on the Hershey' s website here

Recipe by Kim

 *Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links*

Maple Browned Butter Blondies

This recipe took me a while to perfect.

Not the flavor. I got that first time out. No, it was the texture that gave me trouble. I wanted these blondies to be all gooey and fudgy in the middle.

The first time I made them, they were cakey. Super moist and tasty, but not what I wanted.

So I tried again. This time it was still cakey, but even more moist. Almost too moist. It was a little weird.

And then my mother gave me a list of things to bake for her to give to her coworkers. On the list were the blondies. "You mean the blondies that I haven't perfected yet?" I asked in disbelief

"They're delicious!" she protested. "Everybody loved them."

"But they're not right yet!" But even my brother agreed that they were good the way they were.

I had one last chance to get the recipe right. And you guys, I did it. They're fudgy. They're gooey. They're abso-freaking-lutely delicioso.

Of course, in order to get them to that gooey perfection, I had to make them a dieter's nightmare. There's two and a half sticks of butter in these bad boys, not to mention all the brown sugar and maple syrup. On the plus side, they're super rich so you can't eat too many at once.

They're also not super sweet, which is what I wanted. The browned butter adds enough of a savory flavor to balance out all that sugar and maple syrup, and that's the flavor that really shines in these blondies.

Long story short-- these blondies are amazing and you should make them. They are totally worth every effort I put into them.

Maple Browned Butter Blondies
Yield: 12 blondies

Ingredients
1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, browned
1⅓ cups packed brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. maple flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups all purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Optional: about ½ cup toffee bits*

Directions
To brown the butter: melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Continue to heat, whisking constantly, until the butter turns a light, golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 7x11 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the browned butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, maple flavoring, and vanilla extract until the sugar is dissolved. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until smooth. Fold in the toffee bits if using.

Bake 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

*The toffee bits sink to the bottom and melt into a sticky kind of crust. It's a mess, but delicious.

Recipe by Kim

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

So that name's a bit of a mouthful, but you won't really care too much about the name when you get a mouthful of this cake, because it is the bomb diggity.

Do people still say that? Bomb diggity? Is it still common knowledge that that refers to a thing that is very good? I was never really all that up on hip lingo. Which should be evident by my use of the words "hip lingo." But I digress.

This cookie cake is so good that we need to come up with a new word to describe it. Something fantastic. How about something like... phantasmagorical!

No, wait, that's a word that already exists and means something completely different. I'll do some brainstorming and get back to you.

Here's the skinny on this cake--or not-so-skinny as it were (Get it? Because it's a cookie cake? And it makes you not-so-skinny? I made a funny) (Laugh, dammit) . Coconut flour keeps us all in the gluten free territory, and it's high protein content helps make us full faster so we don't over indulge. Which is good, because I could have totally seen myself eating the entire thing in one sitting. Thanks coconut flour! (Thumbs up! Big smile! Tooth twinkle!)

The last time I worked with coconut flour, I noticed that it had a bit of a grittiness to it, and I wasn't the hugest fan of that. But this cookie cake is so moist and gooey in the middle that you don't get any of that gritty texture (well, you get it a bit around the edges which are drier, but for the most part, zero grittiness.)

And let's talk about that gooey, peanut buttery, chocolatey center of goodness. It's almost like eating raw cookie dough, except it's totally cooked through, so you've got the best of both worlds. Plus, it's a one-bowl, no mixer necessary recipe, so it's an easy dessert to throw together last minute if you've got unexpected guests, or maybe just forgot about them.

The one downfall of this cake is that it is a little delicate. If you try to cut a slice still warm from the oven, it kind of falls apart. I actually found it easier to slice after it had been chilled. Then you can always warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave and serve it with a big ole scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or, you could not care about getting pretty slices. That's always an option.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup coconut flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate or cake tin with butter or nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe by Kim

Banana Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

I've noticed a trend in the recipes in the recipes that I post here. Whenever the job gets to be too much, I post something with banana. And it's generally something on the healthier spectrum, so that I'm totally justified in eating it for breakfast.

Growing up, my mom used to make banana bread for special occasions. I guess I just associate the flavor of banana with comfort food. Of course, that wasn't healthy banana bread, but it had fruit so it's still breakfast food, right?

This mug cake is no exception. Gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free. Made with a mashed banana, protein-rich coconut flour, chocolate chips, and maple syrup, this cake is a perfect breakfast treat. I've never made mug cakes before, so I was pleasantly surprised at how moist this stayed

This was my first time using coconut flour, however, and I wasn't really a fan of the grainy texture it gave. But the cake itself was moist and flavorful enough that I was able to overlook it.

The cake tastes mostly of banana. The maple syrup is there for sweetness, the flavor a bit overwhelmed. The coconut flour adds a subtle undertone of coconut flavor, and there's a ton of chocolate chips because yay chocolate!

It's also super filling. This is a cake you should most definitely share with a friend. I could not even finish it. Which, when you're eating cake for breakfast, is probably a good thing.

Banana Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
Yield: 1 cake (2 servings)

Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 egg
1 tbsp. maple syrup
Splash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
1-2 tbsp. mini chocolate chips (I used 2, obvi)

Directions
In a large, microwave safe mug, mash the banana. Add the egg, maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix well. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until fully incorporated (batter will be thick). Stir in the chocolate chips.

Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes (mine was in 2 minutes 45 seconds, but I kept taking it out to check on it). Allow to cool slightly before eating (it's best still warm).

Tip: If you want to add cinnamon, add a scant 1/4 tsp.

Recipe adapted from emmycafelatte

Butternut Squash Cupcakes- Squashin' Winter #SundaySupper

With Browned Butter Frosting

 You know what I haven't been making enough of? Cupcakes. I mean, cupcakes are what got me into baking in the first place. They're my first foodie love. When I first started this blog, I figured it would be all cupcakes all the time. But that has not been true. There has been a surprising dearth of cupcake recipes. The occasional cupcake, some of the time.

Well no more! I'm traveling back to my baking roots with this week's #SundaySupper, hosted by Heather of girlichef. The theme this week is winter squash. So of course I made cupcakes.

Don't question it. Just smile and nod.

I actually love butternut squash. Which is weird for me, because while I have a giant sweet tooth, I very much dislike sweet with my savory. I don't like pumpkin. I don't like sweet potatoes. I don't like cooked carrots. But I love butternut squash.

The squash has a nice, subtly sweet flavor that actually lends itself well to these spiced cupcakes. It's not immediately noticeable like with sweet potato or pumpkin, but it's definitely there as a sort of flavor undertone, adding a layer of complexity. Plus the squash keeps the cupcakes nice and moist (if a little on the dense side).

And since butternut squash and browned butter are basically best friends, I frosted these with the maple browned butter frosting from my maple cornmeal cupcakes, I just reduced the maple extract and added a pinch of salt (I've been on a kick lately where I add a little salt to my frostings. It just helps develop the flavor and cuts the sweetness a little.)

If you've never had browned butter frosting, then you have been deprived and that should be rectified immediately. Like right now. At this very moment. March on over to your stove and start cooking that butter. This blog will still be here when you're done; but it's more important that you don't go another minute without mixing browned butter and powdered sugar and then spooning it straight into your mouth.

Butternut Squash Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups cooked and mashed butternut squash
¾ cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a separate bowl with electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Fill about ⅔ of the way (about 2 tbsp.) with batter. Bake 15-20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes our clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

Recipe by Kim

Browned Butter Frosting

Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup whipping cream
¼ tsp. maple flavoring (or vanilla)
Pinch salt

Directions
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Continue to heat, whisking constantly, until the butter turns a light, golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Add the sugar, salt, and maple flavoring to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together on the lowest speed. Slowly stream in the browned butter and continue to mix until the mixture looks like small peas. Add in the whipping cream, gradually increase the mixer speed to high, and whip until fluffy.

Recipe by Kim

Get ready to get your squash on:

Breakfasts and Breads

• Maple Butternut Squash Donuts from Mess Makes Food
• Pumpkin Sweet Rolls from Basic N Delicious
• Vegan Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing from Killer Bunnies, Inc

Appetizers, Starters, and Condiments

• Butternut Squash and Couscous Patties-Indian Inspired from Soni's Food
• Pumpkin Hummus with Spiced Lamb from girlichef
• Quick Pumpkin Butter from Shockingly Delicious

Soups, Sandwiches, and Salads

• Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili from Supper for a Steal
• Black Bean Pumpkin Soup from What Smells So Good?
• Butternut Squash and Bacon Grilled Cheese from Ruffles & Truffles
• Butternut Squash Soup from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Hearty Quinoa Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash from Citronlimette
• Roasted Buttercup Squash and Black Bean Soup (Dairy free) from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Vegetable Soup from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Roasted Squash and Mexican Black Bean Salad from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Roasted Squash and Sesame Noodle Salad from Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Main Dishes

• Butternut Squash and Spinach Quesadillas from The Dinner-Mom
• Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Balsamic Brown Butter from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Butternut Squash Lasagna from Hip Foodie Mom
• Butternut Squash-Sage Cream Sauce with Sausage Spaghetti from Daily Dish Recipes
• Carnival Squash with Maple Sausage Stuffing from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chorizo-Stuffed Acorn Squash from Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Butternut Squash with Spicy Wild Rice and Queso Fresco from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Pumpkin Alfredo from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Pumpkin Enchiladas from La Cocina de Leslie
• Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon, Goat Cheese, and Pecans from The Weekend Gourmet
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprout Pizza from Curious Cuisiniere
• Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Messy Baker
• Spaghetti Squash in a Creamy Sausage Sauce from Cookin' Mimi
• Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi from Pescetarian Journal

Side Dishes

• Acorn Squash with Cinnamon and Cranberries from Noshing With The Nolands
• Butternut Squash and Apple Crumble from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Butternut Squash Gratin with Sage Pesto & Gorgonzola from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Chorizo and Craisin Stuffed Acorn Squash from Family Foodie
• Parmesan-Roasted Acorn Squash from The Urban Mrs
• Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese from Big Bear's Wife
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Balsamic Vinegar Honey Butter from Food Lust People Love
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Wilted Kale, Mushrooms and Garlic from Take a Bite Out of Boca
• Skillet Buttercup Squash with Bacon from Magnolia Days
• Slow Cooker Squash and Apples from Mama's Blissful Bites
• Sweet N Spicy Baked Chipotle Butternut Squash Fries from Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Twice Baked Pumpkin Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen

Desserts

• Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting from Treats & Trinkets
• Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars from Pies and Plots

Wine Pairing Recommendations for Squashin' Winter #SundaySupper from Enofylz Wine Blog

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Blech.

That's pretty much all I have to say. Blech.

I'm super busy, and life is blech.

But you know what's not blech?

These cookies. They are the opposite of blech. They are the anti-blech. They're the things that you bake when you get home from work to make the blech go away.

Cooooookeeeeeehhhhhhhhs. NOMZ.

I wanted chocolate cookies. So that's what I made. I kind of didn't measure the vanilla or salt or baking powder, so I'm kind of guesstimating in the recipe. I just want that out in the open now. I didn't feel like getting out my measuring spoons. Because I had a case of the blechs.

Soft, flavorful, chocolatey cookies, with toffee bits and dark chocolate chips. They are good noms. I used only dark brown sugar and maple syrup as sweeteners, because I like the darker flavors they have when using chocolate. And they created some tasty cookies. Not the prettiest cookies ever, but tasty. And not blech.

I mean, just look at how happy my camera's USB cord was while uploading these photos:

Isn't he cute? Its like a happy little squid. Now I'm going to see this every time I upload photos.

So make these cookies and smile like my USB cord.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
½ cup toffee bits

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Add in the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet until fully incorporated. Fold in the chips and toffee bits.

Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoonful on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Leave 2 inches between each. Bake 10-12 minutes until the dough is set. Let cool on wire racks.

Recipe by Kim

Individual Elvis Pies- Tailgating #SundaySupper

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Bacon Mini Pies

So, this week's #SundaySupper, hosted by Lane from Supper for a Steal, and it's about tailgating.

Which is a thing. That people do. Involving eating lots of food before watching sports. Right?

Obviously, it's not a thing that I do. Because sports and I, we're not the closest of acquaintances.

Source

But when I was thinking long and hard about it, I realized that the requirements for tailgate-party-type food were probably pretty similar to what I would serve at a tabletop game party. Finger foods, nothing that makes a mess, easy to eat, easy to clean, and won't get in the way of an epic D20 roll...

...Or, you know, a sort of sports type celebrating.

But when you think about it, there's not a whole lot of difference between gamers and sportsfans. I mean, fantasy football is totally just Dungeons & Dragons without the world building. Or different races. Or quest lines. Or treasure. So it's the boring version. And my brother even sent me the link to this Penny Arcade comic strip that explains football in gamer terms, and it makes so much sense now. See, if you can just figure out how to put it in the right terms, the gamers and sportsfans could totally get along.

(And now I've got that song from Oklahoma! stuck in my head, but instead of farmers and cowboys, I'm singing, "Ooooh, the gamer and the sportsfan should be frieeeeeeeeends....")

But one thing that definitely doesn't need translating: bacon.

Please note: I claim no affiliation to any football team. These are the things I stole from my family to take pictures. And my mommy knows Kellan Clemens.

I figured for that my usual cupcake fare wouldn't work too well for tailgating, (okay, so my brother told me that people don't eat cupcakes when tailgating. He also nixed the dragon and wizard decorating ideas. Spoilsport.) so I decided to manly it up. Bacon is robustly manly and quite a common ingredient in all the tailgate fare I've seen. I decided to turn the Elvis sandwich (peanut butter, banana, and bacon) into a hand pie.

And then all the custard kind of gooed out of the hand pies while baking. So I made them into tiny, adorable, individual pies instead. And I used a flower cookie cutter to do so because I thought it would be easier, and it made them more adorable in the process, and can we all just agree that manly is not my thing?

I'm not going to lie: the bacon is a little weird to encounter at first, but it all just kind of works together. The peanut butter and the banana. The banana and the maple syrup. The maple syrup and the bacon. All tied together with pie crust and a little sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top.

They're the most adorable manly dessert you'll ever find.

Individual Elvis Pies

Yield: Approx. 32 mini pies

Ingredients

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 bananas, ripe but firm, sliced into coins

1 tbsp. brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup, divided

3 eggs

½ cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup creamy peanut butter

4 slices cooked bacon, well drained and crumbled, plus more for garnish

Pie crust for 2 pies

Cinnamon sugar

Directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced bananas and brown sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the bananas start to brown. Add 1 tbsp. of maple syurp, stirring until the bananas are well coated. Remove from heat, and mash with a fork (I prefer to leave some lumps).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and remaining maple syrup together until light and fluffy. In a saucepan over low heat, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming. Add the cream to the egg mixture one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. When about half the cream has been added, stir in the peanut butter, then finish with the rest of the cream. Mix in the mashed bananas and crumbled bacon.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust. Cut into 5-inch rounds using a cookie cutter (I used a flower cutter). Place the pie crust in the muffin tin, and fill with the peanut butter custard. Bake about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the custard is set. Top with more crumbled bacon and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Recipe by Kim

 

Gate your tails with the rest of the #SundaySupper group:

  Warm Ups (Appetizers):

• Bacon and Onion Dip by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Chicken Fajita Dip and Quesadillas by Chocolate Moosey
• Crab Rangoons by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Double Cheese Dill Scones by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Fried Yucca With Pink Sauce by Basic N Delicious
• Grilled Corn Dip by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Grilled Gameday Nachos by Supper for a Steal
• Homemade Potato Chips w/ Blue Cheese Sauce by girlichef
• Liptauer Cheese Spread by Magnolia Days
• Mahogany Baked Chicken Wings by The Dinner-Mom
• Mexican Corn Dip by Growing Up Gabel
• Pizza Dip by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Posh Pigs In a Blanket by The Weekend Gourmet
• Pretzel Nuggets by I Run For Wine
• Roasted Garlic & Tomatillo Salsa Verde by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Savory Baked Pinwheel’s by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Sesame Glazed Cauliflower “Wings” by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Stuffed Banana Pepper Bites by Daily Dish Recipes
• Sweet Potato Hummus by Alida’s Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Skins by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• VJ Catch-erole by My Other City By The Bay

Game Time (Main Dishes and Sides):

• 1,2,3,4,5 Chinese Spareribs by The Urban Mrs
• Bacon Burger Sliders by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Beef on Weck by Healthy. Delicious.
• Carrot Slaw by The Foodie Army Wife
• Cheerwine BBQ Pulled Pork by Nik Snacks
• Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Quesadillas by Cookin’ Mimi
• Chicken, Brie and Apple Turnovers by Shockingly Delicious
• Easy Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwiches by Momma’s Meals
• French Onion Chicken Sandwiches by Foxes Love Lemons
• Frito Olé by Home Cooking Memories
• Gomoku Treasure Rice by NinjaBaking.com
• Grilled Fajita Kebabs by CuriousCuisiniere
• Hatch Chile Pimento Cheese Burgers by Juanita’s Cocina
• Italian Tuna and Shells Salad by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Pressed Brick Sandwich by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Pulled Lamb Barbecue Sandwiches by The Texan New Yorker
• Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup by Neighborfood
• Smoky Turkey Burgers by Webicurean
• Snorker and Spicy Slaw Sandwiches by Food Lust People Love
• Tandoori BBQ Chicken by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Tortilla Hot Dogs by La Cocina de Leslie

Overtime (Drinks and Desserts):

• Coconut Funfetti Ice Cream Cake by What Smells So Good?
• Funfetti Sugar Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Individual Elvis Pies by Treats & Trinkets
• Portuguese Sangria by Family Foodie

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement

Maple Cornmeal Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting

Sorry for the radio silence these past two weeks. I had some personal stuff going on, and then my computer died, and then my old computer that I kept just for such an eventuality died, and then there was family stuff and hurricane stuff and nor'easter stuff, and the internets just kind of got pushed to the backburner. If it makes you feel any better, I'm also calling this year's NaNoWriMo a fail. I only got about 10k in before all the drama happened. So that got shoved to the backburner as well, and you know how much I love NaNo. It's not that I don't enjoy writing by hand, but I've had problems with my wrist since I was a kid, and I strain it enough typing 1667 words a day. Writing out 40k words would not have been fun.

November in general has just been a month of fail. I'm resigned to that fact. So no more dwelling. December is almost here, and I spent small business Saturday in one of my most favoritest places in the entire universe: Candyland Crafts. What is Candyland you ask? It's a candy making and cake decorating specialty store. They have a room full of nothing but chocolate molds. The mold room. It's awesome. And they have tons of specialty sprinkles and royal icing decorations that they make themselves and candy melts in every color of the rainbow that taste better and melt smoother than the Wilton ones. I'm convinced Candyland is magic. I bought some really cute stuff to make Christmas presents with, so yay for Candyland!

These cupcakes were for Thanksgiving, not Christmas, though. And were a lot better than I had thought they would be. I found a recipe for maple cornmeal cupcakes in the Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes, and tweaked it a bit to suit my needs (no maple syrup but 2 teaspoons maple flavoring? Homie don't play that) (I'm sorry. I will never say that again.) (Maybe). My family yells at me when I do that. "You should follow the recipe at least once. It could be really good the way it is," my mother told me.

"Uh-huh," I said. "Try one."

"Oh my god," she said, mouth full. "These are really good."

"Now what was that you were saying about following the recipe?"

"Forget everything I said."

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Or cupcakes, as it were. Because these suckers were really, really good. The texture of the cornmeal was a little odd to taste in a cupcake, but the flavor more than made up for it. The cornmeal gave it a sort of earthy butteriness (is that a thing? it is now) which paired really well with the maple flavor. It's kind of like breakfast. Only not. Because it's a cupcake.

To be fancy, I topped them off with a whipped maple browned butter frosting. It was a bit sweeter than I usually like my frostings (and I put too much on the cupcakes, heh), but the smoky, nutty flavor of the browned butter went really well with the earthier flavors of the cornmeal and maple. And I think it was the first time my cousins had had browned butter anything, so I looked like a total gourmet. Let's face it: browned butter tastes fancy. And smells magnificent. Any perfume makers out there, you need to make a maple and browned butter perfume. Candle makers, you have the same task. I will buy in bulk if you can manage it.

While you're on that, can anybody recommend a good laptop? Asking for a friend....

Maple Cornmeal Cupcakes {Printable Version}
Yield: 12 cupcakes


Ingredients
1½ cups flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
½ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. maple flavoring extract
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. maple syrup
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon (if using), and salt. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the butter on medium speed, gradually add in the sugar, and
continue to beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs, oil, and extracts one at a time, beating well
after each addition.

In a liquid measuring cup, or a small bowl, mix together the milk and maple syrup. On low speed, add
the flour mixture to the butter, alternating with the milk mixture. Continue to beat until well combined,
scraping down the sides as necessary. Be careful not to overmix.

Line a standard muffin tin with 12 liners, and fill about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake 20-25
minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes

Maple Browned Butter Frosting {Printable Version}

Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
¾ tsp. maple flavoring

Directions
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Continue to heat, whisking constantly, until the
butter turns a light, golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Add the sugar and maple flavoring to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together on the lowest speed.
Slowly stream in the browned butter and continue to mix until the mixture looks like small peas. Add in
the whipping cream, gradually increase the mixer speed to high, and whip until fluffy.

Recipe by Kim