When does our perception of birthdays change?  I’m guessing it is somewhere between 21 and 25.  The ages, after which, you no longer need that extra year as an enabler.  There are other benefits that the years deliver, however.  Knowledge, wealth, friendships, and experience all build over time, but these are often overshadowed by achy backs, extra pounds, and ever growing responsibilities.  Either way, I think there are two main offenders to which we can point our fingers.

 

 The first culprit to be credited with the downfall of the birthday is self expectation i.e. the “I should be here, doing this, making this, and having that” mentality.  Let’s be honest we all, at some point or another, have forecasted how our lives will look at various ages.  Johnny wants to fly to the moon and Susie wants to be a homemaker.  Are you married with children living your predictions?  Do you wish you were living your predictions at a space station far from Earth?  Or do you find that you still feel too young for all that and wonder how you got to said birthday so quickly!  It’s quite the oxymoron, feeling old because of a number, yet young at the same time.  So we are bound by our own predictions, hoist by our own petard, and “sad pancakes” all of our own accord.  Why set goals in the first place?  You don’t know what you really want, you hardly make them reality, and they are yet another accountability weighing you down.  Well, my CEO says that the best way to make things happen is to set rigid quantifiable goals.  I agree with her as this is something I do and I am not too far away from my goals, but I’ve found myself looking back and wondering if I had the right goals in the first place.  Or did I, like many people, diagram a life map simply to avoid staggering blindly into the unknown, getting nowhere fast, as we have been taught will happen without a plan. 

The second culprit – fear of death – stems from the previous discussion.  Why would you be afraid of death unless you first, fear the unknown and second, don’t feel successful in your earthly goals.  Again who’s to say that life after death isn’t a piece of cake in comparison; please pardon the reference.  I suppose that along with death you can fear the general ailments and deterioration that accompany aging – God forbid you lose your teeth – but while your physical standard of living may decrease does your mental awareness and knowledge not increase proportionally?  Is knowledge not power and enlightenment?  I don’t have answers for these questions, but they are thoughts that plagued me through the days and weeks leading up to the big 27 (note this post is from last year).  Apparently, yet another To Do left incomplete.    Perhaps if you ensure that those things you do instead, that block the plans you thought you wanted, are important and enjoyable you can leave the weight of charted territory and create a new map that, while unknown at the moment, will bring you true joy free of fear and should haves.  Because if you’re living your life to the fullest there should be no would haves were you to learn that the reaper’s knocking at your door.

In conclusion, I charge you to capture that excitement that you once associated with birthdays, live each day so that you feel successful at the passing of another year, and for goodness sake have a second slice; you still never know when you’ll get another!

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Speaking of how you use your time, this recipe was pretty intense.  So instead of writing it out please see Smitten Kitchen for details.  I, of course, used preserves instead of the from scratch rasberry filling and bought frosting instead of using the ganache.  It was delicious nonetheless and I’m sure I put to good use the time I saved there as well!

A dear friend is turned the ripe old age of 24 this weekend and while sad I could not be there to give her a birthday hug and glass of her favorite vino in person, we planned a little preliminary birthday bash in her honor.  Since no birthday outing is complete without some sort of dessert I was left questioning what the dessert could possibly be as sweet as she.  She’s a traditionalist; her favorites being brownies & cookies yet those just don’t seem special enough for the occasion.   But what if we were to combine the two?  What if I made cookie dough cupcakes!

     

  

Now I’ve been known to be a semi-homemade baker in the past, but I’m feeling inspired by the occasion and the original recipe which, of course, I will stray from at some points or many throughout my baking expedition.   Additionally, I have a past experience with cookie dough cheesecake bars that were delicious enough to inspire decades of future cookie dough recipe experimentation!  That said, this is still an experiment that will have to take place after a long day’s work, so compromise might still be in order.  Either way, here’s to you Kimberly!  I’m so glad to have met you and thanks for always reading!

 

Cookie Dough Cupcakes!

(Makes 24)

 

Cookie Dough

• Any cookie dough will do be it your favorite recipe or store bought!  Just roll into 24 balls of your preferred size and pop into the freezer until ready to bake.  Apparently, it is imperative that they be quite cold prior to baking to maintain the gooey center which mine lacked.  Save remaining batter for mini cookies to bake and use for garnish.  Note that the mini cookies must be really really small to fit in the cupcakes!

    

  

Brown Sugar Cupcakes (courtesy of http://hellobaker.net )

• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.

3.       Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4.       Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.

5.       Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

6.       Measure out milk and vanilla together.

7.       Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.

8.       Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.

9.       Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

10.   Place previously prepared frozen cookie dough ball into cup liners, then fill about half to three-quarters full of cupcake batter.

11.   Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched.

 

 

Note:  If you feel that the homemade frosting is a feat in itself, just grab a box of your favorite cake mix at the grocery store.  I went with triple chocolate fudge since it seems the most similar to brownies, but shhh don’t tell. 

    

   

Cookie Dough Frosting aka best frosting EVER!

• 1-3/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk

 

1.       In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla.

2.       Add milk and continue mixing until well combined. With the mixer running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, mix until well combined.

3.       Mix in the eggless cookie dough.  (The recipe says to taste, but you really should just go for it and use it all.)

4.       Frost cupcakes (I just loaded the frosting into a plastic bag and cut a tip in the corner since I don’t own a fancy frosting bag), sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, and mini cookie to garnish!  (This is where you want to see Lessons Learned below…)

  

 

 

 

Eggless Cookie Dough for Frosting

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

1.       Cream the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Stir in mini chocolate chips (optional).

2.       Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

 

 

Lessons Learned!!!

1.  The silicone baking cups my Nonna gave me are awesome!  The cupcakes pop right out, have pretty ridges along the sides, and are easier to eat without the messy paper cling!  http://www.amazon.com/MIU-Mini-Silicone-Cupcake-Baking-Cups-24-Pack/dp/B000H84S1M  

2.  I already mentioned this one, but freeze the cookie dough balls prior to baking in cupcakes!

3.  Patience is a virtue.  This is a lesson I must learn each and every time I bake, but you must must must let the cupcakes cool prior to frosting and let the cookies cool prior to garnishing on frosting!

4.  Inserting the cookie is tricky.  If you attempt insertion when the cupcake and frosting are soft it crumbles.  If you attempt insertion when the cupcake and frosting are cold the frosting is too hard.  In conclusion I think the best strategy is to refrigerate the cupcakes (they’re awesome cold!) and then let them sit out for 30-60 minutes before garnishing with the mini cookies which you don’t want to refrigerate anyway. 

5.  You will not be able to eat just one, so get in a good workout and get over it!