Happy Birthday Ed Sheeran!

Today is extra extra special. Guess why? No, not because it snowed six inches (ugh), no not because the new Once Upon A Time episode is on tonight (but good guess), and no, it does not have anything to do with the fact that my mom bought cinnamon extract (also exciting :)). this is way more exciting!

Today is Ed Sheeran's

Birthday!

For those of you who don't know who Ed Sheeran is, well I have no words for you. Ed Sheeran was born on this very day. Today, February 17th, 2013, was the day Edward Christopher Sheeran was made and without him my life would not be complete. Soooo what better way to celebrate but... (*druummmm rolllll*)

MAKE CUPCAKES!

I may have also gotten a little carried away with the frosting... and piped it all over myself  and piped the plate all pretty like. And of course there are only 2. Because he's turning 22. hehe get it....

I got to use some new tips from my piping bag :) Although the basket weave was hard it turned out pretty. Obviously the right hand cupcake was my first try... it's a little awkward. 

Happyyy birthdayyy to ed, haaapppy birthdayyy to ed, happy birthday ed sheerraaann. Happy birthday to youuuu :)

Blow out the candle and make a wish!

I used my new favorite recipe for two vanilla cupcakes and put a few Ed Sheeran variations in it. Then I used some leftover lemon butter cream I had made earlier today and added orange zest (Ed's favorite color) and dyed it orange (I only had yellow food dye because I used all my red dye for red velvet cupcakes. I literally have 3 containers of food dyes without the red bottle in them. Ugh my life.) but it looks more orange not on the pictures. I suggest adding some drops of red food dye if you're going to dye the frosting orange. The cake is also a variation and it's ginger (because Ed Sheeran is a ginger!!!).

So this was basically my afternoon, singing happy birthday over + and pipintg little paw prints all over the place (I may or may not have piped 7 or 8 on my hand and immediately eaten them... shame.) The orange frosting is sooooo good though! I actually made this recipe by accident and added wayyy to little flour. I didn't realize what I did until I baked them and they turned out sooo good! Moister, fluffier, butterier, and just fabulous! So, of course, I used them in this recipe and just added a little spice. As for the frosting, although I used leftover frosting I'll put a recipe for a frosting for 2 cupcakes that should work just as well.

These cupcakes have a delicious (and weirdly, for me, sophisticated) amazing taste that, even if for what ever horrible reason your not making them to honor Ed Sheeran, are still very much worth making. The frosting is amazing and the ginger in the cake is like a good warm feeling at the end. Sooo worth making for me, myself, I, and Ed Sheeran. :)

Recipe

Oven preheated: 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

Cake

1 egg white

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ heaping teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 ½ tablespoons milk

1. In a soup bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined.
2. Add in vanilla and melted butter and whisk until mixed.
3. Add flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt and whisk until smooth.
4. Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners.
5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cake is set.

Frosting

2 tablespoons butter, softened

7 tablespoons confectioners sugar

2 teaspoons milk

1- 2 teaspoons orange zest

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon lemon extract

red and yellow food dye (optional)

1. In a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, (or beat by hand or with a hand mixer, it's just more work, it depends if you don't mind lots of dirty dishes or tired arms: your pick ;)) beat butter on medium-high for around 4 minutes.

2. Stop mixer and add in 3 1/2 tablespoons of the confectioners sugar (1/2) and continue to beat until incorporated. Add in 1 teaspoon of the milk while mixing (1/2) and stop mixer when incorporated. Add in the rest of the confectioners sugar, mix. Add in rest of milk, mix until a good consistency has formed. (If too thin, add more confectioners sugar, one teaspoon at a time until consistency is right. If too thick add more milk, one 1/4 teaspoon at a time.)

3. Add in lemon extract and food dye (optional) and beat for another 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat in any extra sugar from the sides. Scrape don sides again.

4. On low speed, beat in lemon and orange zest.

5. Scoop into a piping bag and decorate your cupcakes with all Ed related things! Enjoy!

The Most Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER

I have a problem. A perfectly Chewy, Crunchy, Chocolaty problem....

These are my problem...

I'm a mind reader, here's what your thinking: "wowwww..... a chocolate chip cookie. great." (you say in your mind flatly and unexcitedly) Well guess what? You should be excited. Because, if you're like me, you have issues with cookie recipes and when they aren't perfect, you cry yourself to sleep get upset. You don't do that, you say? Oops, I guess that's just me...  

The thing is cookies are sooooo easy and I always feel that when I make them they have to be perfect. But alas, I haven't found a recipe with a chewy, gooey, chocolaty center and a crispy, crunchy, buttery outside. Until I found these.

They are literally all I think about. All. The. Time. Is that bad? But here's the thing. I will NEVER go back to another cookie recipe again. Ever.

And really, you shouldn't either. Because nothing compares to these. Nothing.

Drop your great-grandmother's recipe right now! Convert to perfectness every time. Trust me. And don't be scared of the added salt. It makes everything better. It enhances the chocolate flavor. It's like salted caramel. If you like that then you have no excuse whatsoever to not put in the salt. And they're good the next day, still soft on the inside... sighhhh. Oh, and one last fabulous thing: It only makes 17 cookies (or so) so you can devour them all by yourself and not feel like a blimp  bring some to your elderly neighbors.

Please make them, eat them unguiltily by yourself, warm and beautiful. 

Recipe:

Oven Preheated: 375 degrees Fahrenheit

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
6 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup flour, plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (or a little more than 1/2 the bag)

1. Cream butter and sugars at medium speed of a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment).
2. Add vanilla and egg while mixing.
3. Turn off mixer and add flour, salt and baking soda.
4. Beat at slow/medium speed just until flour is incorporated into butter and sugar mixture.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Using an ice cream or cookie scoop, form balls of dough and drop on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or if you have a really good baking sheet like I do you can use that too.)
7. Bake for exactly nine minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes on cookie sheet (or they will fall apart. It's reaaaallly hard to do but so worth it just trust me.)

8. Transfer to a wire cooling rack or eat right away. 
9. Enjoy the best cookie of your life!