How to make...Ice Cream cupcakes.

Ingredients

• For the Cupcakes
• 1 box cake mix (plus any required ingredients: water, oil, eggs etc)
• 24 flat bottomed wafer cones
•  
• For the Frosting
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, unsalted
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Food coloring (optional)
• Sprinkles (optional)

Procedures

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare cake mix according to directions. Fill ice cream cones 2/3 full and place in baking tray.
2. 2
   Bake in 350°F oven until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. 3
   Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely (be sure to leave ample room between the cones so they don't get knocked over).
4. 4
   In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide frosting between several ramekins and add food coloring, as desired.
5. 5
   Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frost and decorate with sprinkles. Store covered up to two days.

How to make...Ghostly halloween cupcakes.

Ingredients

•  For Cupcakes:
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
•  
•  For Frosting
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 cup marshmallow fluff
• 36 dark chocolate baking chips

Procedures

1. 1
   Make Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tin with holders.
2. 2
   In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. 3
   In a large bowl, beat butter together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract and beat until just combined.
4. 4
   Beat in 1/2 flour mixture, followed by sour cream. Beat in remaining flour mixture. Pour batter into cupcake holders.
5. 5
   Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
6. 6
   Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat butter for 1 minute. Add confectioners' sugar and milk and beat until smooth. Add marshmallow fluff and beat until well combined. If needed, continue to mix until frosting is proper fluffy consistency.
7. 7
   Frost each cupcake. Cut 24 of the baking chips in half. Place two halves on each cupcake to serve as eyes. Add one whole chip below eyes to serve as mouth.

How to make...Homemade kitcats.

Ingredients

• 75 Club crackers
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Procedures

1. 1
   Line 9- by 13-inch rectangular baking pan with one layer of Club crackers (you may need to break some to fit).
2. 2
   Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add graham cracker crumbs, dark brown sugar, milk, and granulated sugar. Bring to boil. Boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat. Pour half of butter mixture over crackers in pan. Smooth surface with spatula.
3. 3
   Arrange another layer of Club crackers over butter mixture. Pour remaining butter mixture over surface. Smooth surface with spatula. Arrange a third layer of crackers over top.
4. 4
   Combine peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips in small saucepan. Melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over crackers.
5. 5
   Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate two hours. Cut into 2-inch bars. Bars will keep for two weeks, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to make...Raisin cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (about 5 1/2 ounces) dark rye flour
• 1 cup (about 5 1/2 ounces) whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 teaspoons sugar

Procedures

1. 1
   Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease with butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together rye flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. 2
   In a large bowl, whisk eggs until lightly beaten. Whisk in milk, oil, and molasses. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in raisins. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle top of each muffin with sugar. Bake until puffed and golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
3. 3
   Let cool 10 minutes in pan then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

How to make...Caramel Cake.

• For the Cake:
• Baking spray
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
• 2 1/4 cups (about 11 1/4 ounces) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (about 12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
•  
• For the Caramel
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
• 2 cups (about 1 pound) packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons of white corn syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. 1
   For the Cake: Lightly coat 13- by 9- cake pan with baking spray. Line bottom with parchment paper; coat once again with baking spray. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
2. 2
   In medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook butter, swirling pan occasionally, until beginning to foam; as foam settles, brown bits will begin to settle at bottom of saucepan; remove butter from heat and pour into a large bowl when browning has slowed, 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer butter to large bowl and refrigerate until solid, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. 3
   Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; reserve. Combine milk and vanilla in liquid measuring cup; reserve.
4. 4
   With an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat chilled browned butter and sugar in large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Decrease speed to low and add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl as necessary.
5. 5
   Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack and cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn cakes out directly onto cooling rack, peel off and discard parchment, then invert onto second cooling rack set inside rimmed baking sheet so top is facing up. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
6. 6
   For the Caramel: In medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook butter, swirling pan occasionally, until beginning to foam; as foam settles, brown bits will begin to settle at bottom of saucepan; when browning has slowed (12 to 15 minutes later), Immediately stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, sour cream, and salt and cook over medium-high heat until temperature registers 235°F on candy thermometer, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
7. 7
   Pour caramel over cake, spreading into even layer with offset spatula or rubber spatula. Serve.

How to make...Thin mints.

• Ingredients

  
  

  • For the cookies:

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch

  • 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

  • 1/3 cup milk (any kind)

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 3/4 tsp peppermint extract

  • For the dark chocolate coating:

  • 10 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

  
  

  

  
  

  Procedures

  1. 1
     In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt.
  2. 2
     In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look slightly curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
  3. 3
     Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 to 2 hours (I did mine overnight), until dough is very firm.
  4. 4
     Preheat oven to 375°F.
  5. 5
     For the most authentic texture, slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick (they will not be as crisp if they are thicker, but they're still delicious) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you don't have to leave too much space around each one.
  6. 6
     Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.
  7. 7
     Prepare the coating. While the original recipe suggested preparing it in the microwave, I did mine on the stovetop by combining the chocolate on butter in a medium saucepan on low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture was melty and fully combined. The texture will be thicker than a chocolate syrup, but not so thick that cookies can't easily be dipped and removed. You can put the chocolate mixture back on heat as needed to keep the coating smooth and easy to dip your cookies into.
  8. 8
     Note: Per the recipe I adapted, this can also be done in the microwave: in a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45 to 60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating. (Note: Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.)
  9. 9
     Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm.

How to make...Chelsea Buns.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb (675g) Flour

• 8 oz (200g) Butter

• 1 1/2 oz (30g) Yeast

• 8 oz (200g) Castor Sugar

• 5 Eggs, beaten

• Grated Rind from 1 Lemon

• 3/4 pint (400ml) Buttermilk or Sour Milk

METHOD

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan. 

2. Work the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar together until they are liquid, then add the heated milk.

3. Sift the flour and salt into a basin, rub half the butter lightly into the flour and add half the sugar and grated lemon rind. 

4. Add the beaten eggs to the milk and yeast, make a well in the centre of the flour, then mix well in. 

5. Beat the mixture thoroughly with a wooden spoon, cover the basin with a cloth, and place in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough has risen to twice it's size.

5. Remove to a floured board, and roll out like a strip of pastry to about 1/4 of an inch thick. 

6. Spread all over with the remainder of the butter and half of the remaining sugar, fold in three and roll out thinly again.

7. Dust with the remainder of the sugar and cut the strip in half, roll each strip up like a Swiss Roll. 

8. Cut the rolls into pieces about 1 1/4 inches thick, and put these on a greased tin about one inch apart.

9. Stand the pieces in the tin with the cut side uppermost, so that the coil shows. 

10. Put the tin in a warm place for about 25 minutes, or until each bun is almost as large again.

11. Sprinkle with more sugar and bake in a quick oven (375F / 190C / Mark 5) for about 25 minutes.