Lemon Cocoa Nib Cupcakes w/Caramel

I originally posted these last year, but they are soooo good, I thought they (and you) deserved a second helping!

Lemon Cocoa Nib Cupcakes w/Caramel

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 12 muffin tins with liners.

zest and juice of 2 lemons, separated (the juice is for the caramel)

stick butter, softened

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs, room temp

1/2 c half and half, room temp

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 c Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 c All Purpose Flour

1/2 c cocoa nibs

I actually just threw everything together until just combined. Scary I know. Divide among the lined tins and bake for 15 minutes.

For the Caramel

the juice from the lemons

1 c sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp half and half

Put lemon juice and sugar into pan and cover on medium heat. Caramel goes quickly so you want to watch it. When it looks perfect, leave it on just bit burn so it lightly burns. Pull from stove and then add salt, butter & half and half, give it all a quick swirl.

This is your frosting! I swished it on, let it cool and then added some more. They are so good!

Sometimes getting it wrong is alright

February 6, 2010

I am to have a meeting this morning, somehow all wires are crossed, so I end up wandering around downtown Oakland. I hunt down Hibiscus' location and get their hours. I stroll past Flora and decide that for $13, I need a gauranteed nomgasm, not just a promise that it might come.

I stop at a few shops to check out the wares before grabbing lunch and heading home.

I'm going to read. The new Anne Perry is riveting, yet the sound of blood oranges in the kitchen distracts me. They need to be used. I need to make candied orange peel and figure out what to do with the fruit.

I decide to put the book down. I record the rest of next week's show and part of another one. Then I look up candied fruit at Zoe Bakes. This is perfect.

I peel, rinse and boil the skin per the instructions. I add sugar and water and get....caramel?!

How the hell did I get caramel and crunchy orange peel? *sigh* This is what happens when you are multitasking.

So now what? I stir some butter in the caramel and set it aside to cool. I boil out my pan which is crusted with sugar and then toss the orange peel back in. Its too hard and I need to cut it. Now I have to figure out what to do with....

wait! I wanted to make some Flapjacks! We bought some oatbars by Kashi with chocolate and nuts on top, but they are dry and the best part is the topping. Mine have bits of candied orange peel and pumpkin seeds with molasses so they are moist and really delicious.

Of course I am already making blood orange compote, which is gorgeous and purple, just the way it should be. My kitchen smells like citrus heaven and I wish I had a video camera, a nicer kitchen and a cuter wardrobe so I could tape the whole thing.

I have some left over butter and orange peel, so why not make shortbread? I add vanilla bean and then, (oh and then!) because I just made some bacon, I pour out the excess, wipe down the pan & use a hint of bacon fat to grease the bottom of the pan. Of course, the shortbread is divine.

See what happens when I am left to my own devices too long?