Muffin-Cupcake Adventures

When it comes to alcohol, I have two loves.

Cold and refreshing.

My husband, my brother, my future sister-in-law and I went to Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. last weekend for some family bonding time.

I remember the first time I went to Lucky Bucket back in February with Mander.

From the looks of it, she was missing my brother quite a bit.

I also remember that awkward-agonizing-secret-keeping time before they were dating when I knew that she liked him, and that he liked her, and that she talked to me about him, and he talked to me about her, but she didn't know that he talked to me about her, and he didn't know that she talked to me about him, and all I ever did was nod, smile and shove my mouth full of crackers.

And find this hilarious card I wanted her to send him.

Anyway. When it comes to alcohol, there are two things I love.

Coconut rum and a good, dark beer.

Especially when they are in cupcakes.

This one likes cupcakes, too.

Truth be told. We were out of whipping cream. (False. We weren't out of whipping cream. I just never buy it. Or have it on hand. So you can't be out of something you don't normally have. You just don't have it.)

So. We didn't have whipping cream. Supposedly you can mix together melted butter and milk as a substitute.

You can't.

Well, you can. Maybe.

But we can't.

But. We can soak raisins in rum.

And improvise when the recently married woman lives in a tiny kitchen that only has room for a 6-cup muffin tin. And other adorable little things like ramekins and pie tins. Because everything is cuter when it's tiny.

Does anyone know if I can leave my pizza stone in the oven when I bake? Because I do.

Check out the recipe below for some spiked cupcakes. Keep reading for the next cupcake adventure.

My husband calls muffins, muffins. He also calls cupcakes, muffins. So for his sake, the next baking adventure is actually a muffin adventure.

He was the head chef this go-around.

But instead of reading me the directions like Martha Stewart would, he turned the recipe into a literacy wonder. True Joel-style.

Actually. If it was true Joel-style, he would be singing the directions to the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean and rhyming thing like all-purpose flour with Whiskey Sour. Except when he rhymes it's clever and witty and makes you shake your head. And when I rhyme, I have to stop mid-sentence and pull out my rhyming dictionary.

I don't remember how he told the Stout Cupcakes story (because I was laughing too hard and trying to snap pictures before the camera died), but I do remember that it started:

"In the beginning was flour, and the flour was with the wheat, and the wheat-flour was with the soda and it baked."

 Joel also claims that any food that looks too good to eat, shouldn't be eaten. Because it doesn't taste good.

I'm not sure if that's true. But if it is. And if the converse of that statement is true....

Then theses cupcakes muffins will be the best sensation your mouth has ever experienced.

Wow. That looks even grosser than I remember it. I don't know why the brown sugar looks like a hamburger patty.



Anyway, this is how Martha's Stout Cupcakes turned out:

And this is hour the Kaldahl's Stout Muffins turned out:

You could call it a #MarthaStewartFail but that probably has a different definition than what we're using here.

But despite their gnarly appearance, their flavor was something to savor. (Confession: I had to Google words that rhyme with flavor. Marriage is a good thing. Make sure your spouse has strengths where you have weaknesses.)

And they tasted like molasses cookies before we doused them in beer icing.

So have some friends, neighbors or family over, and serve them some muffins!

Coconut Rum Raisin Cupcakes

Makes 36 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark rum (we used spiced rum)

1 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature (mine were straight from the fridge - oops)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup heavy cream (just buy the real stuff)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Rum-Caramel Glaze (Recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a bowl, pour rum over raisins, and let soak. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at at time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of heavy cream, and beating until combined after each. Mix in raisin mixture and coconut.

3. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 20 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or knife around edges; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

4. To serve, set cupcakes on dessert plates, and spoon glaze over each. Alternatively, finish by placing cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; spoon glaze over cupcakes, and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the day the are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Rum-Caramel Glaze

* I didn't do this at all. I just mixed together coconut rum and powdered sugar.

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup dark rum

1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat sugar and the water in a heavy saucepan over medium, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Stop stirring, and cook until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Continue to boil, gently swirling occasionally to color evenly, until mixture is medium amber. Remove from heat. Carefully stir in rum and cream (the mixture will spatter) with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Stout Cupcakes Muffins

Makes 28 Muffins

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg (I didn't use this because my mom has successfully scared me into never using nutmeg in anything)

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups unsulfured molasses

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar (make sure you use that extra tablespoon)

2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (yeah. didn't have that either)

10 ounces stout beer, such as Guinness (or Lucky Bucket's Lager), poured and settled

Stout Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt cinnamon, and nutmeg.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat oil, molasses, brown sugar, whole eggs, yolk, zest and stout until combined. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn out cupcakes onto wire racks to cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; spoon glaze over cupcakes, and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Stout Glaze

2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/4 cup stout bear, poured and settled

Whisk together ingredients until combined. Use immediately.