Delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes

6 Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes: 
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp red liquid food color
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp white distilled vinegar
1/4 tsp baking soda

Frosting: 
6oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 6 liners.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Mix in egg until batter is smooth. Add cocoa powder, vanilla and red food color. Continue mixing, scraping bowl as needed. Add salt, baking powder and sour cream, mixing until just incorporated. Add flour, mixing until no streaks remain. Finally, combine vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl. 
Immediately add to batter and mix in.

Divide batter equally among prepared liners, using one large cookie scoop per.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cupcakes are set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter. Mix in vanilla and slowly incorporate powdered sugar until smooth. Transfer mixture to a piping bag with with desired tip. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Store in an airtight container or refrigerator for up to several days.

By: Rachael Battey

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Cake-in-a-Mug Recipe

It's winter and everything is cold. You're hungry, but alas there's 10 feet of snow on the ground and you have no food in your house! There aren't even any clean plates to eat off of! What do you do? Well, you can make this tasty chocolate mug cake. There are a lot of mug cake recipes out there that are pretty gross, but this one is dandy. All you need is a mug and these ingredients. 

Ingrdients: 

• 1 tbsp and 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp spelt flour 
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2-3 tsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons of milk of choice 
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well (no one likes a salty cake). Add liquid, stir, then transfer to your mug of choice. You can even use a bowl, just make sure it's microwave safe, so you don't set your house on fire. Either microwave 30-40 seconds OR cook in a 350F oven for about 14 minutes. If you don’t want to eat it straight out of the dish, be sure to spray your dish first (and then wait for it to cool before trying to remove it).

By: Evelyn Sims

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Christmas Sugar Cookie Truffles Recipe

Ingredients

   12 sugar cookies (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter)

   3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

   2 cups white chocolate for melting (or candy melts)

   Sprinkles for decoration

Instructions

   1.    Place sugar cookies in a food processor and process until cookies turn into fine crumbs. Add cream cheese and process again until well-combined and mixture can be pressed into a ball.

2.    Shape cookies into balls about 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 15 minutes or the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3.    In medium bowl, melt white chocolate according to instructions.

4.    Remove the cookie balls from refrigerator. Using a spoon or two forks, dip and roll chilled cookie balls, one at a time, in coating. Return to lined cookie sheet and immediately top with sprinkles. Repeat process for remaining cookie balls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

If the sugar cookie truffle dough is not firm enough, add another tablespoon of cream cheese.

(recipe based on  http://www.ifyougiveablondeakitchen.com/2016/10/31/christmas-sugar-cookie-truffles/)

By: Abby Lowtan

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Christmas Cookie Recipe

Makes: 4 dozen cookies. Set oven to: 375 degrees. Each batch should cook for 8-10 minutes. 

Ingredients:
4 cups of flour 
1 cup of shortening (cricso)
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
5 tbsp. of milk
1 tsp. of Anise oil or Vanilla
1 tsp. of baking soda

Mix flour, salt, and shortening like pie crust. 
In a separate bowl, take eggs, beat well and add sugar. 
Add milk, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix well. 
Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Mix well. 
Roll out. Bake. 
Enjoy!

By: Rachael Battey

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Recipe: Chinese Hot Pot

Winter is coming, and the days are becoming colder and colder. During this season, wouldn’t you like to try a Chinese Hot Pot that will warm you up? It’s very healthy (as certified by the health teacher) and also— A GOOD, GOOD EAT!

Ingredients
1. Meatballs (of different kind!)
2. Vegetables (Chinese cabbage)
3. Skin of beancurd
4. Fried gluten puff
5. Sweet Potato vermicelli
6. Soybeans
7. Seasonings (very personal):

•    White pepper powder
•    Black pepper powder
•    Paprika
•    Seed ash of Chinese prickly ash
•    Soy sauce
•    Iodized salt
•    Distilled vinegar
•    Vegetable oil
•    Fresh red peppers

Steps
1. Fill about 1/4 of your pot with water, boil the water.
2. Pour some vegetable oil into the boiled water.
3. Once the oil is boiled, add the red peppers, salt and other seasonings. Mix them.
4. Add meatballs and soybeans. When the meatballs float on the water, they’re ready.
5. Add the cabbage.
6. Add the vermicelli
7. Add the skin of beancurd and the puffs,
8. Wait for about 5-10 min.
9. Ready to serve!!



* This is my own recipe of making Hot Pot, so the seasonings can be very personal. The amount is not so strict, so you can help yourself to whatever you want to add, make it however you want it to be! The trick is to just keep adding to the filling of your Hot Pot… It’s really simple!


By: Yizi Wang

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