Vanilla Bean Latte Cupcakes with Mocha-Vanilla Swirled Buttercream.

Happy National Vanilla Cupcake Day! It's totally a thing.

Earlier this year I made the softest, fluffiest, most very-vanilla cupcakes ever from cupcake batter spiked with real vanilla beans. These cupcakes had me dreaming of wedding cake, with their light, delicate vanilla flavor all while still being perfectly sweet and rich (... or maybe it was their peanut butter cup centers!). Either way, they instantly became my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe... and made me fall in love all over again with simple, classic vanilla cake.

They also got me hooked on baking with vanilla beans. I've even started making my own vanilla extract!

Those black specks... it's pure vanilla love. 

To celebrate Vanilla Cupcake Day (P.S. October 18th was National Chocolate Cupcake Day. Did you celebrate?) I baked a batch of my favorite vanilla bean cupcakes with a coffee-shop twist inspired by one of my favorite cold, blustery fall afternoon pick-me-ups: Starbucks' vanilla lattes.

Is there anything more comforting than vanilla, hot milk, and dark, rich espresso on a cold November day?

The answer is yes: cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate.

The answer is also cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate AND vanilla and espresso. 

And we're celebrating today by putting it all together in a cupcake. 

These cupcakes are made up of three easy, irresistible parts: 

1. Vanilla bean cupcake batter.

2. A swirl of cinnamon-sugar and espresso powder.

3. And my favorite vanilla buttercream, divided in half. One half is left pure, rich vanilla, one half is spiked with chocolate and coffee and then both are swirled together. It's even easier than it sounds! A medium bowl, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder. Easily one of these best frostings I've ever licked off a spoon.

Optional/totally not optional: a fat chocolate-covered espresso bean on top.

1. Baking these cupcakes couldn't be easier. The cupcake batter comes together in minutes and is packed full of rich vanilla flavor. And it's no wonder! They're spiked with vanilla beans, vanilla extract, AND vanilla yogurt. Triple vanilla flavor = one rich, perfectly-vanilla cupcake. 

2. Next, the cake batter is spooned into cupcake liners and sprinkled with a teaspoon a cinnamon-sugar-espresso mixture. Without the smallest addition of espresso powder, these might have baked into snickerdoodle cupcakes or coffee cake cupcakes. Just the smallest spoonful of espresso and vanilla bean latte cakes are happening.

Tip: Don't completely cover the espresso-sugar layer with cupcake batter. Those sugary edges peeking out will bubble up with cinnamon-coffee goodness when baking. This is totally a thing you want. Also, be sure to only fill the liners 3/4 of the way full... they will rise when baking!

You can't even imagine what my apartment smelled like while these were baking. Like cinnamon-sugar, buttery, crumbly coffee cake, snickerdoodle blondies, wedding cake, and strong, freshly-brewed coffee.      

3. And we're not done! I couldn't decide whether to top these with vanilla frosting or mocha frosting... so I made both! I used my standard vanilla buttercream (the same frosting that tops my Cut-Out Sugar Cookies), spiked half with espresso & cocoa powder, and then swirled them both together using a Wilton #1M piping tip and the same method as my three-tone chocolate cupcakes. 

I frosted another one of my favorite cupcakes like this too: my chocolate-vanilla-swirled Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cupcakes. If you haven't tried those yet, then I think it's just best if we make November 11th National Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cupcake Day. 

Vanilla Bean Latte Cupcakes with Vanilla-Mocha Buttercream

Printable Recipe

Cupcakes

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (or sour cream)
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean

Espresso Swirl

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder 

Vanilla-Mocha Frosting 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups powdered sugar 

2-4 tablespoons milk 

1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

Melt. Melt the butter in the microwave in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar until combined. Stir in the egg whites, vanilla yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. 

Vanilla bean. Using a sharp knife, cut one vanilla bean in half length-wise, from top to bottom. Gently scrape the seeds from the whole bean into cupcake batter. Whisk until combined, making sure to break up any vanilla seed clumps if necessary.

Make your cupcake batter. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth and no lumps remain. 

Cinnamon & spice. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder. Set aside. 

Scoop. Fill cupcake liners a scoop with batter, about 1/3 of the way full (tip: use a cookie scoop!). Sprinkle a teaspoon of the espresso-sugar over the batter, then scoop cupcake batter over the top until liners are 3/4 of the way full.

Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake tests clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting. 

Frost. To make the frosting, beat butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 2 tablespoons of milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add additional milk until desired piping consistency. 

Make it mocha!  Transfer half the frosting to a small bowl and stir in espresso powder and cocoa.  

Swirl. To frost, place each frosting in a separate piping bag. Place both bags together in one piping bag fitted with a Wilton #1M piping tip. Top each cupcake with swirls of frosting and a chocolate-covered espresso bean. For more help on piping with two-tone frostings, see this post.   

Source: Adapted from my Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, originally adapted from The Cupcake Project. 

Coconut Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Sometimes I wonder what life must have been like without any technology past the butter churn. 

And then I wonder if maybe then we would stop wasting the 86,400 seconds that we're gifted with each day, to make memories and history and coconut cookies, on comparing ourselves to each other.

In real life, it's hard not to compare yourself with everyone around you, especially when everyone is connected online. Scrolling through someone else's day is easier than getting through our own and it seems like there's always someone on Facebook posting glittery shots of their new engagement ring or another food blog with beautiful, creative talent (and a secret stash of natural light) or a constant Instagram feed of jealous-worthy things, from glamourous vacations, celebrations, and milestones to food styling you wish you'd done, cakes you wish you'd baked, and thin, fit bodies you wish you had.

I feel those last two are connected somehow.

Can I just make a Wednesday proclamation? Let's not. Let's take the day off.

Let's just not compare today.

Let's realize that someone else succeeding or being "better" or "more" takes away nothing from our ability to succeed, create, or shine. 

Let's build each other up and be kind instead of competing... and at the end of the day let's be proud of who we are and where our life is at. 

Let's also put coconut and coffee in cookies.

I'm just saying.

Coconut Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Recipe

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons instant coffee

1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla; mix well until combined. 

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and the ground coffee or espresso until combined. Slowly add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips and coconut. 

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets and baking for 10-12 minutes, or until done (I flattened mine slightly with the back of a spatula when removed from the oven). 

Source: Adapted from my soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies.

White Chocolate Mocha Cookies.

Do you ever wish you could go to Starbucks and just order a cup of whipped cream and salted caramel?

No? It's okay. We can still be friends. 

One of my favorite parts of college was making late-night coffee runs with my roommate/boyfriend/whoever was awake when I desperately needed an excuse to stop studying caffeine. Because normal people order lattes at 3 AM, right?

... they do if they're studying criminal justice. It's not all CSI and petri dishes, I'll tell you that.

But the best was when we'd go at this random, magical hour between 3 and 5 AM when they would very generously give us our drinks for free. This only happened a few times, but when it did? It was like Christmas morning!

... and since we're so close here and all, I'm not ashamed only slightly ashamed to tell you that one time, after getting venti peppermint frappuccinos for free, we drove back to the dorms in a total sugar high, switched cars, put on sunglasses... and went back for free hot chocolates.

What can I say. It was finals week.

Also: I love coffee. On the real.

So I was super excited when, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two limited-edition fall coffees to try from Godiva: pumpkin spice and caramel pecan bark.

I have to say, I was a little disappointed with the pumpkin coffee. It was described as having a "warm pumpkin pie flavor with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet vanilla cream notes" and it smelled amazing brewing, like the inside of a pumpkin, but didn't taste... special. If I hadn't known it was pumpkin spice, I would've guessed it was just regular coffee brewed with a pinch of cinnamon. Maybe it was because I've gotten used to having super sweet pumpkin lattes? I don't know.

But the caramel pecan bark?

The minute I ripped open the bag, I knew it had to be put it in a cookie. It was either that or eat the grounds with a spoon.

These are officially the second best cookies I have ever made (fluffernutters for life), but if baking's not your thing or you're having a day, seriously: just make this dough and put it in your face. It's legit.

These cookies taste something like a cross between the double chocolate chunk Oreo cookies (without the Oreos) and the chocolate chip espresso bars. They're thick, super chewy, with a rich, deep, dark chocolatey mocha flavor that's definitely for coffee-lovers. 

Like taking a fistful of coffee and punching a chocolate chip cookie in the face. Delicious.

P.S. They're best warm and eaten right off the spatula for dinner. I totally did not do that/yeah. It happened. 

White Chocolate Mocha Cookies

Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons instant coffee granules

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I know... it seems like a lot. But you can't taste it with all the chocolate & coffee going on)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy, for about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the semisweet and white chocolate chips. Be careful not to over-mix.

Scoop dough into tablespoon-size balls and place 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes. 

Let cookies cool five minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Source: Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

Fall means a few things to me:

1. It's almost Christmas.

2. It's almost Christmas.

3. It's almost Christmas.

4. PUMPKINS!

I really, really, really love pumpkins.

So to kick-start fall (even though I totally had a pumpkin scone in June... and already posted pumpkin churros), I made this pumpkin spice syrup.

Here's the science behind it: those addictive pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks are basically pumpkin-flavored syrup (no actual pumpkin!) + coffee + milk. One grande pumpkin spice latte (with whipped cream and milk... and P.S. who wants just a grande? I want to carve out a pumpkin and fill it with latte) has 49 grams of sugar. Forty-nine. That's dangerous ground for someone who wants/needs/must have a pumpkin spice latte in her face, everyday until Thanksgiving. Starbucks, why is there no sugar-free pumpkin syrup?  Get on this. 

But now I can make it home... and just how I want it too! I can add more syrup. Less milk. Extra cinnamon. I can drink it out of a pumpkin. I can eat spoonfuls of whipped cream. It's a bit like being a wizard. A coffee wizard.

And judge me all you want, but I made this using Splenda instead of granulated sugar and mixed it with heavy cream instead of milk. It tastes almost exactly like the fancy lattes I remember, but with nearly 3/4 less sugar and guilt. 

I mean, unless you start dunking pumpkin churros in it. Not that I did that/I totally did.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Printable Recipe

1/3 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep syrup from burning. 

Let mixture cook together until it becomes syrup-y and begins to coat the spoon (for about 10-15 minutes), then remove from heat.

Refrigerate in a heat-proof container. The syrup will thicken a bit in the refrigerator, but will become syrup-y again when heated. 

To make pumpkin spice latte, heat syrup with milk (about 2 cups of milk and 2-3 tablespoons of syrup, depending on how much milk or creamer you want to use and how pumpkin-y sweet you want your latte. I usually use about 2 tablespoons syrup + 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream to cut down on the sugar.). Pour into a blender or whisk until frothy, for about ten seconds (to make it thick and prevent the pumpkin from settling on the bottom). Pour into cup and stir in about 1/2 cup or more of strong, hot coffee.

Top with whipped cream, a swirl of caramel sauce, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or nutmeg. Enjoy!

Source: Bran Appetit.

Chocolate Chip Espresso Bars.

The most important thing you should know about chocolate chip espresso bars is that they make your entire world smell like you're baking a small Starbucks coffee shop in your oven. We're talking cinnamon, sugar, butter, coffee, chocolate... all of my favorite words.

Sidenote: They're also dangerously addictive. For the same reasons.

... and for the crackly cinnamon-sugar glaze.

They have a super soft, super rich, brown sugar cookie bar base. Swoon. And look at those flecks of cinnamon and coffee! They really make the chocolate flavor pop.

Seriously. These cookie bars rival the sugariness of the graham cracker s'mores candy.

I know. They're thin.

And if I hadn't made these, I might be a little closer to that myself. But let me tell you... these bars are so rich and so sugary, that it's almost like eating some kind of chocolate chip cookie dough frappuccino fudge sheet cake, if there were such a thing.

And there totally should be.

P.S. I really want to make these with half semisweet and half white chocolate chunks. I'm kind of in love with that combination since these cookies.

Chocolate Chip Espresso Bars

Printable Recipe

Bars
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon espresso powder (I used instant coffee)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Glaze
2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°F, with the rack at middle level. Line a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper or grease lightly. 

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be very crumbly, with just barely enough dough to hold together the chocolate chips. 

Press dough evenly into the jelly roll pan with your hands.

Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until the edges are just starting to brown (watch carefully... I baked mine for a total of 18 minutes). Cool in the pan 5 minutes before spreading with the glaze. 

To make the glaze, place milk, butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and barely bubbly. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the bars and smooth out to the edges and corners with a rubber spatula. Cool until the pan is just warm to the touch, then cut into bars and serve.

Source: Vanilla Sugar Blog.