Mini Brownie Cups with Salted Caramel Frosting

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: December 17, 2022

This past weekend I was looking for something to do with all this leftover Halloween candy we have laying around. We didn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters due to the fact our Halloween had to be postponed a week. As I mentioned before, we had a freak snowstorm pass on through our state which led to tree branches being too heavy with leaves and snow, breaking off and taking power lines down with them. No power = no Halloween. Thank goodness our neighborhood agreed to do it the following Saturday so the children wouldn’t miss out. However, not all the kids came out. So that left me with a lot of goodies. I could eat them all by myself, but that wouldn’t end well. So instead I scoured the cupboards to get some ideas.

I found a box of brownies, a lot of Milky Way bars and a recipe for Salted Caramel Frosting that I have been wanting to try. The plan was set. I took out my mini cupcake pan and set to work.

First I chopped up all those pesky little Milky Way bars that keep calling my name. Then I made the brownie mix according to the directions on the package, except instead of putting the mix in a pan, I sprayed my mini cupcake pan with some Pam and poured in the brownie mix.

I took the bits of Milky Way bars and put a piece in each brownie cup. You want to push them all the way in till they are covered. I didn’t and some kinda popped out in the bakng process. I baked the brownie cups for 10-15min. When done I let them cool off.

They looked good just as they were, but I can never leave well enough alone. So I took out the recipe for Salted Caramel Frosting and got back to work. First thing was to make the salted caramel. It’s just sugar with a little bit of water. Who woulda thunk it? It actually wasn’t that difficult to make.

I only messed up a little bit when I went to add the cream and added it to quickly. It made the sugar clump up a little. But I just took the clumps out. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. It still tasted great. Yay! My first caramel.

Salted Caramel Frosting
By Amy Wisniewski

Ingredients

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Briefly stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color, about 6 to 7 minutes.
Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Set aside until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.
Combine butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar, and mix until completely incorporated.
Turn mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add caramel. Beat frosting on medium-high speed until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until stiff, about 45 minutes, before using.

Time for a taste test. Mmmm. That was good. Before I even had a chance to post this, I was looking at Amanda’s post at healthyfoodforliving.com/recipes/ and it looks like she had the same idea over the weekend. Except she made regular sized chocolate chip cups with Babe Ruth bars, topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. How funny is that. Great minds think alike. I will have to try her recipe now.

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Lamb’s Quarters Frittata, Or Spinach’s Hillbilly Cousin

Breakfast

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

First, a confession: this frittata was merely a convenient way for me to consume my latest discovery, lamb’s quarters.

I picked up lamb’s quarters from the Union Square Greenmarket last weekend completely on a whim. I’d simply stood in front of a row of bins of greens and picked the one with the most appealing name. Lamb’s quarters is a pretty cute name, isn’t it? Apparently, it’s also known as pigweed. If I had seen that on the sign, well, you wouldn’t be reading a blog post about pigweed.

Lamb’s quarters is my introduction to the world of wild edibles… otherwise known as weeds. Hahaha. But seriously, I actually really love the idea of eating the stuff because I see them as just another form of heirlooms. Because they’re considered noxious, they’re underrated, local, not mass-farmed, not cultivated in any way… and the properties about them which make them unique are preserved. The purity of their taste, smell, feel, appearance is retained.

I intend to explore this plant realm more fully.

Lamb’s quarters actually grows like crazy. Apparently it’s all over Central Park, although it’s easily confused with epazote, which is toxic if eaten in large quantities. It’s incredibly healthy, full of beta carotene, calcium, potassium, iron. It even leaves behind that same chalky feeling on your teeth after you eat spinach. Coincidentally, it’s often referred to as wild spinach and is said to taste like it. I wouldn’t agree exactly; it’s definitely more of an acquired taste, especially when eaten raw.

But in a frittata, it’s excellent. Its lovely, fuzzy, silvery leaves turn a bright green when sauteed, and it shrinks dramatically, just like, yup, that’s right, spinach. But it’s hardier, with sturdier stems, so less can go a longer way than its domesticated cousin. Because we’re talking frittatas here, you can throw in just about anything to accompany the lamb’s quarters. I decided to throw in some bacon at the last minute, which sort of clashed with the romano cheese—perhaps cheddar might be a better complement. Whatever the case, treat the plant like spinach and you’ll be eating it like a pro!

LAMB’S QUARTERS FRITTATA

Basic recipe adapted from Alton Brown’s frittata recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
5 Tbsp grated cheese (I used romano)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion
3 strips bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
1/4 lb. lamb’s quarters, with tough stems removed (you can substitute spinach, but you’ll need more, 1/2 lb. or so)

Directions:

Turn oven on to broil. Whisk together eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, then set aside.

In an oven-safe 12-inch skillet (I used my cast-iron), saute onions until translucent (2 to 3 minutes), then add bacon and saute another minute. Add the lamb’s quarters and cook until wilted, 2 minutes or so. Spread out the contents of the pan so it’s even across the pan. Pour the egg mixture in, and spread it across the pan with a spatula. Cook for a few minutes until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and is beginning to set on top.

Transfer the skillet into the oven and broil for 3 or 4 minutes until top is lightly browned.

Have a Great Day!