Cookie Craving. Peanut butter Ginger Bacons.

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Oh yeah. I went there. And they're even dipped in chocolate.

I can't really take FULL credit. The idea came from Joy the Baker when she made her Peanut Butter Bacon cookies a few days ago. It was super easy. Have you ever made 5-ingredient peanut butter cookies? Peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, vanilla. That's it. No flour, so I guess they can even be called "gluten-free." So it's basically that, plus cooked bacon.

Well. Here's my problem. When it comes to baking and recipes, I can't just leave well enough alone. (That's the saying, right?) I have to doctor it up or do something to give it my own twist. Even before I make the original recipe. People yell at me for this. I say "Screw it. I wanna do it this way." It's so much more exciting! So what I did w/ the cookies...

I candied the bacon first. DELICIOUS. If you haven't heard of candied bacon, it's super easy. You basically coat the bacon in brown sugar and bake or broil it. Some people make a glaze. Some people add a spice. Emeril Lagasse does it with brown sugar & cayenne powder. I made a glaze of 2 tbsp honey, 1/2 c brown sugar, & 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger. Then you schmear it on the bacon—I made 10 pieces. My glaze was too thick and I had a ton left, so next time, I'm going to keep the amount of honey & ginger but only do 1/4 c brown sugar. Then you bake it (or broil it). And then you eat it. And it's AMAZING.

So after the bacon cooled down, I chopped it up into bits and pieces, put it in the cookie mixture, folded it in, et voila. Peanut butter bacon cookies. But that wasn't all. I also added 1 tsp of the bacon grease to add a smokey flavor and 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger to the cookie mixture. I'm obsessed w/ fresh ginger. I can't get enough. Its like I was missing it my whole life and only within recent started integrating it into sweets. There were some doubts, but you know what I say? Y'ALL. TRUST ME. Just trust me on these things. The peanut butter + ginger? It's good. It was a good idea. It's your prerogative not to like it, but just give it a whirl before you go hate on it. Thank you. :)

Alright. After all that, roll it up, dip them in sugar, press some fork criss-cross patterns into them if you like, and pop it in the oven at 350 until they're lovely golden brown & delicious. Probably 8-10 minutes. My oven's a bit psychotic so I can't accurately gauge timing (that story will be another day).

After they've baked and cooled, melt some chocolate w/ some paraffin wax. Dip an edge of the cookies in the chocolate, set them aside and let them cool yet again. I put them in the fridge so the chocolate would set better.

In the end, I think candying the bacon actually toned down the bacon flavor, which made them more versitle. Not everyone loves the idea of bacon in their baked goods but the bacon flavor in these was subtle, even while biting into actual bacon pieces.

So yeah. That's it. I shouldn't say "that's it" b/c it's more involved than I expected, but still easy! What's not to love about a peanut butter cookie dipped in chocolate? AND THEN BACON???? The intrigue level is HIGH. "Say what?? Bacon? For real?" Yes, for real. Plus, you can pass them off as "high-protein cookies" if anyone needs extra convincing. :-)

Adventures in Cake Balls

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What's this, you ask? It's a cake ball! It's cake, frosting, & chocolate all wrapped up into a cute little bon-bon type treat. AND... they're called "cake balls." Let's face it. Saying the word "balls" is funny. (Yeah, you know what I'm talking about!) I'm normally not one to love fifth-grade humor, but even I get a secret chuckle out of saying "cake balls" to people. When they ask "What are these?" and you cheerfully reply "Cake balls!" with a toothy grin, they smile back, giggle like a 10 year old and say "CAKE BALLS?!?" b/c 1) they look super cute--how could you not love them? and 2)...they're laughing b/c you just said "balls." It's fun. Try it. But anyway, I digress. On to the point.

The inside is chocolate cake mixed w/ salted caramel frosting, actual salted caramel, cream cheese, & cinnamon. Then it's dipped in milk chocolate and topped w/ salt & roasted pecans. This was the first cake ball making adventure. I had a batch of chocolate cupcakes that didn't turn out quite right a few evenings ago. They tasted absolutely fine! But I must've been rushing through the motions and not put the right amount of baking powder or something in the mix b/c they just would not hold together. I'd unwrap them, and they'd crumble. Again, they tasted fine! So I really didn't want to toss the 36 bunk cupcakes that I now had sitting around b/c that's some expensive ingredients to just toss, you know? So now what??? How about some cake balls!

Have you heard of cake balls? If not, check out Bakerella. She's got a bunch of ideas. The link will lead you to her "cake ball" section, but she also has some tasty looking cake pops (basically the same thing but in a slightly different form). If you Google a recipe, the basic ones will tell you that it's a sheet cake (baked) crumbled up and mixed w/ a can of frosting, rolled into balls, chilled, and then dipped in chocolate. Since I make all my own goods here at the Sugarlush kitchen, I use my gourmet frostings & other ingredients to enhance the deliciousness of each tasty morsel. It's totally worth it.

Before I leave you, might I recommend a glass of milk to go along with the tasty bites! They're delicious, but SUPER RICH. So maybe even an ideal diet dessert, right?!?! It's by no means low-fat, but you eat just one and you're satisfied! It's a good theory, anyway. ;-)

Sugarlush goes to a wedding.

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I had my first wedding! As a baker, that is. My excellent friend (and former roommate) Stefanie got married yesterday. Being the wonderful person she is (as well as budget-conscious!), she hired me to do the cupcakes for her wedding. The guest list was small—approx 50 people in attendance—which was absolutely fine by me! I baked 6 dozen cupcakes, which means 72 little cute cakes for you non-dozen-converters out there. The wedding turned out beautifully, and everyone dug into the cake and definitely didn't hold back when it came to grabbing a second. :-)

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The flavors she chose were Spice Cake with Vanilla Malt Frosting and Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting, w/ 3 dozen of each. The Spice Cake was appropriately garnished with a cinnamon stick (TRES CUTE!)…

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…while the Chocolate Cake w/ caramel frosting was garnished with the usual piece of fleur de sel caramel candy. The results were positive! They were much loved by all. The chocolate ones were demolished. There was one left towards the end of the evening, which Stef set aside to freeze for the 1-year-anniversary-tradition. There were a few spice cake cupcakes left since most got their fill on the chocolate option. Seriously, the chocolate-cupcake + salted-caramel combo is a crowd pleaser! For some reason, I'm always surprised at how quickly that one cleans up.

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So how 'bout that tiered mappy lookin' display there, eh? That was made by Stef, the bride herself. We found something online awhile ago about about a 3-tier cupcake display. If I remember correctly, some blogger girl (? I think??) was both selling kits, as well as giving instructions on how to do it yourself. I can't remember if Stef bought the kit or not... I'll have to ask her. But anyway, she put it together herself. She and her man, Steve, both majored in Geography-type studies in college. They share a LOOOOVE of maps. So we saw this online and obviously it was the winner. She made it, I just put the cupcakes on it. Cute, right? And quite a great idea. If you could get circular discs, this concept could be used for any number of occasions--all you have to change is the paper! BRILLIANT! The tiers were held with 2 pieces of corrugated cardboard, intersecting in the middle to create the cross-shaped sturdy support.

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So I guess all that's left to say is… Congratulations guys! I'm so happy for you! :-)

Popsicle Explosion!

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I'm obsessed w/ cupcakes on a regular basis, but for summer time, I'm also obsessed w/ popsicles. Not just regular popsicles though. I could care less about those. I'm talking FANCY popsicles. GOURMET popsicles. Unique combinations and glorious flavor explosions in a colorful shell. It's fun, but sophisticated. It's a chance to experiment, but without serious commitment. It's easy enough to do, but an intricate and intriguing recipe process. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

These are the popsicles sitting in my freezer right now. Of course, they're sitting on a lovely tray and I tried my best to create a lovely photoshoot. But the assortment is quite varied. Here's the color chart:

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I might even be so wild as to post some recipes soon. What do you think? Would you be all for it?

Valentine's Day Special!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching so I'm hopping in on the action! This holiday is nothing but perfect for indulging in ooey gooey sugary goodies. You know what that means... CUPCAKES.

So for those of you in Columbus (or in Columbus this weekend), I will be offering a special deal of 6 cupcakes (that's a half dozen) for $10. Whether it's for you and some friends, you and your bf/gf/husband/wife, or just for yourself, it's the perfect amount.


I will be baking these two kinds:

• red velvet cupcakes, vanilla malt frosting

• chocolate cupcakes, raspberry amaretto frosting

They will be ready after 1 pm on Saturday, Feb 14. Depending on how many orders I get and where you are located, we'll discuss details about pick-up/delivery.

If you're interested in this sweet deal, let me know SOOOON! But the deadline is by Thursday evening at 6 pm. That's the cut-off.

If you want to know more details, contact me via email. mlpenner@gmail.com

Heaven for sale. And by Heaven, I mean frosting.

Tasting frosting is like tasting chocolate. You don't just gobble it whole, oh no no. To fully experience the glory within the light, sugary fluff, you must taste it by itself. Take a small lick and let it sit on your tongue for a second. Then smooth it against the roof of your mouth to feel the textures and grind the flavors into your tastebuds. Let the aromas fill your nose. (okay, up close it might just smell like sugar, but give it a second, it'll kick in).

Oh, sweet luscious frosting. If it's truly good frosting, this little gesture will unlock a small but amazing moment of sheer bliss. Perhaps the bliss is the grainy texture--is it malt? Is it salt? Perhaps it's blissfully smooth and silky--it is creamy chocolate? good-enough-to-be-ice-cream strawberry? Or maybe it's a little spicy kick that's sweet at first, then "HELLO!"--it surprises you in the end with a little punch. Cinnamon? Cardamom?

Stick with me, baby. Frostings are an experience within themselves, and ideally, all experiences should be wonderful, right? That's where I come in.

I sell frosting. Delicious pint-sized containers of frosting for you to smooth onto cakes, cookies, or just your finger. A little tub of heavenly indulgence. Here are the details:

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Flavors Available:
• cream cheese: $10/pint
• vanilla malt: $12/pint
• amaretto: $10/pint
• chocolate fluff: $10/pint
• cinnamon cream cheese: $10/pint
• strawberry: $12/pint
• raspberry amaretto, aka True Love: $12/pint
• salty caramel: $12/pint
• chai spice: $12/pint
• cookies & cream: $10/pint

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Three days notice is all that is needed. The beauty in this is that the frostings have a shorter turn-around time.

Each pint will frost approximately 2 dozen cupcakes (that's 24 for you non-mathies). I say "approximately" b/c it all depends on how much you load up. I could easily frost 26--i know, i know, it's only two more cupcakes, but those two can make a difference!

Next time you need some frosting and don't want to choose between 5 different kinds of white and 4 kinds of chocolate out of a can in some aisle in the groc, come to me. Seek my help. Seriously, you will be delighted that you did.

sugarlush goes public.

i'm a bit of a cupcake connoisseur. most of the time, i'm a little let down. the cake's not moist enough. the icing's too thick and sugary. and what disappoints me most of the time: FLAVORS THAT ARE PROMISED BUT NOT DELIVERED.

i took matters into my own hands. we're lacking sophisticated, "couture" cupcakes here in columbus. i love to bake, so i've been practicing--JUST FOR YOU. i bake a mean cupcake, whether they're vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or carrot. BUT i make an even better frosting. i can't define it by any technical terms because it's my own creation--it's just a fluffy piece of heaven full of flavor and beauty. and if i say it's a certain flavor, it packs a whollop--not just a teaspoon of some sort of extract.

so let's talk guys. do you need cupcakes? yes. you do.

think about it. they're perfect individual portions. they're a little trendy but always a classic. they're fluffy and delicious and face it...they're really stinkin cute. whether you need them for a birthday, baby shower, trying to impress somebody, or just having a really bad craving, you should call me or email me. here's the details:

:::cake flavors:::
• vanilla (yellow)
• chocolate
• red velvet
• spice
• pumpkin
• brown sugar
• strawberry
• carrot

:::frostings, or as i like to say, where the magic happens:::
• cream cheese (basic)
• vanilla malt (a delicious twist on a classic)
• amaretto
• chocolate fluff
• chocolate ganache (a gorgeous, rich, smooth and oozy goo as opposed to big and fluffy)
• spicy chocolate ganache
• cinnamon cream cheese
• strawberry
• raspberry amaretto (SERIOUSLY, guys. this one is a real crowd pleaser.)
• salty caramel (also a very popular crowd pleaser)
• creamy citrus glaze (amazing on chocolate cupcakes)
• chai spice
• cookies & cream

other: caramel cheesecake with a chocolate chip cookie crust.

I need to know AT LEAST a week in advance. For orders of 4 dozen or more, I require two weeks notice.

I charge $15/dozen. it's more than kroger, yes, i know. It's a little over a dollar per cupcake, which is cheaper than most fancy, formal bakery places in town. PLUS, they're better. So it all evens out. For the amount of ingredients I use and the extra love and care that goes into each batch, it's worth every penny. I accept cash, check, or credit card. (yes, credit card. b/c my generation doesn't carry cash anymore.)

For extra special orders or expensive recipes, there will be an additional charge of $5-15. What does that mean? It means I need to go out and buy a lot of really expensive chocolate, I need to garish your lovely darlings with something special (fruit, candy bars, etc), that sort of thing. I'll let you know if you will incur this charge once I receive your request. contact info. email me at mlpenner@gmail.com xoxo, sugarlush.

pumpkin cupcakes w/ salted caramel frosting

Fall is approaching, and you know what that means...? PUMPKINS. More importantly, pumpkin food. Pumpkin DESSERTS. A few miles south of Columbus (my stomping grounds) there is a little town called Circleville, which is home of the official Circleville Pumpkin Show. For 4 days, it's nothing but serious pumpkin worship--pumpkin food of all sorts (from pizza to doughnuts to fudge) a Miss Pumpkin Show Queen contest, parades, pie eating contests, pumpkin toss contests, the list goes on and on. All in the name of pumpkins!!

One of our recent interns at work was originally from Circleville. She's a super sweet , super enthusiastic girl who is 110% proud of who she is and what she does. You know what that means? She's 110% WAAAAY into fall and WAAAY into pumpkins. She was pretty widely loved at work, so at the end of her second quarter with us, I decided to dedicate a round of baked goods to her. The results? Some really freakin amazing pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting.


Since I'm no baking expert (I just play one on tv! Hah! sorry, bad joke...) I googled pumpkin cupcakes and landed upon a promising recipe from none other than my personal hero, Martha Stewart. Say what you will about her, the woman knows her shit. She has built an incredible business empire doing what she's good at and what she loves and I admire her for that. So Martha, here I come, making your cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes
(straight from Martha Stewart Living...)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

So this recipe here, this recipe makes the best moist pumpkin cupcakes quite possibly on earth. The recipe, straight from Martha's website, also claims it makes a quantity of 18. Martha may be good in the kitchen, she may be a killer w/ the crafts and a pro with floral arrangements, but I'm starting to doubt Martha's ability to count. Since I was taking these cupcakes to work, I thought "Oh hey, I better double the batch so I can make sure to have enough! If i have a few left over for myself, then that's cool." Eighteen would've fallen a bit short b/c some days, the baked goods go fast! Well, I doubled it. I had a big freakin bowl FULL of pumpkin cupcake goo. So technically, this would've made somewhere around 36, right? Maybe a little more, a little less? AW HELL NO. I got 42 cupcakes AND A SMALL CAKE!!!! If I hadn't used the batter for a cake, i would've easily gotten at least 48-50 cupcakes. HOLY MOLY. Well, at least I'd have plenty to bring to work! (and then stash away to stuff my face at a later date...)

Well the cupcakes need a frosting and Martha's recipe merely mentioned a cream cheese frosting. I was on my own. Which is okay, b/c I'm pretty confident when it comes to making crazytown frosting. A salted caramel frosting sounded like the perfect match, and I was SOOO RIGHT. THEY WERE SO GOOD.

The salted caramel frosting is made w/ a homemade caramel sauce. I stumbled across the recipe several months ago on a dearly beloved and now defunct blog, Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit. The full instructions are as follows:

Salted Caramel

4 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

1. Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the sugar is incorporated.
3. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
5. Do not stir from this point on, but it is important to carefully shake the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.
6. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
7. *** This is the dangerous part *** Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Wear oven mitts, stand away from the pan, and be careful. The mixture will bubble up significantly.
8. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
9. Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes.

Note: There was a small bit of extra caramel that I poured onto a small plate that I covered in aluminum foil and greased with vegetable oil. I transferred the plate to the freezer for about 30 minutes. I chopped the caramel quickly into squares (its starts to get soft) and topped each cupcake with a square.

Salted Caramel Frosting

2 sticks butter
8 ounces or 1 package of Philly cream cheese
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
1 cup salted caramel

1. Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
2. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
3. Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
4. Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.
5. Sift 2-3 cups of powder sugar, in 1 cup increments and beating between each, until you arrive at the thickness and sweetness you desire. I used 6 cups. The frosting wasn’t super thick, but it was starting to get pretty sweet.

I accidentally burnt my first batch of caramel, which may have been a blessing in disguise. You gotta work w/ this stuff FAST FAST FAST. So b/c I was bringing them to work and had a reputation to uphold, I made a better batch of caramel. I used it all in the frosting, and thought it needed a little more carameliness. That's when I added a few tablespoons of the burnt caramel which actually helped punch the caramel flavor through the sometimes-too-sweet confectionary sugar. So it all turned out okay! WOO HOO!! I also probably didn't use the full 5-6 cups of sugar. Well, maybe 5, but quite possibly a bit less. I hate that the flavors get lost b/c confectionary sugar is so strongly sweet--it tends to mask the glorious flavors its' working with. I would rather have a gooey frosting full of delicious flavor than something that resembles a perfectly fluffy buttercream that just tastes like a sugar pile!

Overall, the cupcakes were a huge success. The next weekend I made the same things for my dad's birthday, and only made ONE batch, which still yielded 27 cupcakes instead of the supposed 18. Mom and Dad loved them. So seriously, give this one a try. They're amazing.