The Marshmallow Test

In recent weeks I have seen the story of the Marshmallow Test burning up the internet. Do you know of this study conducted by one of the psychology professors at Stanford back in the '60's? The basic premise was a child left alone in a room with a plate of sweets in front of him/her to see how he/she would react. A researcher would tell the child he needed to leave the room for about 15 minutes but before he went, he instructed the child to pick a treat from the plate (which included marshmallows). The child was told that he could either eat the marshmallow right away OR if he could wait until the researcher came back, he would get two marshmallows. The study was developed to identify the mental processes that caused some people to delay gratification while others simply ceded.



Of course, the kids who participated in the study demonstrated all sorts of behavior. While some were able to wait and receive the promised two marshmallows, others dove into the plate straight away and ate everything on it, others ate small bites of the goodies and put them back on the plate hoping no one would notice, and so on and so on. The study gets really interesting though when the researchers started to look into what happened to these kids about 20 years later. What they found was that those children who were able to wait for the researcher to return - the delayed gratifiers - were more successful in their lives than those who were not able to delay their gratification. Those kids "seemed more likely to have behavioral problems, both in school and at home. They got lower S.A.T. scores. They struggled in stressful situations, often had trouble paying attention, and found it difficult to maintain friendships." For more on The Marshmallow Test, click here.



I'd like to think I would have been one of the kids who was able to wait and get the 2 marshmallows instead of one. But I have always had a bit of a sweet tooth, especially when it comes to marshmallows. And lo and behold was I thrilled when I learned of the Daring Bakers' Challenge for July cause I have always had a thing for Mallomars - a beloved childhood treat that I haven't seen anywhere on these shores!



The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network. We were given the choice to make either recipe, or for the more daring (and those with time to kill), both.

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies
Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies (note: I thirded the recipe and ended up with about 30 cookies!)
• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.



I decided to make 4 varieties of Mallomars (or Mallows as they are called in the Daring Bakers' Challenge). The Classic, The Elvis (with a blob of peanut butter sandwiched between the marshmallow and chocolate glaze), The Obama (with a square of white chocolate hidden under the chocolate glaze) and The Cherry Kookoo a/k/a The Courtney Love (which sports a maraschino cherry at its center). They completely lived up to my childhood memories of these delectable cookies; who knew they were so easy to make at home yourself?

Speaking of Courtney Love, I doubt she would have been one of the kids who deferred gratification. But that's just my humble opinion of the gal - lord knows she's had a rough life. She looks like she could use a Mallomar or 20 these days. And hey, no need to wait, I've got a plate baked up fresh......

Just a reminder: Iron Cupcake Earth Herbs Challenge is now open for voting. Why don't you skidaddle on over there and vote for my luscious Lavender Loves Lemon Celebration cupcakes?

Apple Strudel - A Daring Bakers' Challenge

When I worked in advertising, I spent a lot of time on the road traveling. Travel to meet our customers, travel to see our Clients, travel to shoot the ads, travel to get feedback on the ads, etc., etc. It's kind of ironic cause if you know me, you're aware I have a pretty serious fear of flying. And even more ironic, I worked for some time on the international side of the United Airlines and Star Alliance accounts, which meant LOTS of flying!

A great perk of the job was that we were usually able to travel first-class, except for that one time when the flight to Buenos Aires was full and the Client I was traveling with spent the entire 16 hour flight in the jump seat used by the attendants on take-off and landing. Did I mention we had to make an emergency stop in Jamaica to let off a sick passenger? Did I mention I hate flying?



One of the most memorable places I visited during this time was Vienna. I was only able to see a bit of the city in between our meetings but it certainly is a beautiful place and one I have always wanted to return to. While there, we ate lots of wiener schnitzel and apple strudel so I was excited when I learned of this Daring Bakers' challenge. The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

I was a bit intimidated when I read about the dough-making process - the dough needs to be rolled so thin you can see through it, but it all worked out pretty well in the end. I reduced the recipe down to cupcake form and was happy enough with the results; I made a simple apple-cherry version. The end-product is a light, slightly sweet dessert (okay, not sweet enough to my tastes) that would pair nicely with some vanilla ice cream or maybe caramel sauce. The hubby and I enjoyed it as an accompaniment to our usual pre-bed tisane.



Here's the recipe for those of you who want to try this at home (Note: for the cupcake version, once the dough had rested and was ready to go, I cut it into approximately 36 5-inch squares. I layered these in 3s in the individual cupcake tins being sure to brush each layer with melted butter - see pic below. Then I filled them and put a small pat of butter on top of each. They baked for 24 minutes).



Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum (I substituted vanilla bean infused vodka)
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins (I left out the raisins and instead added 1/4 cup of chopped, pitted cherries)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking) (I cut mine in small cubes since the baking time would be reduced and I wanted them to cook through)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.



5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Check out more Daring Bakers' apple strudel creations here.

She's My Cherry Pie Brownie Cupcakes

Baking for me is usually a solitary activity (unless my son is around -- he likes to measure out the ingredients and of course, lick the bowl) and a fairly relaxing one. I usually don't have my computer too far away and I randomly select songs to listen to from my music downloads or youtube when baking. Oftentimes, I'll get a song stuck in my head that either has to do with one of the ingredients I'm using or the theme of the cupcakes I'm making. The Valentine's Day orders have already started coming in and 2 of the songs that have not escaped me are "Poison Arrow" by ABC (really not a great idea to be thinking about poison while baking for other people, methinks!) and "Boum" by Charles Trenet.

If you read my blog often, you know I make lots of references to late'80's/early '90's music (I know, I know, a really bad transitional time for music -- post disco/pre-grunge) but those were my teen years and so what are you gonna do? Lately, I have been catching up with old classmates, friends, barmates and even exes on facebook, and have been reminiscing about all the old days -- big shoulder pads, big hair, lots of black eyeliner, etc. Lots of the music from those days has been in heavy rotation in my kitchen as I think about these wild and crazy times. So where am I going with all this? Well, I recently came across a blog called elly says opa! and their "Eat to the Beat" installment where bakers blog about food that has been inspired by a particular song or artist. Whoa Nelly (yes, I also listen to Nelly Furtado) was this an event for me!



And here is where this all comes together...I've seen cherries springing up in all the markets lately and they happen to be one of my favorite fruits! I can't help but think of that genius of a song, Cherry Pie by Warrant, when I see them. I mean how is this for lyrics?:

Swingin in the living room
Swingin' in the kitchen
Most folks don't
Cause they're too busy bitchin'
Swingin' in there
Cause she wanted me to feed her
So I mixed up the batter
And she licked the beater

I scream, you scream,
We all scream for her
Don't even try
Cause you can't ignore her

CHORUS
She's my cherry pie
Cool drink of water
Such a sweet surprise
Tastes so good make a grown man cry
Sweet cherry pie
Oh yeah

As I said, G-E-N-I-U-S!

Anyway, that's the story of the inspiration behind these cupcakes -- a chocolate brownie cupcake filled with cherry jam and topped with whipped cream. They "taste so good (they'll) make a grown man cry"! Pls. feel free to leave me a comment telling me who you like to cook to and if an artist or song has ever inspired you to create a new dish. Enjoy!

She’s My Cherry Pie Brownie Cupcakes
(adapted from a recipe by Coco&Me/Chocolate and Zucchini Luxury Brownies, and inspired by Jani Lane and the big-haired boys from Warrant)

- 4 ozs. unsalted butter, diced
- 2 bars good bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- A good pinch of salt
- 1 1/4 cups unrefined cane sugar
- 3 eggs

Yields about 18 cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F) and place cupcake liners in two muffin tins.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler (or just a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water), stirring regularly to ensure even melting. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In the meantime, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs in one by one, whisking well after each addition. Incorporate the flour mixture, working gently with a spatula, until very little visible trace of flour remains; do not overwork the dough as you don't want it too cakey.

Fill cupcake molds 2/3rds full and level the surfaces if needed. Fill any empty cupcake molds halfway with water.

Bake for about 18 minutes, checking regularly for doneness. The top of cupcakes should crack a bit and the top should feel springy to the touch. You want to cook them until a toothpick inserted in center comes out just a little liquidy and crumby (if the batter is very thick on the toothpick and the entire cupcake pulls up as you remove it, it still needs additional cooking). Do not over-bake. Let cool on a wire rack.

For filling:
I used Bonne Maman Cerise Griottes jam. You can use any cherry jam, jelly or even pie filling that you like. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, carefully cut a cone shape out of the top and set to the side. Fill each cupcake with 1-2 tablespoons cherry filling and replace tops.

For whipped cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract

Place cream in a large bowl, whip until cream is slightly thickened. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until cream forms soft peaks. Don't whip beyond the soft-peak stage, because the cream will get stiff and curdle.

Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days in an airtight container. Top with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry just before serving.

** UPDATE ** See all the mouth-watering, creative entries the chefs came up with at this 4th and sadly, final installment of Eat to the Beat on elly says opa!

Note: CHERRY PIE LYRICS are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels and Little Miss Cupcake in no way takes copyright, or claims the lyrics belong to her.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

How do I love thee, sweet cupcake? Let me count the ways.....From 1 - 16 February, Little Miss Cupcake will be serving up some enchanting new flavor combinations to treat your sweet (tooth or heart) for Valentine's Day.



Looking to put some sizzle back in your true love's step? Try our Kiss Kiss Bang Bang cupcake: a red velvet cupcake topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting and a red white chocolate heart. For extra bang, ask for your icing "red hot" -- kicked up a notch with cinnamon.



When you are in love, you see life through rose-colored lenses. Make your St. Valentine's more rosy with our La Vie en Rose cupcake: a pink champagne cupcake topped with swirled white chocolate and raspberry buttercream. A sweet red strawberry is baked in at its center.



Heart racing? Butterflies in your tummy? No worries, sounds like you just got a taste of our Cupid's Arrow: A chocolate-swirled vanilla cupcake topped with a layer of chocolate glaze and cherry buttercream. Chocolate candy hearts on top add some sweetness to Cupid's sting.

For sale in boxes of 12 (4 of each flavor), available on a first call, first serve basis for 30,00 euro. Limited delivery available in Western Paris. All others, pick-up only.

For Every Occasion, A Cupcake. This one tagged a romantic night for sweet lovers on St. Valentine's Day!

Yours Truly,
Little Miss Cupcake

Related Post: Cupcakes Take the Cake Valentine's Day Round-Up