Have you ever experienced a week where by Friday, you just wanted to crawl back into bed, hit the damn reset button and try it all over again starting at the alarm going off on Monday morning?
No?
Welcome to my life as of August 8th.
It was a typical Monday. Not too good, not too bad, just…eh, Monday. There wasn’t one thing that resonated off the charts that made me think “hmm, this week is totally going blow, I just know it.” but it was…different.
Tuesday rolled around and it began. Mrs. Darby Doll’s husband had a horrible flu bug that made him (and the rest of us) miserable. He was uncomfortable and moody all day. By nightfall he was in so much pain, I made the executive decision to drag him, kicking and screaming into the ER.
Fast Forward to Wed afternoon, Mr. Darby Doll is in emergency surgery for an appendicitis, that when all was said and done, wasn’t. The docs don’t quite know what was wrong with him because when the went to rip his appendix out, it was normal, but what the hell, the took it anyways (you don’t really need it…right? Right?).
I get stressed, I bake. Baking makes my life complete. Its like yoga with the Kitchen Aid. The relaxing whine of the mixer engine doing its job making the best stuff on earth.
What is the best stiff on earth you ask?
Cupcakes.
Salted Caramel Cupcakes* to be honest.
A few weeks back I made a grown up version of Krispie Treats with salted caramel. They were quite amazing (recipe for that soon…). But there is something about a cupcake that makes you revert back to your earliest memories of childhood. The smallness and sweetness that is so huge yet wrapped up in an adorable four-bite package.
If you are like me, you savor the cupcake and eat from the bottom up, as the frosting is, well, like the icing on the cake. The whole reason you came for.
With these cupcakes, although I am tempted to follow my normal routine, I allow myself to get every sweet and savory morsel of flavor in each bite. The pay off is astounding.
Make these. Eat these. And be at peace.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla, pure is the only way to go.
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons salted butter cubed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar