Fast Food Fun

Cupcake Buns + Brownie Burgers + Cookie Fries = One Happy Meal!

Or many…



I can hardly stand how cute these little guys are. You've probably seen them around before. I know I have. Cupcakes Take The Cake has featured cute ones. But, they are even cuter in person as I discovered this weekend. Oh my gawd… they just make me want to smile. I switched mine up a little by doing the burger out of brownies. But, you can just as easily make chocolate cupcakes and cut them in thirds to use instead. And if you want more realistic lettuce, tint some coconut (yuck) green.

I really decided to make these when I thought about making a meal out of them for Father's Day, complete with sugar cookie french fries. I wasn't sure if they would turn out, but I am so thrilled with the end result. Actually, I think the fries might be my favorite part.

Before I started baking, I made a template for a miniature paper box tray and french fry holder. You can download the 4-page pdf (636 KB) here if you want it. The pdf contains the tray template, french fry holder template (blank & with Happy Father's Day). It also includes the design for the Happy Father's Day tissue paper.



I printed the tray template on card stock (heavier weight paper), the french fry template on vellum (semi-transparent paper) and the tissue insert on tracing paper (really thin paper from Canson Art pad).

All three paper weights went through my printer fine - one sheet at a time to be safe. But, if you're unsure about running the tracing paper through your printer, then just use regular plain white tissue paper.

Cut out the shapes as shown in the picture above with scissors or a sharp blade. Then fold along all the printed lines. Use double-sided tape to secure the flaps. Cut the tissue paper in half and place in the tray print side down.

Now, for the baking. Keeping with the fast food fun theme, I went all mixes on these. That's right. I said mixes. For the cookies, brownies and the cupcakes. Don't cringe.

You know I love learning to bake new things from scratch because it's really empowering and satisfying and it usually tastes better, too. But, before a couple of years ago, I did all my baking from a box and really don't have a problem using a mix. There, I said it. I feel better now.



So, I picked up several kinds.

The brownies baked first in a 13 X 9 pan. You don't need any help there.

The cookies came next. I wanted to do rolled sugar cookies and luckily Mrs. Crocker offered some tips on how to convert the mix for better results.



Except I didn't do the whole floured surface thing. I used parchment paper underneath and on top of the dough. Then I rolled it out with a rolling pin using rubber band spacers attached to ensure an even thickness. This is a really handy trick and so not messy. I got these tips from the book, Cookie Craft. If you want to learn more about rolled sugar cookies, it's great.



See… perfectly even dough and a clean surface.

Here's where I started experimenting, but it worked out pretty well.



Cut the dough in thin strips with a sharp knife and then a long cut down the center. The varied lengths are fine because you don't want all your french fries exactly the same size. Remove the alternating strips so it won't bake into one giant blob. (Reserve dough strips and repeat) Sprinkle sugar on top of the dough. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

These spread more than I had hoped they would for rolled sugar cookies. I know. I know. The mix thing. But, no problem. Just take your knife and cut each "steak fry" down the center for "skinny fries." Do this right when they come out of the oven. Sprinkle more sugar on top while they are still warm, too. Lightly rub it on to make sure it sticks good.

And voila……



A big pile of fries. Yum! Try not to eat too many before you serve them. You can't eat just one. Trust me.

Next up… cupcakes. I made these the next morning to spread out the work.

Boxes, brownies, and fries on one day. Cupcakes and decorating the next.



I baked 24 cupcakes using a yellow cake mix. I also exchanged 1 cup of buttermilk instead of the water. It made them nice and yummy. To test, I greased and floured one 12-cup cupcake tray and used Pam on the second. I wanted my buns to have smooth sides, you know. Well, they came out smooth, but also brown.

You can see what's coming.

Yes. Yes. I made 24 more cupcakes. This time I used milk instead of water. No reason. Just to try it.



They were good, too. And this time I used paper liners to ensure the right color cupcake bun.



Now it's time to assemble. Cut each cooled cupcake in half or thirds depending on how tall it is. Cut out 24 circles from the completely cooled brownies and place in between the cupcake bun.
I used my ever so handy graduated circle cutters to do the trick. Size 2" for uniform burgers.

Then… and this might be the most important thing.

Take a break and dispose of the scraps……



… You'll figure something out.

Next up. Frostings.



Divide the canned frosting in three bowls. Two can have equal amounts for the mustard and ketchup. The third - a little more for the lettuce. The colors I used to tint were, Wilton Leaf Green, Wilton Golden Yellow, and Americolor Super Red.



Perty!



To make the red a little deeper, use a tiny bit of violet when you mix. Place each color in a ziploc bag and snip a small tip off one corner.



Gently squeeze out the mustard and ketchup first. Then the lettuce in more of a squiggly design. Place the top of the bun on and press gently.

Now for the finishing touch. Brush a very thin layer of water over the top of the bun or either dab a few drops of water on with your finger. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and they'll stick.

There you have it.



Brownie Burger Cupcakes



And Sugar Cookie French Fries.



A perfectly sweet meal for Dad's day or any day.



And, if you use this template, there's a blank french fry holder in it. Use it and you can serve these for a family cookout or Fourth of July party.



People will go crazy for them, don't you think.



Man, that's one good looking burger. So thick … and…



Tasty, too! Hope you like them.

Now, I'm curious. When it comes to mixes, how do you roll?
Use them? Refuse them? Or improve them?

Hey Y'all!

My cake fell … and it was fantastic! Actually, it was supposed to fall. It's a recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that I used straight from the pages of Paula Deen's Chocolate Celebration Magazine.



I bought this publication several months ago mainly because of the cover… Chocolate and Paula… you can't go wrong there. But, to be honest I haven't made anything from it until this Saturday. I've looked at it a bunch of times and made notes of all the recipes I want to try, but nothing until now.

So, this weekend, I finally decided to go for her Deep Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake Recipe because I've never made a flourless cake before and I was intrigued.
I mean, it must be pretty good if someone would make it instead of the one on this cover.



You'll need a 9-inch springform pan. It has a latch on the side that helps you release the cake. Because there's no turning this one upside down to get it out.

Place some parchment paper on the bottom so it hangs over. Close the latch to hold the paper in place and secure the sides. You'll also want to spray the paper with some non-stick cooking spray just to be safe.

After your pan is ready, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Separate 6 large eggs. Yolks in one bowl and egg whites in another. Set aside.



You'll also need 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate and 4 oz. dark chocolate. Break it up in a large bowl and add 2 sticks of butter (thank you Paula!). Melt in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.

Whisk in 1 1/4 cups sugar until combined.

Then add the six egg yolks to the chocolate and sugar mixture, one at a time, whisking after each addition.



Now, in a medium bowl, beat the six egg whites on high with an electric mixer. Beat it for several minutes until stiff peaks form.



Then, gently fold your egg white mixture into the melted chocolate mixture until combined. Pour it in your pan and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.



It will rise pretty high in the oven, but when you take it out to cool, it will fall. And fall hard. Yay!

Let it cool one hour on the counter and then for at least four hours in the refrigerator before you release it from the springform pan.



And, when you finally do… it will be worth the wait. I didn't really know what the texture of the inside would be like, but oh my… it was glorious.

Rich and dense and fudgey! Definitely one for true chocolate lover's. And, If you don't like things too rich, then stay away. Stay far, far away!



I also sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top to finish it off.



Okay, a lot!



Here's what it's supposed to look like. Mine had a few more cracks, but I was completely and utterly happy with it.


But, wait a minute… let me tell you the real reason I made this cake from Paula's magazine.

There was a slim chance I was going to be able to meet Paula on Sunday (thanks to my friend Ted and help from someone on her team) and I wanted to have one of her dessert recipes under my belt if I did. You know, in case we had a moment to chit chat and talk about butter and stuff. Yeah, right!

She was speaking at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Atlanta, and to be honest, I really didn't think I would get to meet her…



Or get a picture taken with her. Hey, Paula!

My mom and I were so thrilled. She is every bit as beautiful and funny and nice as she is on TV. (And I do mean funny. We also had the opportunity to hear her speak later on and she had the whole place laughing.)



We also met her son, Bobby. Yummy!!! I mean, he was really nice.

Later on, we even met her other yummy, I mean really nice son, Jamie. Unfortunately, I spazzed and didn't get a picture of him. But, he did help me out with something.

Something I think you'll like.



See this cookbook. I bought it last minute at the show. (Sorry, her brand new one was sold out.)

But, that's okay, because look what Jamie got his mom to do for me just minutes before she went on stage to speak.



Yep, that's her signature. And, it gets even better.

I'm giving it away! The book… signature and all. Who wants it?

Seriously, at first, I thought I would keep it, and then, I thought… I would keep it! Then, I decided it would be much more fun to give it away. Besides, it could be a great Mother's Day present for someone. And, don't feel bad, I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that I can get another copy for myself later.

Better hurry and enter… The winner will be chosen Monday night.

(TIME'S UP. WINNER ANNOUNCED BELOW)
Enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of
Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics Cookbook

• Leave a comment on this post and tell me why you want it, why you love Paula, why you love butter, or heck, just say "hey, y'all!"
• Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
• Deadline to enter is Monday, April 20th at 6:00 p.m. (recorded by the comment time stamp)
• The winner will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Monday evening on this post.

* One winner will be chosen at random, using random.org's integer generator.

Good luck.


More links:
Paula Deen's Chocolate Celebration
Paula Deen's The Deen Family Cookbook - NEW!
Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics Cookbook
Springform Pans
And, Paula's also on Twitter. Go say hey y'all!


Yay, we have a winner!
Who's it going to be random integer generator?
Me. Me. Me. ……… No. No. No.

It's comment #598!


Congrats Angela… Today is your lucky day!