Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Today I learned the real difference between cupcakes and muffins. I can certainly tell the difference between cupcakes and muffins once I have one in my mouth (if there is any question to begin with), but I never took the time to actually define them individually. This is what I've learned.

Cupcakes are typically frosted and decorated, though this is not necessary. An unfrosted cupcake is still a cupcake. It does not equate to a muffin simply because it is naked. Cupcakes are also stuffed to the gills with butter and sugarsugarsugar (you know, like cake). Cupcakes are simply individual portions of cake and are typically eaten for dessert or a sweet treat and not breakfast (unless you happen to be me). Cupcakes have a high ratio of sugar and fat.

Muffins, on the other hand, are a form of quick bread, not cake. Muffins generally have a very small amount of butter (if any) and very little sugar. Although muffins can be topped with a glaze or crumble, this does not make them cupcakes, even if it may make them slightly more unhealthy. Muffins are typically eaten at breakfast or tea time. You would rarely find muffins being served at a birthday party or wedding (could you even imagine?). Muffins have a very low ratio of sugar and fat, making them healthier than cupcakes which is why it is okay to eat them for breakfast.

But, if you ask me, I think my local grocery stores could do with a bit of a lesson. Am I honestly supposed to believe a double chocolate chocolate chip muffin is really a muffin? Are rich and cakey banana nut muffins (with half a pound of buttery crumble topping) not cupcakes? Do they really have a low fat/sugar content? I have doubts. So my lesson for you is to be careful and watchful of the differences. Since few people are actually aware of the differences (most people believe that an unfrosted cupcake classifies as a muffin), you might be stuffing yourself with cupcakes for breakfast. Chances are that if you didn't make that muffin yourself, it may not be a muffin after all.

These cranberry chocolate chip cupcakes are a play on the concept of sweet and tart. The bitter cranberries are contrasted well against the sweetness of the chocolate chips. These have a texture similar to a muffin rather than a cake, but there is enough sugar and chocolate so you can't pretend they are terribly healthy. However, the cupcakes themselves are rather light and will leave you wanting just a little bit more.

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Chocolate Truffles

Moving has always been a bittersweet process for me. It is an ending as much as a beginning, the close of one chapter of my life and the opening of another. In the last five years, I have moved 14 times. Between summer internships, studying abroad, attending university, and moving back home for a month here or there, it adds up. Even as I sit here writing this, I still find it hard to believe. 14 times? How is that even possible?

3 countries, 7 cities, 5 years.

Every time I move, I acquire new things to add to my life, whether it be a new pair of shoes, a new tart pan, or a new set of clothes. Every time I move, I have to leave small parts of my life behind. My suitcase is a fixed size. If something new stays, something old must go. To make room for who I have become, I must part with some of the older pieces of myself. It might be a pair of beat up sneakers that were worn when I backpacked through Europe. An overused cookie sheet that produced such baked love during its lifetime. A favorite dress that fit when I was ten pounds lighter.

My suitcase has grown to represent change. Certainly a suitcase embodies an inherent change in setting, of people and places. But for me, my suitcase represents a very deep and personal level of change. My entire life fits neatly into that suitcase. All of my material possessions are held within its zippered walls. Every time I pack it, it shows me a visual representation of the objects that have grown to define me, that I have chosen to define myself. My suitcase shows me where I have been and who I have become.

Tomorrow I must say farewell to Montréal to follow my pastry dreams. For once, I'm not ready to leave. I feel like I have unfinished business. I fell in love with this city and the people and culture that surround it. Montreal allowed me to realize my heart wasn't in studying physics. It let me embrace my passion for baking and all things sweet. It gave me a taste of city life and forced me to learn a little French. I think I will miss the metro commutes and the intimate greetings, with a kiss on each cheek, from both strangers and friends most of all.

I have said goodbye to my wonderful friends, my suitcase is packed, and a new chapter of my life is just visible on the horizon. It is time to move on.

I am thankful memories and experiences pack lightly.

Au revoir, Montréal. Vous serez manqué.

Chocolate truffles represent much of my current emotions. Though truffles are undeniably decadent, they hold a bittersweet quality. You must break through the bitter, unsweetened cocoa exterior before you can reach the smooth, sweet chocolate interior. Or, in so many words, I have to say my final goodbyes to Montréal, however sad or bitter they may be, before I can embark on a new adventure, a journey filled with sweetness and sugar. So make these truffles to share with friends and family or send them to loved ones far away. Truffles travel well.

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Candy Striped Meringues

I got into an argument with a squirrel. Not just any squirrel, but the very same cheeky bugger that stole my spatula. Even with all of my verbal acuity and panache for pronunciation, I was defeated. I lost a battle of wits to a squirrel.

Let me explain.

I left a very small bag of garbage hanging out on the balcony. I didn't think much of it, until Mr. Squirrel walked his way around the balcony railing. He was cold and shivering and looked at me with such hopeless eyes that my heart reached out to him. For a brief moment, I seriously considered inviting him for a cup of tea. So when Mr. Squirrel started pawing his way through the trash bag, I almost encouraged him.

That is, until I realized he was going to make a mess.

By then, he had sliced open the bottom of the bag and spilled out graham cracker crumbs. I politely knocked on the door and asked him to leave. He dashed off and I returned to working in the kitchen. I saw him approach out of the corner of my eye, creeping along the balcony's ledge once again. I knocked on the door just as he was back to prancing about in the garbage. This time he didn't scamper off. He looked me dead in the eyes, picked up a banana peel and threw it across the balcony, as if to say What are you going to do about that?

I gasped. He tossed around some egg shells with an air of nonchalance. I was being taunted by a squirrel! I opened the balcony door and yelled at him. He scampered off looking terrified. I felt smug. That's right, Mr. Squirrel, run away, run away.

I underestimated the intelligence of Mr. Squirrel.

Instead of approaching along the balcony's edge (where he knew I'd see him), he trudged silently through the deep snow, keeping out of sight. He was back to making a royal mess. When I finally spotted him, I flung open the balcony door and let out a yell that would make Tarzan proud. Mr. Squirrel glanced up from his meal, but couldn't be bothered to move. I made loud warrior noises. Mr. Squirrel went back to munching. I pleaded a solid argument as to why he should leave using full and complete sentences. He didn't even look my way. Mr. Squirrel made it clear that he was going to do whatever he pleased and there was nothing I could do about it.

And that, my friends, is how I lost a battle of wits to a squirrel. He took away my spatula and then he took away my pride.

I flavored my candy striped meringues with a bit of almond extract. Like a good meringue, the cookies are crunchy with a soft interior. The chocolate ganache filling perfectly complements the almond meringues, providing the meringue sandwiches with a smooth texture. These cookies are small and gorgeous and so easy to make. I dare you not to eat 12 in one sitting.

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