Fudge Cupcakes and The Key to Happiness!

You may have noticed that my blog has been left unattended for a short while.  Life for me now is a little ruffled around the edges.  In fact I am having to just step back a bit and regroup myself.  It is not anything earth shattering for that matter, but when it’s happening to you it seems that you are in it all alone.  I am struggling though with several things that mean a lot to me.   Along with those few things that are very personal the end of the school year has been busier than usual.  My dearest friend, my go to person when everything is falling apart around me retired from teaching.  I hosted along with seven other friends a celebration for her many years of dedication and love of teaching.  I am going to miss her.  She and I have taught together at the same schools for thirty years.  I cannot imagine my school day without her there.  Of course there are others that will no longer be there to share my day, too.  It’s sad for me.

More celebrating was done at the annual pool party that SC hosts every year and then topped with several relaxing days at the lake with my book club friends.  I had some time to reflect.   Then within three days I have attended two funerals for some very dear mothers of two of my friends.  And I haven’t even had two weeks of vacation!   Now my issues seem so insignificant in the scheme of things.  But, I have been cooking and definitely partaking in some comfort food.  None of which has seemed to be blog worthy to me or it could be that I just didn’t want to write about it.  What ever the case might be blogging just has not happened.  Sadness has  stopped me in my tracks.  As I sit here and write this I am reminded of what my now “retired” friend told me many years ago, “No one else can make you happy.  You have to make yourself happy!”

So here you go.  Stop reading all those books on how to find true happiness.  Just get yourself in the kitchen.  This recipe will make you happy and all those that you choose to share it with will be happy, too.  It’s delightful!  It is a “to die for dessert”.  Right out of the oven it resembles a dark chocolate souffle.  Serve it immediately by cutting an X in the middle and pouring in some luscious creme anglaise and indulge yourself with each wonderful spoonful.  Or wait until the next day serving it with hot coffee while bird watching on the deck.  Even better than that top it with vanilla ice cream and enjoy it while sitting in the rocker on your front porch enjoying the cool breeze on a summer afternoon.  Now that’s happiness!

Fudge Cupcakes  from Gracious Goodness    

Serves 12  ( I made 16)

• 1 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 1 cup margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine flour, sugar and eggs by hand.  DO NOT beat.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan and stir in nuts.
3. Combine the sugar mixture with the chocolate mixture with vanilla by hand.  Blend DO NOT beat.
4. Pour into paper-lined muffin tins, and bake at 325 degrees for 28 – 30 minutes.   I took mine out at 28 minutes.

These are fabulous both right out of the oven or several days later!

Happy Cooking,

The Teacher Cooks