Day 14: S'mores Cupcakes

I can't believe I actually got these to look like the ones in the cookbook! Just like yours Isa & Terry! I hope you're proud!

Even though they look nice (in my opinion), I still ran into some obstacles during the baking process. First, I was worried that I had left the wet ingredients out too long. I measured everything out, combined them in a bowl, and then left the table for a good 1/2 hour to 45 mins to try to cut a mouse out of a sticky trap. Baking's all about the chemical reactions, so sometimes timing can be a crucial factor in making good desserts. I was really glad I hadn't added the dry ingredients in as well. Otherwise, I'm sure my cupcakes would have been a sloppy disaster. Oh, and about the mouse...

So, I live in West Philly. I rent out a room in an old Victorian house that's been here since people first started developing it as a suburb of old Philadelphia. Probably since the 1800s. Old house = mice. It's just a fact of living in a neighborhood like this. And to tell you the truth, I really don't mind them. I think they're cute. I just make sure I pack my food away in containers and stow them in my cabinets. But my roommate's been a little squeamish about them since one of them nibbled on her bagels. So I bought a humane mousetrap and baited it with a rice cracker smeared with peanut butter. But today, a different roommate saw a mouse in her bathroom run for cover in a sticky trap the landlord had set down a few months ago to take care of roaches. I tried the best that I could to remove it, but the poor thing stopped breathing before I could finish. So to everyone reading this, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not use sticky traps! Whatever gets caught in it struggles and suffers for a long time before it dies. And moreover, if you're feeling particularly humane today, you should opt for alternatives that let you and other animals that share your living space co-exist!

RIP little grey mouse.

Don't worry. I washed my hands thoroughly with hot water and lots of soap before I continued to handle food. And if you're still grossed out by the fact that I touched a mouse, washed, and then touched food, I'm pretty sure you touch things that are much worse and put them in contact with your mouth, nose, or eyes without even thinking about it, especially if you take public transit, so get over it.

Barrier #2 was that when I put the batter into the oven, I forgot to set the oven timer. I didn't realize this until some time had passed, and I couldn't remember when I had put the tin in. So I kept opening and closing the oven to stick a toothpick in the cupcakes, which made them kind of sink instead of rising to a nice dome. Also, I think I overbaked them by a bit, making the tops really crunchy.

Despite all this, they still turned out pretty nice.

S'mores cupcakes topped with buttercream frosting, graham cracker crumbs, shaved dark chocolate from Papua New Guinea (it's really not that fancy...it's from Trader Joe's), and a graham cracker square.