Blondie has done it again. At midnight on Friday, October 21st, Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album titled Midnights, becoming the first artist in history to occupy the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album takes listeners through a journey of “terrors and sweet dreams,” as the collection of songs she’s written at midnight reveal the triumphs and failures of romance, reaching the understanding that “I’m the problem” (it’s me), and of course, karma.
The album has made its second debut across social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where users and fans are putting their own creative twist on Taylors’ whitty lyrics. What better way to celebrate the birth of Taylor’s new era than Midnights inspired food and drinks!
Don’t give a d*mn what people say, try this Lavender Champagne!
What you’ll need:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp dried lavender
- 4 bottles (750)ml dry Champagne or sparkling wine
- Fresh lavender sprigs, for garnish
Directions:
- Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in dried lavender. Remove from heat. Let cool completely. Strain out lavender. Refrigerate syrup until ready to serve (up to 1 month).
- Pour about 6 ounces Champagne and 1 1/2 teaspoons syrup into each flute. Garnish each with a lavender sprig.
We lost track of time again, enjoying these Red Velvet Cookies!
What you’ll need:
- Red Velvet Cookie Mix
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup red sanding sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350, mix together ingredients according to directions on red velvet cookie mix
- Pour ½ cup red sanding sugar into a small shallow bowl. Divide dough into 16 equal portions (about 3 Tbsp. each) and roll each portion into a ball. Roll each ball in sanding sugar to evenly coat, then divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2″ apart.
- Cook for 12-14 minutes, let cool for 5 minutes
We’re falling like snow on a beach for these shimmery Vanilla Cupcakes!
What you’ll need:
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) water*
- Vanilla frosting
- Silver Crystal Sugar for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
- 2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
- 3. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- 4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
- 5. Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Please note that the batter will be very thin.
- 6. Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- 7. Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Frost and add silver crystal sugar
A slow motion, love potion Blackberry Cosmo!
What you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka
- 1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
- Blackberries and black sugar crystals, for garnish
Directions:
- Chill your glass and muddle blackberries
- Pour the Cointreau, vodka, and lemon juice into the shaker with the smashed blackberries. Add a handful of ice. Secure the lid and shake for 20 to 30 seconds, until the shaker is very cold.
- Strain the cocktail into the chilled tumbler using a small hand strainer to separate the berry pulp. Add two blackberries and black sugar garnish
Polish up real nice with this Bejeweled Beillini!
What you’ll need:
- 1 tbsp White peach puree
- Bottle of Prosecco
- Edible glitter
Directions:
- Put one tablespoon of white peach puree into the bottom of a chilled flute glass.
- Now fill the glass slowly with Prosecco or champagne so it stirs up the puree.
- Add a tsp of edible glitter and stir
These Dark Chocolate Midnight Macaroons make us feel like we were in Paris!
What you’ll need:
- Shells:
- 1⅓ cups flour
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup egg whites
- Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
Directions:
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Preheat oven to 300F. Fit a large pastry bag with a ⅜ inch or ½ inch round tip.
- Process the flour and 2 cups of powdered sugar on high, in the food processor for about 3-5 minutes, with breaks to let the mixture cool down in between
- Heat separated egg whites in the microwave for 20 seconds in 5-second intervals, mixing in between.
- Whip egg whites in a clean bowl of a stand mixer. Gradually add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Whip them just until they are firm but still glossy and supple – whites should form a peak that drops just a little.
- Sift the dry ingredients and the cocoa powder into the egg whites and gently fold them in 2-4 additions. Keep folding until the peak from the batter dropped into a bowl disappears in less than 30 seconds. Do not over mix.
- Spoon the batter into the pastry bag and pipe 1-inch domes about 2 inches apart, by holding the pastry bag ½ inch above the baking sheet
- For ganache, Heat ½ cup cream. Pour over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add ½ chilled heavy cream to the mixture and stir to make a smooth ganache.
- Leave in the fridge until it is firm enough to spoon or pipe onto macaron shells, stirring it every 10 minutes.
- Spoon or pipe 1 tsp of ganache onto 1 of the macaron shells, covering it with the other one. Repeat with the rest of the macaron shells.