23 1 / 2013
Snicker Doodles aren’t just cookies anymore!!
As much of a peanut butter addict as I am (see below for whole story), my husband and son are cinnamon addicts. I found this recipe on Pinterest. I decided to make these cupcakes last Saturday. They did not last more and 2 hours in my house! My husband told me I could make these often if I wanted.
Cinnamon is not my favorite, but I tried one of these cupcakes anyway. Oh my…it was good. Considering you put cinnamon in the cupcake batter, brush the still warm cupcake with melted butter and dunk it into sugar and cinnamon and THEN put cinnamon in the frosting..I thought it would be cinnamon overkill. However, it was quite the contrary. The cake was moist and the flavor subtle.
I guess I’m going to have to put this in the regular rotation….only I might just have to double the recipe so they last the day!
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21 12 / 2012
It’s that time of year once again, time to shop ‘til you drop, time to go off to Grandma’s and time to BAKE! By day, I have a desk job, so I do a lot of my shopping on the Internet, but I do occasionally take leave of my senses and go to the mall. Last Sunday, we traveled to Grandma’s house for the annual family Christmas gathering. It’s funny how you see your own kids getting older and bigger but don’t expect anyone else’s kids to have done the same.
Now, for the baking! I haven’t yet done my ohmygoshit’sChristmassoIhavetobakeeverything baking. I had already done 2 pumpkin rolls (1 to take and 1 for my husband and son) and I decided to some cupcakes as there would be a lot of kids at our gathering. I decided on a winter theme and came up with the “winter wonderland” cupcake.
Here’s the link to the white cupcake recipe:
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/White-Cupcakes-Epicurious
I used a basic buttercream tinted blue using Wilton gel dye Light Blue. I made my snowflakes with white chocolate melting wafers and used my squeeze bottle to shape them. Oops…before I forget. I added a little peppermint extract to the white chocolate before forming the snowflakes. I then put coarse ground sugar on the chocolate to look like snow or ice crystals.
They were yummy…and I only brought 3 home!
04 12 / 2012
I participated in a multi-vendor Holiday Bazaar this past weekend. The host is a friend of mine and she remembered I hand poured scented soy candles. She asked me to bring some holiday scents to sell and anything else I may want to bring. Hmmmm…I wonder what else to bring. CUPCAKES!! Keeping with the holiday theme, I decided to make Candy Cane Cupcakes. I used my “makes ‘em weak in the knees” chocolate cupcake recipe and added some peppermint to the frosting. Trying to drum up business for my baking company, I offered the cupcakes as samples. They were a big hit. One lady even thought they were candles in the shape of cupcakes. She said “they are too perfect to be food!” Umm….Ok. I’ll take that.
04 12 / 2012
Mimi? Can you make me Disney Princess cupcakes for my princess party? My 4-year-old granddaughter asked me this before she turned 4 a few weeks ago. What am I supposed to say to that? Of course I said “yes.” I was not going to put the actual figurines on top of the cupcakes, so I decided to just make the frosting the colors of the princess’ dresses. On top of the cupcakes, I sprinkled coarse-ground sugar to make them sparkly. I then made her a special cake with a tiara on top. She LOVED it! She thanked me over and over again. It was nice to be her hero for the day.
05 8 / 2012
My daughter asked me to bake cupcakes for her boss’ baby shower. I asked my daughter what kind of cupcakes she wanted, but there was no real answer other than “she’s having a boy, she likes teal and she’t not a girlie girl.” So….this is what I came up with.
I made chocolate cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes. When they cooled, I colored the buttercream frosting and then put it in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. This made is somewhat of a glaze consistency. I dipped the cupcakes in the frosting and then put them in the refrigerator to harden a bit.
I got a packet of stencils at the store a while back, and I found some baby stuff on one of the stencils. I could not get the other things to come out in a manner that would be recognizable; so after much trial and error, I decided to make “pitter patter of little feet” cupcakes. I took white buttercream, put it in the microwave for about 15 seconds and then poured it into a squeeze bottle (you could also use a piping bag and a small round tip). I held the stencil over the cupcake and then filled it in with the white buttercream (think Royal Icing on cookies).
I thought they were just about as cute as the day is long…I hope they went over well at the shower.
01 7 / 2012
Coconut Cream Cupcake
My husband loves his mother’s coconut cream pie. I do not eat coconut, so I can’t tell you whether it’s actually good or not. I decided I needed to make something to rival that pie. After looking around on Pinterest, I found a coconut cream bar recipe. TA DA!! I can change a few things and have myself a coconut cream cupcake.
Step 1: Toast the coconut. I put the coconut in the oven at about 275 until the coconut got “toasty” looking…that’s a technical term, by the way. The picture here is darker than the actual coconut.
Step 2: Make the pudding (Ok..I cheated. I used instant pudding). When the pudding sets up, add about 3/4 cup coconut to the pudding).
Step 3: Make the cupcakes!! I used a regular vanilla box cake and bake according to your stove and box instructions (my stove runs hot, so I bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes) After they cool, cut out the center of the cupcakes.
Step 4: Put the pudding/coconut mix in the holes. Add frosting (I used white frosting from a can and mixed in about half a tub of Cool Whip….dear hubby doesn’t like frosting too sweet) and then top with the toasted coconut from step 1.
Here’s the finished product. Again, I don’t eat coconut, so I can’t say whether or not they are good, but hubby at 4 or 5 already tonight….you do the math!!
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08 6 / 2012
My lovely baking assistant…
I would like to introduce you all to my lovely baking assistant. We all know a good baking assistant can make or break your efforts. I have one of the best in the business. Her name is Annabel. She is very supportive, even when I get a crazy idea. She is not afraid to show me some love after a long day of baking. Heck, she even cleans up the messes I make on the floor. Who could ask for more?
Here she is!!
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08 6 / 2012
What happens when you combine chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter and chocolate brownies? YUM!!
I saw something similar to this on Pinterest. My curiosity was piqued because of my love affair with all things peanut butter.
Today, I decided to make an attempt at these little pieces of scrumptiousness.
First step: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
OK, I cheated. I had some Pillsbury ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookes (in the tube) in my fridge. Take an amount equal to or just less than the amount you would use to make a cookie and smoosh that into the bottom of your cupcake paper.
Second step: Take about 1-1/2 cups of peanut butter and about 1/4 cup of olive oil (that makes it healthy right?) and mix into a bowl. This will thin the peanut butter and make a “meltaway” consistency. Making you hungry yet?
Put the peanut butter meltaway on top of the chocolate chip batter.
Third step: OK…I cheated again. I used a box mix of brownies, the family sized box. Mix that up according to the directions on the box and place on top of the other mixtures in the cupcake paper.
Yippee!! It’s all put together and you are closer to the finished product!!
I put my oven rack on the highest setting because the cookie has a shorter baking time than the brownie. I didn’t want to have raw brownie with burned cookie. SO—put the trays in the oven and bake for 20 minutes give or take.
When the brownie is not still wet on the top, they are done. Allow them to cool completely before coming out of the cupcake pans so they do not fall apart.
This is the finished product.
08 6 / 2012
Glazed Doughnut Muffins
I am going to attempt these for my son’s percussion camp on Monday. They look so good. Gotta keep the kids happy campers!!
08 6 / 2012
Peanut Butter Love Affair
OK..I admit it. I am obsessed with peanut butter. Peanut butter, much like bacon, is the perfect food. Whether it comes in ice cream, cookies, cake, combined with jelly in a sandwich or straight from the jar…it’s perfect, and I am in love.
I have a hard time accepting the fact that other people do not feel the same way about peanut butter that I do. I make all these desserts that include peanut butter and wonder why my family says “peanut butter again?” Of course, what else is there?
I find as I am scrolling through Pinterest that I am drawn to the desserts with peanut butter in them. It’s like a magnet and I am metal.
I am going to try a new dessert tomorrow with…you guessed it…peanut butter in the middle. I am excited to try it. I will post pictures along the way. Until then….
